Software:Rescue Rover

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Short description: 1991 video game

Rescue Rover
MS-DOS title screen
Developer(s)id Software
Publisher(s)Softdisk
Designer(s)Tom Hall
Programmer(s)
  • John Carmack
  • John Romero
Artist(s)Adrian Carmack
Platform(s)MS-DOS, Apple IIGS
Release1991
Genre(s)Puzzle
Mode(s)Single-player

Rescue Rover is a puzzle video game that was developed by id Software and published by Softdisk in 1991. The game was distributed as shareware, with the first 10 levels making up the shareware version, and another 20 levels being present in the registered version. This is one of several games written by id to fulfil their contractual obligation to produce games for Softdisk, where the id founders had been employed. A sequel, Rescue Rover 2, followed.

Plot

Roger and Rover are the two main characters. Rover the dog is frequently kidnapped by robots. The player, Roger the owner, must enter robot territory and get him back, hence the name "Rescue Rover".

Gameplay

Each level starts with Roger climbing up a ladder set into the floor, and the player completes the level by arriving back at this ladder with Rover - at which point Roger climbs down with Rover. Gameplay involves getting Rover out repeatedly in a set of increasingly difficult levels, by moving objects around in a grid to open up a path to get to the dog and then bring it back out. There are four different types of robot in the game, each with different behaviour. One type shoots Roger if he stands in front of it, but doesn't move, another type runs around and shoots Roger if he is seen, another type chases Roger around, and the last type runs around and kills Roger if it runs into him. To get to Rover, the player must normally avoid, trap or destroy them. There are various items which Roger can push around in the world: crates (which float on water), mirror blocks (which reflect lasers at an angle), star pearls and anti-gravity carts. Other items in the areas are grated floors (which robots cannot travel on), glowing floors (which Roger cannot travel on), water (including moving water in which crates float with the current), laser projectors, teleporters and force doors (which need an access card in order to be opened).

Development

Rescue Rover had its programming origins in an aborted Super Mario Bros. 3 port that id proposed to Nintendo six months earlier in 1990. Though Nintendo declined, the advances that it made in that demo aided development of their later projects, including Commander Keen and Dangerous Dave in the Haunted Mansion.[1]

Release

Rescue Rover was released in 1991.[2] In 1997, it was included in an anthology of all id's games to date.[3]

Reception

David Kushner, in Masters of Doom, called it "a clever maze game" and cited it as an example of an emerging trend in id's games: darkly humorous violence.[4] Travis Fahs of IGN wrote that despite the title was less impressive compared to other id's games, Rover had a cult following with the gamers, a factor which led to creation of a sequel.[5] In a 2008 IGN reader poll about their favorite early id game, Rescue Rover received one vote.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Jones, Brad (December 26, 2015). "John Romero explains how a Super Mario Bros. 3 PC clone changed games forever". Digital Trends. http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/john-romero-super-mario-bros-3-port-interview/. Retrieved March 17, 2016. 
  2. ↑ "Rescue Rover". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/rescue-rover/. Retrieved March 17, 2016. 
  3. ↑ Blevins, Tal (March 11, 1997). "id Anthology Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/id-anthology-review/1900-2535421/. Retrieved March 17, 2016. 
  4. ↑ Kushner, David (2004). Masters of Doom. Random House. p. 78. ISBN 9780812972153. https://books.google.com/books?id=yyaxyKjyp2YC&pg=PA78. 
  5. ↑ Fahs, Travis (September 23, 2008). "The Early Years of id Software". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/23/the-early-years-of-id-software?page=2. Retrieved March 17, 2016. 
  6. ↑ Buchanan, Levi (September 24, 2008). "Poll Results - Carmack Favorites". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/09/24/poll-results-carmack-favorites. Retrieved March 17, 2016. 
  • id's look back at Rescue Rover
  • MobyGames is a commercial database website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes over 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms.[1] Founded in 1999, ownership of the site has changed hands several times. It has been owned by Atari SA since 2022.

Features

Edits and submissions to the site (including screenshots, box art, developer information, game summaries, and more) go through a verification process of fact-checking by volunteer "approvers".[2] This lengthy approval process after submission can range from minutes to days or months.[3] The most commonly used sources are the video game's website, packaging, and credit screens. There is a published standard for game information and copy-editing.[4] A ranking system allows users to earn points for contributing accurate information.[5]

Registered users can rate and review games. Users can create private or public "have" and "want" lists, which can generate a list of games available for trade with other registered users. The site contains an integrated forum. Each listed game can have its own sub-forum.

History

Logo used until March 2014

MobyGames was founded on March 1, 1999, by Jim Leonard and Brian Hirt, and joined by David Berk 18 months later, the three of which had been friends since high school.[6][7] Leonard had the idea of sharing information about computer games with a larger audience. The database began with information about games for IBM PC compatibles, relying on the founders' personal collections. Eventually, the site was opened up to allow general users to contribute information.[5] In a 2003 interview, Berk emphasized MobyGames' dedication to taking video games more seriously than broader society and to preserving games for their important cultural influence.[5]

In mid-2010, MobyGames was purchased by GameFly for an undisclosed amount.[8] This was announced to the community post factum , and the site's interface was given an unpopular redesign.[7] A few major contributors left, refusing to do volunteer work for a commercial website.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025} On December 18, 2013, MobyGames was acquired by Jeremiah Freyholtz, owner of Blue Flame Labs (a San Francisco-based game and web development company) and VGBoxArt (a site for fan-made video game box art).[9] Blue Flame Labs reverted MobyGames' interface to its pre-overhaul look and feel,[10] and for the next eight years, the site was run by Freyholtz and Independent Games Festival organizer Simon Carless.[7]

On November 24, 2021, Atari SA announced a potential deal with Blue Flame Labs to purchase MobyGames for $1.5 million.[11] The purchase was completed on 8 March 2022, with Freyholtz remaining as general manager.[12][13][14] Over the next year, the financial boost given by Atari led to a rework of the site being built from scratch with a new backend codebase, as well as updates improving the mobile and desktop user interface.[1] This was accomplished by investing in full-time development of the site instead of its previously part-time development.[15]

In 2024, MobyGames began offering a paid "Pro" membership option for the site to generate additional revenue.[16] Previously, the site had generated income exclusively through banner ads and (from March 2014 onward) a small number of patrons via the Patreon website.[17]

See also

  • IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheehan, Gavin (2023-02-22). "Atari Relaunches The Fully Rebuilt & Optimized MobyGames Website". https://bleedingcool.com/games/atari-relaunches-the-fully-rebuilt-optimized-mobygames-website/. 
  2. ↑ Litchfield, Ted (2021-11-26). "Zombie company Atari to devour MobyGames". https://www.pcgamer.com/zombie-company-atari-to-devour-mobygames/. 
  3. ↑ "MobyGames FAQ: Emails Answered § When will my submission be approved?". Blue Flame Labs. 30 March 2014. http://www.mobygames.com/info/faq7#g1. 
  4. ↑ "The MobyGames Standards and Practices". Blue Flame Labs. 6 January 2016. http://www.mobygames.com/info/standards. 
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Miller, Stanley A. (2003-04-22). "People's choice awards honor favorite Web sites". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. 
  6. ↑ "20 Years of MobyGames" (in en). 2019-02-28. https://trixter.oldskool.org/2019/02/28/20-years-of-mobygames/. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Plunkett, Luke (2022-03-10). "Atari Buys MobyGames For $1.5 Million". https://kotaku.com/mobygames-retro-credits-database-imdb-atari-freyholtz-b-1848638521. 
  8. ↑ "Report: MobyGames Acquired By GameFly Media". Gamasutra. 2011-02-07. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/game-platforms/report-mobygames-acquired-by-gamefly-media. 
  9. ↑ Corriea, Alexa Ray (December 31, 2013). "MobyGames purchased from GameFly, improvements planned". http://www.polygon.com/2013/12/31/5261414/mobygames-purchased-from-gamefly-improvements-planned. 
  10. ↑ Wawro, Alex (31 December 2013). "Game dev database MobyGames getting some TLC under new owner". Gamasutra. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/game-dev-database-mobygames-getting-some-tlc-under-new-owner. 
  11. ↑ "Atari invests in Anstream, may buy MobyGames". November 24, 2021. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2021-11-24-atari-invests-in-anstream-may-buy-mobygames. 
  12. ↑ Rousseau, Jeffrey (2022-03-09). "Atari purchases Moby Games". https://www.gamesindustry.biz/atari-purchases-moby-games. 
  13. ↑ "Atari Completes MobyGames Acquisition, Details Plans for the Site's Continued Support". March 8, 2022. https://www.atari.com/atari-completes-mobygames-acquisition-details-plans-for-the-sites-continued-support/. 
  14. ↑ "Atari has acquired game database MobyGames for $1.5 million" (in en-GB). 2022-03-09. https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/atari-has-acquired-game-database-mobygames-for-1-5-million/. 
  15. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2022-03-10). "Atari buys videogame database MobyGames for $1.5 million". https://www.pcgamer.com/atari-buys-videogame-database-mobygames-for-dollar15-million/. 
  16. ↑ Harris, John (2024-03-09). "MobyGames Offering “Pro” Membership". https://setsideb.com/mobygames-offering-pro-membership/. 
  17. ↑ "MobyGames on Patreon". http://www.patreon.com/mobygames. 
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