Software:Roadwar 2000

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Short description: 1986 video game
Roadwar 2000
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Strategic Simulations
Designer(s)Jeffrey Johnson
Platform(s)Apple II, Commodore 64, MS-DOS, Amiga, Apple IIGS, Atari ST, PC-88, PC-98, Sharp X1
Release
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player

Roadwar 2000 is a 1986 video game published by Strategic Simulations, Inc. It is a turn-based strategy game set in a post-apocalyptic future which resembles the world portrayed in the Mad Max films.

Gameplay and plot

Atari ST screenshot

In 1999, a terrorist group unleashes a deadly virus on the United States, leading to its collapse. Various vigilante and survivalist groups appear and cars become the primary form of transportation and combat.

The player starts off as sort of a scavenger and attempts to build up an army capable of making crossings between cities on highways, which have become littered with hordes of marauding mutants, cannibals, and criminal gangs.

Winning enough battles and gathering a sizable army may bring the player's character to attention of the ailing US government, who will recruit the player to find eight missing scientists, America's only hope to finding a cure for the disease. The player must bring them back to a secret base. Along the way, the player must loot cities and scavenge for needed supplies and munitions.

The game calculates and displays detailed statistics during combat encounters which, not surprisingly, occur fairly often. While these text messages were displayed in simple text on the early versions of the game, the Amiga and Atari ST versions accompany these battles with digitized sound.

Platforms

Roadwar 2000 was originally released for the Apple II and Commodore 64 in 1986. In 1987, it was ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Apple IIGS, FM-7, NEC PC-8801 and DOS. The Amiga, Atari ST and Apple IIGS versions, developed by Westwood Associates, sported digital sound effects and higher-quality graphics than the previous versions.

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarHalf star[1]
DragonStarStarStarStarStar[2]

SSI sold 44,044 copies of Roadwar 2000 in North America.[3] The game was reviewed in 1987 in Dragon #118 by Hartley and Patricia Lesser in "The Role of Computers" column. The reviewers stated that "Roadwar 2000 is a great offering and is easily enjoyed by players who have fantasy role-playing backgrounds because you do, indeed, control the shots for your crew."[4] In a subsequent column, the reviewers gave the game 5 out of 5 stars.[2] Compute! stated that the game successfully combined individual combat and strategy with good graphics, and concluded that it was "yet another successful product from SSI".[5] In 1992 and 1994 survey of science fiction games, Computer Gaming World gave the title two-plus stars of five, stating that "It is quite dated today, although it can be fun as a semi-'no brainer'".[6][1]

Robbie Robberson reviewed Roadwar 2000 in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 81.[7] Robberson commented that "In short, the Roadwar series is an example of a good idea that is short circuited by its components. If Strategic Simulations, Inc. can release these games with a better and quicker combat routine, or better yet, reduce the incidence of combat, these games would be a required addition to every serious computer gamer's library. As of now, they are simply entertaining in the short run, and tedious in the long."[7]

Reviews

  • Happy Computer (1986)[8]
  • Computer Gamer (Apr, 1987)[9]
  • ASM (Aktueller Software Markt) (May, 1987)[10]
  • Jeux & Stratégie #43[11]

Sequel

Roadwar 2000 was followed by Roadwar Europa in 1987. It was developed for the same platforms as R2000. This game, set in Europe, is graphically almost identical to its predecessor. Terrorists have devastated one city and are threatening to blow up the continent. It is up to the player to stop them.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Brooks, M. Evan (May 1994). "Never Trust A Gazfluvian Flingschnogger!". Computer Gaming World: 42–58. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia (October 1987). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (126): 82–88. 
  3. ↑ Maher, Jimmy (2016-03-18). "Opening the Gold Box, Part 3: From Tabletop to Desktop". The Digital Antiquarian. http://www.filfre.net/2016/03/opening-the-gold-box-part-3-from-tabletop-to-desktop/. Retrieved 19 March 2016. 
  4. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia (February 1987). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (118): 92–98. 
  5. ↑ Trunzo, James V. (March 1987). "Roadwar 2000". Compute!: pp. 78. https://archive.org/stream/1987-03-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_082_1987_Mar#page/n79/mode/2up. Retrieved 9 November 2013. 
  6. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (November 1992). "Strategy & Wargames: The Future (2000-....)". Computer Gaming World: pp. 99. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100. Retrieved 4 July 2014. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Robberson, Robbie (1987). "Mad Max' USA / European Tour". Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer (Diverse Talents, Incorporated) (81): 42–43. 
  8. ↑ "Kultpower Archiv: Komplettscan Happy Computer Spielesonderheft 4 (1986)". http://www.kultpower.de/archiv/heft_happycomputer_spielesonderheft-4_seite98. 
  9. ↑ "Computer Gamer - Issue 25 (1987-04)(Argus Press)(GB)". April 1987. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gamer_Issue_25_1987-04_Argus_Press_GB/page/n12/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ "Aktueller Software Markt (ASM) Magazine (67 1987)". https://archive.org/details/asm_magazine-1987-67/page/n45/mode/2up. 
  11. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 43". February 1987. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-43/page/70/mode/2up. 
  • 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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