Software:Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars

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Short description: 1999 video game
Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars
Developer(s)Enlight
Publisher(s)Ubi Soft
Designer(s)Trevor Chan
Platform(s)Windows
Release
  • EU: October 1, 1999[2]
  • NA: October 15, 1999[1]
  • WW: February 4, 2015 (HD)
Genre(s)Real-time strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars is a history-fantasy real-time strategy video game developed by Enlight, released in 1999. Seven Kingdoms II is the sequel to the original Seven Kingdoms game and its updated re-release Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries.

Gameplay

Fryhtan Wars retains a great deal of concepts from its predecessors that distinguished it from other strategy games.

As was in the original, players must seek to strike a balance between a powerful army for defeating enemy Kingdoms and Khwyzans and a viable economy for sustaining the former. The definitive marks of Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries (SKAA) recur in Fryhtan Wars (SKFW); Gold, Food, Reputation, Population, Loyalty, and Espionage. The human population may be subdivided for various tasks; to produce food, to build, to research, to spy, to work in mines and factories, or to conscript into the army.

Both single player and multiplayer modes are available. The single player mode includes "random map" skirmishes, built-in scenarios, and a campaign game, which consists of a string of dynamically-generated scenarios.

Civilizations

Seven Kingdoms II includes 12 human civilizations (Normans, Celts, Vikings, Greeks, Romans, Carthaginians, Egyptians, Persians, Indians, Chinese, Japanese and Mongols) and 7 Fryhtan species (Minotauros, Exovum, Kharshuf, Kerassos, Bregma, Grokken and Ezpinez). Besides unique military units with slightly varying attributes, human kingdoms also have unique gods with special powers that the kingdom may evoke from "seats of powers" that also grant unique bonuses. Differences among the three "basic" unit types, the bonuses associated with each particular Seat of Power, and the Greater Beings that may be evoked distinguish the different nationalities. In addition to basic human units, human civilizations can also build a variety of siege weapons, including cannons, ballistas, and catapults. These siege units do not possess a combat score, hence they all carry the same effectiveness from the moment they are created until the moment they are destroyed. However, siege weapons cost more to maintain and create.

Human kingdoms focus on population, diplomacy and economy, whereas Fryhtan kingdoms (known as Kwyzans) focus directly on military units backed by a very simplistic economy, with almost no diplomatic options and with no espionage. Compared to humans who can build a plethora of structures, including mines, factories, forts, camps and war factories, most Fryhtan species can only build two structures: the lair which breeds more Fryhtans and an additional structure associated with the unique capabilities of the species. Fryhtan kingdoms rely on enslaving human towns, which provide them gold, and killing units, which provides "life force" necessary to breed more Fryhtans. Human kingdoms often contain multiple nationalities, and likewise Fryhtan kingdoms can also contain multiple species. Kingdoms with significant numbers of both humans and Fryhtans are possible, but difficult, because reputation will cause human townspeople to rebel. If either enemy soldiers surrender to you, enemy kingdoms surrender to you, or civilians surrender to you, you will be able to build Human buildings and train soldiers, specialty units, spies and other units/building exclusive to Human kingdoms. This will cause the food source of the kingdom to go down, as Fryhtan kingdoms start off with low food supplies, so creating a "Tower of Science" and researching "Advanced Farming" is highly suggested.

Open source project

Enlight released GPL source code in August 2009 for the original game Seven Kingdoms: Ancient Adversaries, and did the same for Seven Kingdoms II. However, the game data would not be released under the GPL. Enlight said that it was still making a profit through digital sales of the game. In the open source project supported by Enlight found at www.7kfans.com, a goal of the project would be to write a common engine to both games. The original game CD for Windows is required to install Seven Kingdoms II.

Seven Kingdoms 2 HD

On December 16, 2014, Enlight announced Seven Kingdoms 2 had been green-light by Steam and they would be working on an upgrade dubbed Seven Kingdoms 2 HD. The upgraded version is said to support screen resolutions of up to 1920x1080 and introduce a new map mode that is 4 times as large as the original map. Enlight initially hoped to have the HD version implemented in two weeks. It was released on February 4, 2015.[3]

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
GameRankings82%[4]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarHalf star[5]
CGSPStarStarStarStar[7]
CGWStarStarStarHalf star[8]
GameProStarStarStarStarHalf star[9]
GameRevolutionA−[10]
GameSpot9.1/10[11]
GameSpy87%[12]
GameZone8.9/10[13]
IGN8.6/10[14]
PC Gamer (US)90%[16]

The game received "favorable" reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[4]

References

  1. ↑ "Ubi Soft North America - Press Releases". http://www.ubisoft.com/usa/corp/press/pr_sk21018.html. 
  2. ↑ "Gone Gold : EuroGold". 2001-02-10. http://www.gonegold.com/golden/eurogold99.shtml. 
  3. ↑ Michael Bonke (2015-02-06). "Seven Kingdoms 2 HD: Neu aufgelegter RTS-Klassiker bei Steam aufgetaucht". https://www.pcgames.de/Seven-Kingdoms-2-HD-Spiel-55250/News/Seven-Kingdoms-2-HD-Neu-aufgelegter-RTS-Klassiker-bei-Steam-aufgetaucht-1150113/. Retrieved 2025-01-06. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars for PC". CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on May 20, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190520223304/https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/139895-seven-kingdoms-ii-the-fryhtan-wars/index.html. Retrieved June 5, 2021. 
  5. ↑ Rubin, Bryan. "Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars - Review". All Media Network. Archived from the original on November 14, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141114145402/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=20671&tab=review. Retrieved July 27, 2017. 
  6. ↑ Walker, Mark H. (October 26, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II: The Frythan Wars". CNET. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20000816105954/http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-3317,00.html. Retrieved June 5, 2021. 
  7. ↑ Johnson, Lee (October 20, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II: The Frythan Wars". Strategy Plus, Inc.. Archived from the original on May 13, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030513115852/http://www.cdmag.com/articles/023/142/sevenk2_review.html. Retrieved June 5, 2021. 
  8. ↑ Kapalka, Jason (January 2000). "Tough Love (Seven Kingdoms II [The Fryhtan Wars Review)"]. Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (186): 118–19. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_186.pdf. Retrieved July 28, 2017. 
  9. ↑ Brenesal, Barry (1999). "Seven Kingdoms II [The Fryhtan Wars Review for PC on GamePro.com"]. GamePro (IDG Entertainment). Archived from the original on February 9, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20050209103110/http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/2380.shtml. Retrieved July 28, 2017. 
  10. ↑ Villines, C. Joshua (December 3, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II [The Fryhtan Wars"]. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on November 26, 2004. https://web.archive.org/web/20041126230945/http://www.gamerevolution.com/games/pc/strategy/seven_kingdoms_ii.htm. Retrieved July 27, 2017. 
  11. ↑ Lopez, Tony (September 8, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II [The Fryhtan Wars Review"]. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on April 22, 2003. https://web.archive.org/web/20030422231837/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/sevenkingdoms2thefw/review.html. Retrieved July 27, 2017. 
  12. ↑ Baker, David (December 26, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars". IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original on October 29, 2000. https://web.archive.org/web/20001029181501/http://www.gamespy.com/legacy/reviews/sevenkingdoms2_a.shtm. Retrieved July 27, 2017. 
  13. ↑ Dickinson, Jon (October 28, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars - PC - Review". Archived from the original on June 25, 2001. https://web.archive.org/web/20010625012929/http://www.gamezone.com/gzreviews/r11846.htm. Retrieved July 28, 2017. 
  14. ↑ Saltzman, Marc (November 16, 1999). "Seven Kingdoms II: The Frythan Wars". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/11/17/seven-kingdoms-ii-the-fryhtan-wars. Retrieved July 27, 2017. 
  15. ↑ Strauch, Joel (December 1999). "Seven Kingdoms 2 [sic"]. PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (16): 98. https://archive.org/details/PCXL16Dec1999/page/n101/mode/2up. Retrieved June 5, 2021. 
  16. ↑ "Seven Kingdoms II: The Fryhtan Wars". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (12). December 1999. 
  • Enlight Software - (archive 2007)
  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.



  • 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

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. 
  18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.





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