Software:Sid Meier's Gettysburg!

From HandWiki
Sid Meier's Gettysburg!
Developer(s)Firaxis Games
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Sid Meier
Composer(s)David Evans
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
Genre(s)Real-time wargame
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Sid Meier's Gettysburg! is a 1997 real-time wargame developed by Firaxis Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was designed by Sid Meier, and followed by Sid Meier's Antietam! in 1999.

Gameplay

A battle scene

The game allows the player to control either the Confederate or Union troops during the Battle of Gettysburg in the American Civil War. It can be played as single scenarios, or as a campaign of linked scenarios, either recounting the original history or exploring alternative possibilities.

Online play

There was a large online following when the game was being hosted on Mplayer (a multi-player game network bought by GameSpy industries). After moving to GameSpy, the game dwindled in popularity for online players. At the pinnacle of online play, there were many groups of players. A competitive ladder (league) was also a fixture of this time, where the hall of fame can still be viewed. "Case's Ladder" Online play is now, for the most part, impossible due to the shutdown of GameSpy's servers.

As of 2017, the game is still playable online with GameRanger.[2]

Development

The engine was also used for the Napoleonic game Waterloo: Napoleon's Last Battle (as was a modified version for Austerlitz: Napoleon's Greatest Victory), both by BreakAway Games.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score
AggregatorScore
Metacritic92/100[3]
Review scores
PublicationScore
AllGameStarStarStarStarHalf star[4]
CGWStarStarStarStarHalf star[5]
GameSpot9.3/10[6]
Next GenerationStarStarStarStarStar[7]
PC Gamer (US)91%[8]
PC Zone90%[9]
Computer Games Strategy PlusStarStarStarStarHalf star[10]

Gettysburg! was a commercial success, with more than 200,000 copies sold by August 1999. At the time, Jeff Briggs of Firaxis commented that the game "did extremely well for us".[11] From critics, it received "universal acclaim" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3]

During the AIAS' inaugural Interactive Achievement Awards, Gettysburg! was a nominee for "PC Strategy Game of the Year",[12] which was ultimately awarded to StarCraft and Age of Empires (tie).[13] Similarly, the Computer Game Developers Conference nominated Gettysburg! for its "Best Strategy/Wargame" Spotlight Award, but gave the prize to Myth.[14] However, it was named the best computer wargame of 1997 by Computer Gaming World, Computer Games Strategy Plus and GameSpot.[15][16][17] The editors of Computer Gaming World called it "the return to form of arguably the best designer ever", and wrote that "this is one game that really will play until Johnny comes marching home."[16]

Next Generation stated that "Gettysburg is an excellent first offering from Firaxis. It not only overshadows previous historical sims, but it also beats most of the realtime strategy games available today." They cited its simple, intuitive control interface as key to making it stand out from the often overly complex games in its genre, stating that it allows players to more easily focus on the finer points of strategy and planning.[7] J.C. Herz, writing for The New York Times , pondered the assumptions underlying the game's simulation of the historical battle. He felt that the game could be a useful tool to teach history but worried that the interactive medium could obscure historical facts behind its systems.[18]

In 1998, Gettysburg won the Origins Award for Best Strategy Computer Game of 1997.[19]

Legacy

Gettysburg had a large modification ("mod") community. Players can customize uniforms, maps, sounds, and units. This aspect of tweaking the game proved vital to Civil War aficionados looking for historically accurate models. This ultimately led to the creation of other famous battles such as the Battle of Fredericksburg, the First Battle of Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, and more.

References

  1. ↑ Staff (October 14, 1997). "Now Shipping". http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-10-13.html. 
    Now Shipping: "...Sid Meier's Gettysburg from Firaxis and EA..."
  2. ↑ "GameRanger - Supported Games". https://www.gameranger.com/games/. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Sid Meier's Gettysburg! for PC Reviews". https://www.metacritic.com/game/sid-meiers-gettysburg/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. Retrieved May 25, 2017. 
  4. ↑ Suciu, Peter. "Sid Meier's Gettysburg! - Review". AllGame. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=6058&tab=review. Retrieved May 25, 2017. 
  5. ↑ Proctor, Bob (January 1998). "Gettysburg Addressed (Sid Meier's Gettysburg! Review)". Computer Gaming World (162): 274–75. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_162.pdf. Retrieved May 26, 2017. 
  6. ↑ Ryan, Michael E. (October 30, 1997). "Sid Meier's Gettysburg! Review". https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/sid-meiers-gettysburg-review/1900-2533084/. Retrieved May 25, 2017. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Finals". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (37): 158. January 1998. 
  8. ↑ McDonald, T. Liam (January 1998). "Sid Meier's Gettysburg". PC Gamer: 218. http://www.pcgamer.com:80/reviews/944.html. Retrieved May 25, 2017. 
  9. ↑ "PC Review: Sid Meier's Gettysburg!". PC Zone. 1997. 
  10. ↑ Udell, Scott (1997). "Sid Meier's Gettysburg!". Computer Games Strategy Plus. http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/006/164/gettysburg_review.html. 
  11. ↑ Campbell, Colin (August 30, 1999). "What's Up With Sid Meier's Antietam?". IGN. http://pc.ign.com:80/articles/069/069973p1.html. 
  12. ↑ "The Award; Award Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. http://www.interactive.org:80/html/award/awardupdate.htm. 
  13. ↑ "The Award; Award Updates". Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. http://www.interactive.org:80/html/award/awardwin98.htm. 
  14. ↑ Jensen, Chris (May 8, 1998). "Spotlight Award Winners". Online Gaming Review. Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.ogr.com/specials/cgdc98/08spotlight.html. 
  15. ↑ Staff. "Best & Worst Awards 1997". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com:80/features/awards97/cont.html. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Staff (March 1998). "CGW Presents The Best & Worst of 1997". Computer Gaming World (164): 74–77, 80, 84, 88, 89. 
  17. ↑ Staff (January 19, 1998). "The winners of the 1997 Computer Games Awards". Computer Games Strategy Plus. http://www.cdmag.com:80/articles/009/194/1997_cgsp_awards.html. 
  18. ↑ Herz, J.C. (1998-06-18). "Game Theory; Replaying, or Twisting, Battle of Gettysburg". https://www.nytimes.com/1998/06/18/technology/game-theory-replaying-or-twisting-battle-of-gettysburg.html. 
  19. ↑ "Origins Award Winners (1997)". Academy of Adventure Gaming Arts & Design. http://www.originsgamefair.com/awards/1997/list-of-winners. Retrieved 2008-06-03. 
  • 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. 
  • No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari




Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Software:Sid_Meier%27s_Gettysburg!&oldid=743846"