Software:Space Colony (video game)

From HandWiki
Space Colony
Developer(s)Firefly Studios
Publisher(s)Gathering
Producer(s)Timothy Beggs
Designer(s)Simon Bradbury
Programmer(s)Andrew Prime
Artist(s)Mike Best
Composer(s)Robert L. Euvino
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X
Release
  • NA: August 29, 2003
  • EU: September 26, 2003
  • NA/EU: June 14, 2004 (OS X)[1]
Genre(s)Real-time strategy, life simulation
Mode(s)Single-player

Space Colony is a real-time strategy video game developed by Firefly Studios and published by Gathering in 2003. Aspyr Media released a Mac OS X port in 2004. The game was re-released as digital HD version on November 8, 2012.[2]

Gameplay

The basic premise is similar to The Sims in that the player has to care for the needs of several individuals - here each with a unique predefined personality and different abilities. However the game is mission orientated and involves setting up a futuristic base and carrying out missions which involve mining minerals, developing relationships, harvesting resources to prevent running out of oxygen and power, collecting food, and fighting back alien attacks.

A bonus campaign was released in 2004. It has 5 missions and takes place on the planet Cobash.

Characters

There are 20 main characters in this game. All the characters' attitudes are determined by their happiness. It is necessary to meet the characters' needs and demands so their work levels don't drop. Therefore, they need enough oxygen, power and food or entertaining with bars, clubs, saunas and over other 100 buildings available. Mental health is also an issue in a small colony in space, so meditation spaces, psychotherapy and even detention pods can be of use.

Development

Mini game

A 2D action-oriented mini-game called Alien Horde was created to promote Space Colony. Players assume the role of Space Colony's leading lady Venus. She has to fight back alien attacks and try to rescue Space Colony's hard-working Scandinavian biker Stig, plus she has to prevent running out of oxygen. Alien Horde is open-ended, and the gameplay becomes more intense with each level. Beside the same setting the gameplay of the minigame has not much in common with the more strategic-oriented gameplay of Space Colony.

Music

Space Colony's theme song "You're So Gangsta" was contributed by the band Chromeo.

HD version

Space Colony HD[3] was released on November 8, 2012. The new version of the game features high-definition graphics and a wider field of view, with support for resolutions up to 2560x1600. The re-release includes 8 new official bonus campaigns and the previously released Cobash bonus campaign plus 6 user-created campaigns from SpaceColonyFans.net. The game is compatible with Windows 2000/XP/7/8/10. Purchases from GOG.com include the Alien Horde mini-game, HD wallpaper, a digital manual and the soundtrack of the game.[4] A separate HD patch for owners of the previous version was released on November 12, 2012.

Steam Edition

Space Colony: Steam Edition was released on April 30, 2015. This version includes a number of exclusive Steam features such as achievements, trading cards, and Steam Cloud for saved games. Also supported are high resolution graphics settings of the previous HD version, allowing players to view their entire colony while playing on a single screen. The game is compatible with Windows XP through 10.[5]

Reception

Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
CGWStarStarHalf star[6]
X-PlayStarStarStarStar[7]
Computer Games MagazineStarStarStarStar[8]

On Metacritic, a review aggregator, Space Colony has a score of 75/100 based on 21 reviews.[9] Dan Adams of IGN rated it 7.5/10 and wrote that it is "almost great" but has too many annoyances, such as the characters' irritatingly quirky personalities.[10] In his review for GameSpot, Andrew Park called it "an interesting game but not a truly compelling one". In rating it 6.7/10, Park criticized the lack of variety in gameplay, as each problem can be solved in very similar ways, and there are few spontaneous interactions between the colonists.[11] Eurogamer's Martin Taylor rated the game 6/10 and recommended it only to fans of The Sims, who might not mind the requirement of constant supervision.[12] GamePro rated it 4.5/5 stars and called it "a tough, funny, and very charismatic hybrid" of The Sims and strategy games.[13] Joel Durham Jr. of GameSpy rated it 4/5 stars and wrote, "More than just Sims in Space, Space Colony mixes city-building, real-time strategy, and offbeat humor to produce an enjoyable and unique strategy title."[14] Space Colony: Steam Edition has a score of 74/100 based on 10 reviews on Metacritic.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Aspyr to launch Space Colony on June 14" (in en). https://www.macworld.com/article/171188/spacecolony-2.html. 
  2. ↑ "Space Colony". http://www.spacecolonyhd.com/game.html. 
  3. ↑ "Space Colony HD". http://www.spacecolonyhd.com/game.html. 
  4. ↑ SpaceColonyFans.net - Stella's Space Colony HD Walkthrough and Game Help
  5. ↑ "Space Colony :Steam Edition". http://store.steampowered.com/app/297920/. 
  6. ↑ Dulin, Ron (November 24, 2003). "Space Colony". Computer Gaming World. http://www.computergaming.com:80/article2/0,2053,1487174,00.asp. 
  7. ↑ Bemis, Greg (November 18, 2003). "Space Colony (PC) Review". X-Play. http://www.g4techtv.com:80/xplay/features/46107/Space_Colony_PC_Review.html. 
  8. ↑ Fleet, Adam (January 2004). "Opinion; Space Colony". Computer Games Magazine (158): 71, 72. 
  9. ↑ "Space Colony". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/space-colony-2003/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  10. ↑ Adams, Dan (2003-10-20). "Space Colony Review". IGN. http://www.ign.com/articles/2003/10/21/space-colony-review. 
  11. ↑ Park, Andrew (2003-10-16). "Space Colony Review". GameSpot. http://www.gamespot.com/reviews/space-colony-review/1900-6076934/. 
  12. ↑ Taylor, Martin (2003-10-23). "Space Colony". Eurogamer. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/r_spacecolony_pc. 
  13. ↑ "Space Colony". GamePro. http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/31551.shtml. Retrieved 2016-12-12. 
  14. ↑ Durham, Joel (2003-10-21). "Space Colony". GameSpy. http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/space-colony/6294p1.html. 
  15. ↑ "Space Colony: Steam Edition". Metacritic. https://www.metacritic.com/game/space-colony-steam-edition/critic-reviews/?platform=pc. 
  • 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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