Software:Space Rangers (video game)

From HandWiki
Short description: 2002 space trading and combat simulator video game
Space Rangers
Russian cover art
Developer(s)Elemental Games
Publisher(s)
SeriesSpace Rangers
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • RU: December 20, 2002
  • NA: June 11, 2004
  • EU: June 17, 2004[1]
Genre(s)Turn-based space trading and combat simulator
Mode(s)Single-player

Space Rangers (Russian: Космические рейнджеры) is a multi-genre (turn-base strategy, text quest, arcade) computer game by the Russian company Elemental Games, released by 1C Company in 2002. It is critically acclaimed and popular in its home country,[2] Finland and parts of Eastern Europe, although not so popular elsewhere due to lack of marketing. In 2004, 1C Company published a sequel, Space Rangers 2.

The game is dynamic and open-ended in a fashion that has been compared to Elite and Star Control 2.[3] Trade prices on planets follow supply and demand, the wars are ongoing non-scripted conflicts, computer-controlled ships have individual capabilities, goals and relations, etc. There are even several ways to complete the storyline. The games have turn-based space travel and combat, optional shoot 'em up sequences and occasional bits of text adventure. This game was not released in America in its own box, but in some special edition containers of Space Rangers 2: Rise of the Dominators.

Plot

In Space Rangers, a relatively peaceful interstellar coalition is invaded by a powerful enemy; the organic warships of the Klissans. The player is a Ranger, one of a group of non-military volunteers who are given small ships, free rein and the task of helping to battle, understand and ultimately defeat the menace.

Background

Long ago, the now wise and peaceful Gaal race was very aggressive and was creating a huge number of colonies. Due to large space distances it created a hyperjumper which could make holes in the galaxy. Soon one of the colonies met with the Klissan fleet. Although Gaal colony ships tried to communicate with these Klissan ships they failed to do so and were destroyed. Soon Makhpella, the mothership of all Klissans and Klissan fleet, invaded all outer Gaal colonies. The Gaal colony fleet was completely helpless and in order to save the original Gaal territories and the Gaal motherland itself from invasion, they decided not to jump back which would have given the Makhpella an opportunity to trace their route, but to blow up the remaining other colonies using the hyperjumper instead.

Not very long ago, everything was started by a Peleng captain called Rachekhan, one of the commanders of the Peleng fleet. He was thrown out of the fleet and became a pirate. Since he had access to secret documents and weaponry he stole a hyperjumper. While travelling with it he met Makhpella. It considered Rachekhan's pirate fleet an enemy and started chasing it. During this chase, Rachekhan and the Klissan fleets went through sectors colonized by the interstellar coalition which enabled Makhpella to spot the IC sectors, gaining knowledge of its locations, and identify all IC races as foes. So the war started.

Races

Space Rangers features 6 races in total: the Interstellar Coalition races and the Klissans. The Interstellar Coalition consists of 5 races: Maloqs, Pelengs, Humans, Faeyans and Gaals. The Klissans are the new and unresearched form of life.

Maloq
The Maloq race is very strong physically, but mentally weak. They are physically very big and eat a lot of food. Their equipment is the cheapest but it is also the most delicate, and deteriorates much quicker than other races'. The race is named after the C standard library function malloc.
Peleng
The four handed Pelengs are usually very artful and Peleng criminals are the most successful. Also Pelengs have the strongest intelligence agency called "Dzuhallag". Peleng equipment is the 2nd cheapest and the 2nd most delicate.
Human
Humans are the best economists. If not for the humans there would be no unified interstellar currency called "credits". Human equipment is in the middle of the spectrum for both price and robustness.
Faeyan
Faeyans are very good technicians and scientists. Faeyans are hermaphrodites. Their equipment is the 2nd most expensive, and 2nd only in robustness.
Gaal
The three eyed Gaals are leading philosophers and scientists. This race is the wisest compared to the other Interstellar Coalition races. Their equipment is the most expensive and the most robust.

References

  1. ↑ "What's New? (New releases roundup)" (in en-gb). Eurogamer.net. 2005-06-17. https://www.eurogamer.net/whatsnew-170605. 
  2. ↑ "Space Rangers Rating" (in Russian). Absolute Games. http://www.ag.ru/games/space_rangers/rating_breakdown. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 
  3. ↑ "About Space Rangers". Elemental Games. 2003-10-03. http://elementalgames.com/eng/r_all.php. 
  • 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. 
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