Software:Strike Fleet

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Strike Fleet
Developer(s)Lucasfilm Games
Nickel Ltd. (Amiga, ST)
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Designer(s)Noah Falstein
Programmer(s)Lawrence Holland
Artist(s)Nancy L. Fong
Ken Macklin
Composer(s)Tom Tenbroek
Nic Tenbroek
Platform(s)Commodore 64, Apple II, MS-DOS, Amiga, Atari ST
Release1988: C64, Apple II
1989: MS-DOS
1991: Amiga, ST
Genre(s)Strategy, wargame
Mode(s)Single-player

Strike Fleet is a 1988 video game developed by Lucasfilm Games and published by Electronic Arts. It was released for the Amiga, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and MS-DOS. Strike Fleet is the unofficial sequel to the war game PHM: Pegasus.

The player controls either the American or British Fleets over the course of ten scenarios, of which the last four can be played as a single campaign. The player must fight against the navy and Air force of various other nations including Argentina , the Soviet Union, and Iran.

Scenarios

1. Stark Realities

The player's American frigate is on a routine patrol in the Persian Gulf, defending itself and all neutral shipping in the Gulf.

2. The Enemy Below

On May 1, 1982, two British frigates were providing ASW coverage for their forces near Port Stanley on the Falkland Islands, when they detected, and were fired upon, by the Argentine sub missing name. Neither side acknowledged a hit that day. This mission is to search for, and destroy, Argentina submarines that may be in the area.

3. The Road to Kuwait

The captain must escort three tankers through the Persian Gulf.

4. Falklands Defense

During the Falklands War, the captain must engage and destroy three Argentine frigates.

5. Dire Straits

The ship must defend a small convoy of empty oil tankers in the Persian Gulf against speedboats armed with guns and grenades.

6. Atlantic Cork

In a World War III scenario, the captain must prevent the Soviet fleet in the Norwegian Sea from travelling through the GIUK gap, sinking enough ships and subs to seriously cripple their forces.

7. Surprise Invasion

The captain commands as small task force that is trying to prevent a Soviet invasion fleet from reaching Trondheim, Norway.

8. Escape to New York

The captain must make a fast transit to the U.S. east coast, avoiding or defeating Soviet subs, cruisers, and bombers.

9. Wolfpack

The captain must escort a convoy of reinforcements to a U.S. base in Iceland.

10. Mopping Up

The captain must prevent Soviet ships and submarines from returning to their bases to refuel.

Bonus scenarios

The PC version of the game included two bonus missions

11. Bunker Hill Blues

The captain must defend the ship from attacking forces.

12. One for the Gipper

The captain must destroy two oil platforms and one frigate while remaining undamaged.

Reception

In the April 1988 edition of Computer Gaming World, Evan Brooks thought Strike Fleet had improved upon its predecessor PHM: Pegasus due to the added excitement and variety, while still maintaining quality graphics and historical accuracy. Brooks questioned some decisions regarding the user interface for the bridge and weapons systems. He concluded by giving the game an average rating of three and a half stars out of five.[1]

In the June 1988 edition of Dragon (Issue #134), Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk Lesser were enthusiastic about Strike Fleet, saying it was "a software program you must consider for purchase. The scope of this naval warfare simulation is staggering, and the graphics are absolutely top notch." The Lessers lauded the user's guide for its abundant information, and felt the ten included scenarios offered "hours of intense excitement." They gave the game a perfect rating of five out of five stars, and concluded with a strong recommendation: "We cannot speak highly enough of this offering. LucasFilm is to be heartily congratulated for developing a tactical game that is completely engrossing, thoroughly exciting, graphically pleasing, and capable of portraying what it must be like to command a Strike Fleet."[2]

In the July 1988 edition of Compute!, Ervin Bobo thought the documentation was "very good, not only teaching you how to use the program, but also in giving you an almost military grounding in the capabilities of your ships and the weapons they carry." Bobo also liked the graphics, calling them, "always good without being cluttered." He concluded with a good recommendation, saying, "Although the notion of commanding a fleet of ships may seem daunting, it can be done. Really."[3]

In a retrospective article in the January 1994 edition of Computer Gaming World (Issue 114), Evan Brooks maintained his previous rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 from his 1988 review, saying, "Good graphics and game play do much to overcome certain historical innaccuracies... but switching from bridge-to-bridge to effect changes can be an awkward experience."[4][5]

Reviews

  • Casus Belli #46 (Aug 1988)[6]

References

  1. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (April 1988). "Strike Fleet". Computer Gaming World: pp. 36–38. 
  2. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (June 1988). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (134): 80–86. 
  3. ↑ Bobo, Ervin (July 1988). "Strike Fleet". Compute!: pp. 70. https://archive.org/stream/1988-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_098_1988_Jul#page/n71/mode/2up. Retrieved 10 November 2013. 
  4. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (June 1992). "The Modern Games: 1950 - 2000". Computer Gaming World: 120. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=95. Retrieved 24 November 2013. 
  5. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (January 1994). "War In Our Time / A Survey Of Wargames From 1950-2000". Computer Gaming World: 194–212. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=114. 
  6. ↑ "Ludotique | Article | RPGGeek". https://rpggeek.com/rpgissuearticle/139123/ludotique. 
  • 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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