Software:Times of Lore

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Times of Lore
Developer(s)Origin Systems
Publisher(s)Origin Systems
Director(s)Chris Roberts
Producer(s)Dallas Snell
Jeff Hillhouse
Designer(s)Chris Roberts
Programmer(s)Paul C. Isaac
Ken Arnold
Chris Yates
Artist(s)Denis Loubet
Douglas Wike
Writer(s)Paul C. Isaac
Brian Roberts
Chris Roberts
Composer(s)Herman Miller
Martin Galway
Platform(s)Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Apple II, Atari ST, Commodore 64, DOS, NES, ZX Spectrum
ReleaseOctober 1988
Genre(s)Action-adventure game, action role-playing game
Mode(s)Single-player

Times of Lore is a 1988 action role-playing game that was developed and published by Origin Systems for several platforms, including PC, Commodore 64/128, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Apple II, NES, and Amiga.

Plot

The game's story tells of the kingdom of Albareth whose monarch High King Valwyn has disappeared and the dukes and barons are wrestling for power. Barbarians are threatening to invade, while monsters are pillaging the land. The player must assume the role of one of three heroes, choosing between a barbarian, a knight, and a valkyrie; and unravel the conspiracy and find three magic items.

Gameplay

Main overhead view in the Commodore 64 version of Times of Lore

The game takes place in a very complex world, featuring 13,000 screens of map according to the promotional material. There is no loading during the game, which was an impressive technical accomplishment for such a massive environment.

The Commodore 64 version features high-res overlays for the sprites, a technique that employs two sprites on top of each other one being a low resolution multi-colour sprite the other a high resolution monochrome sprite. Animated water is also used and the game world slowly changes colour between night and day.

It is possible to get to unwinnable situations which require restarting the game, such as killing important characters who would otherwise have given certain quests or objects. Killing random peasants is not as dangerous, as staying the night at the inn will make them forget your trespasses.

There are many objects to be found in the game, including a teleportation scroll, a returning axe à la Mjolnir, and healing potions. There is the hidden city of Treela, in the middle of the map, behind a forest. Serfs will speak of a dragon in the north, which can be found sleeping in his cave on the eastern edge of the northern mountains. Catacombs also exists but if entered, the ghouls inside are unleashed upon the world, making the game much more difficult. In the Apple II version, the dragon is replaced with a giant lurking in the northwest portion of the map.

Development

Times of Lore, developed by Chris Roberts, was originally titled Ultra Realm.[1] According to Roberts, it was inspired by console action-adventures, particularly The Legend of Zelda.[2][3] Roberts stated that "interfaces and design are being affected" by the video game console market and that what "the Japanese market originally demanded were certain constraints which did not affect the depth and quality of a game."[3]

Reception

Scorpia of Computer Gaming World recommended Times of Lore as an introductory computer RPG, noting both dialogue and actions were menu-driven, simplifying the game.[4] Compute! agreed with the recommendation, noting that the game's scale was smaller than the Ultima games' and praising its graphics and sound.[5] The magazine named the game to its list of "nine great games for 1989" as "an excellent introductory-level fantasy role-playing game".[6]

Reviews

  • Jeux & Stratégie #56[7]

Legacy

Times of Lore went on to inspire several later titles by Origin Systems.[3] This includes the 1990 title Bad Blood, another action RPG based on the same engine.[2][3] It also inspired the 1990 title Ultima VI, which adopted several elements from Times of Lore, including real-time elements, a constant-scale open world (replacing the unscaled overworld of earlier Ultima games),[3] and an icon-based point & click interface.[8][9] Richard Garriott, in addition to citing it as an influence on Ultima VI,[9] said that Ultima VII was also inspired by Times of Lore.[10] Some have considered the game as a precursor to Diablo and Baldur's Gate.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "The Stars His Destination: Chris Roberts from Origin to Star Citizen". 2014-09-13. http://www.usgamer.net/articles/chris-roberts-star-citizen-profile. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Barton, Matt (2008). Dungeons & Desktops: The History of Computer Role-Playing Games. A K Peters, Ltd.. pp. 181–182, 212. ISBN 978-1-56881-411-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=qPPRBQAAQBAJ&pg=PA182. Retrieved 2010-09-08. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Computer Gaming World, issue 68 (February 1990), pages 34 & 38
  4. ↑ Scorpia (Jan 1989). "Times of Lore". Computer Gaming World: 59–60. 
  5. ↑ Poggiali, Len (March 1989). "Times of Lore". Compute!: pp. 70. https://archive.org/stream/1989-03-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_106_1989_Mar#page/n71/mode/2up. Retrieved 10 November 2013. 
  6. ↑ Gutman, Dan (July 1989). "Nine for '89". Compute!: pp. 19. https://archive.org/stream/1989-07-compute-magazine/Compute_Issue_110_1989_Jul#page/n19/mode/2up. Retrieved 11 November 2013. 
  7. ↑ "Jeux & stratégie 56". March 1989. https://archive.org/details/jeux-et-strategie-56/page/72/mode/2up. 
  8. ↑ Maher, Jimmy (2017-04-07). "Ultima VI". http://www.filfre.net/2017/04/ultima-vi/. 
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Official Book of Ultima. 1990. https://archive.org/stream/TheOfficialBookOfUltima/The-Official-Book-of-Ultima#page/n95/mode/2up. 
  10. ↑ Vintage Games: An Insider Look at the History of Grand Theft Auto, Super Mario, and the Most Influential Games of All Time, page 347
  11. ↑ Times of Lore, Lemon64
  • 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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