Software:Troll's Tale

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Troll's Tale
Developer(s)Sunnyside Soft[1]
Publisher(s)Sierra On-Line
Designer(s)Al Lowe
Programmer(s)Al Lowe
Dave Scrunton (Atari)
Peter Oliphant (IBM PC)
Platform(s)Apple II, Atari 8-bit, Commodore 64, IBM PC
Release1983
Genre(s)Adventure
Mode(s)Single-player

Troll's Tale is an adventure video game developed in by Sunnyside Soft and published by Sierra On-Line for the Apple II in 1983. It uses the same engine for Sunnysoft's earlier game Dragon's Keep.[2] Sierra acquired the game from Sunnysoft, along with Dragon's Keep and Bop-A-Bet by April 1983[1] and appointed Nancy Anderton to manage the publishing of their educational games.[3] Peter Oliphant converted the games for the Atari 8-bit family, Commodore 64 and, as a self-booting disk, IBM PC compatibles.[4] Coleco made a deal with Sierra[5] planning to release the game on ColecoVision with a Super Game Module.[6] The game came packaged with a paper map, showing an incomplete layout of the game and stickers to mark the treasure locations.[7]

Gameplay

A troll has taken sixteen treasures from the Dwarf King and has hidden them around his lands. The game is very straightforward, since the player doesn't require any mapping skills. Commands and movements are done using single keys on the keyboard.[7]

Sierra recommended the game for second and third graders.[8]

Reception

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Arcade Express Newsletter. 1. April 10, 1983. p. 3. https://archive.org/details/arcade_express_v1n18. Retrieved January 14, 2019. 
  2. ↑ "Troll's Tale - The Sierra Chest". http://sierrachest.com/index.php?a=games&id=358&title=trolls-tale&fld=maps. Retrieved January 14, 2019. 
  3. ↑ Lombardy, Dana (May 1983). "Hobby and Industry News - Computer Gaming World". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) 3 (3): 3. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_3.3. 
  4. ↑ "Life in the New Hollywood". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (100): 50. November 1992. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_100. 
  5. ↑ "Top Programs Point to Hot New Trends". Electronic Games (Reese Publishing Company) 2 (12): 28. May 1984. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_02_Number_12_1984-05_Reese_Communications_US. 
  6. ↑ "Now you see it, now you don't". Electronic Fun with Computers & Games (Richard Ekstract) 1 (11): 10. September 1983. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Fun_with_Computer_Games_Vol_01_No_11_1983-09_Fun_Games_Publishing_US. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Learning Games - Computer Gaming World". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) 4 (3): 36. June 1984. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gaming_World_Issue_4.3. 
  8. ↑ "Educational Computer Games". Electronic Games (Reese Publishing Company) 2 (8): 52. October 1983. https://archive.org/details/Electronic_Games_Volume_02_Number_08_1983-10_Reese_Communications_US. 
  • Manual
  • 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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