Software:Welltris

From HandWiki

Welltris is a puzzle video game developed by Doka and licensed to Bullet-Proof Software. It is an official game in the Tetris series. Adaptations were made by Sphere, Inc. for Spectrum HoloByte. It was released for MS-DOS compatible operating systems in 1989. Ports for Macintosh, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, and Atari ST followed in 1990, then ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64 in 1991.

Gameplay

Welltris was the first Tetris sequel designed by original designer Alexey Pajitnov, with Andrei Sgenov. It retains that game's falling-block puzzle gameplay but extends the pit into three dimensions while the blocks remain two-dimensional, with the board viewed from above.

As blocks descend into the well, they can be rotated or moved left or right along the walls, from one wall to another if desired. Once a block reaches the floor (an 8×8 square), it will slide as far as possible until stopped by an edge or another piece. Whenever the player completes a solid horizontal or vertical line, it disappears and the remaining squares slide to fill the open space.[1]

If a falling block comes to rest with any part of itself still on a wall, that wall is temporarily frozen; no blocks can be moved onto it during this time. Freezing all four walls ends the game.[1]

Development

Welltris was inspired by another puzzle game titled Blockout (1989).[2] Alexey Pajitnov said he did not like the game, stating that its wireframed blocks only showed the edges and that he "thought a lot about how it could be possible to it myself. I decided to essentially make Welltris a 2D game with real strong sense of 3D by having flat pieces fall down the surface of the walls."[2]

Release and reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
AllGame3.5/5[3]

Welltris was originally released for MS-DOS and Apple Mac and later ported to 8-bit and 16-bit home computers.[2]

In 1990, Dragon gave the Macintosh IIx version of the game 5 out of 5 stars.[4] MacUser reviewed the Macintosh version of Welltris, praising the new playstyle as compared to its predecessor, and called it both "thoughtful" and "highly addictive".[5] Macworld also reviewed the Mac version, praising its gameplay, music and graphics, but criticized the steep learning curve and a point in the game where the speed of the falling pieces become unmanagable, referring to the latter as the "one annoying habit" that it shares with Tetris.[6]

The ZX Spectrum version had mixed reviews, with CRASH awarding 79%,[7] Sinclair User awarding 45%[8] and Your Sinclair giving 79%.[9] The actual gameplay and addictiveness were highlighted as good areas, but criticisms included the fiddly controls and minimal sound and looks.

The Commodore 64 version, with its more colourful graphics, received 80% from Zzap!64.[10]

The MS-DOS version was later added to the 2024 game compilation Tetris Forever via a free update in December 2024.[11]

See also

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Clarkson, Nick (February 1991). "Welltris". ST Action (34): 90. http://www.atarimania.com/mags/pdf/atari_st_action_34.pdf. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Crookes, David (2018). "The History of Tetris". Retro Gamer (Future Publishing) (183): 22. 
  3. ↑ Weiss, Bret Alan. "Welltris". AllGame. Archived from the original on November 16, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20141116035847/http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=25999&tab=review. Retrieved November 20, 2024. 
  4. ↑ Lesser, Hartley; Lesser, Patricia; Lesser, Kirk (July 1990). "The Role of Computers". Dragon (159): 47–53. 
  5. ↑ Breen, Christopher (October 1990). "Welltris Review". MacUser (Dennis Publishing Ltd.): 80–81. https://archive.org/details/MacUser9010October1990/page/n81. 
  6. ↑ O'Meara, Felicity (September 1990). "Game Hall of Fame". Macworld (Mac Publishing): 263. https://archive.org/details/MacWorld_9009_September_1990/page/n269. 
  7. ↑ "Welltris". CRASH (87): 40. April 1991. https://archive.org/details/crash-magazine-87. 
  8. ↑ "Welltris". Sinclair User (110): 28. April 1991. https://archive.org/details/sinclair-user-magazine-110. 
  9. ↑ "Welltris". Your Sinclair (64): 64. April 1991. https://archive.org/details/your-sinclair-64. 
  10. ↑ "Zzap!Test!". Zzap!64 (71). March 1991. http://www.zzap64.co.uk/cgi-bin/displaypage.pl?issue=071&page=017&magazine=zzap.  at the Def Guide to Zzap!64
  11. ↑ "'Tetris Forever' Adds Curious Sequel 'Welltris' Via A Free Update". December 20, 2024. https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2024/12/tetris-forever-adds-curious-sequel-welltris-via-a-free-update. 
  • 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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