Software:Zone 66

From HandWiki
Short description: 1993 video game
Zone 66
Second floppy release cover art
Developer(s)Renaissance
Publisher(s)Epic MegaGames
Designer(s)Thomas Pytel
Programmer(s)Thomas Pytel
Artist(s)Joe Hitchens
Composer(s)Kenny Chou
Charles Scheffold
Platform(s)IBM PC
Release1993
Genre(s)Multidirectional shooter
Mode(s)Single-player

Zone 66 is a top down, multidirectional shooter released in 1993 for IBM PC compatibles as shareware. The game was created by a North American demoscene group called Renaissance, and was published by Epic MegaGames.[1] The game shipped on a self-booting disk, so it could bypass MS-DOS and load into a custom protected mode environment.

Plot

In the 22nd century AD, an ex-GSA pilot has been tipped by a stranger that his hometown is in danger, but by the time he reaches the city limits, a nuclear bomb destroys the city along with his beloved wife and baby girl. The pilot uses a ship on a landing pad to meet with the stranger at a certain location. When the pilot reaches the location, he finds the stranger is dying but obtains some vital information. The pilot then gets a fighter plane and heads to a group of islands to begin his vigilante revenge.

As the pilot progresses from nation to nation destroying each base, the plot thickens and he begins to understand who and what he is dealing with and why the terrorism started.

Gameplay

Before starting the selected mission, the player must choose a type of aircraft. Different planes have different statistics. When the plane has been selected the player can decide what weapons to take to the extent of the payload limit. After the plane inventory has been arranged the mission can begin from a starting supply bay. The player can also return to the supply bay to restock and repair, change aircraft type to use and change weapon types and quantities.

The player makes use of the loaded weapons to destroy air and land targets. Bombs are launched at the target indicator right in front of the plane. In addition to weapons the player has two types of maneuvers to counter hostilities with ease. The player has infinite chances unless all the supply bays are destroyed. The player also has a radar as a guide. All main ground targets must be destroyed to complete a mission.[2]

Soundtracks

Three different soundtracks were available for the game, depending on the user's sound card. The Sound Blaster soundtrack was composed of a mix of FM synthesis sounds and digital samples. This particular method of music creation and playback was unique to the Renaissance demogroup. The AdLib soundtrack consisted solely of FM synthesis sounds, due to most AdLib sound cards being incapable of playing digital audio. Some songs in the AdLib soundtrack were arrangements of those in the Sound Blaster soundtrack, while others are completely different songs altogether.

A third, separately downloadable soundtrack was available for owners of the Gravis Ultrasound sound card featuring high quality music. Like the AdLib soundtrack, some of the Ultrasound's tracks were completely different songs, whereas others were arrangements of songs found in the AdLib or Sound Blaster versions.[3]

The reason for the separate "GUS" music download was due to the size of the Gravis music: as it was nearly as large as the original game, users who only had a Sound Blaster or AdLib didn't have to waste time downloading music they would never hear. Disc versions of the game included all three, as players did not need to download the game.

Release

Zone 66 was released primarily as shareware, on floppy disks, and CD-ROM. The first mission was released and distributed as shareware by GT Software. B&N Software released the first four missions of the game via floppy disk; Missions 1 and 2 were released together on one floppy disk, as were Missions 3 and 4. Epic MegaGames released all of the first four missions on two floppy disks. All eight missions were released on CD-ROM.

Reception

Reception
Review score
PublicationScore
PC Format91%[4]
Award
PublicationAward
Shareware Top Ten#1 Spot (September 1993)[5]

Computer Gaming World in 1993 recommended Zone 66 to "joystick jockeys", but stated that "occasional thumb twitchers may find the action a bit much to bear, as this title is quite intense".[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Zone 66 for DOS". Blue Flame Labs. https://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/zone-66. 
  2. ↑ Gunstar, Desert. "Zone 66 for the PC General Strategy Guide". http://www.gamefaqs.com/pc/579132-zone-66/faqs/28369. 
  3. ↑ "Zone 66 (DOS)". http://www.vgmpf.com/Wiki/index.php?title=Zone_66_(DOS). 
  4. ↑ "PD Selections". PC Zone (Dennis Publishing Ltd.) (24): 50. March 1993. https://archive.org/stream/PC_Zone_Issue_024_1995-03_Dennis_Publishing_GB#page/n49. 
  5. ↑ "Epic Pinball Catalog". https://www.pcorner.com/list/GAMES/$PINBALL.ZIP/ORDER.TFP/. 
  6. ↑ Miller, Chuck (December 1993). "Stocking Up On Holiday Joy With Our Holiday Shareware Picks". Computer Gaming World: 86, 88. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1993&pub=2&id=113. Retrieved 29 March 2016. 
  • 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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