Universe (1983 video game)

Universe

Developer(s)| Omnitrend Software
Publisher(s)| Omnitrend Software
Designer(s)| William G M Leslie III
Thomas Ralph Carbone
Platform(s)| Atari 8-bit, Apple II, DOS
Release| 1983
Genre(s)| Space trading and combat game
Mode(s)| Single player

Universe (sometimes called Omnitrend's Universe) is a science fiction space trading and combat game by Omnitrend Software. It was created by William G M Leslie and Thomas R Carbone. The first version was programmed in valFORTH on an Atari 800, based on a board game created by Leslie. It was Omnitrend's first game.

## Contents

* 1 Gameplay
* 2 Release
* 3 Reception
* 4 Legacy
* 5 References
* 6 External links
* 7 Features
* 8 History
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## Gameplay

The game starts off on the planet Axia within the Local Group, a settlement that took place centuries ago thanks to the discovery of an alien hyperspace booster. This technology allowed the Local Group to be settled with supplies being sent from Earth using the booster. However, the supplies have stopped arriving and the player must now search for a second hyperspace booster that was reported in the area.

The game begins with a loan from the bank to finance a spaceship. Several models are available and offer different capabilities and cargo space. Once the ship is purchased and outfitted, the player then travels to different planets and engages in trading, mining, or piracy.

Universe is a very involving game, like requiring the player to calculate hyperjump coordinates for the navigation computer and calculate minimum orbits for planets in order to launch shuttles. The speed of the game tended to bog down when graphics were involved and when the game performed calculations involving orbital mechanics. On the Atari, having only one disk drive resulted in numerous disk swaps.

## Release

The game came on four disks and included in the US$89.95 cost was two free hours a month on the Universe BBS. Upon mailing in the included warranty card, users were also mailed subsequent versions of the game on replacement disks, based on suggestions from the BBS. Computer Gaming World praised this dedication to customer service.[1]

## Reception

Reception

| Review score

Publication| Score
CGW| [2]

St.Game in 1984 criticized Universe for the Atari's slow performance, stating that "a lethargic running speed and endless disk swaps make it very, very slow going ... slow graphics routines tediously draw pictures that have no bearing on the game". The magazine concluded that "The concept, imagination, and detail behind Universe are superb. Were it not for the slow speed, it would be a perfect game", but the slow speed made it unplayable.[3] Computer Gaming World in 1984 published two reviews of Universe. One reviewer found it to be "an absorbing game, at least for another six months" given how easy it was to be lose sight of the original objective by either trading or piracy. He also praised the detailed documentation and backstory, and concluded that "this is a 'must have' game for those of you who are interested in complex simulations and role playing. The graphics are excellent, the game play is realistic, and the basic premise makes sense". The other reviewer similarly praised the game, concluding that it was "an excellent interactive space adventure with 3D graphics that will give you months of enjoyment and headaches".[1] In a 1992 survey of science fiction games the magazine gave the title three of five stars, writing that it was "Still one of the early classics".[4] A 1994 survey of strategic space games set in the year 2000 and later gave the game three-plus stars out of five.[2] Jerry Pournelle in BYTE called Universe "the most complicated game I ever did see ... a lot of good planning in this game, and I'm impressed", but criticized the incomplete documentation and user interface.[5]

## Legacy

The game spawned two sequels on the Atari ST and other platforms, Universe II (1986) which was broadly similar and took place 20 years after the events in the first game, and Universe III (1989) which used the original games backstory but was an adventure game.[6]

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Fitzsimmons, Nick; Battles, Hosea Jr. (June 1984), "Universe: A Dual Review", Computer Gaming World: 14–15, http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1984&pub=2&id=16
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Brooks, M. Evan (May 1994). "Never Trust A Gazfluvian Flingschnogger!". Computer Gaming World: 42–58. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1994&pub=2&id=118.
3. ↑ Bang, Derrick (Mar–Apr 1984). "No Restaurant at the End". St.Game: pp. 38–39.
4. ↑ Brooks, M. Evan (November 1992). "Strategy & Wargames: The Future (2000-....)". Computer Gaming World: 99. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1992&pub=2&id=100. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
5. ↑ Pournelle, Jerry (May 1985). "In Search of the Perfect Product". BYTE: pp. 307. https://archive.org/stream/byte-magazine-1985-05/1985_05_BYTE_10-05_Multiprocessing#page/n307/mode/2up.
6. ↑ "Light's...Camera...Interaction: Cinema and Computers". Computer Gaming World Issue 61: pp. 43. July 1989. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/index.php?year=1989&pub=2&id=61.

## External links

* Universe at Atari Mania
* Antic review
* Analog Computing review
* 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 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]

On February 13, 2025, Freyholtz stepped down as the site lead to move onto new projects, leaving operations to Tracy Poff, a veteran coder on the site, and Atari staff.[18]

## 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.
18. ↑ "An update on MobyGames leadership". 2025-02-13. https://www.mobygames.com/forum/3/thread/269628/an-update-on-mobygames-leadership/#post-269628.

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