Aces of the Deep

Aces of the Deep
Developer(s)	Dynamix
Publisher(s)	Sierra On-Line
Producer(s)	Mike Jones
Designer(s)	Langdon Beeck Mike Jones Dennis A. Kilgore Alan Roberts
Programmer(s)	Langdon Beeck Piotr Lukaszuk
Artist(s)	Jarrett Jester Kyle Miller
Composer(s)	Jan Paul Moorhead
Platform(s)	MS-DOS
Release	1994
Genre(s)	Submarine simulator
Mode(s)	Single-player

Aces of the Deep is a World War II submarine simulator game developed by Dynamix for MS-DOS in 1994. The game was re-released by Sierra On-Line for Windows in 1995 as Command: Aces of the Deep. Aces of the Deep was the last installment of Dynamix's Aces series, which included the flight simulators Red Baron, Aces of the Pacific, and Aces Over Europe. However, unlike its predecessors, Aces of the Deep simulates a Kriegsmarine U-boat during World War II.

A unique feature was that Aces of the Deep came with a realistic Kriegsmarine War Grid map in which the player used in reference to finding their patrol zones. There is also an extensive in-game manual that covers the development of the U-boat, time-line based maps that show kill-to-loss ratios, and, on the CD-ROM version, video interviews with former German U-boat captains.

The game includes single mission mode, where the player can choose to attack a convoy, a taskforce of warships (consisting of cruisers and/or battleships), or a carrier task-force in a variety of conditions. There are also several historical missions where the player can replay the role of some of Germany's greatest U-boat captains.

Alongside the single missions, Aces of the Deep includes a single player Career Mode where the player can choose which year of the war he wants to start his career, up until the end of the war. Career features the "Nightclub" for war news, scuttlebutt, and viewing the tonnage board. Within the Career Mode the player can receive promotions, medals, and opportunities to take command of newer U-boats. There are three models of U-boats in several variations for the player to choose from, each of which becomes available during its historical period.

The game includes a rich variety of ships, ranging from oil tankers and merchant ships to large troop ships, several different escorts such as corvettes, frigates and destroyers, and warships such as cruisers, battleships and carriers. It also includes a variety of aircraft on anti-submarine patrols. All these vessels are historically based, and their appearance in the game coincides with their historical appearance on the battlefield. The tactics and weapons used by the ships within the game are also historically based.

Command: Aces of the Deep updated the graphics to a higher resolution. This re-release also integrated an expansion that brought in the Type XXI and Type XXIII U-boats.

An expansion package for either the floppy or CD versions of Aces of the Deep adds brand new missions, areas and a special prototype XXI U-boat submarine.

Some of the more interesting features are the six new historical missions as well as the ability to enter (but possibly not leave due to currents) the Mediterranean Sea. Also included are buoyancy gauges which allows a quicker reading of your depth in the ocean. Most amazing is the prototype Type XXI U-boat, which includes sonar and radar abilities as well as two kinds of torpedo types for its exclusive use.

In 1995, there also was an updated Windows version released on CD-ROM called Command: Aces of the Deep. While the gameplay is unchanged it adds new textures, voice acting and video interviews with German submariners. It also added the option, with a compatible sound card & microphone, to use voice control for certain submarine actions, like dive and fire, which is why the game received the expanded title. An on-line manual gives detailed information about the historical background and submarine tactics. It also features historical maps, movies, photos and articles.

In 1996 Computer Gaming World ranked Aces of the Deep as the 71st best game of all time, calling it "still unrivaled for creating an authentic atmosphere."^[2]

• 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.

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.

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]

• IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

Wikidata has the property: NO LABEL (P1933) (see uses)

• No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari

0.00 (0 votes) Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobyGames. Read more

• 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.

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.

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]

• IGDB – game database used by Twitch for its search and discovery functions

Wikidata has the property: NO LABEL (P1933) (see uses)

• No URL found. Please specify a URL here or add one to Wikidata.

Template:Atari

0.00 (0 votes) Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MobyGames. Read more

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0.00 (0 votes) Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aces of the Deep. Read more