Machines (video game)

Machines

Developer(s)| Charybdis
Publisher(s)| Acclaim Entertainment
Platform(s)| Microsoft Windows
Release|

* NA: 14 April 1999[2]
* UK: 14 May 1999[1]

Genre(s)| Real-time strategy
Mode(s)| Single-player, multiplayer

Machines (also known as Machines: Wired for War) is a 3D real-time strategy game released for Microsoft Windows. Published by Acclaim and developed by Charybdis. As a 3D game of this genre. Machines also allowed players to directly control units with both a first and third-person view.

## Contents

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

## Gameplay

Machines uses a 3D polygonal landscape, which players can use to their advantage, attacking from or hiding behind hilltops. The viewpoint can be switched between a default isometric, strategic 'zenith' camera, and first person perspective; the latter typically being used to explore buildings during espionage missions.

50 different machines can be researched and built, characterized by a plasma-based techtree and a projectile-based techtree combined with different methods of movement (Examples: 4 or 6 Spider legs, Wheels, Tracks, Hover-engines, Flying, 2 Legs). Furthermore, battalions can be developed with specific strengths to support a personalized fighting strategy. The game also includes 25 different weapons, including Flame-throwers, Vortex Singularities, Plasma Rifles, Mini-guns, Ion Cannons and Nukes.

Sabotage and espionage missions allow units to deposit mines inside enemy buildings, steal research, and pass back vital information.

Machines is multiplayer over a LAN or the internet.

## Legacy

The game's source code was released by the new rights holder Nightdive Studios in October 2020.[3] The source code is available under the GPLv3 license on GitHub.[4] The game's assets are also available from the original developer's webpage.[5]

## Reception

Reception

| Aggregate score

Aggregator| Score
GameRankings| 73%[6]
Review scores
Publication| Score
AllGame| [7]
CGSP| [9]
CGW| [10]
Edge| 7/10[11]
GamePro| [12]
GameRevolution| A−[13]
GameSpot| 6.5/10[14]
IGN| 7.2/10[15]
Next Generation| [16]
PC Gamer (US)| 72%[18]

The game received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[6] GameSpot praised the impressive graphics and camera modes but highlighted the poor unit pathfinding and unoriginal gameplay.[14] Steve Butts of IGN said, "I'm sold on the different views in the game. That alone makes it stand out enough to be noticed. In addition to that however, Machines is a pretty solid strategy game."[15] Next Generation said, "At the end of the day, Machines doesn't really add anything to the RTS genre, but it's a well-crafted, solid game that's original enough to keep your attention for as long as it takes to beat the game."[16]

## References

1. ↑ "Gone Gold : EuroGold". 2001-02-10. http://www.gonegold.com/golden/eurogold99.shtml.
2. ↑ "Acclaim's Machines Ready for Battle". 12 April 1999. http://www.acclaim.com/company/pressReleases/product/MachinesReadyForBattle.html.
3. ↑ Dawe, Liam (22 October 2020). "Classic 3D RTS 'Machines: Wired for War' goes open source under the GPL". https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2020/10/classic-3d-rts-machines-wired-for-war-goes-open-source-under-the-gpl.
4. ↑ "Machines". 3 January 2022. https://github.com/NightDive-Studio/machines.
5. ↑ "Machines - play one of the first 3D RTS ever". 29 July 2019. https://lordovervolt.com/machines.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Machines for PC". CBS Interactive. https://www.gamerankings.com/pc/197817-machines/index.html.
7. ↑ Woods, Nick. "Machines - Review". All Media Network. http://www.allgame.com/game.php?id=17599&tab=review.
8. ↑ Schuytema, Paul (15 April 1999). "Machines". CNET. http://www.gamecenter.com/Reviews/Item/0,6,0-2664,00.html.
9. ↑ Chong, David (3 May 1999). "Machines". Strategy Plus, Inc.. http://www.cdmag.com/articles/019/103/machines_review.html.
10. ↑ Larka, Lance A. (July 1999). "Robots 'n' Russkies (Machines Review)". Computer Gaming World (Ziff Davis) (180): 165. http://www.cgwmuseum.org/galleries/issues/cgw_180.pdf. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
11. ↑ Edge staff (June 1999). "Machines". Edge (Future Publishing) (72): 82–83. https://archive.org/details/edgeuk072/page/n71/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
12. ↑ Strauch, Joel (1999). "Machines Review for PC on GamePro.com". GamePro (IDG Entertainment). http://www.gamepro.com/computer/pc/games/reviews/724.shtml. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
13. ↑ Monster (April 1999). "Machines Review". CraveOnline. https://www.gamerevolution.com/review/33247-machines-review.
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Radcliffe, Doug (17 April 1999). "Machines Review [date mislabeled as "May 1, 2000""]. CBS Interactive. https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/machines-review/1900-2542399/.
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Butts, Steve (15 April 1999). "Machines". Ziff Davis. https://www.ign.com/articles/1999/04/16/machines.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "Machines". Next Generation (Imagine Media) (55): 95. July 1999. https://archive.org/details/NEXT_Generation_55/page/n95/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
17. ↑ D'Aprile, Jason (June 1999). "Machines". PC Accelerator (Imagine Media) (10): 92. https://archive.org/details/PCXL10Jun1999/page/n91/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
18. ↑ Poole, Stephen (July 1999). "Machines". PC Gamer (Imagine Media) 6 (7): 120. https://archive.org/details/pcgamer199907/page/n123/mode/2up. Retrieved 8 May 2021.

## External links

* Official website
* 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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