Timez Attack (lost first version of discontinued multiplication game; 2004)

The earliest version of the game's logo.

Status: Lost

Timez Attack is a multiplication video game created by Imagine Math Facts (formerly Big Brainz) in 2004. The game is a simple mathematics game but with unique environments and level design to help kids become fluent with their multiplication. Multiple different variants of the game were created later on, those being Addition/Subtraction, and Division. The game had two different versions: the Base version that could be downloaded for free containing just the Dungeon, or the paid Deluxe version of the game that adds several different environments, such as the Lava World and Machine World. While many different versions of the game can be downloaded, the first public release versions of the game from 2004 have not resurfaced, and no one has been able to find a download for them. After Imagine Learning bought Big Brainz, they took the Deluxe version offsale. The game has received very positive reviews from both parents and teachers alike, and most of the students who go through Timez Attack are likely to finish with a 95% post-test score, as described in the research results.

Gameplay

Timez Attack, at its core, is a simple computer game made to teach multiplication. The game, however, features a lot of different worlds to choose from, such as a Machine and Lava world. Your character is a green alien, and go through each different part of the level learning a different multiplication fact, and at the end of the level, you face the boss of that world, which you have to fight using the facts you were taught during the rest of the world. If have trouble with even one set, you will need to play through the level again and practice the multiplication sets you are having trouble with. If you succeed in all sets, you move on to the next level, which varies in environment type.

History

In 2004, Big Brainz was founded, and created their passion project game, which was Timez Attack. During the first year of the game's lifespan, there was no free version of the game to go alongside it. Timez Attack only had a Lite version of the game, and it cost about $10 to buy digitally, or an extra $2 to have a physical version with a CD. However, somewhere between May and June of 2005, Big Brainz started to allow people to download a free, limited version of the game through the website, and they also announced that a Deluxe version of the game would come out the next year. In Q1 of 2006, the Standard version of the game had released, and that version could be bought for $24.99, as well as a free version to go alongside it once you entered in your e-mail address and first name at the bottom of the page. There was also a version for teachers released at that time as well. The next year, 2007, another new Standard version of the game was released to the public, and the price was jacked up to $39.99 for the Home version of the game, and over $200 for the full version to use at schools. The game's free version could now be simply downloaded by clicking the "Download" button at the bottom of the page, and you could sign up for an additional newsletter if desired. In the middle of 2008, it was again required to input your name and e-mail to download the Base (free) version of the game if you so chose to. In 2010, a Pricing page was added to the Big Brainz website, and the Deluxe version of the game was finally, officially released to the public with a $59.99 price tag. The Base version of the game now also had its own separate page, and two separate downloads of the free version were created, both for Windows and Mac, and you no longer had to input your email to receive a download link. In 2011, a new variant of Timez Attack was released called "Division"; Big Brainz promised that another new variant called "Addition & Subtraction" would be out by Christmas of the same year, but they sadly missed this release window. A "Downloads" page for home users was also created that year, and had downloads of all versions of the game, from the Base version all the way to the Deluxe version of the game. However, in January of 2012, a beta version of "Addition & Subtraction" was released to the public, and stayed in beta throughout that year, and throughout the next year as well. Finally, in April of 2014, "Addition & Subtraction" finally went out of beta and had its first major release. In January of 2016, Imagine Learning purchased Big Brainz and it was the final chance to purchase a home license for the Deluxe version of Timez Attack. After that, the full Deluxe version of the game for Home users would go offsale and you would no longer be able to purchase it. In March of that year, Big Brainz officially stopped selling its full Deluxe version and now only allowed people that purchased prior to that month to download the digital version of the game. Of course, the free version could still be downloaded from the website. No further updates to the Big Brainz website were made, and the website continued to operate through later years. Sadly, in March of 2018, the Big Brainz website was officially taken offline and redirected to the Imagine Math Facts website, and the free version could also no longer be downloaded.

Availability

While it is still possible to download different versions of Timez Attack, it is sadly impossible to download the first public release version from 2004 as no archives of the Big Brainz site were made that year, and the first Base version of the game would not come out until a year later. As of right now, the first public release version of Timez Attack has not resurfaced and is considered completely lost. The earliest archive of the Big Brainz site was made on March 16th, 2005 and no free version of the game existed yet. However, it is still very much possible to play later versions of Timez Attack from the late 2010s, but as far as the first public version is concerned, it is currently considered lost. Right now, the oldest available version of the early 2000s comes from a legacy build of the Deluxe version of the game, which was re-released sometime in 2013, and is version number 1.11. All versions before 1.11 are considered to be lost, and for right now, are completely unrecoverable.

External Links

• First archive of the Big Brainz Website (March 16th, 2005).
• Earliest known capture of one of the earliest Base versions (December 29th, 2005, 404 error).
• Earliest known capture of the Timez Attack Launcher (January 3rd, 2010).
• Earliest known capture for a install of a "Timez Attack Engine Test" (November 24th, 2005).
• 1.11 legacy edition build of Timez Attack.