DarkSpace
Webpages concerning "DarkSpace"
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Wikipedia-Article "DarkSpace"
| DarkSpace | |
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| Developer(s) | Palestar |
| Publisher(s) | Palestar, Got Game Entertainment |
| Designer(s) | |
| Engine | Medusa |
| Latest version | {{{version}}} |
| Release date(s) | December 21, 2001 |
| Genre | MMORTS |
| Mode(s) | |
| Rating(s) | {{{ratings}}} |
| Platform(s) | PC |
| Media | {{{media}}} |
| System requirements | |
| Input | {{{input}}} |
DarkSpace is a massively multiplayer online real-time strategy computer game which is notable for its cult-like community, its stubborn perseverence, having lasted for nearly five years with a small playerbase, as well as it's ongoing active and participatory development.
DarkSpace involves multiplayer spaceship combat between three player-controlled, warring factions: the Human UGTO and ICC, and the alien K'luth. There are also other, more mysterious non-player races: the Space Pirates, miscellaneous spacefaring entities such as the Gaifen, and the MIR (also known as Legion). The non-player races play a very small role within the game, and are usually only seen on special occaisions. The game takes place mostly within a persistent universe, though there are also timed instanced servers with a single solar system to fight over. Most players begin in the scenario servers and move to the persistient server after gaining some rank and proficiency.
The DarkSpace History page contains the (fictional) history of the DarkSpace universe from 2000AD to the game's current date.
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Development History
DarkSpace was created by Palestar, an independent development company created by Richard Lyle. In the late 1990s, Lyle and a few other developers were working on the framework for an internet space game that would later evolve into DarkSpace, originally called DeepSpace. After getting the game to a playable alpha state in 2000, Palestar teamed up with BlueByte to publish the game. BlueByte, attempting to leverage the power of the name of their Battle Isle series of games, rechristenend the game Battle Isle V: DarkSpace.
Palestar had offered closed beta test signups on their website prior to the publishing agreement; after BlueByte became involved, they handled the testing arrangements. In early 2001, BlueByte published announcements of signups for a closed beta test of Battle Isle: DarkSpace. The testing was to begin on March 1, and those who had signed up beforehand on the Palestar website were to get first consideration; otherwise, it was random selection. The initial group chosen was small, but they worked closely with one another and the developers, who went by Faustus and nimby.
Soon after the testing began, Ubisoft announced that they were buying BlueByte and making it a wholly owned subsidiary. As such, they evaluated the current projects BlueByte was funding and decided that DarkSpace did not, in fact, fit into the Battle Isle series. Consequently, they cancelled their publishing contract with Palestar, forcing the small outfit back into independence. Palestar launched a new website for DarkSpace on May 29, 2001 at [1]. After the new backend infrastructure for the game was written and released (called GameCQ, and similar to BlueByte's portal software, the BlueByte Game Channel (BBGC) due to Richard Lyle having written much of the latter), a new open, public beta test began.
During the summer and fall of 2001, DarkSpace underwent a public beta test, enjoying relative popularity and respectable player counts. Since the game was free and reasonably fun, a large number of people drifted through, many of them sticking around throughout the test. Development proceeded at a decent pace, as features were added, bugs fixed, and changes made. Eventually, however, the money provided by Ubisoft to cancel the publishing contract was going to run out, so the game needed to develop a revenue model. On December 21, 2001, therefore, DarkSpace moved to pay to play, charging $10 per calendar month for unlimited access. Those who do not pay still have limited, "demo" status within the game, usually without the ability to use more than basic ships or advance one's profile; the exact details of demo status have changed over time.
Since release and the transition to P2P, the game has received a number of patches and undergone many changes, some of which have caused (and still cause) controversy. While the game has always been "under development," the pace of the updates has varied. At times, the patches and changes will be fairly frequent; at others, long delays have been known. With the small size of Palestar (only a single part-time programmer, since 2002), speedy changes are not always possible. Plus, the head (and only) developer cannot survive on only the income provided by DarkSpace, necessitating his holding a second job. This necessarily slows down progress on DarkSpace.
Despite these problems, development does proceed on DarkSpace. Due to the historic limitations on the developer (Richard "Faustus" Lyle), volunteer assistance has generally been welcomed in many forms. All of the moderators of the game, forums, and chat rooms are unpaid volunteers; the Administrators and Developers are also volunteers, though they usually are granted free play as compensation for their assistance. Player input is also welcomed via a suggestion forum, as well as official developer chats and casual feedback given in the chat rooms. The volunteer developers, numbering historically anywhere from four to nearly a dozen, frequent the chat rooms as regular players, and the lead designer/programmer, Faustus, is also known to make occaisional appearances and be open to all kinds of feedback and suggestions.
This sort of developer involvement and accessibility has lead in part to the vibrant community surrounding DarkSpace. While the numbers vacciliate over time, DarkSpace has a very solid base community (some members of which even participated in the original closed beta test in March of 2001, attesting to the addictive quality of DarkSpace) as well as a larger periphery of gamers who do not take much of an active role in the commuinity out of the game. Considering the small scale of DarkSpace, its limited press exposure, and independent publishing, it is a point of pride for many community members that it still lives (and appears to have a future) after nearly five years of gaming world obscurity.
While the community is strong and faithful (some would call it cult-like; there are many jokes among players about the addiction that is DarkSpace, and the inability of many old-timers to leave for more than a few weeks at a time - in fact, many players remain without actively playing, preferring the community to the game itself), and generally quite friendly, there are some faults. Some would consider the large number of self-identified "old-timers" intimidating; they tend to be friendly and welcoming to the game in general but somewhat exclusionistic for new players. Also, due to the consistent feeling of being ignored plus the pride at having survived dispite the world seeming to shun it, many DarkSpace community members can be rather zealous in their defense of the game. Complaints can often receive a rather viscious response from many older players who do not take kindly to "newbs" insulting "their" game. Still, for those polite or willing to stick around and show some faith in and faithfulness to DarkSpace, the community can be quite welcoming and nice.
Gameplay
The game takes place in a persistent universe (known as the "MetaVerse") in which every player belongs to one of the three playable factions and controls a starship. Although the game takes place in space and uses a 3D graphics engine, game play is restricted to a 2D dimensional plane. The goal is to use the starships to gain control of as many planets as possible in the name of the factions. Players can choose from different types of starships with different specializations, such as smaller or larger battleships, troop transports, supply vessels or bombers. A special role is played by the engineer ships which are capable of building structures on planets. These structures can repair allied ships, be used as spawn points or protect the planet from attack. The high grade of specialization of most ships forces the players of each faction to work together as a team.
Every new player starts in the rank of a midshipman and is restricted to the smallest ships of his/her faction. To control larger ships the player has to be promoted to higher ranks by gaining "Prestige Points". Prestige can be awarded by doing various tasks like damaging the ships of enemy players, bombing and capturing enemy planets, building structures on planets or repairing the ships of teammates. When a player reaches a specific number of prestige points he is promoted to a higher rank. Most ships do not only require a minimum rank but also one or more specific "badges". To fly a larger bomber, for example, a player has to archive the "Bronze Bomber" badge by inflicting 50 points of damage to enemy planets. This gives players the incentive to learn all aspects of the game.
Factions
United Galactic Trade Fedaration (UGTO)
The UGTO are viewed as the most balanced of the factions, their ships having both powerful weapons and adequate defense. The style of the ships generally includes smooth, beige, armor plating layering the hull. The bridge section on all classes of ship is a pronounced ovoid. On most ships, including the frigates, destroyers, cruisers and dreadnoughts, a central engine is positioned at the rear of the ship, with two or three other engines attached to the hull peripherally. The shape of the bridge section along with the curves of the hulls on most UGTO ships has lead many players to dub them as phallic in shape. The UGTO homeworld is Earth, orbiting Sol.
Interstellar Cultural Confedaration (ICC)
The ICC is another human faction, and the only one to utilize shields. Shields, while consuming energy when recharging, provide better protection than armor alone. This makes the ICC the most defensive faction. In addition, shields can be constructed on ICC planets, making them harder to capture. Their ships tend to be dark blue in color, and very industrial in comparison to the sleeker UGTO ships, though are still aesthetically pleasing. It is suggested that the ICC starships, which are said to be of the "M-series", are old UGTO ships. Nearly all ICC ships have a small tower some way down the hull, it has been debated whether this is a bridge or merely an observation tower of some sort. The ICC homeworld is a fictional Earth-like planet called "Exathra", orbiting the star CD-36°15693.
K'Luth
A mysterious alien faction, residing somewhere in the Sirius A system. Their true home planet remains unknown, though it is said that they were driven from it by the Legion and have been chased by them since then. They resemble four-armed humans, and are commonly nicknamed "lobsters" by the humans. All K'Luth ships are organic, with a single engine trail protruding from the hull regardless of how many engines the ship has. Almost all K’Luth ships share a simple, flattened sword shape in the centre, with either spikes or even wings protruding from the rear. Unlike the human factions, K’Luth ship names are non-descript, and instead use names relating to insects or insect anatomy, such as: Proboscis, Scarab and Nymph.
K’Luth ships generally have more weapons then human ships of the same size, however, they put most, if not all, of the ship's weapons in the fore arc, rather than spaced out in all directions. Also, K’Luth ships utilize nanotechnology in their hulls; their ships can slowly repair themselves over time. Also, K’Luth ships have a cloaking device that negates any ECM or ECCM effects on the ship and renders the ship invisible to sensors and light. However, the K’Luth ship cannot fire, nor enter FTL when cloaked and energy consumption is high.
MIR/Legion
An non-player character faction who spawn from a wormhole in the very center of the game's playing field. They are not currently implemented into the game.
Selecting ships
Upon joining the game, the player is presented with their faction's Ship Selection Screen. It lists all the ships the faction is able to provide, although not all ships may be available - the ability to spawn a ship is dependent upon the player's rank and badges, plus a sufficient resource supply. In the MetaVerse, the sheer number of planets controlled by any faction is usually sufficient to obviate consideration of resources; in the scenario servers, however, the success of a faction can hinge upon their proper shepardry of the resources of the planets. The types of ships available is usually fairly wide; there are a number of combat vessels awarded at each rank, and a smattering of support craft throughout the ranks as well. However, since flexibility is vital for any fleet, a player is not limited to any single ship during their playing. At any point, a player may return to a shipyard or home gate, storing his current ship and choosing a new one.
While the factions all try to provide a full range of effective ships for players, many players prefer a slightly different layout than the standard armament. Shipyards are currently unable to construct custom-designed ships (though this has been mentioned as a goal for development), but players are able to modify their ships after spawning; to accomodate these variants, players have a "garage" which allows them to store up to six vessels. Whenever the player enters a shipyard or the home gate, their ship is automatically docked and stored; they may then spawn it again at their convenience.
Ship classes
This is a general description of the different types of ships a player may utilize in DarkSpace. Each class of ship has many different variants which may specialize in one of many different capabilities, and players are able to customize their ships further via in-game starports. The combat ships in general have a fundamental trade off of speed for strength: the fastest ships are also the weakest, but can conversely avoid most damage due to their speed and ability to dodge. As ships go up in size, their firepower increases, but their maneuverability decreases, so while they can pack a punch, they are less likely to land that punch on the smaller ships. Thus, ships can often be more effective against higher level ships than lower, especially in groups.
Scout/corvette
These ships are designed to move quickly. Their jump drives are highly fuel-efficient, and recharge rapidly. They can place beacons on enemy ships, allowing retreating ships to be tracked and destroyed. These ships are also excellent decoys. A fast-moving scout or corvette near an enemy planet can draw away enemy defense base fire, allowing the rest of the fleet to safely get into position for a troop landing. While the scout and corvette have very little firepower, they are still a vital component of a balanced fleet.
Frigate
The frigate is the largest warship that can be obtained from the Home Gate. Frigates are especially useful in scenario play, as they can be used to harass enemy engineers, preventing the enemy from building the all-important shipyard.
Destroyer
The destroyer only slightly favors speed over firepower: it and the cruiser are the most balanced. It is an excellent escort ship for cruisers and dreadnoughts, able to strike opponents quickly and allow the larger ship to focus on its primary mission. Destroyers are capable ships in the right hands, and a skilled pilot can make a destroyer into a formidable weapon.
Cruiser
The cruiser is the first true stand-alone vessel of the line. While not as powerful as the mighty dreadnought, the cruiser still mounts a wide array of weapons. Cruisers can easily stand alone as battleships, but perform even better when integrated into a fleet. Due to their balance of speed and firepower, it is not uncommon to see even the highest ranked players flying cruisers.
Dreadnought
The dreadnought is the embodiment of power in DarkSpace. The massive racks of weapons on these ships strike fear into the enemy. The powerful generators on the dreadnought class ships allow for far more powerful beam weapons to be mounted than on lesser ships. Most dreadnoughts have at least one fighter bay, allowing a small measure of long-range power. While the dreadnought is powerful, a group of smaller ships working together can remain out of its effective range and emerge victorious. It also continues up the scale of speed vs firepower balance - while powerful up close, it is a lumbering giant and can be hard to maneuver into effective striking range.
Station
Slow, heavily equipped and armored, and the biggest bulls-eyes around. If you had to pick a ship that is easy to hit with even the slowest weapons, it would be the station. However, if you flew too close to one, you would learn that it is not the easiest target in space. Boasting incredible short-range weaponry, the station can destroy anything that gets close enough. However, the station itself is extremely slow. The primary function of a station is fleet support. They are able to reload and repair friendly ships, as well as to shield them from damage. Stations are the core of a long-range assault fleet as well. Their wormhole device allows the creation of a temporary portal between systems. This wormhole can be used by all ships, making its use somewhat risky.
Supply ship
No serious invasion fleet travels without a supply ship, or a fleet of them. While these ships have little offensive power, they are often considered priority targets on the battlefield. These ships have the ability to repair hull, systems, and armor. As if that wasn't enough to turn the tide of battle, they can also rearm depleted ammunition stores and refuel jump drives. With a few supply ships around, your fleet will last a lot longer.
Engineering Ship
The engineer ship is the single most important ship class in DarkSpace. Without the engineers, a faction would be limited to defenseless planets orbited by mere frigates. The engineer is required to build every planetary structure, including the critical shipyard. A newly captured system is worthless until an engineer arrives to build up the infrastructure and defenses.
Transport
The transport serves one function, and serves it well. If you need troops or cargo moved from place to place, the transport is the best choice. With ten cargo bays, or space for ten troops, the transport can move a planetary invasion battalion into place quickly and efficiently. As a result of the massive space devoted to cargo, these ships are light on armor and armament, and require the protection of warships to stand a chance at making it to orbit around an enemy world.
Extractor
The extractor is basically a modified transport that sacrifices cargo space for mining equipment. The extractor can mine resources from planets and asteroids, and sell them for a profit. These ships are crucial to obtaining resources for engineers to quickly construct a system.