DarkSpace - A Team-based MMORTS

Demorian

Sup people!

It's time for a shameless, unpaid advertising plug. Since DarkSpace has been recently added to the list of great MMORPGs here at MMORPG.com (because you do only control one ship at a time, thank you very much), I thought I'd give everyone a quick run-down of what's going on in the DarkSpace community as of late.

DarkSpace is a freely-downloadable, faction-based Universe simulation RPG or a fast-paced, timed match between random sides, depending on which servers you decide to hop onto. You control one ship on a side of many, with three total sides to choose from: the oppressive United Galactic Trade Organization, the rebel Interstellar Cultural Confederation, and the cloaking aliens known only as the K'luth.

The Metaverse is the stuff you guys would go for the most; the universe simulation. This 20+ system starmap features hundreds of capturable and managable planets, and the closer you get to the borders and the core of the MetaVerse, the more intense and frequent the battles get (Some of the screenshots on our homepage show you a mere glimpse).

Again, you pilot one ship at a time and have a 3rd-person perspective that is, by default, behind your ship. You'll find, however, that the camera easily and quickly manipulated. Ships are customizable and upgradeable so that certain classes of hull (ranging from scout to destroyers to dreadnoughts) can be programmed for their maximum potential... and of course, you purchase your upgrades with hard-earned money from mining (*hears the EvE players SNOOZE*), or from payment through the soon-to-be-reinstated Mission System.

You also have the option of joining fleets, sub-guilds among the factions. There are multiple dozens of guilds on each side to join, ranging from venerable 3-year Veterans to those in their first days. However, there is just as much profit in being a freelancer (possibly for more than one side) as there is in being a faction-contained fleet.

DarkSpace has a full ranking system going all the way from Midshipman to Grand Admiral, and promotions/badges are based on "Prestige", DarkSpace' equivalent of the EXP system. As you gain points by one of several means (combat, bombing, construction, planet capture, and more), you are awarded medals for achievement in each category, and each category also contributes to your prestige total, which will increase your rank over time. Together, these two combined allow you access to new and more powerful/efficient ships as you gain influence. Rank applies to all servers and is permanently stored.

The game has a steep learning curve, and we aren't afraid to admit it... the reason for this is just how deep DarkSpace is. This has a tendency to scare some people and anger others, but be not afraid! The Online Manual has finally been rewritten to comply with the newest version of DarkSpace to hit the servers, v1.481, and is written so that all of you new folks can dive in and learn DarkSpace from start to finish without having to skip around. You'll find the community and PaleStar staff very easy to get a long with.

Speaking of community, one of the reasons I'm sayin so much about DarkSpace is that we are a low-budget project with a small, faithful community of a few hundred very active players. Many of us have been around for years, and those who leave always manage to come back and say hi, or even get sucked in again... a testament to the staying power of DarkSpace's community. We discourage bad sportsmanship and prohibit foul language... our server mechanisms prevent "hardcore" cheating and the more easily spotted exploits are dealt with swiftly and severely by our volunteer Moderator staff, of which I am one.

In short, we may be what you've been looking for all along... a solid community of good people and good developers responsible for what we all consider (and have considered for years) to be the greatest Space MMOG ever created. Pay us a visit, flip through the Manual (shameless plug :-P), and dive in... you may never play another space game again.

DarkSpace is currently running a free trial until early April, allowing all accounts free access to the servers. Accounts are free to create, the game download is free, and gameplay is currently free to all players. Normally speaking, we humbly ask you for $9.99 US a month for the head Developer's efforts. [Edit] Oh yes, silly me... we also allow ALL NEW ACCOUNTS a FIVE DAY FREE TRIAL coupon specific to that account... we urge anyone whose interest has been piqued by this post to use those five days to dive as hard and as far into DarkSpace as they can go. We may be small, but you will enjoy it.

DarkSpace.net - There you are!

We hope to see you all there!

Sincerely,
Demorian

PaleStar Staff
Manual Editor
Galactic Navy Founder and Commander in Chief

AdmiralChaos

Well said..

Our DarkSpace community is unmatched, the GCQL (Basicly ChatRoom) Is where you can always ask for help if you have a question, or you just want to talk...

So the game is great, the community is great, and if you ever wanna talk, hell go right on ahead

I have not played a game Better than DarkSpace.

Whats that? Oh yeah, thats my beacons hittin your hull...

NCX-Charger

Big AYE to this - I just joined DS a little over a month ago, and it is exactly what kind of a gaming community I've been searching for (been playing online for the better part of a decade). The people are friendly and helpful - and better yet are silly as can be! (Got Cheese?). There are fleets for every type of player from straight up newbie to original beta tester - and the wars in the Metaverse... omg... they give a whole new meaning to the term "Thrill of the Hunt" - especially when you manage to track someone down across several star systems (if you can )

 

I highly recommend at least having an open mind and trying it for yourself

If I wanted your opinion, hell would freeze over.
"In time, all your questions will be answered.
Not what you hoped for, not what you dreamed.
All preconceptions crumble!"
-Dark Tranquillity - Format C: For Cortex
Have A Nice Day!

BackSlash

been in the DS comunity for just about a year now, cracking game, and an excelent comunity, most people are willing to take time to explain the game to new people.  And like Charger said, the wars in the Metaverse are amazing, picture 30 ships, 2 factions ( maybe 3 ) fighting it out for a system/s.  It really is something you have to see to believe and feel the enjoyment of it.

Game gets 9/10 from me, being the only problem is that there have been a few lag problems.  But i still play it none the less, and like all great games, things get fixed

Bravo DS

TaskyZZ

Wow, it looks a lot like some guy just created 4 accounts of responded to his own posts...

Maybe not, but sure looks like it.

Drafell

Hehe. You might as well come and check out the game. We are all different people, you can see for yourself:-P

Someone said cheese? Where are them damned ICCies when you need them? Cheese and Lobster...mmmmmmm!!!

AdmiralChaos

---

Originally posted by TaskyZZ

Wow, it looks a lot like some guy just created 4 accounts of responded to his own posts...
Maybe not, but sure looks like it.

---

Well the Lead Programmer posted about it in the DarkSpace forums, and said we should all check out the site, so most of us did

I do like site, it gives you so much information about games as well as player thoughts and ideas

Why didn't anyone tell me about this before?

-AdmiralChaos (DarkSpace luver for life)

Whats that? Oh yeah, thats my beacons hittin your hull...

Starcrystal

Dang beacons! That would explain alot...

But Demo listed everything that needs to be said, im just backing it up!

 

-Ent

Dekron

looks and sounds horrible.

--------------------------------------------

33.333333333333336% of me is a huge nerd! How about you?

Maximane

It's quite amazing when such a valuable resource was there the whole time and you just never knew about it. Please, tell your friends and colleagues about MMORPG.COM - it is definitely worth it.

- MMORPG.COM Staff -

scars87

Nice post. To bad DarkSpace isnt FREE or I will be playing it now.  I dont wanna bother downloading it for 5 days then I have to pay. Thats just me.

By the way, is DARKSPACE openly pvp like Eve-online?

Playing: UT2004
Playing: Hostile Space
Waiting: Pirates of the Burning Sea
Waiting: WoW

Demorian

We understand where you're coming from... as I said in the the thread, DarkSpace currently has a seperate free trial going until April 4th... then at that date you can use the 5-day coupon to get another five days.

That's fifteen total.

Hope to see you in there

-Demorian

sartorius

Well, I already gave up on this game and delted it from my computer.  I did the download, installed it, waited for the extremely long patching and when I tried to create a new account it all went down hill.  I tried for 2 days to get the email with the activation code, and tried with three different email addresses - one with a spam filter but it delivers spam mail to a folder, and two others with no spam guards what so ever.  After the 6th day of not gettign the bloody email, I tried to email their support for some help.  It has now been almost another 2 days since then and I have not gotten any response.

Only that bothers me about this all now is that I spent the time to actually download the program and do the updating for it - time I won't be ever getting back.

Anyhow, good luck with this to both any future players and the current players as well as the staff.  I hope you will eventually get things working properly, but alas it is too late for getting me to join.

Oh, I forgot to add...yes I found out about this product just before it was posted here - hence the dates given above.

 

 

Demorian

@Tasky... Sounds like pessimism is kickin in... maybe the game's just that good that so many people have such high praise for it? We are all seperate people.

@sartorius... The best way to get help is asking a moderator or admin in chat directly... get our attention personally. On behalf of Palestar, I apologize for your ill experience... I will post regarding your situation in the staff forums.

-Dem

Gnarled

Ahhh. ..    shameless self-aggrandizement all around. . . smells like teen spirit in here. . .

<sniff sniff>

pardon me whilst I pass out. . .  still gonna check out the game tho.

 

A fronte precipitium a tergo lupi

Progner

I strongly recomend this game to anyone who likes teamwork and someone with patience. As stated before, there is a free trial until April 4th so you can at least get hooked to the game. As you might be able to see *unno if my Siggy works* I, er Demorian, my fleet leader, has made a signature for me with one of the ships, 1 of 3 factions in Darkspace, if you like that, well then your gonna love the game

Heres a Screenie, unno if they mind it being so big but oh well..

~-={Death Before Dishonor}=-~

Maximane

Nice screenshot. Oh and don't worry about its size, we can dismiss it this time.
However I do recommend that if you wish to show off DarkSpace's grandiere you should instead insert a link to the picture. Mass loading a throng of gigantic screenshots from a single thread can take a while to load for some readers.

- MMORPG.COM Staff -

AdmiralChaos

that screenie is so old, the graphics are much better than that

___________________________
Whats that? Oh yeah, thats my beacons hittin your hull...

Maximane

Feel free to post external links to some better screenshots. A few battle sequences might be nice for all to see.

- MMORPG.COM Staff -

TaskyZZ

---

Originally posted by Demorian
@Tasky... Sounds like pessimism is kickin in...

---

Nope, not pessimism, just my thoughts after seeing the thread with 4 new members all posting... I did not even comment on the game, as I had no interest...

But, now that I did check it out, it looks like a turn based game. Is that so? Looks kinda boring. Sorry...

AdmiralChaos

No it is not, and if you wish to see some pimp screenies here are some...

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/~darkspace/site/screenshots/images/1481beta/screen56.jpg

UGTO Dread..

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/~darkspace/site/screenshots/images/1481beta/screen45.jpg

ICC Cruiser

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/~darkspace/site/screenshots/images/1481beta/screen43.jpg

UGTO Station

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/~darkspace/site/screenshots/images/1481/ds1481r16.jpg

UGTO Fighters

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/%7Edarkspace/site/screenshots/images/1481/ds1481r6.jpg

The Navigation view

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/%7Edarkspace/site/screenshots/images/ds16.jpg

Kluth Hive with a Kluth Dread (Sorry having some trouble finding good Kluth pictures)

http://dynamic6.gamespy.com/%7Edarkspace/site/screenshots/images/r33/r33-1.jpg

Remeberence.. (sorry I cant spell)

 

Theres tons more, just check out the game, I can be almost certain that youll love it

___________________________
Whats that? Oh yeah, thats my beacons hittin your hull...

Griff

That last pic was a player made reunion of sorts in remembrance to a long time player that past away last year. Just wanted to point that out.

Anyhow,

Turn based? HA , Get a life dude

If you like team based combat this is for you, simple as that.

Also here is a link to the Development Log for those that might be curious

http://www.darkspace.net/log.htm?lang=en&sid=

And here you will find some screen shots

http://www.darkspace.net/shots/index.htm?lang=en&sid=

As far as the game itself imo i have not yet found a game like it, yes similar but just didnt have that certain something that DS has. Despite some minor bugs that will get fixed the game is great. Nothing like comeing home and relaxing by going with a group and slaughtering a rival group. Its a GREAT tension releaser, then again at times it causes some of that tension

All i can say is see for yourself, and always remember to HAVE FUN

AdmiralChaos

Also, heres the DarkSpace Forum

http://www.darkspace.net/phpBB/index.php?lang=en&sid=

Check it out, theres tons of information there about the game as well, also a lot of other players thoughts and ideas about the game

___________________________
Whats that? Oh yeah, thats my beacons hittin your hull...

Thoemse

I was looking into DS a long time ago but never got into it.
I'm a happy eve online player. We have large fleet battles too. Was part of one with a total of over 80 battleships once!

DS graphics look okay but compared to eve it looks just plain OLD.
I don't judge a game on it's graphics only tho.
Maybe DS is a great game but i never got the hang of it.

sono

My 0.02$..

DarkSpace has come a long way. Oringinally started as the Sequel to Battle Isle V: TAW, a great turn-based classic RTS (some of you might remember the Battle Isle series), when UbiSoft bought up BlueByte, the Battle Isle series were cancelled. However, the Lead Programmer took it with him and continued development on his own.. That was 3 Years ago.

Recently, the game engine has had a major rewrite in order to scale better (for those interested, technical Topics can be found in the DarkSpace Forums), and a mass of changes have come along with that. The Version jump to 1.481 really is more like a 1.99b..

There are still some issues to iron out, and the community is actively participating in helping out with this. Generally, DS has the most helpful community i ever encountered and am now part of. This is partly due to the clear and well-enforced Rules of Conduct, and partly due to the family-like athmosphere the DS community has (There are a lot of People that are around since Day or Year 1)

Now, DarkSpace is a RealTime, First-Person-View Ship to Ship Combat Strategy and Tactical Naval Space Battle Simulator

This is probably not the thing everyone is looking for, for there is a great deal of competence and skill required, and good coordination in any operation is a absolute must for its success.

But for those of you that thrive for a challenging and fun Game in a well-built Science Fiction context (Kudos to Gideon and Coleen for their background Stories), this game is a must have.

Be warned, it is highly addictive.

EDIT:

a few Screenshots i have on my Server..

A Crystalline Entity (Space Critter) Attacking the K'luth Home Planet while under Siege by UGTO forces

ICC M7 unmanned Figther Craft

Gaifen (Another type of Space Critter) spawned by an Admin on the Scenario Server for thrills:
#1
#2
#3

Here are screenshots of a long-Range Battle with myself in a Jump Disruptor Ship, keeping the Enemy at bay..
Browse Directory

A UGTO Station explding in the old Beta Version due to an Asteroid Collision

The K'luth Claw class Destroyer

Bombing a Shielded Planet

eagleranger

 hi eagleranger here to say try darkspace you won't regret it,

    i have played a good while and have tried other games as well . there is nothing like the player vs player portion of the the game and the community,, hmmmmm best way to describe that is more like family and friends get together  theres alot of great people there

i fight the battles other fear

EagleRanger