SubSpace (video game)

SubSpace (SS)
Developer(s)	Virgin Interactive/Fan-Community
Publisher(s)	Virgin Interactive/Fan-Community
Designer(s)	Virgin Interactive/Fan-Community
Platform(s)	Windows
Release	November 30 1997 (Windows)
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Multiplayer

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Screenshot (from SSCX Star Warzone).

SubSpace is a two-dimensional space shooter computer game published in 1997 by Virgin Interactive Entertainment (VIE). This freeware game incorporates quasi-realistic zero-friction physics into a massively multiplayer online game. The action is viewed from above, which presents challenges very different from those of a three-dimensional game. The game has no built-in story or set of goals; players may enter a variety of servers, each of which have differing objectives, maps, sounds, and graphics.

Although falling short of modern standards, SubSpace is widely considered an early entry in the massively multiplayer online genre due to its unprecedented player counts, as well as lead programmer Jeff Peterson's apparent coining of the term.

History

SubSpace evolved from a game originally called Sniper, a project to test the effects and severity of lag in a massively multiplayer environment over dialup connections. After its creators realized its viability as an actual game, public beta testing began in February, 1996, and it became fully public later that year. The game was released commercially in December of 1997 with a list price of US$27.99 for unlimited play, requiring no monthly or hourly fees. The game was originally developed by Burst, led by Peterson and Rod Humble, for the US branch of the now-defunct Virgin Interactive. Later on, Jeff Petersen would use SubSpace as inspiration for Sony Online Entertainment's pay-to-play Infantry and Cosmic Rift.

While in the beginning the game only offered four playable ships, a couple of servers, and a limited number of maps, during a costly and extensive testing period the game developed depth and replay value seldom rivaled by games before or since. When the game was officially released, it was not a commercial success due to poor marketing and the relative newness of the MMO genre. In addition, after two years of playing for free, many players refused to pay for a game that they had beta tested for two years, and instead opting for a software crack written by CLASS. The crack's popularity was bolstered by widespread irritation with delays and focus-stealing caused by the check. Later, Sage386, a Russian programmer who also released the cheat utility Twister, released the SubSpace v1.35 client to bypass the game's CD check.

The server software had been distributed with the commercial release. Once VIE went under in 1998, many of its remaining US assets were purchased by Electronic Arts, but the SubSpace license was not. This caused all of the commercially hosted servers, including the official VIE servers, to eventually go offline permanently, and independentally run servers became the only choice for hosting zones, including the old VIE zones. The community lost many players but continued to survive.

Within a short time, a number of cheats in addition to Twister appeared, and commercial game hacking programs took their toll on the game as well. In response, a banning utility and new client were developed, primarily by the players PriitK (one of the co-creators of Kazaa and Skype) and Mr Ekted (Frontend), arresting the cheating epidemic. The BanG utility extended the banning capabilities of the server while the new client, named Continuum, largely thwarted the efforts of hackers. Continuum is now the only client permitted to connect to servers on the SubSpace Central billing server (SSC*). In addition to security improvements, Continuum added increased media and gameplay capabilities. Citing security concerns, the authors of Continuum have declined to release its source code.

Client confusion

SubSpace utilizes a client-server architecture. Initially, the game existed as a server and client both provided by the creators, but these applications are used less and less for the game. The original SubSpace client has been almost completely supplanted by the Continuum client. The original server software (though heavily modified) is still the most commonly used.

Game dynamics

Gameplay

SubSpace is divided into different "zones", or servers, to which the player can connect. A zone usually has a public "arena", in which a certain game is played. However, sub-arenas exist in most zones. Many sub-arenas are used for hosting events where different maps and settings than those present in the main arena(s) are needed. There are frequently arenas for players to fight and practice without interference from other players. Many squads have their own private arenas as well.

Once in a zone, the player uses the keyboard for all gameplay controls. The player controls their ship's basic movement via thrust and yaw. Other controls allow the player to fire bullets, bombs, use items, and toggle abilities. In-game chat functions allow players to communicate within a zone, arena, squad, or billing server.

Game Types

There are three basic types of games: flagging, kill, and soccer. With the advent of ASSS game designers can create new types such as race or RPGs in addition to the original game types.

Flagging is divided into the following sub-categories: Capture the Flag (CTF), Turf, and Running types Kill is divided into the following sub-categories: Kill, King of the Hill, and Speed types.

Bounty Rabbit

In Bounty Rabbit games, one player is given a high bounty and has the objective to stay alive for a certain amount of time. During this time, all the other players try to kill the rabbit, so they can become the next rabbit. This game is usually run by a bot.

CTF

The objective of CTF is to claim all flags for your team or frequency. Flags can be picked up by opponents only. Flags that are picked up are dropped after a set time. CTF games usually involve bases to store flags and are heavily team-oriented. In SubSpace terminology CTF was originally referred to as a "War Zone" as seen in SSCX War Zone CTF.

Turf

Turf is a territorial flag game, in which flags are located at specific locations around the map. Ownership is claimed by simply passing over the flag by any player. Turf games can either be won or involve periodic point rewards. One of the most popular SubSpace arenas is in SSCU Trench Wars, a non-SVS Turf zone.

Running

Flags in running zones do not have drop timers, and may only be claimed by killing an opponent carrying flags or picking up neutral flags. Variants include Rabbit Chase.

Kill

A basic SubSpace zone has no objective, but to have fun by killing your opponents. Original variants include Alpha Zone, Chaos Zone, and Dueling Zone.

King of the Hill

Each player in a King of the Hill game has a countdown timer. If a player dies they lose their "crown". The last player with a crown wins the round.

Speed

Each round of a Speed game has a time limit. The winner of a round is the player with the most kills for the round.

Soccer

In Soccer games the objective is to take a ball and shoot it into your opponent's goal. The winner is the frequency with the most amount of goals. A popular variant is SSCE Hockey Zone with a smaller map and extensive graphical supplements.

Zombies

In zombie games, one player is put on one frequency and the rest of the players on a another. When the zombie (the lone player) kills a human then that human joins the zombie frequency. This type of game is usually run by bots in private arenas.

Weapons

File:Continuumitemsscreenshot.png

This screenshot from SSCC Omega Fire shows the game's various items and weapons.

A player can fire a number of different weapons at enemy players. The basic weapons, bullets, bombs and mines, require energy to use. This energy is also used to power a ship's shields; if a player's energy drops below zero, they die (and is usually immediately respawned). In most zones, a player's energy constantly recharges. This forces a player to carefully evaluate his or her ability to attack based upon how much damage the player's ship can absorb. The maximum energy levels of ships and other settings, such as maximum ship thrust and speed, can be upgraded with "prizes" or "greens", which are small green boxes that can upgrade (or downgrade) a ship that runs over them. Greens can also give the player special items such as "Thor's hammer" (essentially a bomb that flies through walls), "repel" (pushes nearby enemies, enemy mines & fire, etc. away from the player), "rocket" (gives the player greater speed for a short time period) and others. Again, the available weapons vary greatly by zone.

Competitive play

Many SubSpace players are organized into squads. These squadrons serve the same purpose as clans or teams do in other online games and allow players to cooperate and improve their skills, as well as to become more familiar with fellow players. In addition, many squads compete in competitive leagues hosted by various zones. These leagues are typically run like professional sport leagues, with a preseason, regular season, and playoffs for the highest-ranked squads. Dueling is another favorite pastime of many SubSpace players, and many zones have separate arenas for this purpose alone.

Ships

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The standard ships of SubSpace.

Within any given zone, a player can choose between up to eight different ships (l-r in picture): Warbird, Javelin, Spider, Leviathan, Terrier, Weasel, Lancaster, and Shark.

Many zones restrict the available ships. For instance, in the SSCX Powerball zone, gameplay is comprised of two teams, a Warbird team and a Javelin team. A player can also spectate the game (known as spec mode). Spectators can choose to spectate a specific player, a special item (such as a ball or flag), a fixed point in space, or they can roam the map. They can have the ability to see cloaked ships, change teams, and chat normally; in essence, they are participating in the game without actually playing it.

In the original incarnation of SubSpace, most zones (namely those on the VIE servers) used many of the same settings; each ship had at most one or two unique abilities, but the mechanical differences between them were trivial. With the ability to infinitely customize zones, many zone creators have deviated from this established model. However, a few zones still use these original settings (approximately), and are identified as Standard VIE Settings, or SVS.

Following is an explanation of each ship and its original role in the game. In the Continuum era, these roles generally apply only to SVS zones, as many of the more popular zones use their own settings.

Warbird

The Warbird was often considered to be the bread-and-butter ship of SubSpace. It has an effective combination of speed, agility, energy recharge, and firepower that satisfies newbies and veterans alike. It is generally the ship of choice to drive a turret (series of ships attached to another teammate), because of its maneuverability. Beyond that, however, it possesses no special abilities.

Javelin

Like the Warbird, the Javelin does not possess any special abilities. Still, it does differ from the Warbird slightly. The Javelin can attain a faster top speed and has a slightly higher recharge rate. However, it also achieves those at the cost of slower acceleration/deceleration and rotation speeds, thereby making it less maneuverable. Its speed makes it an adequate choice for turreting, although it is rarely used in that role.

Spider

Slightly slower and less maneuverable than the Warbird, the Spider's primary purpose is covert operations. It was originally the only ship equipped with a cloaking device, making it invisible to any enemy not using XRadar.

While this proves advantageous in creating an element of surprise, it does not come without its tradeoffs. Enabling the cloak creates an energy drain, causing a slower recharge rate. To be rendered completely undetectable, both visually and on radar, a Spider pilot would also have to enable Stealth as well, further dropping the recharge rate. Plus, the ship cannot stay cloaked while firing its weapons. And, of course, Cloak and Stealth can both be foiled by a nearby ship using XRadar.

Leviathan

Perhaps the clumsiest ship in the game, the Leviathan also packs the heaviest punch. It is the only ship capable of firing Level 3 bombs (all other ships can only achieve, at most, Level 2). The Leviathan cannot outrun, and can only sometimes out-maneuver, any other type of ship. It also suffers from a relatively slow recharge rate, which is crucial since L3 bombs require more energy to fire. However, a skilled Leviathan pilot can be deadly.

Terrier

The Terrier is generally comparable to the Warbird in terms of speed and agility. However, it possesses a unique ability: it is the only ship equipped with double barrel guns, allowing it to fire two bullets at a time and four with Multifire (instead of one and three, respectively, with all other ships). Since the bullets are fired in a wider swath, the likelihood of hitting the target is increased.

Weasel

The Weasel is one of the more interesting ships because it possesses two unique abilities. First, it is the only ship capable of firing EMP bombs and mines. Upon sustaining a hit from an EMP bomb, a ship will not only take damage, but its recharge rate will also be frozen at zero (or energy will be drained if the pilot is using devices) for a few seconds before returning to normal. EMP bombs and mines look different from normal bombs and mines, although they do not require extra energy to fire. They are also the only bombs which do not dispense shrapnel. The Weasel also has the innate ability to see mines on its radar screen. However, in terms of speed and maneuverability, only the Leviathan is slower.

Lancaster

Roughly comparable to the Spider's speed and agility, the Lancaster has one particularly strategic ability. Its bombs bounce off any surface, such as a wall or asteroid. A bomb will bounce twice before turning into a normal bomb. It will explode upon contact with an enemy ship, regardless of whether it has already bounced or not. The bouncing bombs open up plenty of possibilities for firing at something not directly in your line of fire.

Shark

The Shark is the newest ship, added to the game during the retail release of SubSpace (previously it had existed as the UFO, a special ship only a sysop could receive - this functionality remains). Essentially, it is a more maneuverable Spider. It has the ability to cloak, although the same energy constraints as the Spider apply. In the extreme-games zone, the Shark is the only ship that always has the ability to cloak. The Shark is also the only ship to have more than 1700 maximum energy.

Zones

Note: Zones can have multiple arenas within them, often referred to as sub-arenas. Zones typically have multiple main sub-arenas, which players are automatically distributed to upon joining the server and serve to reduce crowding in highly populated servers. Besides the main sub arenas, the others may have their own settings, map, graphics, and bots (if required). There are many different types of arenas, limited only by the imagination of the developers of these arena. For more advanced arenas, normally a bot is required to "host" the games. An example of this would be the football bot in the football sub-arena of 17th Parallel and/or Hockey Zone. This bot (developed by Nickisis), allows players to simuate a real football game, including things such as field goals and onside kicks.

There are numerous sub-arenas in SubSpace, and these sub-arenas can at times have greater populations than the "main" arenas. Visit any zone and press Esc + A, and you will see a list of all the arenas present in that zone.

Customization

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Customization of SubSpace at it's best. Click on the picture for larger view

As mentioned above, a zone is a server to which players can connect using a client. Perhaps the most attractive feature of SubSpace is the extremely high degree of customization that zone sysops can implement. Almost every element of the game can be replaced, from the ship graphics to colors and sounds. Apart from a few basic settings, the game settings, such as ship speeds, energy levels, and such, can also be changed. This allows a vast variety of zones to exist. The Continuum client and server developments such as ASSS (A Small SubSpace Server) have made many new customizations possible.

Zone administration

Zones are traditionally administered by a hierarchy of staff members. Typically, a server host pays for and maintains the zone server. In addition, there are several levels of access within zones:

Sysop (System Operator)

This is the highest level of access available. Sysops can modify all zone settings and access lists, as well as control players in the zone.

Smod (Super Moderator)

Smods have a very high degree of access. They can modify most access lists and have access to user commands. However, they have little control over zone settings.

Mod (Moderator)

Mod is the lowest official level of access in zones. Mods can ban users, although they have limited control over access lists. They have some ability to discipline, control, and reward users in the zone.

Other

Many zones have other, non-official levels of access. For example, zones that host leagues often grant referees a limited degree of access to moderator commands and abilities.

Almost all zones also utilize bots to remove players with excessive lag and to perform mundane tasks such as storing prized items, giving game results, and maintaining equal teams. ASSS makes possible server-side modules which can accomplish much more than traditional bots.

Server

The two most prominent SubSpace server applications are Subgame, and ASSS, both downloadable from the Server Help site.

Subgame is derived from the original VIE server software and runs natively only on Microsoft Windows.

ASSS [1] is open source and can potentially be run on any platform. It was designed for use on Linux and other unix/like operating systems, but can be configured for use on Microsoft Windows.

The server takes its settings from numerous files; server.ini and server.cfg are the two most important. These configuration files store the startup configurations and main arena settings for the zone, respectively. The main .lvl and .lvz files are important as well. Lvl files are level or "map" files, usually created with an editor such as SubSpace Map Editor (SSME). Lvz files are compressed files that contain graphics or sounds and configurations to replace or add to the game's default media. Large servers may have dozens or even hundreds of these files, as many subarenas use settings and graphics different from those of the main arena(s), and so require different .lvl, .cfg, and .lvz files. news.txt is another important file that contains news and information regarding the zone. There are other files useful for administration, such as sysop.txt, smod.txt, moderate.txt, and vip.txt, which store the lists of players with server access, obscene.txt, which stores a list of obscene words to be blocked by the game's chat filter, and restricted.txt, which keeps a list of playernames not allowed in the zone.

Billing

The counterpart to the server application is the billing server. This server, which stores player data and scores and links zones together, is named for its originally intended function (in VIE's Subgame server) to store records of who had paid for the game and, therefore, was allowed to play it. Obviously, once VIE went out of business, this function was no longer necessary. Billing servers now serve many additional functions, such as proving a network-wide ban service superior to the one built into Subgame and allowing players in different arenas or zones to chat with each other over chat channels. There are several large biller networks for SubSpace. By far, the largest is SSC, which is the de facto official biller. It is owned by PriitK, the creator of the Continuum client. However, space on this network is limited, and many have criticized it for alleged favoritism and a lack of updates.

Directory servers

Directory servers comprise the final piece of the server "puzzle". These servers are much like Domain Name System servers; they maintain lists of zones and their IP addresses and port numbers, allowing clients to connect.

Software compatibility

The Subgame server software and Continuum client are both Microsoft Windows-only programs. This is partially due to the game's heavy reliance on DirectDraw. A Linux version of the SubSpace client, called Snrrrubspace, created by user and notable programmmer Snrrrub was under development, but not completed. Continuum is compatibile with an unofficial patched version of Wine [2] [3]. ASSS is compatible with all major operating systems.

Similar games

• Cosmic Rift
• Dark Archon Invasion
• Escape Velocity Nova
• FlatSpace
• Netrek - an older game which shares some similarities including play styles (dueling, hockey, strategy)
• Operation: Inner Space - single player
• Star Control Series
• Starflight
• Star Sonata
• Starscape
• Starport: Galactic Empires
• Uniball

See also

• Infantry (computer game)
• List of MMOGs

External links

• SubSpace Central, a site providing game news and resources.
• SubSpace Downloads, a massive collection of game-related files.
• SubSpace Base, links to zone homepages, downloads and other information about SubSpace. The Continuum client can be downloaded here.
• Server Help / Server Help Forums / ASSS Wiki, a resource for zone staff.
• ASSS development web site.
• CLIT, Continuum Level / Ini Tool by 2dragons and Bak.
• The MobyGames entry for SubSpace
• SSQDB, a bash.org-like database of in-game quotes.
• EG Dynasties, an Extreme-Games wiki
• [4], an in-game movie produced in Extreme Games.
• Scores & Stats, Up to date Scores and Stats for all SSC zones.
• SubSpace News, up to date game news from all the major SubSpace sites on one page.
• The Subspace Blog, A player-run site that includes news, articles and rants mostly concerning SVS zones.

Zones

• 17th Parallel, Very consistent veteran zone, known for Royal Rumble and Javwar elimination leagues, soccer game, and now new map with flagging and basing
• Alpha Zone SVS, the original SVS newbie/beginner zone, SSCX Alpha West SVS
• Chaos Zone SVS, a free for all kill or be killed zone, SSCX Chaos/League Zone SVS
• Death Star Battle, the site of the ever popular Star Wars based zone, SSCU DeathStarBattle
• Desert Storm, Fast paced powerball where two infantries struggle to get the flag to the other side, SSCC Desert Storm.
• Dragonball Z, Fast paced warzone flagging set in a Dragonball Z theme.
• Extreme-Games, Large zone, mainly flagging, but also dueling, and events
• Hockey Zone, The first zone to be hosted on the official VIE servers, features all kinds of different sports but concentrates on hockey mainly.
• Metal Gear CTF, Forces from the opposing Red and Blue teams invade each other's bases to capture their opponent's flag.
• Mystic Kingdom, SubSpace's only RPG zone, earn experience to level up your characters to increase your in game abilities.
• Omega Fire Small zone, mainly dog-fighting, but with large basing capabilies, and events.
• Powerball, a soccer type zone where you defend and score goals, SSCX Powerball
• Premier League, the oldest league known to SubSpace/Continuum currently hosted in SSCX Chaos/League Zone SVS
• Redstar, Fast paced flagging zone.
• Star Wars Realm, A capture the flag styled zone, with Star Wars themed ship settings and unique game-play
• Star Warzone, Originally a Star Wars-themed flagging zone, and home of the seasonal Star Warzone League.
• T3 The Gauntlet, Flagging/basing based "super" zone, also with structured seasonal leagues.
• Trench Wars, the site of the most popular zone, SSCU Trench Wars. Based around 1 shot kills and many subarenas.
• Warzone CTF SVS, The original Capture The Flag zone which hosts one of the oldest leagues and requires advanced teamwork and communication skills to be successful. A dynamic zone where many veteran players call home after graduating from other zones to learn the basics of the game.