SubSpace is a
two-dimensional2D computer graphics is the computer-based generation of digital images—mostly from two-dimensional models and by techniques specific to them...
space shooter computer game published in 1997 by Virgin Interactive Entertainment (VIE) which was a finalist for the
Academy of Interactive Arts & SciencesThe Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences , founded in 1996, is a non-profit organization that promotes computer and video game entertainment with the annual D.I.C.E. Summit event, where its Interactive Achievement Awards ceremony has been held annually since 1998...
Online Game of the Year Award in 1998. This game, considered by some as
freewareFreeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee.The opposite of Freeware is Payware.-History:...
, and others as
abandonwareAbandonware is a term used to describe computer software that is no longer sold or supported, or whose copyright ownership may be unclear for various reasons...
incorporates quasi-realistic zero-friction
physicsPhysics is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force...
into a
massively multiplayer online gameA massively multiplayer online game is a video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on personal computers...
. It is no longer operated by VIE; instead, fans and players of the game provide servers and technical updates. The action is viewed from above, which presents challenges very different from those of a
three-dimensional3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
game. The game has no built-in story or set of goals; players may enter a variety of
serverA server is an application running on a computer that delivers a service. For example, a web server will deliver web pages when requested by a browser . The way a server and a client dialogs is called a protocol...
s, each of which have differing objectives, maps, sounds, and
graphicsGraphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings, or...
.
Although falling short of modern standards,
SubSpace is widely considered an early entry in the
massively multiplayer onlineA massively multiplayer online game is a video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on personal computers...
genre due to its unprecedented player counts.
History
SubSpace evolved from a game originally called
Sniper (1995), a project to test the effects and severity of
lagLatency is the time taken for a sent packet of data to be received at the other end. It includes the time to encode the packet for transmission and transmit it, the time for that data to traverse the network equipment between the nodes, and the time to receive and decode the data. This is also...
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 1997 with a list price of
US$The United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
27.99 for unlimited play, requiring no monthly or hourly fees. The game was originally developed by Burst, led by Jeff Petersen (aka Jeff P.), Rod Humble and Juan Sanchez, for the
USThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
branch of the now-defunct Virgin Interactive. Later on, Jeff Petersen would use
SubSpace as inspiration for
Sony Online EntertainmentSony Online Entertainment is a game development and game publishing division of Sony that is best known for creating massively multiplayer online games, including EverQuest, EverQuest II, The Matrix Online, PlanetSide, Star Wars Galaxies, Free Realms, and Vanguard: Saga of Heroes.In 2008 Sony...
's
InfantryInfantry Online is an isometric perspective multiplayer combat computer game with sprite animation graphics, using complex soldier, ground vehicle and space-ship models on typically complex terrains...
and
Cosmic RiftCosmic Rift is a two-dimensional massively multiplayer video game designed by Lead Programmer Jeff Petersen. It is based in a science fiction universe wherein players can fly from an overhead view one of 13 spaceships, each with their own strengths and unique weapons, in a variety of gaming zones...
.
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 opted for a software
crackSoftware cracking is the modification of software to remove protection methods: copy protection, trial/demo version, serial number, hardware key, date checks, CD check or software annoyances like nag screens and adware....
written by
CLASSClass was a notorious and prolific warez group that existed between January 1 1997 and January 9 2004. The group was the repeated target of federal raids such as Operation Fastlink. They specialized in cracked games, and sometimes had elaborate art in the cracktro or release . They were a global...
. The crack's popularity was bolstered by widespread irritation with delays and focus-stealing caused by the check. Later, Alex Petroukine (aka Sage386), a Russian programmer and an ex-member of United Cracking Force warez group, who also released the cheat utility Twister, released the
SubSpace v1.35 client to bypass the game's
CDA Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store sound recordings exclusively, but later it also allowed the preservation of other types of data. Audio CDs have been commercially available since October 1982...
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 ArtsElectronic Arts is an international developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers responsible...
, 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 independently 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
cheatsCheating in online games are activities that modify the game experience to give one player an advantage over another player; depending on the game, different activities constitute cheating and it is often a matter of consensus opinion as to which particular activity or activities actually...
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, arresting the cheating epidemic. The new 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, which stores user names and passwords. 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 codeIn computer science, source code is any collection of statements or declarations written in some human-readable computer programming language...
.
Game files
SubSpace utilizes a
client-serverClient-server computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or work loads between service providers and service requesters, called clients. Often clients and servers operate over a computer network on separate hardware...
architecture. Initially, both the client and server were provided by VIE. The client executable was titled SubSpace while the server was called SubGame. A new client, titled Continuum, was created by players PriitK and Mr Ekted. The original server software, heavily modified, is still the most common, although an
open sourceOpen source is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software's source code. Some consider open source as one of various possible design approaches, while others consider it a critical strategic element of their operations...
alternative, A Small Subspace Server, is now available.
Continuum client
PriitK (Priit Kasesalu), who has also worked on the development of
KazaaKazaa Media Desktop is a peer-to-peer file sharing application using the FastTrack protocol and owned by Sharman Networks....
,
SkypeSkype is a software application that allows users to make voice calls over the Internet. Calls to other users of the service and, in some countries, to free-of-charge numbers, are free, while calls to other landlines and mobile phones can be made for a fee...
, and most recently
JoostJoost is an Internet TV service, created by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis . During 2007-8 Joost used peer-to-peer TV technology to distribute content to their Mozilla-based desktop player; in late 2008 this was migrated to use a Flash-based Web player instead.Joost began development in 2006...
, developed the back-end including gameplay and security, and Mr Ekted developed the front-end. Continuum was developed as a clone of the SubSpace client, but now contains new original features exclusive to the client over the original. Continuum is the official client of the
SubSpace Central Billing Server. It was developed primarily because of the failures of SubSpace mainly in security. The SubSpace client had been heavily analyzed allowing cheat programs such as Twister to modify the in-memory player data. Continuum boasts a new encryption scheme along with a number of other security-related features. Although a few attempts to crack the Continuum encryption have been made, none have been very widespread as the cheats are easily flagged or extremely obvious and the banning system is quite comprehensive.
After several months of testing, the Continuum 0.40 client was officially made available on September 21, 2007. It has also been adopted by several zones, notably on the SSC server, as a requirement in order to play. This update was coordinated through PriitK and consists of correcting various
Windows XPWindows XP is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, and media centers. The name "XP" is short for "eXPerience"...
and
Windows VistaWindows Vista is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, tablet PCs, and media center PCs...
compatibility issues, as well as including several new security/anti-hack initiatives designed to keep hacking to an absolute minimum.
Graphics and sound
The Continuum client allows a great extent of customization of graphics and sound. Every graphic, animation, and sound used can be replaced by another file. Graphics do not need to be the same size as the original, so replacement graphics may not resemble the original
SubSpace look and feel at all. Every arena and zone can provide different graphics and sound through the use of .lvz files, which compress the media into one file and contains details of their usage including placement and animation characteristics.
Gameplay
SubSpace is divided into different "zones", or servers, to which the player can connect. A zone usually has a public "
arenaAn arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
", in which a certain game is played. However, sub-arenas exist in most zones. Many sub-arenas are used for hosting zone and league 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
squadIn military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
s 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. These game types are also able to be designed using bots that manipulate the original server software, although ASSS makes it easier in some areas.
Flagging is divided into the following sub-categories: Capture the Flag (CTF), Turf, Basing 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 the rabbit, and has the 'flag'. The rabbit's kills are worth 101 points while a regular players' kills are only worth 1 point. Kill the current rabbit to become the new rabbit. Person with most points at end of game wins. This game is usually run by bots in a main or sub-arenas.
Basing
It is very similar to Turf, except there is a base with one flag. The team that controls that flag controls the base, and thus the base is often completely populated by the controlling team.
Flagging
The objective of Flagging 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. Flagging games usually involve bases to store flags and are heavily team-oriented. In
SubSpace terminology, Flagging was originally referred to as a "War Zone".
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.
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
This basic
SubSpace zone has no 'rounds' or 'games', rather the objective is to kill as many opponents as possible while keeping one's own deaths to a minimum. Kills are recorded into a Win/Loss record (accessible by the F2 button) and the bounty of the ships one has killed are collected into a total score. For each powerup or kill you make, your bounty increases.
(Example: Chaos Zone)
King of the Hill
In a game of King of the Hill, each player starts off with a crown, which may be lost if the set amount of time runs out. A player's timer, which is displayed at the top right of the screen, is reset every time they kill another player. However, if a player has already lost their crown, they may only regain it by either killing a flagger with a crown (sometimes marked by a red dot on the radar), or by destroying any two players. Generally though, flaggers with low bounty (see kill) do not give others their crown. The game is then won when there is only one crowned player left standing.
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.
In Speed Zone, ships began with a higher "bounty" (and more weapons and other power ups) than in other zones. Speed Zone proved to be less popular than the Jackpot/Running, Chaos, or "flag" zone games and support was discontinued shortly after
SubSpace went to retail.
Soccer
In
soccerAssociation football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of eleven players using a spherical ball...
, also called powerball, 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.
Weapons
Players have multiple weapons at their disposal. The two main weapons are the guns and bombs. Both of these weapons have 4 levels, and go in this order, from weakest to strongest: Red, Yellow, Blue, and Purple. Bombs have a unique ability to bounce off of walls a certain number of times, the number being a per-ship zone setting. Both guns and bombs take up energy when fired. Energy is used to power the ship's shields, as well as to fire guns and bombs. Generally, the more powerful the gun/bomb, the more energy it takes to fire. If your energy falls below zero (You will still live if it is at zero), the ship explodes and the player respawns usually in a short time period. Energy is constantly recharged, and can be upgraded with "prizes," which are most commonly called in chat, "greens," because they look like green boxes. Greens can upgrade the ship's main weapons, upgrade the ship's maneuverability, increase the energy limit or recharge rate, or provide some disposable weapons or utilities. A complete list of weapons and utilities, though strengths of them vary depending on the zone's settings:
- Burst: When used, special bullets are fired from the ship in all directions from the center of the ship. However, they only become active after bouncing off a wall. They are usually extremely deadly because the damage they do, especially in closed spaces. The projectiles are, in most cases, equivalent to a level 4 bullet.
- Repel: Releases a shock wave that sends weapons and ships flying away from you. The speed of the repel depends on the server settings.
- Decoy: Releases a fake ship, which floats in space, inheriting the ship's inertia, and rotates in the opposite direction of you. Unlike ships, decoys do not lose speed when bouncing off of walls. They can not be damaged, and do not have cloak/stealth.
- Thor's Hammer: More often just called a thor, it is a special bomb that has the ability to travel through walls and bricks. It also has a proximity trigger, and thus is very useful. It is fired like a bomb.
- Brick: When used, a number of blocks are dropped in a line perpendicular to the ship (Or optionally parallel, or in a box formation). The bricks act like walls to enemy ships, but friendly ships can pass through.
- Rocket: Increases speed and thrust for a little while, but you cannot stop or go in reverse while doing so.
- Portal: Lays a portal in the spot the ship is in. Only the ship that used the portal can see it, and it does not move. When the player warps, it appears at where the portal was set, and the portal disappears. Unlike warping normally, you do not lose energy when warping with a portal.
- Bounce: All bullets fired after getting this power up bounce off of walls an unlimited number of times.
- Multifire: Allows the player to toggle a mode where more bullets are fired per round. It usually has a bigger delay and uses more energy, but you can fire more bullets.
- Shrapnel: When a bomb explodes, it will release shrapnel, which is essentially bullets. This prize gives the bombs shrapnel, or increases the amount of shrapnel if it has already been obtained once or more.
- Proximity: Bombs fired will explode even when close to an enemy, rather than having to hit them.
- Cloak: When in use, it reduces the recharge rate (Or may cost you energy over time), but enemies who do not have X-Radar cannot see you on the screen. Note they can still see you on the radar if you do not have stealth on.
- Stealth: When in use, it reduces the recharge rate (Or may cost you energy over time), but enemies who do not have X-Radar cannot see you on the radar. It is often used while cloaking.
- X-Radar: When in use, it reduces the recharge rate (Or may cost you energy over time), but you can see cloaked or stealthed enemies.
- AntiWarp: When in use, it reduces the recharge rate (Or may cost you energy over time), but enemies cannot warp or lay portals. Often used in bases to forbid enemies from running away.
Competitive play
Many
SubSpace players are organized into
squadIn military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
s. 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
leagueLeague is a term commonly used to describe a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and compete on weekends; at its most complex, it can be an...
s hosted by various zones. These leagues are typically run like professional
sportSport is an activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. Sports commonly refer to activities where the physical capabilities of the competitor are the sole or primary determinant of the outcome , but the term is also used to include activities such as...
leagues, with a preseason, regular season, and
playoffThe playoffs, postseason, or finals of a sports league are a series of games played after the regular season by the top competitors, to determine the league champion or a similar accolade. The term and concept are most widespread in North America.In the U.S...
s for the highest-ranked squads.
DuelAs practiced from the 11th to 20th centuries in Western societies, a duel is an engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with their combat doctrines. In the modern application, the term is applied to aerial warfare between fighter pilots...
ing is another favorite pastime of many
SubSpace players, and many zones have separate arenas for this purpose alone. Players in a squad have their own chat channel for communication.
Ships
Within any given zone, a player can choose between up to eight different ships: Warbird, Javelin, Spider, Leviathan, Terrier, Weasel, Lancaster, and Shark.
A player can also choose to spectate the game (also known as spec mode) by either following a specific player or the ball (if one is in play), or they can choose to move around freely and observe any part of the map. These spectators have the ability to chat normally, allowing them to communicate with and provide direction to teams.
Standard VIE Settings
Standard VIE Settings, SVS for short, is a server configuration for the online action game
SubSpace conforming to the physics and rules used in non-special game types hosted by Virgin Interactive Entertainment (VIE) before the company's dissolution. The term is sometimes used informally to describe servers which seek, through other means, to preserve the spirit of the game as it was originally played.
Not included under SVS are setting exceptions used in alternate zones, or on special servers set aside for new player training, formal matches, and special events. There are also no SVS rules for some weapons which varied between game types; and there is no SVS standard for the Shark, a ship added after the departure from VIE of SubSpace's development team, Burst. An otherwise pure server configuration is considered SVS so long as these weapon elements were at one time in use on a normal VIE server, and so long as the Shark's settings do not disproportionately subvert the role of other ship types or game elements.
Notes
- The term SSS (Standard SubSpace Settings) has also been used to refer to the original VIE-style zones and settings.
Although some zones may use settings based on SVS, they can differ entirely from these descriptions: most other zones however, have unique settings for each of the ships customized to suit the gameplay objectives and styles of the zone. Following is a description of each ship and its role in
Standard VIE Settings.
Warbird
OConner Domanic HA-46 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
Crummand FC-12/O Javelin
Much 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
Loakhaed RSC17 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
Ivangrad UT-59 Leviathan
Perhaps the least maneuverable ship in the game, the
Leviathan also packs the heaviest punch. It is the only ship capable of firing Level 3 bombs and laying Level 3 mines (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
Blight Aerospace NU-34 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
Yamakazi Sholi Znk/0-1 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
electromagnetic pulseThe term electromagnetic pulse has the following meanings:# A burst of electromagnetic radiation from an explosion or a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field. The resulting electric and magnetic fields may couple with electrical/electronic systems to produce damaging current and voltage...
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
shrapnelFragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
. 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
Avro 4F/2 HMS 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 fired by a Lancaster will bounce once before turning into a normal bomb (in contrast to bouncing bullets, which will bounce any number of times before hitting a target or disappearing). 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
Lezarwerks SY/9 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. The Shark is also the only ship to have more than 1700 maximum energy.
On some zones (particularly Chaos Zone) a different type of Shark is available. In terms of maneuverability, speed and acceleration it is nearly identical to Warbird, but is armed with a rapid-fire gun, making it a deadly close-combat vessel.
Zones
Subspace is unique in that the gamestyle can vary depending on the zone. Some zones are just free-for-all style gameplay, while others are capture the flag, or even powerball style. Zones typically have multiple public arenas, whose settings and maps are the same, which players are automatically distributed to upon joining the server. This serves to reduce crowding in highly populated arenas.
There are also numerous sub-arenas in
SubSpace, and these sub-arenas can at times have greater populations than the "main/public" arenas. They differ from the main public arenas, in the sense that they may have their own settings, map, graphics, and bots (if required - or modules in ASSS zones). 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. Some examples of bots are those that allow virtual racing games or football games to be played, or mimic popular movies. A player may visit any zone and press Esc + A, in order to see a list of all the arenas presently active in that zone. In ASSS zones, you can also type "?arena -a" for a list of all known sub-arenas, empty or active.
Customization
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
hierarchyA hierarchy is an arrangement of items in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another and with only one "neighbor" above and below each level. These classifications are made with regard to rank, importance, seniority, power status or authority...
of staff members. Typically, a server host pays for and maintains the zone server. In addition, there are several levels of access within zones:
SysopA sysop is an administrator of a multi-user computer system, such as a bulletin board system or an online service virtual community....
(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. System Operators have the highest level of power and can control/demote moderators below them.
Smod (Super
ModeratorModerator may refer to:In organisations:*Forum moderator, a person given special powers to enforce the rules on an Internet forum or newsgroup-Religion:*Moderator of the General Assembly, the chairperson of the highest court of a presbyterian church...
)
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 (
ModeratorModerator may refer to:In organisations:*Forum moderator, a person given special powers to enforce the rules on an Internet forum or newsgroup-Religion:*Moderator of the General Assembly, the chairperson of the highest court of a presbyterian church...
)
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
refereeA referee is a person who has authority to make decisions about play in many sports. Officials in various sports are known by a variety of titles, including: referee, umpire, judge, linesman, commissaire, timekeeper or touch judge.- Origin :The term referee originated in association football...
s a limited degree of access to moderator commands and abilities.
Almost all zones also utilize
botInternet bots, also known as web robots, WWW robots or simply bots, are software applications that run automated tasks over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are both simple and structurally repetitive, at a much higher rate than would be possible for a human alone...
s to remove players with excessive
lagLatency is the time taken for a sent packet of data to be received at the other end. It includes the time to encode the packet for transmission and transmit it, the time for that data to traverse the network equipment between the nodes, and the time to receive and decode the data. This is also...
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 most prominent
SubSpace serverA game server is a remotely or locally run server used by game clients to play multiplayer video games. Most video games played over the Internet operate via a connection to a game server.-Game server hosting:...
application is
Subgame, which is derived from the original
Virgin Interactive EntertainmentVirgin Interactive was a British video game publisher. It was formed as Virgin Games Ltd. in 1981. The company became much larger after purchasing the budget label, Mastertronic in 1987. It was part of the Virgin Group...
server software and runs natively only on
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
. However there is also
ASSS (
A Small
SubSpace
Server), which is an
open sourceOpen source is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software's source code. Some consider open source as one of various possible design approaches, while others consider it a critical strategic element of their operations...
server that can potentially be run on any platform. It was designed for use on
LinuxLinux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed,...
and other
Unix-likeA Unix-like operating system is one that behaves in a manner similar to a Unix system, while not necessarily conforming to or being certified to any version of the Single UNIX Specification....
operating systems, but can be configured for use on Microsoft Windows. Both are downloadable from
the SubSpace Central website.
The server takes its settings from numerous
fileA computer file is a block of arbitrary information, or resource for storing information, which is available to a computer program and is usually based on some kind of durable storage. A file is durable in the sense that it remains available for programs to use after the current program has finished...
s; server.ini and server.cfg are the two most important. These
configuration fileIn computing, configuration files, or config files configure the initial settings for some computer programs. They are used for user applications, server processes and operating system settings. The files are often written in ASCII and line-oriented, with lines terminated by a newline or carriage...
s store the start-up configurations and main arena settings for the zone, respectively. The main .lvl and .lvz files are important as well. Level files (.lvl) are basically "map" files usually created with an editor such as
SubSpace Map Editor (SSME), or
Drake Continuum Map Editor (DCME), whereas .lvz files are
compressedIn computer science and information theory, data compression or source coding is the process of encoding information using fewer bits than an unencoded representation would use, through use of specific encoding schemes.As with any communication, compressed data communication only works when both...
files that may contain graphics, 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. The news.
txtA text file is a kind of computer file that is structured as a sequence of lines. A text file exists within a computer file system...
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 player names 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 providing 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 factoDe facto is a Latin expression that means "by [the] fact". In law, it is meant to mean "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but without being officially established"...
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 SystemThe Domain Name System is a hierarchical naming system for computers, services, or any resource connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participants...
servers; they maintain lists of zones and their
IP addressAn Internet Protocol address is a numerical label that is assigned to devices participating in a computer network utilizing the Internet Protocol for communication between its nodes....
es and
portIn computer networking, a port is an application-specific or process-specific software construct serving as a communications endpoint used by Transport Layer protocols of the Internet Protocol Suite, such as Transmission Control Protocol and User Datagram Protocol...
numbers, allowing clients to connect.
Client
The Continuum client is a
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
-only program, due to its heavy reliance on
DirectDrawDirectDraw is part of Microsoft's DirectX API. DirectDraw is used to render graphics in applications where top performance is important. DirectDraw also allows applications to run fullscreen or embedded in a window such as most other MS Windows applications. DirectDraw uses hardware acceleration if...
. However, Continuum is compatible with an unofficial patched version of
WineWine is a free software application that aims to allow Unix-like computer operating systems to execute programs written for Microsoft Windows. Wine also provides a software library known as Winelib against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like systems.Wine...
. A
LinuxLinux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed,...
version of the
SubSpace client, called Snrrrubspace, created by user and notable programmer Snrrrub was under development, but has not been completed. Another client using the VIE protocol was successfully developed by Smong utilizing SDL, but it is not finished and remains unreleased. An open source, cross-platform, SDL-based client called Discretion has been started by Bak.
Server
Subgame is also
Microsoft WindowsMicrosoft Windows is a series of software operating systems and graphical user interfaces produced by Microsoft. Microsoft first introduced an operating environment named Windows in November 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces...
-only, but can also be run using a vanilla version of
WineWine is a free software application that aims to allow Unix-like computer operating systems to execute programs written for Microsoft Windows. Wine also provides a software library known as Winelib against which developers can compile Windows applications to help port them to Unix-like systems.Wine...
. An
Open SourceOpen source is an approach to the design, development, and distribution of software, offering practical accessibility to a software's source code. Some consider open source as one of various possible design approaches, while others consider it a critical strategic element of their operations...
alternative to Subgame, ASSS (A Small Subspace Server) has been developed and is designed for running on a
LinuxLinux is a generic term referring to Unix-like computer operating systems based on the Linux kernel. Their development is one of the most prominent examples of free and open source software collaboration; typically all the underlying source code can be used, freely modified, and redistributed,...
server but is compatible with all major
operating systemAn operating system is an interface between hardware and user which is responsible for the management and coordination of activities and the sharing of the resources of the computer that acts as a host for computing applications run on the machine. As a host, one of the purposes of an operating...
s. It is under active development.
Chat Clients
In addition to the game clients, there are a number of chat-only clients. These chat clients are particularly useful for managing zones and for keeping in touch with friends and squadmates. Due to Continuum's security measures, most chat client users have to be placed on a zone's VIP list. As a consequence, chat clients are limited in their appeal. Despite the tight security, a recently-developed chat client, Starlight, connects to all zones without requiring any special access.
External links