<s>
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
(	O
officially	O
stylized	O
as	O
ai	B-Protocol
sp	I-Protocol
@ce	I-Protocol
)	O
is	O
a	O
Japanese	O
virtual	B-Application
3D	O
massively	O
multiplayer	O
online	O
social	O
game	O
(	O
MMOSG	O
)	O
developed	O
by	O
several	O
companies	O
that	O
formed	O
the	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
Production	O
Committee	O
which	O
was	O
launched	O
on	O
October	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
PCs	I-Application
,	O
despite	O
an	O
earlier	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
Q3	O
2008	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
downloadable	O
client	B-Protocol
program	I-Protocol
enables	O
its	O
users	O
to	O
interact	O
through	O
motional	O
avatars	B-Application
with	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
primarily	O
with	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
heroines	O
from	O
three	O
visual	O
novels	O
:	O
Clannad	B-Application
by	O
Key	O
under	O
Visual	O
Art	O
's	O
,	O
Shuffle	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
by	O
Navel	O
under	O
Omegavision	O
,	O
and	O
Da	B-Application
Capo	I-Application
II	I-Application
by	O
Circus	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
player	O
creates	O
an	O
avatar	B-Application
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
heroines	O
is	O
selected	O
as	O
a	O
personal	O
character	O
doll	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
chara-doll	O
"	O
,	O
to	O
live	O
with	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
three	O
virtual	B-Application
"	O
islands	O
"	O
which	O
are	O
patterned	O
on	O
the	O
worlds	O
featured	O
in	O
the	O
three	O
visual	O
novels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
first	O
theme	O
song	O
for	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
is	O
sung	O
by	O
Kotoko	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Before	O
gameplay	O
can	O
begin	O
,	O
a	O
player	O
must	O
download	O
a	O
client	B-Protocol
program	I-Protocol
unique	O
to	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
which	O
will	O
enable	O
its	O
users	O
to	O
interact	O
on	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
servers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
is	O
given	O
the	O
chance	O
to	O
customize	O
a	O
motional	O
avatar	B-Application
to	O
explore	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
avatar	B-Application
can	O
be	O
chosen	O
to	O
take	O
on	O
a	O
male	O
or	O
female	O
form	O
;	O
the	O
male	O
avatars	B-Application
are	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
cool	O
"	O
while	O
female	O
avatars	B-Application
are	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
sweet	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
gameplay	O
will	O
begin	O
when	O
the	O
player	O
has	O
chosen	O
one	O
personal	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
character	O
from	O
the	O
visual	O
novels	O
Clannad	B-Application
,	O
Shuffle	O
!,	O
and	O
Da	B-Application
Capo	I-Application
II	I-Application
,	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
will	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
customize	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
bishōjo	O
characters	O
,	O
known	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
as	O
character	O
dolls	O
,	O
or	O
"	O
chara-dolls	O
"	O
,	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
wear	O
different	O
costumes	O
(	O
based	O
on	O
in-game	B-Application
items	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
do	O
a	O
variety	O
of	O
things	O
such	O
as	O
memorize	O
various	O
motions	O
to	O
act	O
out	O
or	O
dance	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
chara-dolls	O
can	O
even	O
eventually	O
develop	O
a	O
unique	O
personality	O
for	O
each	O
user	O
,	O
known	O
in-game	B-Application
as	O
each	O
chara-doll	O
having	O
a	O
different	O
"	O
aitune	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
player	O
and	O
the	O
selected	O
chara-doll	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
live	O
together	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
three	O
virtual	B-Application
"	O
islands	O
"	O
which	O
are	O
designed	O
to	O
resemble	O
the	O
worlds	O
features	O
in	O
the	O
three	O
aforementioned	O
visual	O
novels	O
used	O
as	O
reference	O
material	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
in	O
Akihabara	O
Island	O
,	O
the	O
names	O
given	O
to	O
the	O
avatars	B-Application
and	O
chara-dolls	O
are	O
viewable	O
above	O
their	O
heads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
can	O
be	O
played	O
free	O
of	O
charge	O
,	O
a	O
player	O
can	O
buy	O
Nico	O
Nico	O
Points	O
from	O
Nico	O
Nico	O
Douga	O
for	O
use	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
to	O
expand	O
the	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Nico	O
Nico	O
Points	O
can	O
be	O
used	O
to	O
obtain	O
special	O
in-game	B-Application
items	O
such	O
as	O
clothing	O
for	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
avatar	B-Application
and	O
chara-doll	O
,	O
and	O
furniture	O
for	O
the	O
house	O
where	O
the	O
player	O
resides	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
is	O
a	O
collaborative	O
effort	O
from	O
several	O
companies	O
that	O
form	O
the	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
Production	O
Committee	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
project	O
is	O
headed	O
by	O
the	O
Dwango	O
online	O
service	O
provider	O
which	O
developed	O
the	O
virtual	B-Application
world	I-Application
's	O
infrastructure	O
and	O
Internet	O
service	O
support	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
idea	O
was	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
world	O
like	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
,	O
but	O
only	O
incorporate	O
the	O
Da	B-Application
Capo	I-Application
II	I-Application
franchise	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
was	O
changed	O
to	O
incorporate	O
the	O
Clannad	B-Application
and	O
Shuffle	B-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
In	O
2006	O
,	O
Dwango	O
was	O
still	O
primarily	O
involved	O
with	O
the	O
mobile	O
phone	O
industry	O
,	O
but	O
were	O
able	O
to	O
gain	O
Internet	O
service	O
experience	O
due	O
to	O
launching	O
their	O
subsidiary	O
video	O
sharing	O
website	O
Nico	O
Nico	O
Douga	O
,	O
which	O
made	O
it	O
possible	O
for	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
to	O
move	O
forward	O
in	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Primary	O
development	O
was	O
handled	O
by	O
Headlock	O
which	O
worked	O
in	O
collaboration	O
with	O
Key	O
under	O
Visual	O
Art	O
's	O
,	O
Navel	O
with	O
Omegavision	O
,	O
and	O
Circus	O
for	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
bishōjo	B-Application
game	I-Application
heroines	O
featured	O
in	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
from	O
Clannad	B-Application
,	O
Shuffle	O
!,	O
and	O
Da	B-Application
Capo	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
was	O
initially	O
going	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
text-based	O
game	O
similar	O
to	O
that	O
of	O
visual	O
novels	O
,	O
but	O
this	O
was	O
changed	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
a	O
3D	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
've	O
Sound	O
member	O
Kotoko	O
sings	O
the	O
first	O
theme	O
song	O
for	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
,	O
entitled	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
single	O
was	O
released	O
on	O
December	O
3	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
music	O
provided	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
taken	O
from	O
the	O
three	O
visual	O
novels	O
used	O
as	O
a	O
basis	O
for	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
an	O
initial	O
announcement	O
of	O
a	O
Q3	O
2008	O
release	O
of	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Spaces	I-Protocol
full	O
version	O
,	O
beta	O
testing	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
conducted	O
in	O
three	O
separate	O
phases	O
between	O
mid-September	O
to	O
mid-October	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
had	O
the	O
chance	O
to	O
buy	O
one	O
of	O
1,010	O
"	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
Deluxe	O
Card	O
Sets	O
"	O
for	O
500	O
yen	O
(	O
about	O
US$5	O
)	O
each	O
at	O
Comiket	O
74	O
between	O
August	O
15	O
and	O
August	O
17	O
,	O
2008	O
,	O
but	O
those	O
who	O
bought	O
the	O
card	O
sets	O
also	O
had	O
to	O
submit	O
a	O
participation	O
application	O
between	O
August	O
18	O
and	O
September	O
3	O
,	O
2008	O
at	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Spaces	I-Protocol
official	O
website	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ai	B-Protocol
Spaces	I-Protocol
client	B-Protocol
program	I-Protocol
was	O
released	O
for	O
free	O
on	O
October	O
15	O
,	O
2008	O
downloadable	O
on	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Spaces	I-Protocol
official	O
website	O
for	O
Windows	B-Application
PCs	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
opening	O
day	O
,	O
the	O
number	O
of	O
people	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
restricted	O
to	O
53,000	O
users	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
number	O
was	O
gradually	O
increased	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
order	O
of	O
a	O
registration	O
number	O
a	O
given	O
player	O
received	O
when	O
registering	O
for	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
order	O
to	O
register	O
for	O
Ai	B-Protocol
Space	I-Protocol
,	O
a	O
user	O
must	O
already	O
have	O
an	O
account	O
for	O
Nico	O
Nico	O
Douga	O
.	O
</s>
