<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
is	O
a	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
real-time	O
strategy	O
computer	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
PaleStar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Released	B-Application
in	O
December	O
2001	O
,	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
involves	O
multiplayer	O
spaceship	O
combat	O
between	O
three	O
player-controlled	O
factions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
takes	O
place	O
in	O
a	O
persistent	O
universe	O
,	O
referred	O
to	O
in-game	O
as	O
"	O
The	O
MetaVerse	O
"	O
,	O
where	O
players	O
choose	O
from	O
several	O
types	O
of	O
ships	O
and	O
fight	O
for	O
control	O
of	O
planets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
also	O
uses	O
instanced	O
"	O
Scenario	O
"	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
where	O
factions	O
battle	O
for	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
single	O
solar	O
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
has	O
a	O
long	O
and	O
varied	O
development	O
history	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
began	O
as	O
a	O
small	O
personal	O
project	O
,	O
survived	O
several	O
deals	O
with	O
multiple	O
publishers	O
,	O
and	O
is	O
run	O
today	O
by	O
a	O
mostly	O
volunteer	O
staff	O
on	O
an	O
open	B-Application
sourced	I-Application
game	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
also	O
contains	O
several	O
non-player	O
factions	O
to	O
interact	O
with	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
the	O
Machine	O
Intelligence	O
(	O
MI	O
)	O
race	O
,	O
opportunistic	O
space	O
Pirates	O
,	O
and	O
several	O
other	O
rare	O
and	O
bizarre	O
alien	O
entities	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
has	O
several	O
types	O
of	O
ships	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
battleships	O
,	O
troop	O
transports	O
,	O
supply	O
vessels	O
,	O
and	O
even	O
space	O
stations	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
emphasizes	O
tactical	O
combat	O
:	O
players	O
are	O
able	O
to	O
finely	O
control	O
details	O
of	O
their	O
ship	O
's	O
attack	O
and	O
defense	O
maneuvers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
uses	O
several	O
different	O
types	O
of	O
servers	B-Application
to	O
offer	O
different	O
modes	O
of	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
main	O
game	O
is	O
played	O
out	O
in	O
"	O
MetaVerse	O
"	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
where	O
planets	O
remain	O
in	O
control	O
of	O
a	O
faction	O
until	O
captured	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
play	O
area	O
is	O
spread	O
over	O
several	O
star	O
systems	O
and	O
game	B-Application
servers	I-Application
,	O
but	O
all	O
players	O
can	O
travel	O
to	O
the	O
same	O
locations	O
and	O
battle	O
over	O
the	O
same	O
planets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
also	O
offers	O
"	O
Scenario	O
"	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
which	O
contain	O
special	O
plot	O
events	O
or	O
time-limited	O
battles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
establishes	O
a	O
fictional	O
series	O
of	O
events	O
detailing	O
humanity	O
's	O
future	O
progress	O
into	O
space	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
near	O
future	O
colonies	O
are	O
established	O
on	O
Luna	O
and	O
Mars	B-Application
,	O
which	O
then	O
rebel	O
and	O
claim	O
sovereignty	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
game	O
begins	O
in	O
the	O
midst	O
of	O
a	O
human	O
civil	O
war	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
been	O
intensified	O
by	O
reports	O
of	O
an	O
alien	O
species	O
aggressively	O
spreading	O
its	O
domain	O
throughout	O
the	O
known	O
universe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
was	O
created	O
by	O
,	O
an	O
independent	O
development	O
company	O
founded	O
by	O
Richard	O
"	O
Faustus	O
"	O
Lyle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Lyle	O
had	O
the	O
idea	O
for	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
in	O
1995	O
,	O
when	O
he	O
wanted	O
to	O
make	O
a	O
"	O
massively	B-Application
multiplayer	I-Application
game	O
with	O
real-time	O
elements	O
based	O
in	O
the	O
Master	B-Application
of	I-Application
Orion	I-Application
universe	O
"	O
;	O
Lyle	O
said	O
that	O
"	O
Netrek	B-Application
,	O
Starfleet	B-Application
Command	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Masters	B-Application
of	I-Application
Orion	I-Application
 [ were ] 	O
the	O
principle	O
influences	O
on	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Blue	O
Byte	O
,	O
attempting	O
to	O
leverage	O
the	O
brand	O
power	O
their	O
Battle	B-Application
Isle	I-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
rechristened	O
the	O
game	O
Battle	B-Application
Isle	I-Application
V	O
:	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
early	O
2001	O
,	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
announced	O
a	O
closed	O
beta	O
test	O
of	O
Battle	B-Application
Isle	I-Application
:	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
-	O
testing	O
was	O
to	O
begin	O
in	O
February	O
,	O
and	O
those	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
signed	O
up	O
through	O
the	O
Palestar	O
website	O
would	O
get	O
first	O
consideration	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
initial	O
group	O
of	O
testers	O
was	O
small	O
,	O
but	O
worked	O
closely	O
with	O
each	O
other	O
and	O
the	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
evaluated	O
the	O
projects	O
Blue	O
Byte	O
was	O
funding	O
and	O
decided	O
that	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
did	O
not	O
fit	O
into	O
the	O
Battle	B-Application
Isle	I-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Palestar	O
launched	O
a	O
new	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
website	O
in	O
May	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
new	O
back-end	B-Operating_System
infrastructure	I-Operating_System
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
written	O
and	O
released	B-Application
(	O
GameCQ	O
)	O
,	O
a	O
new	O
public	O
beta	O
test	O
began	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
public	O
beta	O
test	O
ran	O
during	O
the	O
summer	O
and	O
fall	O
of	O
2001	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Palestar	O
,	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
reached	O
10,000	O
registered	O
players	O
in	O
September	O
and	O
20,000	O
registered	O
players	O
in	O
November	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
December	O
2001	O
Palestar	O
teamed	O
up	O
with	O
Playnet.com	O
to	O
host	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
and	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
moved	O
to	O
a	O
pay	O
to	O
play	O
model	O
,	O
charging	O
$9.99	O
per	O
calendar	O
month	O
for	O
unlimited	O
access	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
July	O
2002	O
Palestar	O
signed	O
an	O
agreement	O
with	O
Got	O
Game	O
Entertainment	O
to	O
distribute	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
in	O
retail	O
stores	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
hit	O
store	O
shelves	O
in	O
December	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
June	O
2009	O
Palestar	O
released	B-Application
the	O
source	O
code	O
for	O
the	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
game	O
engine	O
,	O
named	O
Medusa	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
engine	O
is	O
available	O
under	O
three	O
different	O
licenses	B-License
.	O
</s>
<s>
Several	O
days	O
after	O
release	O
the	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
game	B-Application
servers	I-Application
were	O
overwhelmed	O
by	O
downloads	O
and	O
the	O
engine	O
source	O
code	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
temporarily	O
taken	O
down	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
source	O
code	O
is	O
currently	O
hosted	O
on	O
GitHub	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
release	O
and	O
the	O
transition	O
from	O
pay-for-play	O
,	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
has	O
had	O
several	O
patches	O
and	O
changes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
these	O
problems	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
continues	O
to	O
develop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Darkspace	B-Application
became	O
free-to-play	O
on	O
March	O
12	O
,	O
2010	O
with	O
no	O
restrictions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
its	O
release	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
received	O
several	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Michael	O
Lafferty	O
of	O
GameZone	O
called	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
"	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
looks	O
good	O
,	O
sounds	O
great	O
and	O
plays	O
well	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
Brett	O
Todd	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
thought	O
"[n]early	O
every	O
scene	O
could	O
have	O
been	O
clipped	O
from	O
a	O
big-budget	O
movie	O
"	O
and	O
Gamers	O
Hell	O
's	O
Andreas	O
Berntsen	O
said	O
it	O
was	O
"	O
the	O
closest	O
to	O
a	O
perfect	O
online	O
space-strategy	O
game	O
I	O
’ve	O
seen	O
so	O
far	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
gaming	O
website	O
Respawn	O
UK	O
named	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
'	O
Best	O
Space	O
Game	O
of	O
2002	O
 '	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
several	O
reviewers	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
learning	O
curve	O
was	O
too	O
steep	O
:	O
Lafferty	O
said	O
"	O
when	O
first	O
launched	O
,	O
the	O
tutorial	O
in	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
was	O
somewhat	O
daunting	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
Berntsen	O
said	O
"	O
actually	O
mastering	O
the	O
gameplay	O
takes	O
practice	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
initial	O
learning	O
curve	O
can	O
be	O
somewhat	O
steep	O
"	O
and	O
Aaron	O
Daigle	O
from	O
Game	O
Chronicles	O
claimed	O
that	O
"	O
reading	O
the	O
manual	O
and	O
completing	O
the	O
tutorial	O
mode	O
are	O
critical	O
if	O
you	O
want	O
to	O
excel	O
 [ at ] 	O
or	O
even	O
just	O
play	O
the	O
game	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
common	O
complaint	O
was	O
that	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
suffered	O
from	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
main	O
goals	O
of	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
was	O
to	O
encourage	O
players	O
to	O
work	O
as	O
a	O
team	O
:	O
in	O
an	O
interview	O
with	O
RespawnUK	O
,	O
Lead	O
developer	O
Richard	O
Lyle	O
stated	O
"	O
we	O
've	O
been	O
very	O
careful	O
about	O
what	O
abilities	O
we	O
give	O
ships	O
,	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
make	O
sure	O
players	O
work	O
together	O
to	O
achieve	O
their	O
goals.	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Darkspace	B-Application
rewards	O
team	O
strategy.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Despite	O
issues	O
with	O
player	O
count	O
and	O
learning	O
curve	O
,	O
several	O
reviews	O
seemed	O
to	O
see	O
potential	O
in	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brett	O
Todd	O
thought	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
groundwork	O
is	O
being	O
laid	O
for	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
to	O
evolve	O
into	O
something	O
special	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
Lafferty	O
said	O
"[g]iven	O
some	O
time	O
to	O
grow	O
,	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
will	O
likely	O
be	O
a	O
sleeper	O
hit	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2007	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
announced	O
its	O
140,000	O
th	O
registered	O
player	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
login	O
and	O
chat	O
system	O
for	O
DarkSpace	B-Application
uses	O
a	O
back-end	O
system	O
called	O
GameCQ	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
a	O
player	O
connects	O
to	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
available	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
details	O
are	O
passed	O
between	O
the	O
MetaServer	O
and	O
the	O
selected	O
game	O
node	O
so	O
as	O
to	O
authenticate	O
that	O
user	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	B-Application
servers	I-Application
themselves	O
are	O
processes	O
which	O
are	O
loaded	O
with	O
a	O
game	O
map	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
one	O
map	O
is	O
connected	O
to	O
another	O
and	O
both	O
are	O
located	O
within	O
separate	O
servers	B-Application
,	O
the	O
MetaServer	O
will	O
facilitate	O
the	O
transition	O
and	O
authentication	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
DarkSpace	B-Application
has	O
two	O
forms	O
of	O
game	O
mode	O
,	O
Scenario	O
and	O
the	O
MetaVerse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
client	O
and	O
server	O
are	O
a	O
product	O
of	O
the	O
Medusa	B-Application
engine	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
Palestar	O
's	O
own	O
proprietary	O
engine	O
.	O
</s>
