SubSpace (video game)
Continuum is a two-dimensional top-down space shooter computer game. This freeware game incorporates quasi-realistic zero-friction physics with massively multiplayer capabilities. Players may enter a variety of servers, which have different objectives, skins, sounds, and graphics.
History
Continuum was originally known as Subspace when public beta testing began in 1996. It was released commercially under a subscription-based model in 1998. The game was originally developed by the now-defunct Virgin Interactive Entertainment (VIE) as an offshoot of the game Sniper (which later became Infantry, published by Sony Online Entertainment). While in the beginning the game only offered two playable ships and a couple of servers hosting limited numbers of maps, during a costly and extensive testing period the game developed depth and replay ability unrivaled by many games before and since. When the game was eventually officially released, it was not a commercial success due to poor marketing and the relative newness of the massively multiplayer online genre. In addition, after two years of playing for free, many core players were so addicted that when the beta ended, they refused to pay up for a game that they had beta tested for two years and instead developed software cracks to bypass the billing system. Before going bankrupt, VIE released the server and client modules of the game to the public, allowing independent servers to be created. The game is now a freely available game, but it is not open source; only a few people possess the source code, most notably PriitK, head programmer of the Continuum client (and also one of the creators of Kazaa). Continuum replaced the VIE-era Subspace client after widespread cheating, such as use of the Twister hack, forced developers to rewrite the client to eliminate such abuse. Among other features, including improved graphics capabilities, Continuum uses checksums and encryption to counter the use of programs such as Twister.
Game Dynamics
Ships
The different servers that one can connect to with the Continuum client are called "zones". Within a zone, a player can usually choose between eight different ships: Warbird, Javelin, Spider, Leviathan, Terrier, Weasel, Lancaster, and Shark. Many zones restrict the available ships. A player can also choose to spectate the game.
Gameplay
The objectives of zones vary. Many, such as SSCX Star Warzone and SSCX Extreme Games, are Capture the flag zones, in which one team, or frequency, must capture and hold all the flags, which, by default, resemble small spheres, in the zone for a predetermined amount of time to win. A variation of this is "turf" (or "basing"), in which the flags are stationary. Other zones involve Powerball, which resembles soccer; a team must attempt to get one or more Powerballs, which appear in the default graphics set as small red balls, into an enemy goal. The third type of zone is a free-for-all (or melee) zone, such as SSCX Alpha West SVS. In this type of zone, the only objective is to kill enemy players.
The above refers mainly to the main arena(s) of zones. Zones are organized into arenas, with certain arenas designated as public arenas being the main areas of gameplay. 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 also frequently arenas for players to fight and practice without interference from other players. Many squads have their own private arenas as well.
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 craft's shields; if a player's energy reaches zero, he or she dies. 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 "greens" or "bounty", which are small green boxes that can upgrade a ship that runs over them. Greens can also give the player special items such as "Thor's hammer" (a weapon that flies through walls and explodes if an enemy is nearby), "repel" (pushes nearby enemies, mines 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 Continuum players are organized into squads. These squads 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 Continuum players, and many zones have separate arenas for such.
Zones
Customization
As mentioned above, a zone is a server to which players can connect using the Continuum client. Perhaps the most attractive feature of Continuum 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.
Zone administration
Zones are 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.
Server
The Continuum server application is a kernel-mode computer program named subgame2.exe, downloadable from the Server Help site. It boots to a DOS command line interface.
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 Continuum map files created with an editor such as Subspace Map Editor (SSME). Lvz files are compressed files that contain graphics or sounds to replace or add to the client's default media. Large servers may have dozens or even hundreds of these files, as most 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. Other files are necessary for server operation, 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.
A new, open source server software called ASSS (A Small Subspace Server) is currently being developed [1]. Once released, zone sysops will be able to customize the server software itself, eliminating the need for bots.
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 original function as a server that stored 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 in Continuum. 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. Consequently, several large alternative billers exist, including SSN, SSP, and SSZ.
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. Under VIE, the functions of directory and billing servers were united, but they are now separate.
External links
- SubspaceHQ, news, links to zone homepages, downloads and other information about Continuum. The Continuum client can be downloaded here for free.
- Subspace/Continuum Resource, a site reporting Continuum news and providing alternate graphics, sounds, etc. A list of Continuum zones and their websites can be found here.
- Subspace Continuum, a beginner's guide to Subspace, complete with the latest version for download.
- Server Help, a resource for zone staff.
- SSQDB, a bash.org-like database of in-game quotes.
- Subspace Downloads, a massive collection of game-related files.
- Subspace Central, a site providing game news and resources.