Dark Space - Frequently Asked Questions

[Detomah]

Billing and Payment

Questions Do you offer a free-trial?
Yes, we offer a 14-day free trial to everyone who is interested in testing the game. You'll receive the coupon with your activation key after you successfully validated your email adress.

How do I subscribe?
Click on the Profile button at the top of the lobby to display your player profile. Click on the Subscribe link at the top of this page to setup your subscription.
There is also a Subscribe link at the top of the menu on the left side of your screen.

How do I unsubscribe?
Click on the Profile button at the top of the lobby to display your player profile. Click on the Subscription link at the top of your profile page to display a pop-up containing your subscription information. Click on the Unsubscribe button on this page.

How much is a monthly subscription?
Subscriptions are $9.99 a month U.S. You may also opt for 3- or 6-month subscriptions DarkSpace 3-Month $26.95 / 3 Months DarkSpace 6-Month $49.95 / 6 Months

I'm unsubscribed, but PayByCash is still deducting money from my account?
This is because PayByCash is a separate company, you need to contact them to stop your subscription.

What do i get when i pay to play?
You will be able to gain rank calculated by all your stats. A demo account will only gain stats but won't advance in rank. As you advance in rank you will get acces to more and bigger ships.

What is this "Additional Charge" on my account?
If your payment is "Charged Back", then we add a $20.00 USD additional charge to your account to cover the costs charged to us for the charge back. A charge back can occur because of insufficient funds in the case of bank transfers. If you wish to resubscribe, you must pay the "Additional Charges" along with your first months subscription to reactivate your account.

When do you charge for the next month?
We attempt to recharge your credit card 24 hours before your subscription expires.

GameCQ Questions

How can I whisper to another player in gameCQ chat rooms?
Whispering is done with the chat-line command /whisper playername message or /whisper @playerID message, where playerID is the number associated with the player to whom you are whispering, and message is what you want to say. To save you the trouble of looking up ID numbers and typing the full command, there is a right-click menu shortcut provided. Simply right-click on the name of the person to whom you wish to whisper, and choose Whisper. Then, fill in your message in the chat box, and hit enter to send. Your message will only be visible to you and your intended recipient.

If you decide you do not want to send the message, simply backspace until all text is gone from the chat line at the bottom of the screen, or press the Escape key.

How do emotes work? How do I make custom chat room actions or emotes?
Emotes are lines of text you can make that specify something you do, or an action you perform. With normal text, you can only easily express ideas and thoughts, but with emotes you can also specify actions. They are made with the /me command. If you want to make an emote quickly, and not have it be saved, you can use the /me command from the chat line. Just type /me performs an action. This way, you can create emotes to fit the moment.

Select the View | Options menu item from the menu at the top of the GCQL window. A dialog box will open, showing you the list of actions/emotes currently configured. You can use the Add/Remove buttons at the bottom of the dialog, or just double-click an existing action to edit it. Note that you can add as many emotes as you want, but the amount of space in the pop-up menu that appears when you right-click someone's name in the chat room to use them is limited.

An emote consists of two things: the /me command, and the text you wish you use for your action. The /me begins the emote, and any text after that follows your name in the chat window. For example, if your name is JoeBlow, and you type /me slaps himself on the head, the chat window will display
* JoeBlow slaps himself on the head
If you wish to do things to others, you can use the $d code. Put this in the place where you want the recipient of your action to go. Then, when you right click on a name in the chat window and select the emote, it will fill in the person you clicked on in place of the $d. For example, if your emote reads /me smiles and gives $d a hug..., and you use it on player Joebob, the chat output would read
* JoeBlow smiles and gives Joebob a hug...

When you are done editing or creating your actions, close the Options dialog box. Your new and updated actions are available on the right-click menu immediately.

How do I add a pic to my profile/signature?
To some this is simple, to some, not so simple. The first thing you have to do is find a website for your pic to be hosted on. There are plenty around the DarkSpace community that are willing to host a players pic (or sig as it is often called). Second; click on the blue profile button at the top of GCQL, then hit "Edit Profile" at the bottom of the edit screen, you see a box for your signature. Now, after you've found a site to host your sig, and it has been uploaded, use the tags: [img] and [/img], placing the full URL of your sig between the two tags. WALA! There is a pic for your profile/sig.

How do I change my text color in the chat rooms?
On the bottom of the lobby, to the right of the chat-line, there is a small button which allows you to change your text color. On the button is a black T with a small box of color underneath it, showing your current color selection (by default, it is yellow). Click the T button to bring up a window to customize your color (note that some colors which are difficult to read are not available for use).
Alternately, you can go to the View menu and choose Options. Within the options, there is a Colors tab. You can change your text color there, in addition to other colors on the "Skin" of the Lobby program.

How do I leave messages to players who are not currently online or are inside a game?
Use the /send command from the chat room or from the message line while in the Game Client.

First, however, you must know the user's name or ID.
The normal way to use the /send commmand is:

/send TheOtherUser I crashed on a planet for the 1234th time today. What do I get?

The user name specified does not have to be complete, but it must be unique enough to distinguish between similar names; otherwise, the command will fail with the error message "Error, found n matches for TheOther". Try again with the complete name of the user. If you are not sure of the user's correct name, use the alternate method described below.

The other way is to first use the /find command to locate the user, like so:

/find MyBuddy

The output will look something like so:
* Found 1 matches for 'MyBuddy'...
MyBuddy @1234 : Offline

Then, you use the user ID with the /send command, like so:

/send @1234 I just got killed by JoeBlow's Elite Assault Dread for the 345th time!

Either way, the next time the specified user logs on (or immediately if s/he is currently logged on), the message will be delivered.

How do I send an "action" message (also know as an "emote") ?
Simply right-click on the name of the person whom you want to be the target of the action and select the desired action from the pop-up menu.
Some actions/emotes do not have a target, and some do not specify the source.

I'm in the lobby, but how do I play the game?
First you should begin by playing the Tutorial, started from the "DarkSpace" shortcut created when you installed the game. Alternatively, you can start the tutorial from the Red Diamond Tutorial link at the top of your GCQL screen.

Click on the "Play" button at the top of the GameCQ lobby. A List of all available servers will be displayed, you can click once on a server to see more information displayed in a box when you hover your pointer over the selected server. If you are just starting, look for a server with "Newbie" in the name or with the "Max Rank" Set to Ensign, Midshipman, or 2nd Lieutenant. Once you find a server (DEMO players may only play red diamond servers, SUBSCRIBED players may play any server), double click on that server to join. You can also right-click on a server and select "Connect" to begin your game on that server..

If you're having problems connecting to a server, make sure your client is up to date by pressing the red "Update" button at the top of the lobby, and that your display mode setting is correct in "Setup". If all else fails, ask in the lobby, chances are pretty good someone can help. [updated: Doran - 07-18-2005]

What are the Gamecq Chatline commands ?
The most up-to-date version of the commands can be found by typing /? in the chat line. Here are a few basics, though. To get full command line options of a command, simply type it with no parameters. For example, to learn how to use the /send command, simply type /send in the chat line. The chat window will then display all the parameters of the command.

* GCQ Client Commands
/? ... Display chat help

* Detomah ... Emotion

/status ... Set status message
/away ... Set status to away
/back ... Restore status from away
/send ... Sends message
* Usage: /send [friends|clan|user name|@user id] [message]
/room ... List/Join/Create/Find Rooms
* Usage: /room[list|join|create|leave|members] [room name:@room id]
/find ... Find another user
* Usage: /find [user name|@user id]
/who ... Show profile information
* Usage: /who [user name|@user id]
/clan ... List/Join/Create/Find clans
* Usage: /clan[list|join|create|leave|info|members] [clan name|@clan id]
/friend ... List/Add/Remove friends
* Usage: /friend[list|add|delete] [user name|@user id]
/ignore ... List/Add/Remove ignores
* Usage: /ignore[list|add|delete] [user name|@user id]
/say ... Send message to players in current room
* Usage: /say [message]
/whisper ... Whisper message to another player in the room
* Usage: /whisper [user name|@user id] [message]

What do the colors of the icons next to the names in the chat room mean?
White Icons: They indicate a community administrator or developer of DarkSpace. These individuals can handle intricate and specific billing questions, and will also provide, if necessary, final word in player-mod debates, among other administrative things.

Green Icons: They indicate a moderator, the enforcers of the rules in DarkSpace. They are here to monitor the behavior of DarkSpace players as well as to help the players with any questions they may have about the game or the chat rooms.

Yellow Icons: Yellow Icons: They indicate a standard player of DarkSpace. There is no distinction between any players with this icon: subscribed, unsubscribed, midshipman, or Fleet Admiral players all have the same yellow icon.

Gray Icons: They indicate players/moderators/administrators that are away from their keyboards.

Icons with a Red Outline: User is muted. Only moderators and administrators can hear what he or she says.

What is the /report chat command and when should I use it?
/report sends a message to any available DarkSpace Staff currently online and logs the message for the DarkSpace Development and Support team.

It is only to be used for reporting:

BUGS
Messages for DS DEV Team
Bad player behavior in GameCQ and in-game when no moderator is present to deal with it
Messages related to Servers
Messages between Moderators and GameAdmins in Darkspace

A few notes: Bugs should preferrably be posted in the Bug Reporting forum. The only time they should be reported and NOT posted are when they deal with exploits that could jeopardize the integrity of the game or give players unfair advantages over others. Then, it is better to tell a staff member in private, or /report the situation.
Messages for the DS Dev Team should preferrably be posted in the Developer Feedback forum. Its also possible to tell a Developer direcly in chat (Developers are listed on the Staff page, accesible from the Staff link at the bottom of the left-hand website menu), though the Forum is nice because there is a copy of the suggestion easily accessible.
Moderators and Admins can also use the Mod chat channel. This is preferrable to the report system, except in certain cases, for which Moderators are trained.

Improper use of this function will be dealt with severely.

Gameplay Questions

- I'm new to the game. How do I play?
Begin by playing the tutorial, which can be found when you run "DarkSpace" with the shortcut created during installation. When you see the start screen with all the ships on it, press the "T" key or select "Tutorial" from the menu at the top of the screen.

It is also suggested that you read the rest of this FAQ and the manual. The Forums also contain a wealth of information about gameplay in DarkSpace. If you are having crashes or other problems with the game that may be related to hardware, check out the Knowledgebase. If you have not already, make sure to familiarize yourself with the DarkSpace Community Rules of Conduct.

When you are in a game, you can hit F1 for more help. Here is a basic summary of the most commonly-used keys:

The A and D keys control your turning, much like a ship you set your turn then you can release the keys and the ship will continue turning. You can stop the turn with the S key.

Q and W set your velocity.

Holding down the right mouse button and dragging will change your view.

Left clicking on the boxes will target that object. You can fire all available weapons with the spacebar.

- What gadgets/devices go in what slots ?

Refer to Section 5.16.2 - Device List of the manual.

How are planets classified?
Planets are classified by what their max population is WITHOUT building Domes.


Planet Type - Population Maximum
Gas - NA
Inferno - NA
Barren - 0
Arid - 30
Ocean - 30
Ice - 30
Terran - 50

Planets also have different classes of Minerals that can be collected by either one of two ways: either by (A building a mine, or (B using an Extractor, or any other ship equiped with mining beams.
The minerals are: Hydrogen, Oxygen, Metals, Heavy Metals, Cyro Metals, Hypermatter, Dark Matter, Urdanium.
Minerals are used to construct structures and gadgets.

How can I whisper while in the Game ?
Select a ship by any of the various methods:

1. Click on the Player Name tab in the Navigation View
2. Click on the targeting box of the ship in Tactical View

Any ship (friend or foe) can be selected for this action.
Once it is selected (highlighted), press the Enter key and type:
/Target message_to_the_ship_I_am_targeting_only
or
/T another_message_to_the_same_ship
and Press Enter again to send the message.
Only the targeted ship will see the message.
You can also /send messages to the player, using the system outlined earlier for using the /send command.

How do I join / create a chatroom while in-game ?
Ingame chat rooms

Create a room like this:

/room create [name of room]

Then, tell the other players that you want to chat with to join [name of room]. Like so:

/Room join [name of room]

You can also do a /Room List, which gives you the numeric ID for the rooms. Like so:

/room list

You will get a list like this:

* Found 7 rooms...
AFK @434 : 1 members
Busy @430 : 3 members
DarkSpace Czech @8 : 0 members
DarkSpace English @1 : 17 members

At this point, you can use the room ID to connect. Like so:

/Room Join [ID nr]
/Room Join @430

In the example above, this command would connect you to the BUSY room

When connected to the room, just type "/say messagetext" on the chat line and all connected to the room will see the message.

This room also exists in GameCQ, so players from outside the game can chat with you as well (however, people in the chat lobby don't need to type /say before any text). This is useful for coordinating clan movement across multiple servers, or joining a meeting while playing.
One piece of advice: don't join the main lobby, as it will spam your chat in-game, making it difficult to keep track of the game and the chat.

How do I send chat messages in-game?
First, press the Enter key to activate the chat line. Type your message and press the Enter key again to send it to all members on your team. If you change your mind (or pressed the Enter key by accident), just press it again or press the ESC key to close the chat line.

You can also type numerous chat commands into the chat line, hence:

/?
Lists all commands and ways to send messages.

/say messagetext
Sends a message if you are connected to an External Chat Room.

/yell messagetext
Sends message to all players in view, both friend or foe.

/target messagetext
Sends the message to the selected target only.

/send clan messagetext
Send the message to your Clan members (in the same game; as opposed to your team/faction).

How do I send Distress / Emergency calls to all players on my team?
Control-H sends out a distress signal
Shift-H Sends a supply distress signal
H Targets the last distress signal you have received

How do I start building a planet?
First, you must be in an Engineering (Construction) ship. Next you must select the friendly (Green) planet you wish to build and travel to it, then enter Orbit "O".

Once in orbit you will see several diamonds, these are points on the planet which you can build on. Select one of these points.

Above the planet display on the lower right side of your screen is a list of structures the planet will allow you to build at its current tech level. (Research unlocks new building types.)

The most important structure to get up first is the "Colony Hub". Without the colony hub, barren worlds will not gain population, and no world can research new technology without the Colony Hub.

You can only have one (1) Colony Hub per planet and it supports 10 population.

As you look at the structures, some will be slightly ghosted/transparent... These are not available because of lack of needed resources. Placing your mouse over the icon will show you what requirements are needed and items in red are requirements you currently lack.
Once you get the Colony hub up, get up 1 or 2 mines and then a Fusion Power planet is recommended.

Once your Colony Hub is built you should immediately start it researching new technologys, clicking on the colony hub will show you possible technologies to be learner, and time to learn it. I suggest learning the "Research Lab" early as it will speed up time of other research later.

While some planets, such as Terran and Arid, will have population to start and you can build other structures, without a Colony Hub, you can not make advance structures.

It is also recommended not to build faster than your population can allow. If you see "Workers" in red, then wait a few seconds (upto 1 minute) for the population to go up.

Frequently check the Planet Management Interface on the F3 key. It will show you important information such as:
Max population supported (under Habitat) Population/Population employed/ +/- available workers. (keep this number balanced or buildings shutdown. Domes increase Habitat by 10)

Power available/Power Used/ Surplus or Deficit (always ensure you have a surplus or defense structures turn off)

Food produced/consumed/surplus or deficit (if you have a surplus and have not reached max population - Habitat then your colony will grow, if you have a deficit they will loose moral and may revolt. Hydro Farms make food)

Listed below is what resources you have available...

Other helpful hints:
*Build a starport for importing and exporting resources to and from other planets
*Build atleast one Factory to produce ship devices
*Space out your structures so bombs can not destroy all your work as easily...
*There can not be more than 32 Structures on a planet.

How strong are the different hulls, armors and shields?
This information is not currently available. After the balance patch (1.482), we will try to get an aaccurate listing of values online. Thank you for your patience.

What are the Combat keys ?
Mouse 1 Select Target
Ctrl + Mouse 1 Target Point
Spacebar Alpha Strike
Shift + Spacebar Manually Detonate All Weapons, Toggle Point Defense
1 - 9 Use Group
Shift + 1 - 9 Detonate Group Weapons, Toggle Group Point Defense
0 Remove Device From Group
B Fire Bombs
Shift + B Manually Detonate Bombs
Ctrl + B Toggle Point Defence
I Toggle Interdictor
M Drop Mines
Shift + M Manually Detonate Mines
N Launch Fighters
Shift + N Recall Fighters
V Use Flux Wave, Use Pulse Wave
Shift + H Send Resupply Distress
Ctrl + H Send Attacked Distress
T Toggle Tractor Beam, Fire Beacons
Tractor Beam Pulls
Shift + T Toggle Tractor Beam, Deacivate Beacons
Tractor Beam Pushes
Y Toggle Scanner, Repair/Reload Target
Shift + Y Repair/Reload Self
P Toggle ECM
; Toggle ECCM
K Toggle Cloak
Ctrl + S Toggle Shields
Numpad 2 Transfer Shield Energy to Aft
Numpad 4 Transfer Shield Energy to Left
Numpad 5 Tranfer Shield Energy to Full
Numpad 6 Transfer Shield Energy to Right
Numpad 8 Tranfer Shield Energy to Fore

What are the General keys?

Misc:

G Toggle Mining Beam
Ctrl + D Self Destruct
Press twice to initiate
L Load Infantry, Load Cargo
Ctrl + L Toggle Planet Lock
Alt + P Toggle Profiler
Shows Ping and Framerate
Ctrl + T Transfer credits
U Unload Infantry, Unload Cargo, Sell Cargo To Selected Starport
Also Transferes Infantry/Cargo to other Players
Ctrl + U Use Ship Yard
Press twice, must be within 250gu
Ctrl + X Scrap Building, Disband Infantry, Remove Device, Eject Cargo
/ Toggle Shield/Armor Status, Toggle Turn Indicator
Enter Type/Send Chat
Esc Play, Observe, Log Off options
F1 Toggle Context Help
F2 Toggle Navigation Screen
F3 Toggle Planet Management Screen
F4 Toggle Chat Log
F5 Toggle Player Profile
F6 Toggle Orders
Numpad 1 Toggle Ship Status HUD
Numpad 3 Toggle Target HUD
Numpad 7 Toggle Communications Console HUD

What are the Movement keys ?
A Rudder Left
Left Arrow Turn Left
D Rudder Right
Right Arrow Turn Right
S Center Rudder
Q Decrease Throttle
Down Arrow Decrease Throttle
W Increase Throttle
Up Arrow Increase Throttle
J Start/Abort Jump, Activate Wormhole Device
Wormhole Devices available only on stations and command dreads
Shift + J Emergency Jump
O Orbit Targeted Planet
Alt + Y Toggle Yaw Control

What are the Targeting keys ?
A Rudder Left
Left Arrow Turn Left
D Rudder Right
Right Arrow Turn Right
S Center Rudder
Q Decrease Throttle
Down Arrow Decrease Throttle
W Increase Throttle
Up Arrow Increase Throttle
J Start/Abort Jump, Activate Wormhole Device
Wormhole Devices available only on stations and command dreads
Shift + J Emergency Jump
O Orbit Targeted Planet
Alt + Y Toggle Yaw Control

What is the MetaVerse?
The MetaVerse is a persistient online universe. It consists of different game servers (and thus, star systems) linked together via Jump Gates (though you can fly between stars manually as well - Jump Gates are not required). The state of the servers is stored in a database so that they remain always online and persistient. Thus, planets captured by a fleet or player remain controlled by that faction until another faction attempts to capture it. The MetaVerse is generally considered more challenging due to the heavy defensive buildup on all the planets, as well as the advanced modifications on nearly all ships. It can also play slower, as planets are more fortified than in the scenario servers.

What is the remote camera function? How do I use it?
The remote camera function allows you to see other areas of the system without physically flying your ship. Only areas visible to your team will be visible on the camera, however. Thus, if an enemy ship is not within sensor range of you or a friendly ship or planet, you will not be able to target or camera them. However, if an enemy ship is within range of your sensors, you can zoom in on them with the camera and see better what they are doing.

To use, target an object and hit the C key. This zooms your camera in on the object. You can manipulate the view just as you would were you looking at your ship, zooming in and out and rotating with the mouse and keyboard just like normal. To return to the usual tactical view of your ship, hit C again.
You can also use the camera to view friendly planets, but if you want to do any real inspection or modification of a planet, it is easier to use the Planetary Management interface, accesible via the F3 key.

General Questions

- How up-to-date is this FAQ? What are some of the latest changes?
07.18.05: Minor updates for 1.483 changes.

21.3.03: The FAQ has been overhauled, with many entries being revised. However, many of the changes were simply rewordings for clarification, and there were too many changes to detail here. As of today, the FAQ is considered up-to-date. Additionally, this list has been cleared to save space.

For what are "badges" and "medals" used in the game?
Together with the player's rank, badges and medals allow a player access to bigger and better ships.

Badges are awarded in certain categories, based on actions performed in the game. The categories are: Combat, Supply, Navigator, Engineer, Bomber, Transport and Privateer. The statistics in the player's profile control when badges are awarded.

There are three levels of badges: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. In all categories except for Transport and Privateer, the value of the controlling statistic for the three levels must be 50, 500, and 1000 in order to get the respective badge. For the Transport and Privateer categories, the value of the controlling statistic for the three levels must be 25, 50, and 100. More info on the player profile and statistics can be found here and elsewhere in the FAQ.

Medals are awarded when certain combinations of badges have been acquired.

For a complete list of badges and medals, see the official site.

How can I capture a screen shot ?
Capture screen shots by using ALT - T

The image will be saved as 00000000.tga to XXXXXXXX.tga file in your Darkspace directory.

The size of the .tga files is large, so its recommended that you convert the file to a smaller format, especially if you want to post it online somewhere, or send it to someone. A good format for conversion is JPEG, though they are subject to some loss of quality. You will need to use a third-party conversion program to convert the file.

How can I chat with my fleet?
Fleet chat is performed via the /send command, with the clan option (fleets used to be called clans, and the code hasn't changed since). Simply type /send clan message or /send c message, and whatever text you use in place of "message" will be sent to your online fleetmates.
To send a message to all your fleetmates, both online and offline, use clanoffline or clano instead of clan. Online members will receive the message as normal, offline members will get it as soon as they log in.

How can I make DarkSpace play different music while I am playing the game?
Just place any mp3 file in your C:\Program Files\PaleStar\DarkSpace\Music\ directory. If you installed DarkSpace into another directory than the default, then this path will be different. Remember to turn up the music volume in the setup.

How much prestige is needed for [insert rank here] ?
The points required for successive ranks double for each rank, starting at 40. Thus, if you want to quickly find the value of the rank above yours, figure out how many points were needed for your current rank, and double it. For example, if you are a Commander and want to know when you will become Captain, you remember that you needed 640 to get Commander. You would then need 1280 for Captain.
For simplicity, here is a table with all the ranks and their needed point values:
(Please see official site for the badge requirments.)

Rank Abbreviation Required Prestige
Midshipman MS 0
Ensign EN 40
2nd Lieutenant 2L 80
1st Lieutenant 1L 160
Lieutenant Commander LC 320
Commander CM 640
Captain CP 1280
2nd Rear Admiral 2A 2560
1st Rear Admiral 1A 5120
Vice Admiral VA 10240
Admiral AD 20480
Fleet Admiral FA 40960
Grand Admiral GA 81920

I can't send a bug report; it keeps failing. What can I do?
Some users who are behind NATD (Network Address Translation Devices) or a firewall cannot submit bug reports. If the IP address of your computer is in the ranges 10.x.x.x, 172.16.x.x, or 192.168.x.x (where the "x" is any other number), then you are probably behind a NATD. Otherwise, you may be blocked by a firewall device/router at your home (DSL routers, Cable Modems, Linux boxes, etc) or at your ISP. It may also be caused by firewall / network security software installed on your computer itself.

To resolve this problem, you may have to reconfigure, replace, or remove the device and/or software which is keeping the bug report from being sent. Unfortunately, this may also cause your Internet connection to cease functioning. If the problem lies with your ISP, you may have to contact them for assistance.
Further help may be available by Moderators whose specialties include network troubleshooting. Alternatively, you can use the games official Bug Reporting Forum.

I clicked on "Play" from the start-up screen; why did I end up in this chat room instead of the game?
This is normal. When you click on the "Play" button from the start screen (the pretty one with all of the ships), you are sent first to the DarkSpace - GCQL lobby. From here, you can read and post messages on the Forums, chat with your friends and other players, join clans, view your current statistics, and select a server to play on.

I just checked my profile and my prestige is incorrect. What should I do?
This can happen for several reasons. The most likely cause is that the game server may take some time before sending your profile information back to the meta server (the main database server where your profile information is kept). Or, the prestige calculation may have been adjusted by PaleStar. Check out the news and Development Update forums to check for that. If you leave the game without logging out (ie, your connection dropped, or the game crashed), your ship stays within the server for two minutes, to protect against cheaters logging out before dieing to avoid a point loss. If this happened to you, your ship may have been destroyed during the two minute idle period, causing a point reduction in your profile.
If none of these situations seem to fit, or your profile is not updated after waiting a while, consider talking to a Moderator or Administrator about the situation. You could also post in the Staff Feedback forum, to ask for help correcting the mistake.

Is this game any good?
This is probably the most frequently asked question by new players. The most obvious answer that anyone around to read it will give is "Yes" (unless they are being facetious). However, every player has different tastes, and there is absolutely NO substitute for first-hand experience when it comes to matters of taste.

So, give DarkSpace a shot. We think you will agree with the vast majority of the players you will encounter who have already determined the same answer for themselves!

I'm crashing to a blue screen. What is causing that?
If you crash to a blue screen while downloading updates or when you first start DarkSpace, then the problem is with your NIC (Network Interface Card) driver. Download the latest drivers for your NIC and this should fix the problem.

If a blue screen crash occurs in-game, then the problem will most likely be with your sound and/or video card drivers.

Blue screen crashes occur when there is an error between the driver and the hardware. You might also be experiencing a hardware failure of some type.

My account says its DEMO. What's that mean?
When you download DarkSpace, you get the entire game, but you do not have access to all aspects of the game without paying. This is motivation to subscribe. Players who have not paid are in DEMO mode. This means that their accounts are limited in what they can do.

DEMO players are allowed to play on Red-diamond servers only.
DEMO players can gain rank while playing, but cannot utilize any of that rank. Thus, though you may have enough points to be considered a Captain, if you have not paid, you will only be able to fly Midshipman ships.
There could possibly be restrictions to certain factions, though this is currently not the case.
There is currently no limit on how long you may stay in DEMO mode. To activate your account fully, you must subscribe.

The game keeps crashing when I try to connect to a server?
DirectX 8 is very unstable under older graphics drivers. Make sure you have the latest graphics drivers for your 3D card installed. If you have the latest drivers, but it is still crashing, then download and install DirectX 9.0c from http://www.microsoft.com/directx. You may need to reinstall your video card / sound card drivers after you install DirectX, as sometimes DirectX may overwrite your card's driver files and/or settings with more generic ones that will not work with your hardware.

Ensure that your client is up to date with the latest files by pressing the red "Update" button at the top of the GameCQ lobby screen.

After all this, if the game is still crashing then send us a bug report by using the shortcut in your Start Menu. Be sure to include the type of graphics card you have in your bug report.

We are currently in the process of creating a compatiblity database. You can access it by clicking on the Hardware Database menu item on the left side of your screen.

The game updates, asks me to restart, then it asks me to restart again when I try to play?
On some operating systems, the game cannot properly update its own files. You can fix this by going to the directory in which you installed DarkSpace (usually C:\Program Files\PaleStar\DarkSpace) and look for files ending with ".UPD". These are the newer updated files that you have downloaded as part of the automatic update process. You must delete the old file by the same name (without the .UPD extension), and remove the ".UPD" from the new file.

For Example:
client.exe client.exe.upd

Delete "client.exe" and rename "client.exe.upd" to "client.exe".

What does all this stuff in my profile mean and how is it calculated?
Each player's profile consists of some basic information about the player and a set of statistics which reflect a numerical aggregation of the player's actions in all games played in to date.

Basic Player Information

Registration Date
The date when the Player joined the DarkSpace community (technically, the date that the Player's Profile was created).
Email
The Player's E-Mail address.
Location
The Player's physical location in the real world. Usually, just the City, State, and/or Country where the player resides.
ICQ
The Player's ICQ (instant messaging) ID / handle. It is recommended to specify the particular IM service used for each ID listed.
Clan
The clan to which the player belongs.

Progression Statistics

Rank
The player's current rank. This is based on the player's prestige, below. The current prestige-to-rank table can be found here. This player attribute, along with badges and medals, controls what ships the player can pilot in the game.
Prestige
Probably the single most important statistic in the game, its value is computed from many of the the other statistics in the Player's profile. Its main purpose is to serve as an indicator of the player's experience level. It is directly translated into a "rank" grade (see above).
Ships Damaged
This number gives the amount of damage done by the player to enemy ships. It is the basis for the Combat Badge awards.
Ships Captured
This number gives the amount of enemy ships captured by the player. It is the basis for the Privateer Badge awards.
Planets Damaged
This number gives the amount of damage done by the player to enemy planets. It is the basis for the Bomber Badge awards.
Planets Captured
This statistic is the number of planets that the player has captured or played a part in capturing (by dropping one or more infantry on an enemy planet. It is the basis for the Transport Badge awards.
Repair
This represents the amount of ship repair performed by the player on friendly ships (through the use of Supply ships). It is the basis for the Supply Badge awards.
Construction
This represents the amount of construction performed by the player (through the use of Engineer ships). It is the basis for the Engineer Badge awards.
Jumps
This is the number of hyperjumps that the player has made. It is the basis for the Navigator Badge awards.

General Statistics

Credits
This is the amount of credits a player has amassed. Credits are used to purchase equipment at starports. Credits are earned either through selling scavenged components or by completing missions.
Games Played
This is the number of game sessions that the player has participated in since registration.
Time Played
This statistic is the amount of time the player has spent in-game (ie, playing the game) in seconds.
Kills
This statistic gives the number of ships destroyed by the player (ones in which the player fired the shot that destroyed the opponent's ship).
Killed
This statistic gives the number of times that the player was destroyed in the game.
Friendly Fire
This represents the number of friendly ships damaged by the player.
Kamikaze
This represents the amount of damage done to enemy ships when the player Self-Destructs near them.
Self Destructs
This is the number of times the player has Self-Destructed.
Planet Collisions
This is the number of times the Player has been destroyed by crashing into another celestial body.
Resources Lost
This represents the resource-point value of all ships in which the Player has piloted and been destroyed.

What Ships do I get at each rank ?
See the Ships list here

Where can I get more information on game functions?
Ships and Rank list:
You can find a list of ships and their requirements at this link.
The Ranks and Badges

Hardware / Video Card Questions

How do I change the FSAA / HRAA setting on my system?
The FSAA option comes enabled by default by many drivers.

1. You can change your FSAA setting by Right Clicking on your desktop and selecting "Properties".
2. Click on the "Settings" tab, then click on the button that is labeled "Advanced".
3. This is now where it will be different depending on the card and driver you have installed.

Nvidia Chipsets (GeForce, TNT):
4. Click on the "Additional Properties" button, the next dialog should contain the controls to enable / disable your FSAA.

Further information on your specific video card may be found in the Knowledge Base.

I cannot read the text in the game; it looks messed up. How do I fix it?
This problem usually occurs on ATI video cards. You can fix this problem by pulling up your control panel, double clicking on "Display", then go to "Advanced Settings". Under the DirectX tab, you have the option to enable "Change Pixel-Center".
If this doesn't fix the problem, try turning off Alpha fonts. This is accomplished by restarting DarkSpace and selecting "Options" on the start-screen menu at the top of the screen.

This should finally make the text readable in DarkSpace.

I want to start a game, but everytime I try, a message window appears informing me about a problem with MSVCRT40.DLL. What can I do?
MSVCRT40.DLL is a library file needed for the proper operation of DarkSpace.
It is possible that the file is not installed on your system, is corrupted, or is the wrong version.

Microsoft maintains a site which allows users to check DLL files and versions that Microsoft uses in their software. Use it to check your file versions and sizes:

Microsoft Online DLL Database

If you find that your version is the wrong version or corrupted, then please download the Microsoft C Runtime Library.

The game will not connect; I am using a firewall. What can I do?
Make sure that your firewall allows communication over the TCP protocol, range of ports 9000 - 9020, 9100-9101 in both directions.
TCP port 9001 is used for GCQL communication
TCP port 9004 is default game server communication port
TCP ports 9100 is used for GCQL/GAME login initialization
TCP port 9101 is used for GCQL/GAME updating process

ports not listed here are reserved for future use or servers (e.g. each MV server use own TCP port for connection ..)

What drivers should i use and where do i get them ?
Take a close look at the Knowledgebase first
Good place to get the latest drivers or best drivers is here: 3dchipset.com
Then make sure that you are running Directx 8.0a and not just Directx 8.0 Get it from here: directx downloads

Where can I download the latest Detonator (Drivers) for my Geforce Video Card?
Easy Click Here

Why is the same video resolution listed multiple times in the game's video configuration dialog?
It is possible that, after you updated your video drivers from older to newer ones, the registry settings from the older ones were not removed from the registry.
Thus, you may see resolution settings, such as 1024*768*32, listed multiple times, though they are the same.
Each resolution should appear only one time in the list, for both 16 and 32-bit color depth.

The solution is to correctly uninstall and then reinstall your video card drivers.
Remember to ALWAYS follow your video card manufacturer's instructions as to the installation / upgrade of new drivers.

[The problem occurs primarily with certain versions of Nvidia's Detonator drivers]

Map Editor Questions

How can I make an orbit path?
Hold Ctrl, select the orbiting object and Drag the object on to noun you want it to orbit. For example, to have a planet orbit a sun, hold control, and then drag the planet on to the sun.
Also note that when setting orbits, the speed is usually less than 0.1, or else it will be noticeable movement, which is not standard. But then, it is your system.

If I start my server with my own map created with editor, how do clients connecting get it ?
The client will receive the map when the player connects.

Theres a map with all ships enabled, is it allowed to be used in servers?
In a word, no. If you really want to play it, talk to an Administrator and see what they have to say, but don't get your hopes up. If a server is found with all ships enabled, and no prior authorization was given, it will be banned, immediately. This will render your server AND play account(s) banned from DarkSpace for a minimum of 24 hours.

Where can I find additional Map Editor help?
There is a forum specifically dedicated to map makers. Try posting questions, ideas, or hints there. There is also a Map Editor Guide, provided by Taelron.

Server Questions

How do I run a DarkSpace Server?
Installed in your start menu, you should find a shortcut called "DarkSpace-Server". Simply run this shortcut to start the DarkSpace Server. Please be patient, as it might take a minute before the server dialog will become active. Once it is running, you can click on "Settings" to change which map your server is running and other options.

Please see the Servers Forum for more information about running a DarkSpace server.

How do I run a MetaVerse Server?
Firstly, PaleStar runs the official MetaVerse, player servers with ladder on are not allowed. If you would like to run your own MetaVerse, here are the steps:

Pick a LinkID; this is just like a password; it should be kept secret between yourself and everyone who will be running a server in your MetaVerse.
Run the server, and click on "Settings". Select "MetaVerse" under type, and pick a unique system. Note that each server in a "MetaVerse" should run a unique star system.
Enable the "Linked" checkbox, and enter your LinkID in the provided field. Click on "Encode" to hash your key so it cannot be read.
Start your server. Note that it can take up to 5 minutes for the servers to link together.

Sometimes I see different players with SAME IP. What should I do ? NOTHING, this is caused by players using IP sharing (NAT).

What do the server settings do?
Balance: Balances the amount of players on each team.
Maximum rank: Restricts ships obtainability to the rank selected.
Ladder: Turns off or on prestige gain.
Clan: If on, will place all clan members into the same team.
Enable trace: Creates a server trace.log file.

What does "Ladder" mean in the server description/settings?
The ladder option, when enabled, means that players can advance in rank and prestige on the server. If the ladder option is off, then your profile is not modified when playing on this type of server. Also note that even if you choose to enable the Ladder in your server, prestige gain will NOT be possible unless you have a Ladder-enabled server account. These are nearly impossible for players to receive, but if you wish to enquire about one, contact an administrator.