A highly experimental SCIFI sandbox MMORPG. Using only 2D, top-down visuals, we’re attempting to push the limits of the MMO genre to create a game world that is similar in some ways to Ready Player One. Featuring perma-death, and player societies. Every man-made object is crafted by a real player.

## About This Game
This highly experimental 2D top-down SCIFI MMORPG is attempting to model the
human experience in a society. This game isn’t just about you and your
journey, it’s a about how all players progress technology, society, and
infrastructure in a virtual environment, together. Every man-made object you
come across is crafted by a real player.

The crafting/invention system is central to the game. Players can prototype a
new version of a weapon or piece of equipment in the hopes of getting a better
version that they can use or sell to other players. Once a new item is
prototyped, the player can repeat the skill to make that item as much as they
want as long as they have the required materials. The skill can then be taught
to other players, charging a fee or otherwise.
## Free to play (soon!)
While the game is in Early Access, we have to charge a fee allow players to
gain access to the test. This is to limit the number of players we have in the
test while we are scaling the servers and polishing the client. We plan on
making the game entirely free-to-play monetizing on a premium membership and
on cosmetics (no pay to win). If you wish to donate to help support our
development efforts, we also offer a series of Kickstarter-like perks with
details on our website.
## Effectively infinite, completely seamless game world
TWITCH-BASED GAMEPLAY

Voidspace aims to finally bring a limitless multiplayer experience. No “zones”
or seams of any kind, just one enormous game world; everyone is playing
together in the same server. Discover other player outposts and possibly join
another group in order to maintain your own security. Find ancient abandoned
player-made civilizations that you can research and study, acquire, or
disassemble and recycle.

For those who would rather have a more solo/singleplayer experience, the game
world is effectively infinite so you will be able to choose to spawn “in the
middle of nowhere” in order to limit the possibility of seeing anyone.
## The centerpiece: Invention and Crafting
As players go about regular activities in the game, their character will come
up with an “idea” for a new skill or invention. This will happen at random
along with a number of other influential factors such as:

* The character’s intelligence
* A need that the character has been tagged with internally
* The availability of the materials required for the skill or invention, or the character’s knowledge and experience with these materials
* Other skills or inventions that the character has available to him

However for the most part, the best ideas come from more focused research
which the character can engage in using a lab or research facility.
Generalized experimentation with materials is the first step, and once the
character has a certain level of understanding of various materials, he will
start to get ideas for actual working inventions that use those materials.
Once a character has an idea, he can use the lab to try to create a prototype.

The prototype stage is the stage in which the character is trying to turn an
idea into a reproducible invention or skill. It may take many tries to get
something working, and the difficulty of coming up with a working invention
will depend on the following factors:

* the character’s intelligence
* the knowledge level of the category the invention falls within
* the level of knowledge the character has of the materials being used
* the general complexity of the skill

Once the character has successfully produced a skill or invention, he will be
able to create or perform it at will. For objects or skills that are executed
by the character himself (not by some completely automated, mechanical
process) the result of the skill or invention will vary somewhat, and the
character will get better at producing better and more consistent results
through practice. For example, if a character is hacking a certain type of
equipment, he will get faster and more accurate, and have fewer failures as he
continues to perform that particular skill.

The player can then choose to create another prototype in order to get a
better end product, by going through the very same process and hoping for a
better result. For the most part, the resulting attributes of a skill or
invention are random, but they will also be influenced by the 4 factors listed
previously.

Ideas, skills, and inventions can all be shared freely or sold between
characters.

In addition to skills and inventions, characters will be able to research
concepts in order to open up to them more skills and inventions to be
discovered. For example, The Void is a place where physics are different from
the natural universe. Characters can use a lab in a research facility to
concentrate their research on The Void itself in order to unlock certain
concepts that allow for inventions that make use the discoveries made.
## Generally everything is made by players
Since there are no NPCs, there is also no supporting infrastructure in
Voidspace. Players will need to create their own infrastructure in order to
facilitate their own growth and progression in the game. Players will be able
to build and manufacture their own buildings, outposts, bases, cities, ships,
ship upgrades and equipment, and even ammunition.

Certain large scale projects will also require multiple characters
contributing to it’s construction. There is no centralized auction house which
means the might a player possesses is really relative to his local area. One
area might be lacking in ammunition production, so a player can take advantage
of that and create the factories required to meet that local need. The
alternative would be to have players trade ammunition brought in from the
nearest manufacturing plant, which would raise the price of that commodity in
the area.

Gamers are used to things like “manufacturing plant” being an item/building
you can build. However in Voidspace these concepts don’t exist explicitly.
Instead a player can build a structure, put the required equipment inside the
structure, give it some way of generating or acquiring power, and then use the
structure’s inventory space to build things. The game gives tools to the
player, but what the player does with those tools is up to them.

We, the developers, aren’t explicitly making “carriers” or “businesses” for
the player, instead we’re giving the player a generic set of tools (like the
ability to create objects, the ability to share ideas…etc) and it is up to
them to create a business out of it.
Due to this, there are so many businesses that can be created, so here are
some examples to spur your imagination:

* Allow players to rent your infrastructure to build their inventions.
* Sell your services as a defence contractor.
* Act as a maintenance crew for a base/outpost while players are away.
* Give other players rides from one place to another if they’re without a ship or if you can offer a safer passage.
* Ferry smaller ships inside of larger carriers for a fee.
* Store offline players, their ships, and/or their equipment in protected facilities for peace of mind while they’re offline.
* Offer your services as a guard or patrol.
* Offer your service as an intelligence agent and spy for weaknesses in other players bases.
* Start a package delivery service that delivers sealed containers with goods.
* Start a telecom company that delivers messages over a network of long distance communication nodes.
* Start a bank that secures in-game currencies.
* Provide loans and credit with interest.
* Offer insurance for aspects within the game.

Voidspace will allow for all of these types of businesses, and many many more.

Voidspace