Let me set the tone by saying this could be the best strategy game and best multiplayer game of the year. Threadspace is a futuristic multiplayer strategy game that offers a very unique experience. To say it resembles an RTS doesn�"t really do it justice, but you are moving units around on a 2D playing field, managing resources and building units so there are some similarities. One big difference is the way units are deployed and weapons are fired. The player coordinates the game from his “tank” and this can be ordered from one location to another and fires out weapons or “pods” under direct control. This means actually aiming them, watching them fly off and usually judging the best moment to activate them. Sometimes it almost feels like playing pool as you are lining up a shot and adding just the right amount of side!

The game started life as a student project and then evolved into a 5-year development epic by four dedicated friends and I believe it is their first commercial game. With its servers housed in the project leader�"s parents�" dining room this really is a true indie story. The feature list sounds like something Valve would make and unsurprisingly the game has been snapped up for distribution on Steam. Luckily for those who don�"t already have Steam and don�"t fancy installing it, the game is also available from Atari�"s website. Extensive tutorials, 3D graphics, well implemented 3D sound, deep tactical game play, a persistent universe, ladder ranking system, customizable ships, voice communication support, map editor, steam community integration, detailed player profiles, collectible equipment, regular updates and an awards system. That kind of shopping list of features on an indie game is jaw dropping. When I first read it I was immediately suspicious of the implementation, surely something will have been rushed or is unfinished? Amazingly everything seems to work as advertised with only some occasional lag issues.

So there you are, top marks…the end?

Well, not quite.

This is a multiplayer game. Through no fault of the developers the nature of this game may hold it back from the success it deserves. The player community is small but growing so hopefully my fears will prove unfounded.

The tutorials provide a good couple of hours of single player gaming, but you�"re there to learn. If you have a regular LAN group you play with then you won�"t be disappointed. If you have a reasonably thick skin and enjoy online gaming in the evenings then again you�"re in for a great time. At the current point in this game�"s life it can be difficult to find people to play with. It can be even more difficult to find people of similar skill, hence the requirement for a thick skin to deflect the insults that will probably come your way in the early days.

The problem is it�"s a very well balanced, complex team game. It�"s very easy indeed for a new player to drop into a small game and completely unbalance the match (if not accidentally kill his own team mates). To make matters worse the outcome of matches contributes towards the persistent “universe” map, so spoiling a game can have a far-reaching impact (at least in the minds of some players). With such a small online population (at some hours of the day) it�"s easy to accidentally ruin a high level player�"s game. The developers have put in a lot of work to manage this; there are bots available and ranked servers to restrict newbie pollution. Until the population reaches a suitable size this will continue to be an issue – I just hope it does manage to reach that critical mass. How many multiplayer indie games reviewed on this site boil down to – “great game, but where are the players?” – such a shame. Similarly there aren�"t many servers around and if you end up having to connect to one with a low ping the game can be unplayable.

This game is deep. The first give away is the 350MB download. As with everything these days I spent 5 minutes in the tutorial and then eagerly jumped into an online game. Big mistake. Before I knew what was happening there were tanks zipping left and right, gravity wells, repulsors, explosions, energy barriers and my teammates shouting at me. This isn�"t one for the casual gamer.

The interface is beautifully done and very easy to use, but there is a fundamentally large amount of choice, strategy and buttons. The tutorials are well presented and extensive. I had to go through all of them twice before I could play online and not embarrass myself. Sadly I couldn�"t always play when the servers were well-populated and the people who are around at odd hours seem to be the more dedicated higher-level players. It�"s actually a great community, you just need to be very polite and apologize a lot until you understand what�"s going on (especially if they are all level 15 and you are level 3).

There are 30 unique weapons split into six categories, called modules. Modules can be upgraded and prioritized to affect the behavior of the “tank” and its weapons. The ship itself can carry a variety of equipment, which must be bought with credits earned in game. There are many different ships to buy and they all look different. A ship can also dynamically change “form” mid-game i.e. become invisible, stronger or faster. The wealth of tactical choices is enormous. Experienced players beat you because they understand how everything works and have a ship and equipment configured expertly to their play style, it isn�"t a matter of better stats.

In a well-matched game it�"s pure fun. For every attack there is a counter and the action can get really intense. For example, one minute you�"re swapping attacks and counters with an enemy player, the next a teammate is in trouble as some stealthy opponent has snuck into your base and is about to take it out. Zooming over you fire off some repair drones to fix the base and your teammate, while firing off a gravity well to catch an incoming missile, before reinforcing the energy barriers keeping yet more opponents out <gasp>.


Graphics:
No super high poly counts, but well made 3D arenas and ships. The menus are gorgeous and super slick. There are lots of different ship models and you can customise the colour schemes.

Sound:
Good music and well-implemented 3D sound lets you hear approaching tanks and weapons fire.

Game play:
It�"s some of the best fun to be had online IF you put in the time to learn the game properly and manage to get a well-matched set of opponents.

Value:
I think it will take a long time to master this game and by then you�"ll probably be playing in a regular team and be hooked on helping your faction take control of the persistent universe map.

Concept:
A unique concept well implemented. It can be the perfect blend of strategy and tactics if you get a good team together.

Fun:
If you get the right players at the right time (or any players at all) you won�"t be disappointed.

Overall:
Please give it a try. Set aside a couple of hours though and make sure you go through the tutorial. It really is worth the effort. If this game dies through lack of players it would be a travesty, so stop reading this and go download it!

A video of an expert level game:
http://www.hyperbol.com/Default2.aspx?videoid=Playthrough