DarkOrbit
Encyclopedia
DarkOrbit is a massively multiplayer online game
developed by Bigpoint Games
. The game is set in outer space, where players control a spaceship to battle against non-player characters and other players. It is a two-dimensional flash
game with around 65 million registered users, including several millions of active ones.
through fighting aliens/ships and doing quests. Each level requires twice as much experience as the level before it. Higher-level players gain access to more maps up until level 17, when all maps are unlocked. Honor is acquired in a way similar to experience and allows players to sell resources for higher prices. Shooting down other players from one's own company will lower honor and overall rank.
: credits and uridium. Uridium is more valuable and harder to obtain. *Many use a bot to acquire uridium from bonus boxes for free DarkOrbit has put 'scripts' into the game to catch the players using this and it has had some effect at stemming the tide. Some types of equipment and ammunition can be purchased using credits, but the most elite items can only be bought with uridium. However, for some of those elite items, there is an option to bid using credits. This auction system, in which players will not be refunded credits if they lose, is used to control inflation of credits.
Many new items are not offered in trade. The P.E.T. 10 is a highly priced drone that increases with costs as the player levels it up. There are also several ship designs and ammo types that are never auctioned in game. At this time there is a new box to be picked up which costs 1500 uridium for a chance at winning needed items. The randomness of the distribution has come into discussion many times as they mirror the galaxy gate spins on payouts of junk ammo/ores.
Players start of the game with a Phoenix, a free but easily destroyed ship. As the player advances in the game, he/she can buy better ships. There are a total of ten different ships that can be bought, with the Goliath and the Vengeance typically being regarded as the best ships. Ships can be equipped with a variety of items, including shield generators, speed engines, laser cannons, rocket launchers, ammunition, and many other accessories.
that help the player in battle or other game functions. A player can have up to fifty pilot points in their bio. When certain skills are maxed out, they generate special effects, such as brighter lasers, rocket trails, etc.
Games are 1 hour long, company with most points gets a 1 hour prize such as x% more experience, honor, bonus box rewards, etc.
are powered by vBulletin
. The forums provide a place for DarkOrbit to announce updates and events as well as a place for players to ask questions, discuss the game, and give suggestions. In addition, DarkOrbit's support
can be contacted via email by players wishing to report a bug
or make a complaint.
called it an "insane shooter" with a mix of Asteroids and EVE Online
.
Massively multiplayer online game
A massively multiplayer online game is a multiplayer video game which is capable of supporting hundreds or thousands of players simultaneously. By necessity, they are played on the Internet, and usually feature at least one persistent world. They are, however, not necessarily games played on...
developed by Bigpoint Games
Bigpoint Games
Bigpoint GmbH is a German video game developer that has specializes in browser-based games. Bigpoint runs a gaming portal website with a number of browser-based massively multiplayer online role playing games it has produced and has over 200 million registered users...
. The game is set in outer space, where players control a spaceship to battle against non-player characters and other players. It is a two-dimensional flash
Adobe Flash
Adobe Flash is a multimedia platform used to add animation, video, and interactivity to web pages. Flash is frequently used for advertisements, games and flash animations for broadcast...
game with around 65 million registered users, including several millions of active ones.
Gameplay
At the start of the game, the player chooses between three companies: Venus Resources Unlimited (VRU), Earth Industries Corporation (EIC), and Mars Mining Operations (MMO). Players are given a short tutorial before being teleported to the home map. The object of the game is to gain wealth and power both individually and for the company.Rank
Users are ranked using a mathematical formula based on a variety of factors, including level, honor, ship type, aliens destroyed, and more. The lowest rank is "Basic Space Pilot" and the highest rank is General (with only one in each company). Players level up by gaining experienceExperience point
An experience point is a unit of measurement used in many role-playing games and role-playing video games to quantify a player character's progression through the game...
through fighting aliens/ships and doing quests. Each level requires twice as much experience as the level before it. Higher-level players gain access to more maps up until level 17, when all maps are unlocked. Honor is acquired in a way similar to experience and allows players to sell resources for higher prices. Shooting down other players from one's own company will lower honor and overall rank.
Economy
DarkOrbit uses two types of currenciesVirtual currency
Virtual currency is used to purchase virtual goods within a variety of online communities; which include social networking websites, virtual worlds and online gaming sites....
: credits and uridium. Uridium is more valuable and harder to obtain. *Many use a bot to acquire uridium from bonus boxes for free DarkOrbit has put 'scripts' into the game to catch the players using this and it has had some effect at stemming the tide. Some types of equipment and ammunition can be purchased using credits, but the most elite items can only be bought with uridium. However, for some of those elite items, there is an option to bid using credits. This auction system, in which players will not be refunded credits if they lose, is used to control inflation of credits.
Many new items are not offered in trade. The P.E.T. 10 is a highly priced drone that increases with costs as the player levels it up. There are also several ship designs and ammo types that are never auctioned in game. At this time there is a new box to be picked up which costs 1500 uridium for a chance at winning needed items. The randomness of the distribution has come into discussion many times as they mirror the galaxy gate spins on payouts of junk ammo/ores.
Combat
DarkOrbit utilizes a real-time combat system. In combat, a variety of weapons can be used to destroy aliens and other players. These include laser cannons, laser ammunition, rockets, rocket launchers, and mines. Players need to click on their target to lock on before they can begin shooting. Successfully destroying an enemy will result in a "cargo box" containing ore being dropped that the player can take. If the destroyed ship is a player, it will cost 500 uridium to repair the ship, although the ship started with in the game is free to repair.Players start of the game with a Phoenix, a free but easily destroyed ship. As the player advances in the game, he/she can buy better ships. There are a total of ten different ships that can be bought, with the Goliath and the Vengeance typically being regarded as the best ships. Ships can be equipped with a variety of items, including shield generators, speed engines, laser cannons, rocket launchers, ammunition, and many other accessories.
Clans
Players can join a clan if they pay 50,000 credits. Benefits of joining a clan include help from clan mates and clan payouts in the form of credits. However, most clans have a clan tax (between 1% and 5%) that is collected into the clans treasury daily. Clans can help players level up, gain credits and compete against other rivals.Skylab
The Skylab is a system is used to produce and refine ores. These ores can then be sent to the player's ship and either sold for credits or equipped to enhance the ship.Pilot Bio
The Pilot Bio is a relatively recent addition to DarkOrbit. Each pilot point can be used to acquire certain abilitiesCharacter point
Character points are abstract units used in some role-playing games during character creation and development.Early role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons assigned random values to a player character's attributes, while allowing each character a fixed number of skills...
that help the player in battle or other game functions. A player can have up to fifty pilot points in their bio. When certain skills are maxed out, they generate special effects, such as brighter lasers, rocket trails, etc.
Special Events
DarkOrbit has special events from time to time that can give players special rewards.Jackpot Battle
The Jackpot battle is an event in which all players who sign up fight each other until only one ship is left surviving. The winning player will receive real cash (up to £10,000 or 10,000 worth of the local currency e.g. $10,000 for the USA or €10,000 for the Global Europe or local country servers) from DarkOrbit, based on how many "Jackpot dollars" they had. Jackpot dollars can be found in bonus boxes that are scattered across space.Team Death Match
The Team Death Match is an event that in which ten ships from one company work together to kill ten ships from an enemy company. The winning team receives rewards at the end.Space Ball
Space Ball is an event that takes place in the map 4-4, with the objective of scoring goals by shooting an NPC ball to your x-5 portal. After a goal has been scored cargo boxes are released around the portal containing uridium and ammunition.Invasion
A event that is taken place in different maps, depending on your level. This event is made up of waves, each wave harder to pass than the one before. This event lets you rack up millions of credits and thousands of uridium. Repairs are free as long as you die "in" the invasion map.Capture The Beacon
Capture The Beacon, like the traditional game capture the flag, is an event where all 3 companies have beacons in their x-2 maps which must be protected by the defending company, and captured by the attacking company, and taken back to their own x-2 map.Games are 1 hour long, company with most points gets a 1 hour prize such as x% more experience, honor, bonus box rewards, etc.
Community
The official DarkOrbit forumsInternet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
are powered by vBulletin
VBulletin
vBulletin is a proprietary Internet forum software produced by Jelsoft Enterprises and vBulletin Solutions, both subsidiaries of Internet Brands. It is written in PHP and uses a MySQL database server.-History:...
. The forums provide a place for DarkOrbit to announce updates and events as well as a place for players to ask questions, discuss the game, and give suggestions. In addition, DarkOrbit's support
Technical support
Technical support or tech support refers to a range of services by which enterprises provide assistance to users of technology products such as mobile phones, televisions, computers, software products or other electronic or mechanical goods...
can be contacted via email by players wishing to report a bug
Software bug
A software bug is the common term used to describe an error, flaw, mistake, failure, or fault in a computer program or system that produces an incorrect or unexpected result, or causes it to behave in unintended ways. Most bugs arise from mistakes and errors made by people in either a program's...
or make a complaint.
Reception
JoystiqJoystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
called it an "insane shooter" with a mix of Asteroids and EVE Online
EVE Online
Eve Online is a video game by CCP Games. It is a player-driven, persistent-world MMORPG set in a science fiction space setting. Characters pilot customizable ships through a galaxy of over 7,500 star systems. Most star systems are connected to one or more other star systems by means of stargates...
.