Just getting started in Continuum? This simple overview will give you an idea of some of the basic features you should expect to find as you navigate the client and zones.



The main menus of the Continuum client are all for managing your basic gameplay settings. The 3 main menus are the profile menu for managing your accounts, the zones menu for adding and removing zones, and the keyboard definition menu for editing your gameplay controls. There are other menus for options, but very few settings in these menus ever need to be changed, or in the case of the proxy menu, ever need to be used.



Before entering the game, or while "Alt-Tabbed" you can also choose 2 helpful editors. The banner editor is used to do pixel by pixel editing of a 12px X 8px banner to display next to your name in play and in the F2 stats menu. There is also an editor for macros. Macros are lines of text typically with game information you can quickly spam out to your team chat or to a teammate in private.



Once in game, there are 3 main menus you need to focus on for gameplay. The Help "F1" menu which details the basic game controls and commands, and in some zones gives you tips on gameplay and what each ship's features are. Then there is the Stats "F2" menu that lists all the players in the current arena and their stats. There are a few different views to this menu for sorting stats between teams, sorting by player name, and sorting by highest score. And finally the "Esc" menu is used for setting your ship, your banner (when in spec), and turning off features in the game.





There are quite a few different types of gameplay in SubSpace, or combinations of different styles of gameplay, but we've featured the 5 main types here.

Fraying / Public Dueling / Chaos

A game style as old as gaming itself, and depending on who you talk to, or what zone you play, it has many different names. The basic idea of it is players flying around center dogfighting it out. Some will try to get a really good record, some will do it just to practice killing, and others to fine tune their dueling skills. Either way, this is the most basic gameplay in SubSpace.

Private & Team Dueling

Dueling in SubSpace is no different than in any game. Typically 1 on 1 in most zones where players duke it out proving who is better, other zones feature up to 4 on 4 dueling. Premier League for example, is a whole league based around 4v4 team dueling with various league levels, and hundreds of players and matches every year.

Warzone Flagging

Flagging, or its correct name Warzone Flagging, is a gameplay style like no other. Some of the longest and most intense games in SubSpace happen in these style of zones, sometimes as long as 12hrs. This style of gameplay features multiple flags spread throughout the arena at the start of the game and teams scavenge them up to drop and protect them in a base. While defending their own base, they hunt down the enemy base, and throw wave after wave of attack at it. Eventually one team will overtake the other, wheter by skill, or shear luck, and victory will be claimed.

Turf Flagging

Turf flagging is all about holding territory and collecting points. Depending on the zone, the more territory or flags you hold, the more points you will get. Some zones only have 1 flag in 1 base, while others have flags scattered all over a base, or even the entire map. Holding and fighting for these territories while intense, can also be very time consuming trying to claim victory. Thus many zones have added in rules for victory, and have modified their gameplay to fit within such rules.

Powerball / Soccer

For some players, chasing a ball around the map is more fun than any of these other styles. There is typically 2 goals, 1 for each team, and a single powerball for them to fight over. While typically called soccer, some zones have modified their graphics and rules to turn this game style into other games like Hockey, American Football, and a Capture the Flag like gameplay. A lot of Warzone style zones also feature Powerball as a side game to the flagging, and offer valuable point rewards for scoring a goal.

The Safety Zone

While not a style of gameplay, the Safety zone is a important part of many zones. In these zones, players spawn on or near a safety zone, and can use it to sit and buy items to upgrade their ship, or just to have a safe place to chat for a bit while not having to go into spec. Many zones use graphic replacements to change the look of these areas, and a few have given their main safety zone a total graphical overhaul to make it really feel like a homeport when their players spawn there. A safety zone's tiles always show up green on your radar, so if you need to find one quick when being hunted down by the enemy, fly for the green.





Continuum made the game of SubSpace more versatile than any other free game currently out there. It made it possible to convert any zone into a whole nother game, or even gave the possbility of copying their favorite game into a 2d enviroment. Zones like Metal Gear CTF or Desert Storm are based off the SubSpace programmer's 2nd project, infantry, and others like Halo are based off the game of its namesake. But when there isn't need for a total graphical overhaul, some zones just like to make minor modifications to the current graphics, add extra images to the map, or give players information on gameplay or rules.

Desert Storm

Infanty Style Zone with Warzone Flagging gameplay.

Halo

Halo based zone with Warzone Flagging gameplay.

Hyperspace

Zone where you can build and upgrade your ships with Warzone Flagging gameplay.

Metal Gear CTF

Infantry Style Zone with Capture the Flag style Turf Flagging.

Mystic Kingdom

RPG based zone with AI bots playing along.

Trench Wars

Zone Rules graphic in public arenas, and Mario Kart in ?go mario