By the early 23rd century, all the major planets within the Sol system have been colonized and interplanetary trade is proving very successful, resulting in the establishment of extensive trade routes. After two decades of this, however, it is discovered that pirates have built bases within secluded asteroids and have already destroyed five defenseless merchant space vessels. This escalates as the pirates prove to be elusive and resourceful. The government levies ever increasing taxes on colonists to help fund an all-out armed resistance against the mounting pirate threat. While the resistance is initially successful, many pirates simply moved their illicit activities outside the Sol system. The mounting taxation and inability to end the pirate threat sparks an interplanetary civil war. This couldn’t come at a worse time as reports are filtering in of an alien menace approaching our galaxy, bent on universal domination. Welcome to humanity’s darkest hour.

DarkSpace is a MMORTS which consists of multiplayer spaceship combat between three player-controlled waring factions: the Human UGTO (United Galactic Trade Federation) and ICC (Interstellar Cultural Confederation), and the alien K’luth. Other, more mysterious and elusive NPC races are also present in this MMOG: the Space Pirates, miscellaneous space-traveling entities, and the MIR (dangerous, ruthless machines also known as the Legion). Most of DarkSpace takes place within a persistent universe, but some time instanced solar systems can be fought over.

The goal of DarkSpace is to gain control of as many planets as possible in the name of the player’s chosen faction. In this MMO, every player starts out controlling a single, small starship, but better and better starships can be had as players rise in rank. Ranks are raised by accumulating “Prestige Points” through various task completions, each of which is specific to the type of spaceship available to the player.