Beyond Protocol

"Looking for detail, fun and wide horizens? Go no further."

I downloaded Beyond Protocol at least six months ago, during its beta. At the time, I was behind a very paranoid firewall that prevented me from playing. I didn't worry too much since I had other games and other things to do, so I just let it sit and forgot all about it.
A week ago, trying to clean up the HD, I stumbled into it - didn't have much to do so I tried it. And I wished I did it much sooner.

Beyond Protocol is a Massive Multiplayer Online Realtime Strategy game. Action is realtime, as is expansion, exploration, tech researching, component design, mining, espionage. The sheer volume of this game awes - yet the attention to detail shows clearly. You've got enough stuff to be overwhelmed, but a very detailed tutorial and a clear picture of what they wanted to create makes for a game you'll learn to love.

If you wonder what I mean by "attention to detail", you don't have to wait long: the login screen has a simulated battle around a battle station as background. That is not a pre-recorded scene, it's different every time, and it goes on for minutes. What this game accomplishes is mixing a strong atmosphere, freedom to pursue different paths to success and multiplayer abilities with an innovative concept that clearly separates it from the bulk of the market.
This won't be one of those games where you just jump in and go elite. Nor is it a mouse-clicking fest. It is a game of strategy and tactics, of careful planning and difficult choices. One where you get rewarded for good choices and will suffer the consequences of you errors.

So what makes this game so special? I mentioned the attention to detail: it will become apparent as I describe it.

The volume of things you can do: any component of the game can be redesigned and customized to suit your needs and gamestyle. This means ships, yes, but also weapons, shields, engines, radar capabilities, cargo holds, construction materials (the game has 105 unique minerals, each with his set of 20 chemical properties, that can be alloyed to create the material you need for a specific job), and facilities. Different special projects augment and expand on the parameters you can change and the variety of your designs.

The scope: every system has different planets and a wide area of space between them. Every planet has a surface map that can be colonized or just used as a battlefield, and the outer space can be used to plant battle stations, space structures, tradeposts. Every system is connected to others via Wormholes, that can be used for quick interstellar travel. Guilds or Players may claim systems or planets as their own, and defend them fiercely. "Galactic news" on Beyond Protocol's website report the result of battles between empires: you can see them spawning in real time, having a feeling for what happens beyond your little yard.

The different paths to success: you can be a trader, a master scientists, an expert in intelligence (and you can sell this intelligence to the highest bidder..), you can specialize in creating specific alloys, armors or weapons, becoming a crafter; You can wage war with your fleet, built from your own designs or from bought components.

The Imperial senate: everyone in the live game can propose his own modifications to the game. The proposal is then evaluated by every player, and each player can vote according to his opinion. Proposals pass when they receive enough consensus, and the developers implement them accordingly. This makes for a constantly evolving game, more and more adherent to the real needs of the players. Those who do play know what would make the game better, is the reasoning behind it.

The player community, constantly growing, is one of the friendliest I've found. The game has a steep learning curve, and you'll probably need some direction especially when starting out. Everyone went through that, and most are willing to help or give advice.

Most RTSes and other MMO games drop you into the game with little to no advice, and any who played MMO knows that there are people that enjoy crushing "noobs". Every game has its solution to this, be it good or bad. Beyond Protocol's solution is to place players into "spawn systems": a spawn system is an isolated system where every player is a new player. It cannot be contacted from the outside in any way, until the players inside decide to "open it" by exploring the wormhole. At that point, the system becomes open, travel through the wormhole is possible and another spawn system is created, isolated, for the next players.

Also, you can define your own contingency plan: you can store a budget that will be immediately available if all your colonies are wiped out. This budget permits you to rebuild, and allows for instant construction: this balances a bit for the losses you have sustained.

What more? Interesting and detailed graphics (planets have their own atmosfere and you can see them rotate slowly in space, and you can even define the color of the engine's trail when designing it!), rich music and sound, and in incredible amout of technologies to research complete the picture. Only looking at the tech tables in the strategy guide (that will be given to you upon subscription of a paying account) is amazing.

As a warning, this is not a game that you can understand in a couple of hours. It takes some effort, and might as well discourage some. The tutorial is very detailed and shows you most of the options in enough detail that you can start playing with it. I planned my first space station from scratch up after less than 4 hours of play! Still, to be effective at the game you will need to spend some time and effort, and maybe suck up some frustration. The rewards for the effort you put into it are great, though.

All in all, the game seems to be made by players for players: maybe not everyone will like the level of detail and knowledge the game offers. But for those who like interesting, deep and realistic games, Beyond Protocol is a must. If you like RTS, or 4X games (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, and eXterminate) like Master of Orion, this is definitely something you should try.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 02/19/09

Game Release: Beyond Protocol (US, 11/21/08)