The game is set on a futuristic space station; however, the location of the in-game world can differ depending on the server that is being played, including a spacecraft and an exoplanet.[2][3] One of the defining features of Space Station 13 is its emphasis on player roles. At the beginning of each round, players choose or are assigned a specific role on the station, such as a medical doctor, engineer, security officer, chef, or scientist. Each role has unique responsibilities, equipment, and abilities that are crucial to the smooth functioning of the station.
Players are free to work together with their fellow crewmates to complete tasks and keep the station running smoothly, or they can choose to cause chaos and disrupt the work of others. The game has a variety of different game modes and win conditions, which can range from simple survival to complex conspiracies and political intrigue.
Space Station 13's gameplay is based on the content, settings, and code applied on the game server. Due to the largely open-source nature of the game, sessions are typically hosted on user-maintained and customized game servers, which can alter or vary the gameplay experience. Sessions are played in rounds, where players can create a customized character, begin playing with a randomly generated one, or use a previously existing character. Players can choose different jobs, such as janitor, engineer, or clown, which dictate their roles and responsibilities. Sessions are usually isolated from each other, so players can choose to change their job, character, or playstyle in between rounds.
Screenshots depicting the user interfaces of Goonstation (left) and /tg/station 13 (right), both forks of a source release of Goonstation in 2010; a more extreme example of diversity between servers.
The player can interact with nearly any object or being in the game world in a context-sensitive fashion. Different results will occur depending on many variables in any given interaction (e.g., using a crowbar on another player would attack them, but using it on a floorboard would pry it up). Additionally, depending on the server, the player can change their character's 'intent' between four different states (Help, Disarm, Grab, Harm), which will further influence actions taken. For example, using the player's hands on a fallen character with help intent would help them up from the ground, while using harm intent could punch or kick them. Additionally, some servers use a "combat mode" system that assigns these intents to the left and right mouse buttons, with a single key to alternate between two modes that have different effects. Some servers also entirely lack the intent/combat mode system. Controls can differ greatly between servers, but WASD/arrow key-based movement and a "hand" system are fairly consistent.
The game fully simulates power, biology, atmosphere, chemistry, and other complex object and environmental interactions depending on game settings.
While different servers may have their unique station constructs, generally, there are eight departments aboard the station. Supply and Service are also often grouped in the Civilian category.[4]
Command (taking leadership roles aboard the station).
Example of extensive player-made modification to one of the stations in the game.Security (enforcing the law, keeping peace, and responding to emergencies aboard the station).
Engineering (generating power and keeping utilities maintained aboard the station, such as keeping doors functional, supplying internal atmospherics, and repairing damage).
Science (researching technologies and genetic mutations, breeding slimes, and developing 'Synthetics' aboard the station).
Medical (keeping the crew healthy, performing most surgeries, researching diseases, cloning deceased players aboard the station).
Supply (mining for minerals on a nearby planet and taking charge of requisitions, such as purchasing goods for departments & crew members as well as sorting through disposed items).
Service (keeping the station clean and providing crew food, drinks, and entertainment.).
Synthetics/Silicons (consisting of the station's AI and cyborgs, who are often bound by the Three Laws of Robotics, which restrict AI from committing illegal acts, such as assaulting a crew member, unless someone changes said laws).
Optimally, all players spawn at the beginning of each round and perform their jobs, not accounting for human error and malicious intent. However, randomly selected players are chosen to spawn as antagonists aboard the station.[5] Antagonists can range from mostly normal characters with certain malicious intentions, rogue artificial intelligence, and a wide assortment of monsters and enemies, such as Changelings, Xenomorphs, creatures of Lovecraftian horror, assassins, and death squads armed with nuclear weapons. It can be difficult for normal crew members to identify antagonists and even harder to determine their objectives.
Due to the presence of antagonists (and, sometimes, due to players failing at their assigned jobs), many rounds escalate into chaos and disorder. While communities can have pre-set match timings, rounds are often concluded when the situation becomes critical and evacuation procedures are initiated.
There are several different servers to play on, each sporting its own set of rules and gameplay elements. Examples include Goonstation, originally created by users of Something Awful (who are collectively referred to as "goons"),[6] CM-SS13 (with CM standing for Colonial Marines), a server inspired by the Alien franchise,[7] /tg/station 13, originally created by members of 4chan's /tg/ or "traditional games" board[8] and Paradise Station, a popular generalist server with a large Russian offshoot.[9]
An example of the chaos caused by antagonists in a round.
Plotedit
Due to each server's lack of an agreed canonical storyline, most, if not all, servers have individualized lores. Generally, Space Station 13 takes place several centuries in the future on a research station owned by the megacorporation known as Nanotrasen. The station exists to research the mineral 'plasma' (also referred to as a 'phoron'), which is very valuable, possibly due to its extreme flammability. Nanotrasen's influence and power have effectively made them a government entity, but it is often left ambiguous as to whether they are good, evil, or a neutral party (depending on the server).
Marines hunker down, a final line of defense against the Xenos.
Due to Nanotrasen's immense stature and massive monopoly on plasma, it is targeted by an array of third-party aggressors. This includes but is not limited to, the Syndicate (a coalition of smaller companies and planetary governments), the Space Wizard Federation (a federal group of thaumaturgical aggressors), and Changelings (an extraterrestrial species with the ability to take on the form of any organic life-form they've absorbed, as seen in The Thing).
As a sandbox, the game's plot is 100% player-driven every round.
Developmentedit
Space Station 13 was originally developed as an atmospherics simulator by Exadv1 in 2003.[10] Its closed source codebase was decompiled in 2007, giving rise to SS13's current popularity.[11]
A large number of promising community efforts to remake SS13 have been started over the years due to longstanding frustration with SS13's closed-source engine BYOND and low quality of code. Most of these attempts have since been abandoned, and a community mythos has jokingly built up around "The Curse," a supposed force that is responsible for the failure of all attempts to remake the game.[12]
Regardless, multiple major SS13 remakes are currently in development: Space Station 14,[13][14] Unitystation,[15] and RE:SS3D.[16]
Receptionedit
Space Station 13 garnered attention from various video game journalism websites over the years.[17][18]
The game served as a direct inspiration for the role-playing video game Barotrauma,[19] and was also mentioned by Eurogamer as an inspiration for the now-cancelled[20] game ION by DayZ creator Dean "Rocket" Hall.[21] He then later released Stationeers, which was also inspired by Space Station 13.[12]
^ abExadv1 (15 February 2003). "Space Station 13". BYOND.com. from the original on 8 May 2024. Retrieved 29 May 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^Mariani, Robert (7 March 2022). . Return. Irving, Texas: New Founding Corp. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 11 March 2022.
^ abYin-Poole, Wesley (30 November 2017). "The curse of Space Station 13". Eurogamer. from the original on 6 October 2020. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
^O'Connor, Alice (20 January 2015). "Evac Shuttle: Space Station 13 Remake Open-Sourced". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2024.
^"About Space Station 14". Space Station 14. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
^"Unitystation on Steam". Steam. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
^"About RE:SS3D". Re:SS3D. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
^Hogarty, Steve (30 January 2013). "Space Station 13: a multiplayer space station simulator about monkeys, insane AI, cultists and paperwork". PCGamesN. from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 29 May 2015.
^Smith, Quintin (2010-07-21). "Space Station 13: Galactic Bartender Ep. 1". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
^Regalis (March 15, 2019). "WELCOME TO EUROPA: THE HISTORY OF BAROTRAUMA". barotraumagame.com. Retrieved September 10, 2020.
^Purchese, Robert (7 March 2017). "Ion, the space survival game by Dean Hall and Improbable, is dead". Eurogamer. from the original on 7 March 2017. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
^PULLAR-STRECKER, Tom (21 June 2015). "Kiwi DayZ creator Dean Hall moves from zombies to space stations with Ion". Stuff.co.nz. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 2015-06-22.
space, station, often, shortened, ss13, down, tile, based, action, role, playing, multiplayer, video, game, running, freeware, byond, game, engine, originally, released, 2003, developer, originally, exadv1, community, basedenginebyondrelease15, february, 2003,. Space Station 13 often shortened to SS13 is a top down tile based action role playing multiplayer video game running on the freeware BYOND game engine originally released in 2003 1 Space Station 13Developer s Originally Exadv1 now community basedEngineBYONDRelease15 February 2003 1 Genre s Role playingMode s Multiplayer The game is set on a futuristic space station however the location of the in game world can differ depending on the server that is being played including a spacecraft and an exoplanet 2 3 One of the defining features of Space Station 13 is its emphasis on player roles At the beginning of each round players choose or are assigned a specific role on the station such as a medical doctor engineer security officer chef or scientist Each role has unique responsibilities equipment and abilities that are crucial to the smooth functioning of the station Players are free to work together with their fellow crewmates to complete tasks and keep the station running smoothly or they can choose to cause chaos and disrupt the work of others The game has a variety of different game modes and win conditions which can range from simple survival to complex conspiracies and political intrigue Contents 1 Gameplay 2 Plot 3 Development 4 Reception 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksGameplay editSpace Station 13 s gameplay is based on the content settings and code applied on the game server Due to the largely open source nature of the game sessions are typically hosted on user maintained and customized game servers which can alter or vary the gameplay experience Sessions are played in rounds where players can create a customized character begin playing with a randomly generated one or use a previously existing character Players can choose different jobs such as janitor engineer or clown which dictate their roles and responsibilities Sessions are usually isolated from each other so players can choose to change their job character or playstyle in between rounds nbsp nbsp Screenshots depicting the user interfaces of Goonstation left and tg station 13 right both forks of a source release of Goonstation in 2010 a more extreme example of diversity between servers The player can interact with nearly any object or being in the game world in a context sensitive fashion Different results will occur depending on many variables in any given interaction e g using a crowbar on another player would attack them but using it on a floorboard would pry it up Additionally depending on the server the player can change their character s intent between four different states Help Disarm Grab Harm which will further influence actions taken For example using the player s hands on a fallen character with help intent would help them up from the ground while using harm intent could punch or kick them Additionally some servers use a combat mode system that assigns these intents to the left and right mouse buttons with a single key to alternate between two modes that have different effects Some servers also entirely lack the intent combat mode system Controls can differ greatly between servers but WASD arrow key based movement and a hand system are fairly consistent The game fully simulates power biology atmosphere chemistry and other complex object and environmental interactions depending on game settings While different servers may have their unique station constructs generally there are eight departments aboard the station Supply and Service are also often grouped in the Civilian category 4 Command taking leadership roles aboard the station nbsp Example of extensive player made modification to one of the stations in the game Security enforcing the law keeping peace and responding to emergencies aboard the station Engineering generating power and keeping utilities maintained aboard the station such as keeping doors functional supplying internal atmospherics and repairing damage Science researching technologies and genetic mutations breeding slimes and developing Synthetics aboard the station Medical keeping the crew healthy performing most surgeries researching diseases cloning deceased players aboard the station Supply mining for minerals on a nearby planet and taking charge of requisitions such as purchasing goods for departments amp crew members as well as sorting through disposed items Service keeping the station clean and providing crew food drinks and entertainment Synthetics Silicons consisting of the station s AI and cyborgs who are often bound by the Three Laws of Robotics which restrict AI from committing illegal acts such as assaulting a crew member unless someone changes said laws Optimally all players spawn at the beginning of each round and perform their jobs not accounting for human error and malicious intent However randomly selected players are chosen to spawn as antagonists aboard the station 5 Antagonists can range from mostly normal characters with certain malicious intentions rogue artificial intelligence and a wide assortment of monsters and enemies such as Changelings Xenomorphs creatures of Lovecraftian horror assassins and death squads armed with nuclear weapons It can be difficult for normal crew members to identify antagonists and even harder to determine their objectives Due to the presence of antagonists and sometimes due to players failing at their assigned jobs many rounds escalate into chaos and disorder While communities can have pre set match timings rounds are often concluded when the situation becomes critical and evacuation procedures are initiated There are several different servers to play on each sporting its own set of rules and gameplay elements Examples include Goonstation originally created by users of Something Awful who are collectively referred to as goons 6 CM SS13 with CM standing for Colonial Marines a server inspired by the Alien franchise 7 tg station 13 originally created by members of 4chan s tg or traditional games board 8 and Paradise Station a popular generalist server with a large Russian offshoot 9 nbsp An example of the chaos caused by antagonists in a round Plot editDue to each server s lack of an agreed canonical storyline most if not all servers have individualized lores Generally Space Station 13 takes place several centuries in the future on a research station owned by the megacorporation known as Nanotrasen The station exists to research the mineral plasma also referred to as a phoron which is very valuable possibly due to its extreme flammability Nanotrasen s influence and power have effectively made them a government entity but it is often left ambiguous as to whether they are good evil or a neutral party depending on the server nbsp Marines hunker down a final line of defense against the Xenos Due to Nanotrasen s immense stature and massive monopoly on plasma it is targeted by an array of third party aggressors This includes but is not limited to the Syndicate a coalition of smaller companies and planetary governments the Space Wizard Federation a federal group of thaumaturgical aggressors and Changelings an extraterrestrial species with the ability to take on the form of any organic life form they ve absorbed as seen in The Thing nbsp As a sandbox the game s plot is 100 player driven every round Development editSpace Station 13 was originally developed as an atmospherics simulator by Exadv1 in 2003 10 Its closed source codebase was decompiled in 2007 giving rise to SS13 s current popularity 11 A large number of promising community efforts to remake SS13 have been started over the years due to longstanding frustration with SS13 s closed source engine BYOND and low quality of code Most of these attempts have since been abandoned and a community mythos has jokingly built up around The Curse a supposed force that is responsible for the failure of all attempts to remake the game 12 Regardless multiple major SS13 remakes are currently in development Space Station 14 13 14 Unitystation 15 and RE SS3D 16 Reception editSpace Station 13 garnered attention from various video game journalism websites over the years 17 18 The game served as a direct inspiration for the role playing video game Barotrauma 19 and was also mentioned by Eurogamer as an inspiration for the now cancelled 20 game ION by DayZ creator Dean Rocket Hall 21 He then later released Stationeers which was also inspired by Space Station 13 12 Rock Paper Shotgun named Space Station 13 on its list of Best free PC games in 2016 22 and 2019 23 See also editList of open source gamesReferences edit a b Exadv1 15 February 2003 Space Station 13 BYOND com Archived from the original on 8 May 2024 Retrieved 29 May 2015 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint numeric names authors list link SEV Torch Baystation 12 wiki baystation12 net Retrieved 2020 02 06 Guide to Exploration Baystation 12 wiki baystation12 net Retrieved 2020 02 06 Jobs Space Station 13 Wiki wiki ss13 co Retrieved 2023 02 20 Antagonist Space Station 13 Wiki wiki ss13 co Retrieved 2023 02 20 Goonstation Wiki wiki ss13 co Retrieved 2023 01 19 CM Wiki cm ss13 com Retrieved 2020 12 14 The history of SS13 tg station 13 Wiki tgstation13 org Retrieved 2020 12 15 SS13 Hub server descriptions spacestation13 com Retrieved 2022 04 08 Exadv1 Creations Byond com Retrieved 2015 05 29 Mariani Robert 7 March 2022 The Stone Soup Video Game Return Irving Texas New Founding Corp Archived from the original on 7 March 2022 Retrieved 11 March 2022 a b Yin Poole Wesley 30 November 2017 The curse of Space Station 13 Eurogamer Archived from the original on 6 October 2020 Retrieved 20 September 2020 O Connor Alice 20 January 2015 Evac Shuttle Space Station 13 Remake Open Sourced Rock Paper Shotgun Archived from the original on 13 December 2023 Retrieved 10 May 2024 About Space Station 14 Space Station 14 Retrieved 14 April 2020 Unitystation on Steam Steam Retrieved 14 April 2020 About RE SS3D Re SS3D Retrieved 14 April 2020 Hogarty Steve 30 January 2013 Space Station 13 a multiplayer space station simulator about monkeys insane AI cultists and paperwork PCGamesN Archived from the original on 24 September 2023 Retrieved 29 May 2015 Smith Quintin 2010 07 21 Space Station 13 Galactic Bartender Ep 1 Rock Paper Shotgun Retrieved 2015 05 29 Regalis March 15 2019 WELCOME TO EUROPA THE HISTORY OF BAROTRAUMA barotraumagame com Retrieved September 10 2020 Purchese Robert 7 March 2017 Ion the space survival game by Dean Hall and Improbable is dead Eurogamer Archived from the original on 7 March 2017 Retrieved 7 March 2017 PULLAR STRECKER Tom 21 June 2015 Kiwi DayZ creator Dean Hall moves from zombies to space stations with Ion Stuff co nz Fairfax Media Retrieved 2015 06 22 https www rockpapershotgun com 2016 10 31 the 50 best free games on pc 16 36 Space Station 13 Official site 2003 Developer Robust Games on Rock Paper Shotgun 2016 Best Free PC Games for 2019 Rock Paper Shotgun Archived from the original on 9 February 2020 External links editOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Space Station 13 amp oldid 1223571294, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
