Get the Threadspace: Hyperbol trailer ofF WP (30/15mb)

“We took a look at a lot of the games out there and decided to make something different, but still maintain an addictive fun factor.” said Jason Fader, president and co-founder of Iocaine Studios. “The game has gone through some amazing changes since being an IGF finalist last year. ThreadSpace: Hyperbol pretty much feels like a polished sequel compared to the old version we presented there.”

Taking place in the future, mankind has mastered a scavenged alien technology that allows them to travel great distances along flat highways in space called Hyperchannels. In a far off sector of the galaxy is a vast network of ancient Hyperchannels that bridge whole star systems. These systems contain valuable resources and puzzling mysteries regarding the race that built the Hyperchannel network. Large corporate conglomerates quickly moved into this sector and rapidly colonized the areas with key resources. Several decades later, the prospering corporations collapsed abruptly, leaving the sector in chaos. This is where the game begins. Three Factions emerge from the chaos, each vying for dominance in the sector. The Drake Republic seeks to establish a democratic order and give control entirely to the citizens. The Intercorporation Military Force (IMF) maintains their original role from the corporation era as security enforcement, but in the wake of chaos, they seek to establish marshal law first. The last of the major factions are The Syndicate, largely composed of underground organizations that promoted piracy and controlled the sector's black market. The Syndicate’s ultimate intentions are unclear and seem to only crave power and control. The player takes on the role as a mercenary and chooses one of the factions to work for throughout the course of the faction war.

ThreadSpace: Hyperbol’s main features are:

• Unique Gameplay: Pilot a mobile gunship capable of firing a wide array of projectiles. Utilize the various projectiles for defensive, offensive, and tactical strategies.
• Intense Multiplayer Combat: Team up with players of your own faction or enter a free-for-all arena to outwit and outgun your opponents.
• Up to 16 Players: Battle in maps that support 8 vs 8 games or engage in arenas with 7 other opponents where there can be only one victor.
• Persistent Universe: Create and customize your own character. Gain levels, acquire credits, purchase ships and upgrade them as you take on an active role in the Faction War.
• Customizable Ships: Personalize your ship visually by selecting variants of wings, engines, and parts of the chassis. All changeable parts can have a primary and secondary color chosen for a truly unique ship design.
• Addictive Physics: Adjust the speed and direction of projectiles from your ship. Fire them out with some spin or deploy some of them in the field to emit a path altering gravity field. Bounce some projectiles off of surfaces for that extra sneaky attack!
• Countless Strategies: Over 30 unique projectiles, each with their own functionality, are at the player's disposal. Ships also differ from one another in their attributes such as armor, projectile damage, area of effect, and much more.

Hyperbol’s development began as a student project at the University of California, Irvine in 2003 and was presented at the IGF Student Showcase in 2004. Development continued by the team members part-time on the weekends. Hyperbol later became a finalist in the IGF Open Category Competition and Slamdance BIG C in 2005. In 2006, Iocaine president, Jason Fader, resigned from his QA Tools position at Blizzard Entertainment to devote all of his time towards the completion of ThreadSpace: Hyperbol. With an estimated release of late August for PC, the team is confident in how their game has been shaping up. “The visual quality has ramped up steeply as we shift into polish and content generation. The difference is incredible.” said Nicholas Lawson, senior programmer and co-founder.