The Dark Days (November 1998 – May 1999)

With no more central billing server, and without the more secure version of the server client that VIE used, SS was in shambles. iNet quickly asserted itself as the central billing server for most of the old VIE zones that were now housed in different servers around the world. The VIE zones were now called SVS or Standard VIE Settings. The population dropped, and the greatest of the new zones had stabilized around 80 players during peak times. At this time, there was no guarantee that any zone, even Trench Wars would not languish in obscurity. The population reached an all time low at around 450 people on peak times during early 1999. Without the VIE server, cheating was now rampant everywhere and some of the most popular zones turned inwards and towards the old Pro League policy of putting a private list of players allowed to enter. Eventually that very same policy allowed for these zones to forever languish in population size. The stage was now set: Subspace would die and fade forever into obscurity, unless someone stepped up and something miraculous happened.

That something turned out in the form of Baudchaser, a player from Euro League who started the SSCx project. With the additional creation of the SS Council, every zone in Subspace was asked to join under the banner of SSC under the central billing server of iNet. SSCE (Pro League server), SSCU (iNet), and SSCX (a US West Coast server) were created. A server upgrade was given to the SSCx participants and some of the major cheats were blocked. But still there were gaps. Then the second miraculous event happened. At mid-1999, a single programmer decided to step up, and single-handedly create something, which in effect saved Subspace. And this is where our story really begins.

Next: 4. The Archaic Age (May 1999 – September 1999)