Beyond Protocol is now in Open Beta. Now you may ask yourself, what is Beyond Protocol? Who developed it? What’s a “beta” and how do I sign up for one? What’s this I see about Preordering? Is “preorder” actually a word, or is it just something the mass media has made up to take my money? Allow this article to calm your mind as each topic is described in detail for you.

What is Beyond Protocol? It’s a new video game categorized as an MMORTS. Some of the nice people at GameSpy.com actually took a look at it a while back in this article from Gen Con Indy. Inside the game, each player is a leader of their own civilization, complete with the options to wage war, conduct research, carry out espionage, engage in trade, and exercise diplomacy. Other games tend to focus on one or two of these aspects, but in Beyond Protocol they have been intertwined to form a game where players will want to seek out friends and allies with skills that counterbalance their own. This gives the game much less of a perpetual tank rush feel, and much more of a community development and empire simulation feel. However, that’s only the beginning of the description. Jump over to BeyondProtocol.com and check out the gallery and forums to learn more. Then register and sign up for the beta to get in!

Who developed Beyond Protocol? That would be Dark Sky Entertainment, an independent, but highly focused and driven gaming company. The company centers on two brothers, James and Matthew Campbell. Both are avid board game, sci-fi, and general IT aficionados, however, the company has grown to include many hard core gamers and otherwise likeminded employees. A result of the company’s desire to keep in touch with its player base is the Galactic Senate, embedded within the game. This feature allows players to propose and vote on modifications and additions to the game. If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “I wish I could…” while playing an MMO, this is the feature you’ve been waiting for.

What’s a “beta”? A beta is what’s run before a game is released to the public so that the developers can work out the kinks and get feed back at the same time. There are undoubtedly those that knew this before reading this article, but for those who just learned something, worry not! A beta takes all experience types to be successful. Now, where do I sign up? Simply go here to register and once you’re logged in to the site, go here to sign up for the beta! Dark Sky Entertainment will let you know what to do from there.