Earth & Beyond is a social game, and though it is possible to make a powerful character playing alone, we've created many features to make your gameplay experience even more enjoyable when you share it with others. In fact, some tasks can only be completed with the assistance of other players.

You can form a group of up to six players (five others and yourself). To create a group with a player on your screen simply left-click on their ship, and then press the Group button located on your target interface. If the player accepts the invitation, a group will be formed and the player who issued the invitation becomes the Group Leader.

The Group Leader can now invite other players to join the group. You will see an interface on the right side of your screen that shows the status of all the other group members' hulls and shields. When you are in a group, your experience is allocated among all group members. Group members also receive bonus experience based upon the size of their group. You will see a message indicating your bonus award when you receive group experience.

To leave a Group, press the Leave Group button on your group interface screen. Group leaders can disband a group by pressing the Disband Group button. A full list of group slash commands can be found in the Helpful Commands section of this website.

There is a distress button for group members, located to the right of the formation button. If a member of your group presses this button, a distress message will appear in the chat window and a second target icon will appear to the right of their name (a single icon appears by default). This alerts group members to a person in trouble.

Group "Buff" Bonuses

Each character archetype will now automatically share certain abilities with other group members. The following table shows the bonus that each archetype will contribute to a group:

• Progen Warrior Hulls receive 5% less damage
• Progen Sentinel Weapons consume 5% less energy
• Jenquai Defender Critical hits are 5% more likely
• Jenquai Explorer Reactors regenerate 5% faster
• Terran Enforcer Equipment receives 5% less damage
• Terran Tradesman 5% extra profits gained from item sales

For example, a lone Progen Sentinel will use 5% less energy when firing weapons. If this character groups with a Progen Warrior, they both will use 5% less energy firing weapons and take 5% less hull damage while grouped.

Bonuses are cumulative with a 1% diminishing return for each additional bonus of the same type. For example, if two Progen Warriors group, they both will receive 9% (5% + 4%) less hull damage, while three Progen Warriors would receive a 12% (5% + 4% + 3%) bonus. Therefore, the maximum bonus of any one type, with five characters of the same archetype in a group, would be 15%.

Characters who are of a substantially lower level than the group average will not contribute their own bonus. In this case, all group members will receive a message to this effect. The new member will, however, still receive grouping bonuses from other group members.

While you are grouped and gaining Combat Experience, an experience band is in effect. It is determined by this formula: [(Highest CL/10) + 5]. If the highest combat level in the group is 50, someone who is between CL 40 and CL 50 will be able to group normally with that CL 50 person. When the highest CL is 40, the "band" is 9 levels (CL 31-40), etc.

When you are outside of the band, you receive a portion of the XP the highest group member is receiving. If the highest group member doesn't get XP for the kill, the person(s) outside of the band won't get it either. However, if the highest member DOES get XP, then the players outside of the band also get XP, but at a calculated difference based on the difference between the levels of the two members.

If group members stray outside 25.0k distance from the group, they will lose their grouping bonus and not receive a share of the group experience.

Group Formations

Once a group has been formed, the group leader has the option of initiating several flight formations. To initiate a group formation, the group leader clicks on the 'Triangle" icon located above the list of group member names. Clicking this icon will bring up a series icons that represent available formations.

• Pipe Formation
• Block Formation
• Slot Back Formation

Group members can accept the call-to-arms by pressing the Join Formation button, also located on the right side of the screen. Group members will now follow the group leader in formation in warp and impulse speeds. Pressing the Break Formation button will cancel the formation and group members will no longer follow the group leader in formation. Group members may also leave the formation by clicking the Leave button.