Draegan
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Just caught this on the internet. "Battlestar Galactica" is finding new life on the Web.
A year after the cult and critics' favorite science-fiction show left the air, a multi-player online game is being developed that further explores the "Battlestar" universe, which is also continuing in Syfy's "Caprica" television show. The game, which will be introduced at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, is set to be released worldwide in August or September. Unlike traditional online multi-player games such as World of Warcraft that ship on discs and cost $50 to buy plus $15 per month, Battlestar Galactica is part of a new wave of games playable entirely in a Web browser for free. We'll see soon enough it looks like. Set to release this year.
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Ghambit
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Nice find. Alpha/Beta should be soon. Looks to be a BigPoint game (with SyFy and NBC having a stake), which leads me to believe it'll most likely lack any real depth. Probably more of just a multiplayer movie-fluff game. We'll see.
Here's more (from Shacknews):
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« Last Edit: March 09, 2010, 01:45:20 PM by Ghambit »
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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UnSub
Contributor
Posts: 8064
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Gamasutra's entry.Although this will be a browser-based title, I think it belongs in the main forum where we can all get thoroughly unenthused about it. Oh, and this is a reasonably big nerd IP to bring straight to a browser-based MMO. Finally: what the hell do you do in a BSG MMO? Fight with people who might just be Cyclons? Engage in political powerplays to see who gets to rule a dysfunctional society for this week? It's a poor IP for a MMO.
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Ghambit
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Posts: 5576
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Finally: what the hell do you do in a BSG MMO? Fight with people who might just be Cyclons? Engage in political powerplays to see who gets to rule a dysfunctional society for this week? It's a poor IP for a MMO.
The crux of what would make a BSG game GOOD lies in the paranoia involved with finding Cylons or human-sympathetic toasters. 'Twer my game I would have factions remain secret until the player decides to take sides. PvP is basically a linear RvR wherein the humans try to "roll the map" in one direction towards earth and the Cylons simply try to descimate them before they do; either by resource drainage, killing the population, or the destruction of the Battestar. The RPG elements are all standard faire... upgradeable pew pew ships and stuff. Blah blah. Missions are to gather resources, skirmish toasters/humans, or boink some hot nugget... all of which promote "so say we all." When one side or the other wins, the map resets (just like in most strat. webgames). (shrug) Yah, I just stole this design from the boardgame.
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Draegan
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I'm not sure if BSG is a worse IP for an MMO than Star Trek.
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Mrbloodworth
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I have had a game design in my head for quite a while for just such an IP. I think it is very workable, depending on the scope you attempt to apply.
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Venkman
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Oh, and this is a reasonably big nerd IP to bring straight to a browser-based MMO.
Not big enough for a big budget though. They're only now talking about a game for an IP that effectively ended a year ago and isn't at all getting helped by a new show that's thinly based on it but more for the Desperate Housewives crowd than the geeks that loved BSG all the way up until the writer's strike broke the series that only partially ever got fixed. This is not a strong business opportunity. Hence the tiptoe browser/Unity approach rather than anything more expensive. Think of it as online marketing instead of buying more air time for TV commercials.
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Threash
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If i can't fly one of those super maneuverable vipers with a joystick and shoot down fraking toasters then i'm not interested.
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I am the .00000001428%
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Ghambit
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Posts: 5576
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If i can't fly one of those super maneuverable vipers with a joystick and shoot down fraking toasters then i'm not interested.
Go play "Beyond the Red Line." Done. Speaking of which, the devs. of BtRL seemed to have been shoved out back-in-da-day for a potential BSG-game release... I wonder if this was it or perhaps they're working on it. BtRL was one of the most anticipated indie games out there and it's too bad they never finished it as many a geek had visions of starting BSG servers. This browser thing wont hold a candle to BtRL though.
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Ghambit
Terracotta Army
Posts: 5576
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Ghambit
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Posts: 5576
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Update: Registration will not work unless you apply to the EU server. Then be sure to complete the survey. Hopefully within a week or so they'll choose testers.
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Ghambit
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I'm not in the beta - yet. Also, you can now re-register under the US server.
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Mrbloodworth
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Right. Beta. Misread that.
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Ghambit
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Posts: 5576
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I'm not in the beta - yet. Also, you can now re-register under the US server.
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Ghambit
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Posts: 5576
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I finally made time to taste this last night.... /lookin for the NDA right now though
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Oban
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I have high hopes for this game.
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Palin 2012 : Let's go out with a bang!
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Ghambit
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OB launched today I believe: http://battlestar-galactica.bigpoint.com/So, since NDA lifted, "game is/was utter shite during beta." I may pop in again soon to check it out, but (sigh). I will say it's quite a bit more 'relaxing' than a traditional space shooter, it's more akin to something like EnB. Do not expect anything like Black Prophecy or Ace Online. Even so, gameplay feels very cramped and grindy. Controls clunky. Someone else may like it though. But for F2P, I still put my money on BP (if they ever get their shit together).
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"See, the beauty of webgames is that I can play them on my phone while I'm plowing your mom." -Samwise
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Venkman
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I really don't get the control system. I appreciate they're at least willing to experiment abnormal space sim combat for something new. But it's very hard to predict what your ship is going to do. Maybe just a case of trying to rely on stats too much or something. I gave it a good go, but hate it.
Plus the latency, oiy the latency.
Good use of Unity though.
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