Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Battlestar Galactica Online: Preview
SBFord
Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
At a recent trade show, Carolyn Koh found a happy surprise in the form of a Bigpoint booth featuring a single monitor showing off Battlestar Galactica Online. She's got a write up of the things she both saw and heard about Battlestar Galactica Online. Check it out and then leave us a thought or two in the comments below.
What’s interesting about Battlestar Galactica Online is that it is browser-based. Using the Unity 3-D engine which has come a long way since the Cartoon Network Universe: Fusion Fall MMO, it looked “freaking marvelous” on the big screen there at the Syfy booth. Instead of downloading and installing many gigabytes of data. All players will need to do is to install the Unity application on their web browser of choice and the game will be served to them through the cloud to their browser. Battlestar Galactica Online is a game of ships and skills. The roles that players choose to fill will depend on their ships, their equipment and the skills they choose to invest skill points in.
Read more Carolyn Koh's Battlestar Galactica Online: Preview.
)
Comments
I loved Battlestar Galactica. Not sure about a ship based game though. It's the same problem I have with Star Trek Online. I loved both TV series, but it's hard to translate them into good games.
The tech behind the scenes sounds pretty interesting.
Yep the BSG series is fantastic. Will it translate well into a game? Time will tell I suppose. It doesnt look too bad from the footage I have seen of it.
Well.....I guess all we can do now is look forward to the endless comparisons to EVE which will no doubt be following shortly
I have sever doubts about this game. One, it is browser based. Two, it is "f2". I won't go into that second comment but on the first, I have yet to see a good browser based game. This one would be the first and as such I am going to approach it with some caution.
Let's party like it is 1863!
A wise move sir.....especially when the letters MMO are attached
EDIT: Oops! My bad. It doesnt have those letters attached at all. This bodes well. The game might actually be fun
I know it's not a MMO, but have a look at www.interstellarmarines.com
It's running in unity, and from the running man thing (it's still very much in development) you will find its one of those most weighty and solid feeling FPS games of the last few years, browser mmos have come along way since runescape (and runescape is looking rather spiffing today as well)
This seems a good alternative for people who were waiting for JGE. Even though it's browser based i still think from the trailer they showed that it will draw a good size player base.
Browser based really means little in this case since they are use the Unity engine which can do some impressive stuff in a browser.
My gaming blog
BSG was one of my fav shows of all time. It brought me to tears at times because i was so emotionaly tied to the characters.... but i dont hold out much (if any) hope for this game. The thing that made BGS so great were the Characters and this game is missing that.
Kat
I'd say you could translate them into great single player games, but not decent mmo's.
Your all missing the point entirely....
This people is the future of all P.C Gaming
think about it all you eed is an internet connection with a resonable bandwith to play. No NASA super computer rig needed, no massive download files
Just download the browser plugin and play
I shall be keeping an eye on this with much interest and i wish them luck with the game
BSG was based on characters and storytelling. Probably some of the best we've seen in the entire history of television, for those of us who really dug that show. Now, how exactly do we get there? How is it that a collection of scenes, words and stories do us so much good? I believe it's through inspiration, collaboration, dedication... and a tad bit of genius here and there.
Point #1: it's not because the people that worked on the TV show were so brilliant that the team working on the game is equally inspired. You might think I'm talking about movies vs games, but it's not even about job skills. Consider this: at some point, as a writer, you don't decide that BSG is going to be so great, or that Episode II will be so lame. It just happens.
So why would that game be better or worse than any other game out there? And given our rather high expectations, is it even possible to deliver 'enough'? I don't consider the "loooove" for BSG as an insurance, rather the opposite, for we know what "love" did to Star Trek or Final Fantasy, or what "love" didn't do to prevent NGE.
Point #2: as I previously mentioned, there's a lot of storytelling—and a frakkin' good one at that—at work in the love that we feel for BSG. The directing is beautiful, the music is pure genius, it's well written and played with a lot of heart.
When you play a game, either it's a solo/duo game putting you in a "fiction bubble" (typical RPG), and there you can experience those emotions so close to movies and TV series. Then there's the other way, the social/multiplayer way (fleets/guilds, groups, raids, pugs, online mode, whatever). And even with the best of friends—fans of the lore, too—your evening won't be a 2-hours tear-dropping mind-numbing thought-provoking "story": it'll just be some fun, lotsa jokes and a bit too much rushing for you to even listen to voice overs, let alone read anything. Such is the modern way of eating social game encounters. That won't give anyone a BSG-fix, not by a long shot. One would be better of watching that blu-ray box to get that high.
Which is why, I'll judge this game as any shooter in space, and probably won't hurt my memories by even trying to "feel" the whole of BSG in there. I'll let it come, and should it not, no harmed feelings.
However, that being said, I do look forward to toasting cylons with my viper. In hoping it'll be worth it.
Oh so it's based on the SyFy series and not hte 1978 - 79 version then huh? The pilot movie in 78 was quite a good drama at the time. The series on lasted that one season though.
"The usual hallmarks of MMOs will all be present" so just more of the same mindless grind then...
As much as it is my policy to give everything a chance to prove itself, I just can't see the BSG franchise being turned into an MMO successfully.
The deep character involvement, survivalist tension and high complexity of the series just doesn't lend itself well to the massively multiplayer online sphere imo.
Feel free to use my referral link for SW:TOR if you want to test out the game. You'll get some special unlocks!
Come on people, any game developed in this short amount of time almost has to be a questionable game to start with.
Always enjoyed Battlestar Galactica, but my thought is to stay away from this game. I just can't imagine it will be any good.
Awesome preview! I'll be keeping my eyes open for this, thanks
It's the unity engine, do read up on it before you panic in terror. Quite a powerful engine.
More so than most mmo's operate under (seriously).
And with caution, dude it's a video game. It's not you versus a panther in the columbian jungle. Just log in, play it and go "Ok" or "No" , you make it sound like it's a snake waiting to bite you in the balls.
Once again ignorance of a product pops it's shiney head.
The unity engine is a very easy to work with dev kit, being one myself (Unity guy, for quite sometime) I can tell you this, there is very little difference in your standard 4 gig clients than there is with streaming data.
It's akin to downloading a movie or streaming it.
Next, They put a year++ into this. Since unity sold em some couple of years ago. It's not new. It's new to you.
Second as a beta tester, you find a better dog fighting mmo out there. Do it now.
I know you can't. Say what you want it's a great game. I'm shocked at the amount of detail they are pushing through. It's breath taking sometimes.
There's an NDA we you can't say much.
I will say that the unity engine is fantastic in terms of graphics/initial download. I tried the game and I had no qualms with the graphics at all. This is coming from a player who very often complains about movement not being fluid enough in other games.
I'll have to keep an eye on this one.
"Oh my, how horrible, someone is criticizing a MMO. Oh yeah, that is what a forum is about, looking at both sides. You rather have to be critical of anything in this genre as of late because the track record of these major studios has just been appalling." -Ozmodan
tried, its control is awful
Is there an NDA in place? Because the things I can say about this game... But yea, as much as I enjoyed the BSG TV series remake, to those of you who are looking forward to this game, good luck! You'll need it.
Dog fights were not what made the TV series so good. If thats all the game has to offer then its a very 2D version of a classic SF series.
I am very happy to see a BSG MMO in the works and soon available.
I am Not happy that it will be using Cloud tech.
50% of the United States does NOT have the quality of Internet to use Cloud Applications, so many that would play this new MMO will not play. I seriously wish we Americans could get our Government to upgrade the Internet infrastructure, but I doubt that will happen any time soon. At least some people will be able to play BSGO.
I am the Player that wonders... "What the %#*& just happened?!"
...............
"I Believe... There should be NO financial connection or portals between the Real World and the Virtual in MMOs. "
__Ever Present Cockroach of the MMO Verses__
...scurrying to and fro... .munching on bits of garbage... always under foot...
It looks like a decent and honest attempt if i may use these terms. And despite being a browser game the visuals are quite good. I'll definitely check this one out.