Slashdot Log In
Buffy MMO Announced, Firefly MMO Delayed
Posted by
Soulskill
on Thu Sep 04, 2008 01:05 PM
from the you're-my-kinda-stupid dept.
from the you're-my-kinda-stupid dept.
Zonk brings word that Multiverse, the developer who in 2006 acquired the rights to make a Firefly-based MMO, has announced that a Buffy: The Vampire Slayer MMO is now under development. An interview with Corey Bridges from Multiverse seems to indicate that the Firefly MMO, though delayed, is not dead. He also provides a few details on what the Buffy game will be like. Quoting:
"What we're doing with the Buffy game then is releasing it in stages. It will first be a flash-based virtual world, with the full Multiverse server behind it. ... So it will start as a 2D flash-based MMO where you can go on missions and interact with other players. This will extend even once we have the 3D client working, where you can both interact with players using the other point of view. We're going to have these shared spaces where 2D and 3D people can interact. All of this will come out in phases, with staged gameplay coming out. We're sort of blazing a path with this concept, and we're really interested in what this might mean for players of the two versions. ... I'd love to get [a public beta] out to players by the end of the year."
Related Stories
[+]
Firefly MMORPG Announced 309 comments
bishiraver writes "Multiverse has announced that they have gained rights to a Firefly Massively Multiplayer Online Game. Multiverse is a company started by several former Netscape employees, and they have developed an engine/network that works for all of their games. They intend to break into the MMO industry by being an MMO publisher of sorts. By standardizing, they can provide a less expensive alternative to the tens of millions of dollars and several years it takes to currently develop an MMO. They have said they will hire out a studio to build the game for them. Corey Bridgets, Massive's Executive Producer, says: 'If you're doing science fiction, you have to really think it out and create an incredibly rich environment that is compelling in its own right, and worth exploring and going back to week after week. That's what Joss Whedon did with Firefly.'"
This discussion has been archived.
No new comments can be posted.
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
Full
Abbreviated
Hidden
Loading... please wait.
Buffy? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Buffy? (Score:5, Funny)
If only there were an IP they could acquire where it's a whole ass-load of people in far flung areas, maybe like the old west, or space or something, where small groups of people move around performing missions. That's the sort of IP that'd make for a great MMO, IMHO.
Parent
Re:Buffy? (Score:5, Funny)
To be fair, BTVS ended with the creation of thousands of mini Slayers. And, as a bonus, it would finally give dudes a good excuse to play a hot chick in an MMO.
Parent
Re:Buffy? (Score:5, Funny)
Forget slayer, I wanna be Willow's girlfriend!!!
Parent
Re:Buffy? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re:Buffy? (Score:4, Funny)
Nope, they're verifying age and nationality. If you're an American guy, you only get to play the buttmonkey. (on the plus side, some of the women will be playing Faith...)
Parent
Re:Buffy? (Score:5, Funny)
Preferring to run around behind a female ass instead of a male one, for hours after hours, days after days, months after months, and now, years after years, destined to be decades after decades, isn't enough reason to always play a hot chick?
City of Heroes, build slider max, waist slider min, boob slider max, low riders or bikini or skin, tight or short top, Ms. Liberty or Kalinda, notutorialthxbie, go!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
Starhunter Online would be awesome.
Re:Buffy? (Score:4, Funny)
I think there would be plenty of other popular choices for class. I'm pretty sure lots of people would choose witch, hyena-person, ex-demon shopkeeper, cyberdemon, goddess, or dude-who-just-wants-to-be-a-big-snake.
I'm a tenth level werewolf guitarist!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Oh, there'll be problems, alright.
Post 3269: Nerf Watchers!!!
Posted by SMGRulz416, 3:44 AM 12 July 2010
the watcher class is supposed to be a support/utility class but they can beat a purped slayer easy!!! (Ed. Note: loaded with purple quality equipment and upgrades) Once they get the att accolade (Ed. Note: Ancient Tiki Taboo accolade, a reward for completing a long quest arc) they can use it to stun or debuf (Ed. Note: refers to the ATTs power to debuf the defense of a target by 90% or stun the target, ei
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Yeah, I don't know about Buffy, I think Firefly could be a much more complex and creative universe with people owning ships and being sent out to do job.. maybe even jobs against each other. There is so much there to work with..
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
This seems like kind of a flimsy IP to base an MMO on.
How so?
Aren't there dozens of better choices?
Such as?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Buffy? (Score:4, Informative)
Agreed. Thankfully, it appears that they are working on one [wikipedia.org] already. Although I assume it's based on the new World of Darkness and not the old one.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
No, VtM is better structurally as the basis for an MMO. Either the Buffy MMO is going to be a bad MMO, or it's only very, very superficially have anything to do with the Buffy stories.
Re:Buffy? (Score:4, Funny)
There are dozens of other choices, but none where I can virtually fight vampires AND do virtual cheerleading. Also Buffy has lesbian witches. Therefore no, there aren't any BETTER choices.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The robustness of the IP as a basis for development in a new media is best measured on its audience size to date. Check all that apply [wikipedia.org]. Any dollars spent on one medium will double as a marketing investment for the next.
[x] feature film
[x] soundtrack
[x] TV series
[x] comic book
[x] novelizations
[x] dolls, toys
[x] logo merchandise
[ ] animated series
[x] arcade game
[x] MMORG
[x] collectable card game
In the immortal words of Mel Brooks, "Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made.
Re:Buffy? (Score:4, Funny)
The Collectors edition comes with tissues.
Surely it comes with cheese slices.
Parent
repeat after me (Score:3, Insightful)
NO MO' MMO's!
Seriously, I ain't got time for 'em, does anyone else? Just getting through a great single-player game like Oblivion kicks my ass, let alone this multi-player time-sink crap.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
If someone could invent an MMO that was immune to being overtaken by koreans and 13 year old boys (of any age), perhaps I would want to play it. As it is, the AGGR0, LULZ crowd ruins every single one of them -- there's no way to pretend you're part of a story when a kid runs up to you and asks you whether you want him to powerlevel you "reel cheep", or is named YO M0+H3R.
As for the kind of people who are Buffy fans, that should speak for itself.
Re:repeat after me (Score:4, Insightful)
Go to 4chan. There's tons of them. You'll see.
Parent
Flatland: An MMO of Many Dimensions (Score:5, Funny)
shared spaces where 2D and 3D people can interact
So what do the 2D players see when the 3D players jump?
Re: (Score:2)
Could be isometric or something of the kind. No reason you can't represent 3 dimensions in a 2D game.
Re:What about 4 dimensions. (Score:4, Funny)
Strength
Dexterity
Constitution
Charisma
Wisdom
Parent
Can Hardly Wait(tm) (Score:5, Funny)
... it will ... so it will start ...this will ... once we have ... we're going to have ... all of this will come out in phases ...we're sort of blazing a path ... I'd love to ...
To be honest, DNF has a lower vapourware coefficient.
2D people (Score:4, Funny)
We're going to have these shared spaces where 2D and 3D people can interact.
We already have that here on Slashdot whenever an evolution-related story crops up.
-
waste of effort (Score:2)
Man, what is the point of going through all that trouble? This reeks of wasted effort spent on getting the 2d side up and running, assets they can't re-use, and the trouble of bridging the 2d client over to the 3d client. Seems like a huge timesuck to me.
Re: (Score:2)
While I think the idea is largely stupid, it will allow people to play when they shouldn't be playing. A browser-based flash game would make it so you can do your gold-farming in a background tab at work or school all day, then go home at night and fire up the 3D client for some immersive vampire-slaying.
I wouldn't play it, but if it turns out being any good, that's what people are going to do.
Question (Score:4, Funny)
How did this get modded up past the firehose? Buffy, Firefly, and MMOGs have nothing to do with-
Oh, wait.
Hey, now. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Hey, now. (Score:4, Funny)
Perhaps this is why the MMO is on hold. They are simply waiting for you to do something fun, exciting, and worth paying a monthly fee to do over and over!
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
The status is *not* quo... (Score:4, Funny)
(Every five minutes your in-game chat would have to rhyme, of course.)
JJ
Re:The status is *not* quo... (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Most MMOs (Score:5, Interesting)
First, the combat in the Buffyverse has always been minimal. Buffy explains in painful detail to the vampires why they can't win, and she'll kick their heads in if they try anything. Once an episode, one of them tries somethings. Buffy kicks heads in. End of episode, at least as far as fighting goes.
As for skills, well, there's not much of that in the series, either. Buffy has always been killing vampires. It's what she does. Giles is always the librarian who has read every book on the occult, but still never notices anything wrong until someone points it out first. +3 intellect/+1 cluelessness. But I am getting silly here.
The point is, the game will either conform to the Buffyverse, or the game will distort the Buffyverse to make it work. Either way, it cannot end well.
give us Firefly ! (Score:4, Interesting)
Spacesim genre on PC has been basically dead since the late great FreeSpace 2. Okay, there was Freelancer which was semi-decent, but nothing compared to the old great hits like Tie Fighter, best of Wing Commander, Privateer, Tachyon, Independence War or even all the way back to Elite series.
Do not even start about recent flops like Tarr Chronicles, SpaceForce : Rogue Universe or even the entire X series. Eye candy and insance technical requirements bundled with unworkable control schemes not a playable game make. ( A side note: EVE is not a space sim, not the kind that im talking about here )
Now Firefly universe would be a perfect setting for Privateer-like game. You dont even have to be goddamn revolutionary game designer to pull a triple-A hit on this. Just use the best gameplay elements of the past, make a good story ( hey its not like good sci-fi writers are hard to come by), half decent graphics and playable controls and you have a sure winner on that currently barren field.
Yes, i we know Elite 4 and Infinity ( infinity-universe.com ) will be ready Real Soon Now (TM) but i dont think advances in life prolonging medicine are happening fast enough to tide all us space simmers over until then.
So.. (Score:4, Insightful)
Two levels (Score:5, Funny)
The Firefly MMO was in private beta but they couldn't seem to figure out why just as you were about to ding level 3 the game would exit abruptly and show you a confusing array of cutscenes from the rest of the content...
That was the publisher's fault. (Score:3, Funny)
And I assure you, it also wasn't the designers' idea to have players start out at level 2, then advance through levels 3, 6, 7, 8, 4, 5, 9, 13, and 1, in that order.
It was an air dates joke (Score:3, Informative)
Aimed at whatever Fox executive decided to show Firefly episodes completely out of order.
Too Many MMOs (Score:3, Funny)
Just announced! Slashdot MMO! play any one of 5 classes informative, funny, insightful, interesting, troll!
Epic level cap of +1 to +5! Ability to ignore comments I mean players below level 2!
Buffy doesn't make sense for an MMO (Score:3, Insightful)
If you play an MMO based on a movie/TV show where there's a very small number of super powerful characters, then everyone wants to play the game as those characters and be super-powerful compared to everyone else. But you can't do that well in an MMO because not everyone can be uber. Obviously everone wants to play as a vampire slayer (or a vampire, I guess) just like in Star Wars Galaxies everyone wanted to play as a Jedi.
I think something like a Harry Potter MMO would make more sense. You start off with little to no powers but earn them at every level, and you can make every character go through the same levelling (i.e. Hogwarts school). It would make more sense that the main character (you) is just like everyone else in the game.
Most American action movies don't really lend themselves well to MMOs because there tends to be a single hero character with clear advantages over everyone else. Hard to model that in an MMO.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
EVE Online doesn't actually allow players to fly their own ship or do any of the usual space captain things. Combat is pretty much exactly the same as any other MMO.
I prefer to call Eve a "massively multiplayer 3D online chat room".
Something like X3:Reunion except MMO would really be the space game everyone's been waiting for.
Re:Already is a FireFly MMO (Score:5, Informative)
You mean like Vendetta [vendetta-online.com]?
Parent
Re:WHAT? (Score:4, Funny)
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
With a property like BTVS, you have to strike while the iron is hot! If they wait to have a worthwhile game to offer, Buffy's relevance may fade.