Doing the Undoable: Battlestar Galactica Online

“Battlestar Galactica is such a perfect example, it could be the benchmark for why not to do so.”

i would’ve thought STAR WARS already held the benchmark title in that department, judging by the smoldering ruins of that train-wreck.

I believe the only way to do BSG:Online “right” would be to make it so individual groups can “host” their own story-line.
Sorta like a group of folks getting together over the course of a few months to hold some super-long D&D campaign.
This of course would fly in the face of the typical MMO. And run the risk of failing miserably. But it’s better than anything else i could think of. It would likely do the best job of giving the most pleasure to the money-funders, the fans of BSG, and MMO fans/Gamers alike.
of course it’s a bit overambitious, as i am an MMO idealist.

- The plot.
– The game session, or “campaign”, would have a definite beginning and a definite end. But the length of time to get from A to B would be up to what goes on during the campaign (meaning that players can have an impact on the outcome).
– The beginning would be the same as that of the TV series. Any point from the moment the Cylons attack, to the moment Galactica rounds up the fleet” and starts to run.
– The end would either be the total destruction of the human fleet, or their arrival at Earth (provided that the end of the series matches that scenario).

- Characters.
– It could be designed so that players can play, or can’t play, as main characters.
– It could be designed so that players can play, or can’t play, as either Humans or Cylons.

- The GM.
– The GM of the game could either be the “game itself” (meaning that the game is designating when major events happen, controlling NPCs (like how MMOs are supposed to be)).
– If the GM is the “game itself”, and you’re NOT allowing players to play as Cylons, the game would direct the actions of the Cylons.
– Or the GM could be an actual player.
– It could be designed so that the GM plays an actual character within the campaign. If you’re allowing players to play as main characters, then one possiblity is to designate the role of Adama as the GM.
– Or that the GM is a “god-like” non-character who just oversees the campaign, directing the major events.
– If the GM is an actual player, and you’re NOT allowing players to play as Cylons, the GM would direct the actions of the Cylons.

- Number of players.
– It should be designed so that any number of players can join a campaign.
– If you’re allowing players to play as main characters.
– The host, or hosts, of the game could delegate who plays which character.
– Or it could just be a first-come, fist-serve system. as people sign up for the campaign, they can choose which character they’d like to play (once all the main characters are taken, they could choose what “type” of character they’d like to play).
– New players could join up with the campaign at any time (to reduce player-loss as players decide to drop out of the campaign).

- Game mechanics.
– Advancement. There would be no XP, so characters advancement would not be focused around XP, but instead would be character driven (hey! just like the show!). In other words social advancement, building up your reputation, making connections.
There’s no time for leveling up your character, as the Human fleet has to get the hell out of Dodge from the beginning, and faces imminent destruction at any moment.
– Environment.
– Damage. Anything, and everything is subject to damage at all times. That includes all characters.
– Environmental considerations. If there is no air to breathe, a Human character will die. Fire burns. Cold freezes. Shrapnel causes wounding. Ect.
– Game-world. The game-world should be similar to EVE’s (a huge freakin’ galaxy, where you can go virtually anywhere!). Each ship in the Human fleet can fly wherever they (the pilot of the ship, whether that pilot is a player or an NPC) pleases.
– If you’re allowing players to play as Cylons, then the same would go for Cylon Basestars.
– Each ship should be fully mapped out (down to crawl-spaces and storage rooms), and characters should physically be able to roam around each ship as they please. The only limitations to characters roaming about would be social ones (for instance, an ordinary civilian should have difficulty getting onto the bridge of Galactica). This would work with the “Social advancement” system, as you may gain/lose access to areas as your character makes new friends/enemies.
– Characters should be able to travel freely between ships, provided they have access to a shuttle/Raptor/Viper or any sort of smaller ship which can fly from one ship to another, and the ships in question have docking capabilities. Once again, the only limitations to this would be social ones.
– A number of planets within the game-world would be fully mapped out, and ships capable of atmospheric flight (Raptors, Vipers, Cylon Raiders) would be able to enter the atmosphere and land on any planet or moon. Environmental considerations should apply (if a Human character steps out onto an airless moon, they will die).

– Character creation. Players can choose where their character begins when they join the campaign. They can choose from any of the Human fleet ships (Galactica, the Astral Queen, ect). Or, if you really want a broadened and interesting campaign, even choose to start on Caprica as a survivor of the Cylon attack. They can also customize their character’s body face (like any MMO), as well as “pack their suitcase” with a limited selection of outfits, depending on where they start (for instance, if they start as a prisoner on the Astral Queen, they would be limited to a prison jumpsuit).
– Classes/Skills. There probably should be a limited Class/Skill system, as the “hit the ground running” feel of the story would prevent new players from learning how to do certain things.
– A “limited Class/Skill system” would mean that when a new player joins the campaign, they can customize their character. Similar to Star Wars: Galaxies’ skill system, they would be allowed a certain amount of “skill points” with which to spend on various skills. Skills could include adeptness with fixing mechanical things, fixing computerized things, healing players, piloting fighter ships, piloting large ships, calculating jumps, ect.
– If you allow players to play as main characters, the main characters would have pre-set skills (Cally and Tyrol would have mechanical-fixing skills, Apollo and Starbuck would have fighter pilot skills, ect).
– If you allow players to play as Cylons, they would choose from types of Cylons (each of the 12 Humanoid models, Centurions, Raiders, or Heavy Raiders) each of which would have pre-set skills.
– If you choose a “classless” design, the actions of players would be open and free. If a player fancies him/herself a “mechanic”, they will have to learn how to “fix” things through a specialized interface (much like how a “fighter pilot” would “blow shit up” through the specialized interface of a fighter cockpit).

– Twitch/Turn-based. The game could be (and probably should be) twitch-based, although, it could be done turn-based, like traditional MMOs. Either way, it should have as much freedom of interaction with the environment as possible. If you chose a “limited Class/Skill system”, specific interactions with the environment (like repairing a broken-down fighter) would be dependent on which skills a character possesses.
– Ground game/Space game. The “ground game” would take place within the ships, or on the surface of planets. The “space game” would take place, you guessed it, iiiiinnnnn spaaaaaace! Flying large ships, Raptors, Vipers (and if you’re allowing players to play as Cylons, Basestars and Raiders). They should both be either twitch-based, or turn-based. No mixing and matching.

– Hitpoints/character damage. A realistic damage system would work nicely. One where getting shot in the arm means that your arm is hurt (ranging from a flesh-wound to no longer having an arm). I suppose a traditional “health bar” could work alright, but it wouldn’t be nearly as interesting (especially for those playing as Doctors).
– Death. Death is permanent for each character. But that doesn’t stop you from jumping back into the campaign as another character.

And that’s pretty much it. The main objective is for the Humans to reach Earth, as destroying the Cylons seems highly unlikely (or if you’re allowing players to play as Cylons, for the Cylons to destroy the Human fleet, or raise up a civilization of Cylon-Human hybrids, or whatever other plots the writers of the show cook up as the series draws to a conclusion).
pretty much everything is up to the GM and the players. If a GM decides he wants to throw the entire Cylon fleet at the Human fleet, he may do so.

I could see certain, more talented BSG GMs gathering a following. Having thousands of players want in on their next campaign.

(damn! i didn’t expect that to be so long and involved. i just kinda wrote it on-the-fly.)

but still, for a cold, uninviting sci-fi MMO, with no ground-game, and PvP-always-on, it’s doing alright.

EVE’s got too many things working against it to be a success when compared with WoW, and it seems to me that few of them have to do with the game’s actual mechanics.

it’s a ringing endorsement that we should start considering moving beyond the cookie-cutter MMO mechanics, because there is a market out there for something else. and that needs to be explored before it’s too late.
eventually supersaturation will wilt this delicate flower

fair enough. i’ll agree that EVE isn’t the game to spark an MMO revolution. but it is definitely a first step in the right direction. albeit a baby step.
it certainly has people talking about the potential of the MMO genre. and when talking leads to doing…