Two amazing things happened this week for Firefly Online. First, we learned that Courtney Taylor and Wil Wheaton will be the voices to the player’s avatars, courtesy of The Mary Sue. Second, Firefly Online released a YouTube video featuring the return of a certain character…
Courtney Taylor‘s résumé has tons of voice acting in it. She had a variety of roles in Destiny and Star Wars: The Old Republic. Taylor also voiced the characters Juhani in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Jack from Mass Effect 2. On TV, she voices several characters on The Regular Show, including Starla and Audrey.
Wil Wheaton is most well-known for his role in Star Trek: Next Generation as Wesley Crusher and plays himself as Sheldon’s semi-nemesis on The Big Bang Theory. Wheaton’s blog made the announcement:
“Wil Wheaton has joined the FFO voiceover team and will be playing the part of you — that is, he will be giving voice to the male player character. We couldn’t be more excited that Wil is taking on this huge part. (There’s lots of Chinese cursing too!)”
Next part, up until this point, Alan Tudyk‘s role was unannounced in the game…and now we know why. Our beloved pilot, Hoban “Wash” Washburne, is back in action and taking to the skies! (spoilers in the video below)
This means that the entire game timeline will be taking place before the fateful events of Serenity. I’ve gotta say, it’s a relief.
If you’ve never watched the show before, you really, REALLY, should. Here’s something to wet your whistle…
Firefly, at its most basic level, is an American western in space, space written by Joss Wheedon, the mind who brought you Buffy the Vampire Slayer and The Avengers. The show aired on FOX for one season before they stupidly cancelled it. The cast returned for a full-length film, Serenity, a few years later, and then fans were once again plunged into a lifetime of depravity…until now.
Firefly Online is a soon-to-be-released massive multi-player online role-playing game, or MMORPG for short. The game will be playable on Windows, OSX, iOS, and Android devices. Oh and it’s Steam Powered. All that’s available for now is to explore their website or Steam to get the companion news and information app, the Cortex.
The game-play will feature some incredibly diverse customization features and a very interesting formula that allows the non-playable characters (NPC) for you to recruit or will leave you to join another crew that will hunt you down.
ALL of original main characters of the show are returning to help you navigate the ‘verse: Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion), Zoe Washburne (Gina Torres), River Tam (Summer Glau), Shepherd Book (Ron Glass), Kaylee Frye (Jewel Staite), Jayne Cobb (Adam Baldwin), and Simon Tam (Sean Maher).
Are you a fan of Firefly? What are your favorite moments or episodes? What are you looking forward to most in the Firefly Online Game? It’d be mighty shiny if ya dropped us a comment below. And while yer at it, reach out with Twitter and Facebook, savvy?
About Author
Thought you guys might like some actual info on the game as it stands currently.
http://compendion.net/fireflycast/wave02#t=9:01.590
Fairly lengthy and detailed interview with Andy Gore (Executive Producer of FFO) that gives some good insights into FFO, how it came about and what you can expect.
Was happy to hear they have as many as 50 people working on the game at present, and he says they are “fairly close” to game release. We’ll see.
Some things:
Game’s similar to old school “Fallout”
Three game modes:
1/ Flight sim – like “Freelancer”
2/ Economics/Logistical/Shipyard/Personnel – Like “Masters of Orion”
3/ Main play will be “Encounter engine” – a 3D procedurally generated system, creates towns etc where you visit bars etc and this is where combat takes place – “X-Com” turn based style.
Crew training, equipment, morale etc will be important.
Isometric view but you can have a first person view if you want but game is more suited to isometric.
They decided not to make a FPS game as Firefly is about more than pew pew pew.
There is only one scenario where you cannot “talk your way” out of a battle if you want.
Lots of humor in the game
You’ll have a “GTA” type garage for your ships where you can swap them. And upgrade them.
You can finish the story of the first release (where the original cast appear – the script was over 100 pages just for the cut scenes by the way) in about 20 hours if you really want to concentrate on it, or “120” hours (ie as much time as you want to take) if you just want to do parts of the main storyline slowly and just fly around doing jobs in the ‘Verse.
You will have to do the first few parts of the main storyline first to get set up then it’s up to you.
The game gets tougher as you progress. (naturally)
In flight sim mode you can either fly yourself from planet to planet or system to system or you can “fast forward” if you like.
If you fast forward you still can run into random events such as being boarded by pirates, attacked by reavers, the Alliance can stop you and search your ship etc.
If you’re boarded the battle takes place within your ship (obviously).
If you win a battle you loot the enemy. You can take their boots if you want.
Any weapons you loot you can “dis-assemble” and remake into something better.
You will need a “gunsmithing skill” to do that.
You can craft weapons and equipment.
Each part of the inside of your ship is fully customizable.
The game has the “personality” of the show.
Joss is happy with the game but doesn’t have any input as such.
Voiceover complete for initial release with the exception of Wheaton. Very soon.
Adam and Alan have more than their original characters.
Couldn’t get Gina as she was too busy but should be in Part Two of the game.
Badger may be in Part Two.
The Kelly Wu character is the “Badger” of the first release.
You don’t have to use Courtney or Wil as your character’s voice if you don’t want to.
They are approximately 90 days from release, aiming for end of May if possible.
There may be an “early access” release.
Release will be worldwide across all platforms.
The are using the Cortex roll out as the template for actual game release. Ironing out bugs so release goes smoothly. Apple caused the first two week delay, Android the current two week delay due to change in download management software.
You can play on your mobile device on the way home, for example, fire up your PC and start from where you left on your mobile device.
Cortex and the full game use the same database so again using Cortex to “test” game code live before release.
Premium game, may have a two day free start on Steam, for example, though.
There will be 4 DLC’s (already done), new storylines etc, don’t need them if you don’t want them though.
Premium price will be “dramatically low”. The reason is because you will need to buy it for each platform you want to use it on.
QMX (developer) has made a lot of money on Firefly merchandise over the last 10 years and they decided to do the game as a “gift” to Browncoats as nobody else has successfully made a Firefly game. Another reason the price will be “dramatically low”.
When you do trade routes on the Cortex your “ship” is being tracked by the actual game servers.
There are “tens of thousands” of people doing trade routes at any given time.
You can interact with other players, you can build a group of “friends” (other captains) who you can call on to assist you in jobs, you can see your friends (only) statues in the Crappy Little Town (that answers that question), you can give jobs to other players on the “Job Board”.
You can end up fighting other captains if you run the same job, such as “salvaging the same derelict”.
So there will be PVP, sort of, but when you fight the other crew they will be AI.
Players at certain high levels can create storylines which will be on the Cortex.
You can create “real social connections”.
They want to, eventually, long term, enable players to crew a ship together.
Guilds will come.
They have enough upcoming content to last 1.5 years so far.
They don’t want to make a profit, as such, but want the game to be self sustainable for new content etc.
For that, they need 100,000 active players.
The next big thing they have planned after the initial release is a “Independence War Module” where you can fight the Unification War. That’s after the 1.5 years.
Shorter term they want players to be able to play a ‘Bounty Hunter” character instead of Ship’s Captain.
They see the game is a platform to tell new Firefly stories, and to that end all of the original cast are extremely willing and able to come back and voice more content.
//MESSAGE ENDS//