Over at Broken Toys, a gauntlet has been thrown on how one would design a BG MMO. Lots of good ideas, but none of them really stood out in my mind as a game I’d want to play as BattleStar Galactica. Thus, being a know-it-all myself, I’ve let myself go wild on this.

I created the following game design with one thought in mind: Remain True to the Show. Having seen games based on everything from movies to fandom muds, I’m always amazed at how we repeat the same errors over and over: levels, hit points, stats, giving players control where in the Intellectual Property (IP) there is none, creation of fictious roles. And games that challenge those ideas are percieved to not be “FUN” enough to be a commercial success. Key points: a Battlestar Galactica that is progress quest based treadmilling is denying what is GREAT about the show.

Restraints are often seen in movies and television as good things - they keep costs down. In games, they’re bad because if you don’t shoot for the moon, then if you get to the 75% to the end goal of a game development and a new CEO/Director/Marketing Schlub wants to shoe-horn a new feature in, by the time you launch it unbalances the game, is poorly QA’d, and disturbs the developers.

Thus, I propose a 100% canon MMO. Nothing in the MMO cannot be created that wasn’t in or directly implied by the series. Here’s the restraints I’d put on myself:

The game is not a physics, RPG, collision detection engine: the game is a story generator that has a physics collision detection engine it. Just as Battlestar Galactica series isn’t about the special EFX and explosions and computer generated Cylons, the Battlestar Galactica MMO isn’t about the physics/rpg/resolution-toys, it’s about the story. If you don’t get that, you shouldn’t be designing the game.

Each week or two of game play would be mapped to episodic content of the series - as time passes on the show, time would pass on the MMO. As events occur with the series, we would script events on the MMO. I would fight during the contract process to create some synergy with the writers to make sure that the MMO isn’t breaking canon and to have them slip some events that happen off-screen that can be played through by players, say 6 times a year. Also, if the original talent doesn’t sign the contract to provide voice talent, I probably wouldn’t sign the deal. It’s an all-or-nothing.

An example: during Colonel Tigh’s dictatorship (in the first season?), there’s references to other ships not giving supplies to the Galactica. The players would be involved with resolving those conflicts - either by force or otherwise.

Quick points
1. No one would KNOW if they were a Cylon or not. The paranoia and PKDickian ideal of “self” is important to the BG series, if I am not a Cylon, is one of my friends? I would create several storylines that weave this in. Also, some PLAYERS will be Cylons and I’d follow the “Sharon” storyline - at first, they’d be accused of something they didn’t do, then slowly come to realize they ARE a Cylon - or they’d be activated and given a command to perform sabotage. However, I would also guarantee that every player gets at least ONE “am I a cylon?” plot.

2. The rewards are based on which characters you interact with: no leveling, stats are minimal. Bottomline, you are invited to roleplay in this game, not power-game.

3. Every paying customer could have ONE and only ONE pilot on a server. Keeping true to series, the callsign will be given to you during your flight instruction, you cant choose it. Everyone will want at least one pilot - and this will reflect the lack of resources. Callsigns given by Apollo or Starbuck will have more value that a callsign you choose. If you pass flight school - taught by Starbuck - then you can be a pilot. If you fail flight school, then you are not a pilot.

4. Death is death. Death is integral to the BSG IP. Mourning and grief are an active portion of the game. Every player will have a family left behind and/or dead on the colonies. Treat a death with respect and anything less will cause a lack of respect for the game. The goal is that you’re going to be given opportunities to go out gloriously. More importantly, if you’re a player and die so that you compatriots can live, you’ll be remembered.

Basic Play
Play resolution, with the exception of specific parts (say flight or FPS combat) would have a game mini-toy, similar to the Indigo Prophesy style of resolution. Generic enough to work for multiple uses in the game, but specific peices would definitely fall into FPS mode. The difference, I would guess, is that there would be other minigame resolution except for flying - that would be a standard WASD/Joystick.

The role/class system would be a meritocracy: you either have the skills to be a: Pilot (Starbuck), Marine (?), Operations (Petty Officer D), Technical (), Diplomat (Billy), Scientist (), Preist () or Journalist(). These roles would govern what you have access to (ships, flight deck, etc.)

Game Content
For every several episodes, the MMO would have events, such as the nuclear strike, or the Cylon invasion. In fact, I wouldn’t sign a contract that doesn’t allow us to closely match events that occur in the system

The game plot would be broken into 4 parts:
1. How you got into the fleet: were you on a diplomatic mission, a trader, in jail, etc?

2. 33 minutees - for a server/shard to get free of the Cylons, ALL of the players would have to have a number of successes until the event with the suicide nuke ship occurred. This gate will become the standard of resolving plots. Gathering resources for the fleet becomes a major driver in the plot.

3. What side have you joined - are you pro-military or pro-government or (for the lack of a nicer word) pro-journalist (muck raker) or the Criminal element? Your loyalty will be tested.

4. Family, friends and romantic interest. Call me a bit of a girl here, but developing relationship where you have to choose between duty and friendship will be deciding factors.

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So that’s the MMO - what’s wrong with it? Everything. People will whine about their characters dying. People will whine about how there’s not enough action. But then, done right - with the same risks of the series - I think we could build something pretty spectacular.

So, what else could be done as a “PUNT” process? For example, instead of striking out on the new territory, what can we build that reduces game development risk and improves our chances that marketing schleps will understand.

BF2 meets Battlestar: there have been several large combat situations that could be used a “map”.

BattleStarcraft a la Homeworld space combat - this is the easiest solution I can think of. Cylon vs. Colonial. It’s a bit dry, but get’s the job done, and you can follow the BSG story exactly + easy multiplayer.

WOOT!

I’ve been spending a lot of time getting the game play together. Have pencil and paper version of the game - sorta - and have figured out things like the gestures (circle, square, triangle, pentagon and star), what they represent (recruiting, operations, money, military, and “soul”), and their sounds (specifically how the sounds are going to work).

But DAMN I’ve got a lot of work to do. This one is gonna be a long development time unless I can get time off of work. I was hoping I could get done in time for the IGF awards as a submission to GDC, but prolly not.

I’ve got the name, the domain name, the server set up, so that’s easy. Now I gotta get the rest of them done.

Also, a web-flex solution prolly aint gonna cut it. It will work for solo play, but definitely not MMO play, so we’ll do solo first, then dabble with MMO soon thereafter.

The biggest problem of design vs. development is that development takes SO DAMN long to get out the door. Highly disappointing.

The Game play has been eluding me for a while, which means I’ve been losing sleep over it. In the Theory of Fun “cast” of gameplay - colision detection vs. simulation, I’ve decided it’s a simulation. Basically, I’m creating a mathematical model of memetic infection with resource constraints - thereby forcing players to establish footholds on resources, and keep control of them.

Also, have a name, first pass on logos (I suck at graphics) and the rough IDEA of how teamplay is going to work. Taking the spinning plate theory and a bit of Rag Doll Kung Fu type of play should work out as the “toy” part of the game. You group your members together and start them spinning - once they get enough “power” in the spin, you can use it for something. The amount “energy” you can store is limited, so it’s use it or loose it. With expenditure caps.

Memetics engine:
Transmission vectors - the number of vectors (mouth & pamphlets, seminars, radio, TV, internet).
Vector Spikes - (events of conversions, etc.)
Message - the core message that inspires the modification of behavior. Note that behavior modification is more important than the message.
Mods: the actual behavior mods that impact the spin of your members.

So, some of the resources you can spin are:

• Promise - measures how appealing your cult is - too weak and no one wants to join, too strong and too many join
• Burn - Effects Spin and Mods - How much damage being in the cult is causing your members - too much and you’re starving them, too little and they will have energy to do other things - affects Resistance
• Resistance - the membrane between you and the rest of the world - too weak and you lose cultists, too strong and it’s hard to recruit (includes things like “copyright”)
• Atrocity - Every cult has deaths and atrocities. Too much and you attract attention. Too little and your followers will not endure for you (and change their behavior)

Members have the following

• A Health - amount of burn a member can endure
• A “spin” value - the length of time a member can be “spun”
• A “gen” value - for each game attribute, basic is 1 member, 1 attribute gen, longer the spin, the higher the value, the more burn is done.

Game Gen Attributes:

• Money - allows for extra vectors and purchasing of events and resources
• Genius - creative ideas
• Soul - the mystical essence of the soul, related to magic and miracles

Resources:

• Base of Operations
• Recruiting Centers
• etc.

None of the design for Edgeplay will be public until after That Cult Game is done.

This is the Game that EVERYONE needs!

Opening credits begins with the World Cup tournament, you create your character for your national team, you see highlights of your character get to the to finals, and suddenly IT happens - you’re red carded out for unsportmans’ like conduct… say HEADBUTTING.

But then the real game starts: it’s a media feeding frenzy - you vs. the computer in manipulating the media in the justification of your action. Create your excuse! Watch the media react! Watch the opponent react! Prepare a written document!

Brought to you by the the Barry Bond’s Steroid Denial game and the NFL vs. NBA Hot Playa Arrest Records.

In fact, I bet Frank Deford would endorse this game as the hottest computer game of the century.

Feh.

Now that I know what I’m gonna do, I’ve gotta go find a framework. My biggest problem is that I’m slow on the uptake.

So, first design was using Torque - then I realized I wanted a web-based interface for ease of development. While Torque can do it, I’m not wanting to develop that interface yet.

For website stuff, Nucleus installed quickly and works fine - none (and I mean NONE) of the mods work and the project looks sorta dead.

Seagull installed except when it said “directory not writeable - please chmod 777 /usr/share/pear/Seagull” - did that - not working. Looks great - also looks like it’s php 5.0 compatible and I REALLY don’t want to reinstall PHP.

WordPress, great working thing - like friggen hell to develop for (develop - not slap a skin on).

So.. fuck it, I’m creating a framework from scratch. Dammit.

OK, pen and paper design is done. I don’t like it only because it doesn’t capture the image I have of the game and some of the details are very kerblewy.

The goal: Grab Power, Brainwash Followers, Spend Power to Risk Gaining More Power, Sacrifice Followers, repeat until you meet your secret goals.

It’s a strategy game in the fact you have to manipulate or control map resources, with an RP twist.

Power comes in various resources - basically money, politics, and “manifestation”. Players can choose their manifestations or create their own.

First prototype will be via the web. Long term goal is to migrate to a client-server architecture, but a website prototype is good enough.

Anyways, more later…