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FIREFLY ONLINE Infodump - Pretty much everything we know so far +Images

DeaconXDeaconX Member UncommonPosts: 3,062

Coming to PC and Mac as well as iOS and Android

Being developed using the Unity game engine.

Firefly Online is a social role playing game (RPG) based on Firefly, Joss Whedon’s cult-hit television series. Firefly Online (FFO) is currently in development for iOS and Android, and may expand to include additional platforms.

 

In Firefly Online, players assume the role of a ship captain as they hire a crew and seek out adventures, all the while trading with and competing against the millions of other players to try to survive in the Verse: find a crew, find a job, keep flying.

 

FFO provides a variety of gameplay activities and systems so that players can fully experience life in the Verse.

 

  • Assume the role of a ship captain
  • Create a crew and customize a ship
  • Aim to misbehave in space and planet-side adventures
  • Cross-platform player experience across devices (pick-up and play from anywhere)
  • Unique social features connecting Firefly fans Create a shiny ship and explore the Verse

 

PLEASE DON’T TELL ME THIS IS ONE OF THEM “SOCIAL” GAMES? Firefly Online is a single player game, supported by social features that give you the opportunity to connect with friends and fellow Firefly Online users in new and unique ways. Got a shiny new Callahan rifle that you don’t need? Send it to your friend as a gift. Ship broken down and drifting? Send out a distress call and one of your fellow Browncoats might just tow you to safety. Have an idea for a Firefly story you’re just itching to share? Create a job using your story as a basis and publish it on the Cortex for others in the Verse to enjoy!

For those of you who get a chill whenever you see the word “social”, we’re right there with you. We’re only interested in features that truly enhance the player experience. We’ll be revealing more on exactly what we mean in the months to come.

 

CAN I GET THIS FOR MY GORRAM PC? Firefly Online is bringing the entire ‘Verse to you in real-time 3D. The characters, the environments, and the ships are all 3D models, rendered as you play. In fact, all the trailers and gameplay demos you’ve seen to date use in-game graphics. What’s the point of having fancy cinematics if you can’t enjoy ‘em in the ruttin’ game?

Firefly Online is being developed using Unity®Pro. Unity makes it possible to port the game to almost any major platform. At launch, Firefly Online will be available for Windows, Mac OS, iOS and Android OS.

 

I DO THE JOB AND THEN I GET PAID The “find a job” part of Firefly Online amounts to the stories of the game. For those of you familiar with traditional RPGs, jobs = quests.

There are many jobs available. There are jobs that advance the main storyline, as well as side jobs that let you explore the ‘Verse and have adventures that are more self-contained. Some jobs are risky, some less so, but as with the Firefly TV series, what you plan and what takes place ain’t ever exactly similar.

Perhaps the best jobs are the ones you create and share with the rest of the Firefly Online community, adding your own stories to the ‘Verse. Of course, you’ll need to offer the appropriate bounty if you want other captains to take your job. Because despite what that guy Homer said, for captains trying to eek out a living on the raggedty edge, the journey is almost certainly not the thing.

Completing jobs is a good way to earn experience (did we mention this is a role playing game?), get loot to outfit your crew and earn enough platinum to pay the crew’s wages and make sure they got food to eat and oxygen to breath. Some jobs are legal, some jobs less so. It’s the latter that pays the best and most often tends to lead to violence.

The Verse is a rough place, and some jobs can and will involve combat. That said, there are almost always ways to talk or scheme your way out of a fight. If you’re the type who’d rather negotiate, you’ll want to focus on crew that have savvy in that direction. A registered companion, for example, will offer options other than gunplay.

As the captain, your actions on the job directly impact the loyalty of the crew, and, as Malcolm Reynolds would be the first to tell you, keeping everyone happy is pretty much bu ke neng. As a result, loyalties tends to change. And what actions might make one crew member love you, might make another feel less than kindly toward your leadership. If a crewmember becomes particularly disloyal… well, that’ll be an interesting day.

Then again, you might just decide to ignore the jobs entirely and enjoy other aspects of Firefly Online, such as freelancing goods from planet to planet, crafting your own shinies to trade on your travels, or just sail the Verse a while. There are lots of planets and moons to visit out there!

 

SOMEONE EVER TRIES TO KILL YOU, YOU KILL ‘EM RIGHT BACK When things get ornery, the game shifts to a turn-based combat system. You control your entire crew during combat, maneuvering them to safer cover, working strategically to make the most of the terrain and your crew’s abilities. The presentation is entirely 3D, with 3D characters, objects and environments.

At the end of combat, you’re rewarded with experience, as well as some assorted loot from your fallen enemies. This loot can be used, sold or parted out for materials to make your own custom-built weapons and trade goods.

 

EVER SAILED IN A FIREFLY? You’ll experience what it’s like to take the helm of your very own spaceship and pilot it around the terraformed worlds of the Verse. Flying occurs in three dimensions, and you have the freedom to travel in any direction.

As you sail the Black, expect to encounter NPC ships, derelicts, black rocks, distress calls and… the unexpected.

SHIP LIKE THIS, BE WITH YOU ‘TIL THE DAY YOU DIE Customization allows you to tweak the appearance of the interior and exterior of your ship. You can show off your personality with new paint jobs and a variety of interior décor options. It’s even possible to buy real world goods and get digital versions for your cabin or galley.

In addition to the bling factor, ship customization can also have an impact on gameplay. The first ship you own will have limited crew and cargo capacity. New bunks can be built, and interior space can be expanded to accommodate more crew, more freight and more passengers. Even the engines can be upgraded to be more reliable and faster.

As you level up and acquire more crewmembers, you’ll eventually grow out of your starter ship and will likely want to acquire something with a bit more elbow room. You best get to work if that’s your goal – it’s take a lot of platinum to purchase a swank ride.

 

LIVE LIKE REAL PEOPLE To your crew, your ship isn’t just a ship, it’s “home”; it’s where they live. Your crew each have activities and chores to do, whether it be performing surgery on a wounded crewmember in the infirmary, sitting down to dinner in the galley, or playing a heated game of Tall Card when the chores are done. Help them to achieve their needs, and you’ll have a happy crew and a ship that purrs like a big ol’ space kitten.

You do this by peering inside your ship, to a 3D version of the interior. From there you can assign crew, give them chores, or just set up their routine. And if the unthinkable happens and reavers board, you arm them and repel boarders!

 

SOMETIMES A THING GETS BROKE CAN’T BE FIXED While there’s no fuel consumption to worry over in FFO, traveling does cause wear and tear to your ship, especially the engines and reactor. The longer the trip, the harder it is on your boat. Best to keep up with engine maintenance, or risk any number of unwelcome predicaments. The last thing you want to do is end up dead in space, drifting and at the mercy of whoever – or whatever – passes by.

 

AND YOU WILL KNOW THEM BY THEIR CRAFTS In addition to flying, trading, fighting and living, Firefly Online will feature a robust crafting system – one that offers lots of room for customization, without becoming unfriendly and complex.

If you’re a crafter, you can decide whether to create useful items to outfit you crew, or you might rather mass produce a surplus of items that are more lucrative for trade. There will be many crafting disciplines – from gunsmith to cooking – for you and your crew to try your hand at.

 

Game announcement trailer from SDCC 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y364b2Hcq7I

 

Firefly Online's "Free Flight Engine" will give you a reactive 3D user interface, that includes whizzy "in-universe guides" around planets that the player can interact with

"If you could imagine the map of the verse (complete with the nebula gases), in 3D, with all the planet renders that you can zoom in, zoom out and fly through. It looks utterly amazing" --Hope they show it off soon. For now, the screenshot below is all we have:

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996q2co72mxijpg/original.jpg

There will be a central story to the game, along with "many branching stories and standalone adventures players can enjoy. And we plan to have regular DLC updates to add more as time goes on."

Player-created "jobs" (the Firefly Online name for quests): There will be a job-creation system where players will be able to craft adventures for other players to partake in.

There will be a lot to do beyond quests. You can focus on pimping your ride, getting a new ride, hiring a crew, keeping them happy, trading, crafting, collecting swag, or just flying around the multitude of terraformed worlds of the Verse in the freeform flight simulator. --Not a fan of several of the words used in this quote but the features sound great!

Reavers in the game? Absolutely

Will you be able to change sides and work for the Alliance? Not at first. "In the first release, players will take the part of a Browncoat captain. However, we are looking at adding factions in a later DLC release."

You can resolve almost every conflict with guns — but you can also usually talk your way out of any situation if you have the right "savvy."

 

 

GIFs of some current ship models in the works:

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970ebyx0e5xgif/original.gif

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970abxs3mazgif/original.gif

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970a9yr7lxpgif/original.gif

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970abxxjfs5gif/original.gif

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970afvygujfgif/original.gif

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970abxxqh29gif/original.gif

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/19970abxunpxagif/original.gif

 

Here's some concept art showing character portraits, including how much diversity there will be in the online version of Firefly: 

The Pillbug: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1994m81orxrcvpng/original.png

The Peregrine: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996rs0dzowi5jpg/original.jpg

Honest Austin's Used Boats and Salvage: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996ttcde7q1rjpg/original.jpg

Bunk concepts: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996ro0cqte3kjpg/original.jpg

Cargo Bay Customization: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996rovxd1cnbjpg/original.jpg

Firefly Series One Deck Plan: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996rpxeu8mrwjpg/original.jpg

Firefly Series One Hardpoints and Variants: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996s46ezwfr9jpg/original.jpg

Serpent's Den Shootout: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1994m6kequ3espng/original.png

'The Saloon Job' concept: http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996s11y7g9ngjpg/original.jpg

 

Weapons:

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t0wcbc7y8jpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t0wcbtdigjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t0wcawo3gjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t0wcewh38jpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t0wcahksrjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t0wcbqeajjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t10ady7d7jpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t10acm40mjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t10airanmjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t10afv8d2jpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996t10ajkchpjpg/original.jpg

 

Customizable Engine Designs:

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996sqtampvntjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996se9ghh90bjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996se9giw6tfjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996se9gidy4yjpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996se9ghi537jpg/original.jpg

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/1996se9ghd1rhjpg/original.jpg

 

 

Sources: http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/12/12/first-firefly-online-details-revealed/

http://observationdeck.io9.com/firefly-weapon-concepts-1482027474/@charliejane

http://observationdeck.io9.com/firefly-online-engine-concepts-1482021178

http://io9.com/keep-flyin-an-exclusive-first-look-at-firefly-online-1481677328

https://www.facebook.com/FireflyOnlineGame

image

Why do I write, create, fantasize, dream and daydream about other worlds? Because I hate what humanity does with this one.

BOYCOTTING EA / ORIGIN going forward.

Comments

  • TheLizardbonesTheLizardbones Member CommonPosts: 10,910

    I won't lie, I really like the idea and the esthetic of the game.

    I can not remember winning or losing a single debate on the internet.

  • avalon1000avalon1000 Member UncommonPosts: 791
    Yes!!!!!!!!!
  • SaunZSaunZ Member UncommonPosts: 472

    Firefly was the BEST ever!

     

    Sz

  • DamonVileDamonVile Member UncommonPosts: 4,818
    I'd like a firefly game, but not what they're developing.
  • ApocalypseSunriseApocalypseSunrise Member Posts: 80

    This game should be like GTA. Instead...the concepts remind of the old cokemusic.com, if anybody remembers that.

    Oh well. I'll keep my eyes on it and maybe it'll get better.

    Yes, I've read a poem. Try not to faint.

  • KonfessKonfess Member RarePosts: 1,667
    I Luved the series, and I hope to feel the same way for the game.

    Pardon any spelling errors
    Konfess your cyns and some maybe forgiven
    Boy: Why can't I talk to Him?
    Mom: We don't talk to Priests.
    As if it could exist, without being payed for.
    F2P means you get what you paid for. Pay nothing, get nothing.
    Even telemarketers wouldn't think that.
    It costs money to play.  Therefore P2W.

  • Po_ggPo_gg Member EpicPosts: 5,749

    Me too, the series, the fan stuff, Serenity, have the whole package :)

     

    But I'm not really hyped about the game. I'll try it, obviously, but for me Firefly wasn't about the world and roaming around in different ships, it was the writing. Without Whedon (and Fillion, he had a huge part in Firefly's awesomeness as well), it will be just a simple Firefly-based space game. Which is nice, but a Serenity sequel would be so much nicer...

    Oh, and Staite too. I loved Kaylee, she's better than Scotty and Geordi combined :) she should be a must have in any Firefly-based ... anything, at least for me.

     

    An another concern of mine is about Unity. Played a few games on it, dabbled with the kit a bit, and while it's decent, I must say it's not flawless. (lag issues, sometimes memory issues with Firefox, this kinda stuff). But as I read Firefly will be a single player focused game, so probably they can manage to smooth the issues out.

  • ElGrizzlyBearElGrizzlyBear Member Posts: 5

    This is the first time I have heard that there is a game in production based on FireFly and  I feel a little stupid for not knowing because I am a fan. I don't know how to feel about this game coming out either to be honest. I loved the television show as well as the movie but I don't know if the game will have the same impact. I say this because as was mentioned above by another poster, the writing is what made me fall in love with the series. Without that and the characters that I've come to adore the interest may not be there for me.

     

    I don't mean to say the game will be bad or anything along those lines. I think the idea in itself is amazing and from the information that was posted by the OP it would seem a lot of detail and thought has went into development. I will definitely be giving this a shot as a huge FireFly fan. Space/Sci-Fi MMORPG's are the stuff of my dreams, especially when it is based of of a serious I cannot even begin to put into words my admiration for.

  • RedcorRedcor Member Posts: 426
    Finally. Best show ever gets an rpg. 

    Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can
    be impolite without having their skulls split, as a general thing.
    -Robert E. Howard

  • Stealthman06Stealthman06 Member UncommonPosts: 35
    Nice, I hope they make something decent till then, i'll be in my bunk.

    MMORPG Forums: You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.

  • AlBQuirkyAlBQuirky Member EpicPosts: 7,432

    I hate to ask, but did they ever get "rights thing" straightened out?

    - Al

    Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.
    - FARGIN_WAR


  • GruntyGrunty Member EpicPosts: 8,657
    Originally posted by AlBQuirky

    I hate to ask, but did they ever get "rights thing" straightened out?

    https://keepflying.com/faq

    Who is making Firefly Online?

    The game is being developed by Quantum Mechanix in partnership with Spark Plug Games. It is licensed and has the full support of FOX Digital.

    - See more at: https://keepflying.com/faq

    "I used to think the worst thing in life was to be all alone.  It's not.  The worst thing in life is to end up with people who make you feel all alone."  Robin Williams
  • AlBQuirkyAlBQuirky Member EpicPosts: 7,432


    Originally posted by Grunty

    Originally posted by AlBQuirky
    I hate to ask, but did they ever get "rights thing" straightened out?
    https://keepflying.com/faq Who is making Firefly Online?The game is being developed by Quantum Mechanix in partnership with Spark Plug Games. It is licensed and has the full support of FOX Digital.- See more at: https://keepflying.com/faq
    Cool! Thanks for that as I have not been following since the troubles of that other Firefly MMO attempt, without permission to do so.

    - Al

    Personally the only modern MMORPG trend that annoys me is the idea that MMOs need to be designed in a way to attract people who don't actually like MMOs. Which to me makes about as much sense as someone trying to figure out a way to get vegetarians to eat at their steakhouse.
    - FARGIN_WAR


  • DistopiaDistopia Member EpicPosts: 21,183
    Originally posted by AlBQuirky

    I hate to ask, but did they ever get "rights thing" straightened out?

    I don't think that was ever an issue with this project, I'm pretty sure that was the "multiverse" powered game that was scrapped. I could be wrong..

    For every minute you are angry , you lose 60 seconds of happiness."-Emerson


  • TholdarianTholdarian Member UncommonPosts: 67
    I really hope they give the player enough freedom to actually act within the Firefly universe. The concept arts look really nice and i'm really intrigued if they manage to get the right concepts moving within the game to make it as sandbox-y as possible - the only way to approach this specific universe imho. Oh, and add more chinese/asian stuff; it is the predominant culture during Firefly, at least.
  • Inf666Inf666 Member UncommonPosts: 513
    Originally posted by DeaconX

    Coming to PC and Mac as well as iOS and Android

    ...

    This is where I stopped reading.

    Let me tell you three universal truths.

    1. Any game that is released exclusively for the PC has a 75% chance of being crap.

    2. Any game that is released for consoles has a 95% chance of being crap.

    3. Any game that is released for mobile platforms has a 99.99% chance of being crap.

    Source: me

    Why in gods name would I ever play a game designed for a mobile platform on my PC ? Thats like trying to get drunk on water.

    ---
    Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

  • JyiigaJyiiga Member UncommonPosts: 1,187
    Am I reading that right? I can't directly play with other people? As in do quests, jobs, etc with them? If that is the case, not even remotely interested.
  • STYNKFYSTSTYNKFYST Member Posts: 290
    We "know" it's not happening....so why the thread?
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