Browncoats were in an unusually happy mood last night at the NYCC. Developer Quantum Mechanix was on hand to talk all things Firefly Online, and the audience got a never-before-seen look at some new in game levels, a review of some of the game's music, and were treated to a special video interview with Morena Baccarin.
Marvel Offering Discount For Marvel Unlimited Plus Because NYCC Is Awesome
The small panel room was nearly bursting. Even after a long day of Comic Con, the attendees still had the energy to get excited. You could tell that a lot of them were appreciating the chance to sit down and rest their feet and do what many of us have done in the past 13 years: talk about Firefly.
Quantum Mechanix CEO Andy Gore, John O'Neil, founder of Spark Plug Games (one of the teams involved with developing this game), casting director Andrea Romano and lead composer Dave Wesley were on hand to dive into the content. They brought the same demo as was shown at E3 earlier, but with improved graphics. Additionally, they also showed off a new level based on a derelict ship (what could possibly go wrong there?) and gave us an overview of the new Cortex app.
Batman Stamp Announced At NYCC!
Firefly Online is looking to be multi-platform - not simply PC and Mac compatible- parts will also be available for iOS and Android. This is the Cortex, a player account that lets you manage your captain and crew remotely. While in it, you can purchase in-game items, learn and explore trade routes and scout for available jobs and even trade with other captains. The Cortex features a robust card system of various snapshots from the tv series (such as Kaylee's 'off the shelf' dress) which are earned through Brownie points. The points are accrued various ways, and you can spend them on loot crates, which give out the snapshots. Collect all the snapshots in a set, and you'll earn various in game rewards.
Firefly Online doesn't come out until next year, but the Cortex app is in beta and will be released well in advance of the actual game. Players can mess around with the app and refamiliarize themselves with the universe. Quantum Mechanix intends to release a Map of the Verse, a lovingly generated map of the Firefly universe. The map will be filled with daily content, missions and whatnot and also specific story points. Completing these will unlock high level cards and therefore, enable better rewards.
All of the cast is returning. Yes. All of them; including Alan Tudyk as Wash. The game's story takes place between the end of the series and Serenity, so everyone is still with us. Tudyk is even playing another (currently undisclosed) role that the crew at quantum Dynamics is quite excited about. This is the first time the Serenity crew has been in the story since the movie; I can't fathom the pressure that puts on the team-Browncoats are not known for their mousiness.
The game is quite like the original Fallout. The company has opted not for a traditional MMO of real time action, but a more turn-based strategy approach. "The point of this game was not to build a role-playing game, we wanted to make a Firefly game." said Gore.
Gamers of today may find the title a bit old-fashioned, but the demos showed off certainly held promise and kept our attention. The derelict level itself was particularly creepy, and when the lights went out (you have to keep your gear and shop repaired), we were, of course, welcomed by a familiar, unsettling sound: Reavers. Quantum Mechanix put the full video up, which you can see below. Everything is rendered in real time. The game is procedurally generated, so every ship and town you encounter will share similarities, but nothing will ever be quite the same.
Looking at the video again, I cannot help but feel that yes, I am excited to return to this world but right now, it is the story and characters that will draw me back to the Black. Fans are constantly calling for new material in the Firefly universe that features the original actors. Firefly Online could be as close as we will ever come again.
"If we didn't make it," Gore said, "it would not get done."
The best part of FFO, however is this: should it be successful with fans (and by report, over 100k people had signed up for the Cortex beta), it would never be cancelled. Firefly Online? How about 'Firefly Forever'?
You can sign up for the Cortex app at the official site, keepflying.com
