Will Battlestar Galactica Online Work As A Browser-Based MMO?

Hey, look, a Battlestar Galactica MMO!

Leading [MMO publisher Bigpoint's] product slate for 2010 will be Battlestar Galactica Online, a tactical space combat and adventure MMOG based upon Syfy’s Battlestar Galactica series. The game, inspired by one of the most popular science fiction series in television history, will launch worldwide exclusively this fall on Syfy.com for a 30 day period. The Unity co-developed MMOG will offer state of the art graphics that can be played directly in an Internet browser.

I’m allergic to the word “browser” appearing anywhere in the same paragraph as “MMO” or even “game”, but that’s usually because it indicates some cutesy free-to-play thing that’s big in Korea, or else a social gaming pyramid scheme.

Fortunately, this doesn’t seem to be case with Battlestar Galactica Online. The game is being developed by a Norwegian studio called Artplant that, as near as I can tell, isn’t yet guilty of any particularly bad online games. In fact, checking their website, they don’t seem to be guilty of many games at all. But they seem to have the right idea.

Players will be able to choose to play as cylons or humans in a constant struggle to control the universe or just survive its perils. A blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay will provide a diverse experience. The dramatic missions will define the game’s overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe. Battlestar Galactica Online will create a new standard for web games, with beautiful 3d graphics and innovative game mechanics bringing a new level of game play to browser based MMOG. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience.

The biggest obstacle is distilling from the Battlestar Galactica universe something manageable for a first-time MMO developer using relatively modest technology. Because as soon as you say Battlestar Galactica Online, folks probably imagine professions like Raptor pilot, lawyer, politician, cigarette-smoking doctor, or leader of a cult of hot chicks. They might expect a sophisticated character creation tool that can make Number Six, Fatpollo, bald Roslin, or Colonel Tigh with one or both eyes. Of course, the battles should look every bit as good as Star Trek Online, but hopefully better. Finally, there will be an epic and epically incomprehensible story arc, ship-boarding actions, inter-colonial Triad leagues, and exploration of new planets that look suspiciously like Vancouver.

But that’s not what this is going to be. Instead, I think the best case scenario will be something like Dark Orbit, but with better production values, more gameplay, and plenty of fan service. My fingers are crossed.

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