So ****in' shiny! Can't wait to read more information -- thanks, gossi! :-)

billz | March 24, 14:42 CET

I am an leaf on the wind, watch how I spin out of control...

I got it installed, then figured out the basic controls (look in the Doc folder, the Orbiter manual tells you how to control thrust and such, and the Firefly Jumbo Read Me manual tells you the specifics of rotating the engines, engaging the Firefly drive, etc.). Then I was able to get off the ground (it wasn't pretty) and into space, but I couldn't get back (afore mentioned spinning out of control).

Anyway, piloting your own Firefly is quite a trip. I'm off to practice my Crazy Ivans.

jam2 | March 24, 19:19 CET

Activate the jump drive... Weee!!

I really think there would be some joy ZIPing this all up, and making a web page explaining all the basic controls... Tempting!

[ edited by gossi on 2006-03-24 17:25 ]

gossi | March 24, 19:24 CET

You mean a sim has actually figured out how to get it to fly? I always thought the clunky thing only flew because the special effects guys told it to, in much the same way as bricks don't. You mean to say a simulation doesn't have to dismiss little things like say, gravity, to make this work?

As for me, I'm too lazy to install this thing and actually pretend I'm Wash. I'd be much more interested in the Piloting Virtual Zoe: Honeymoon Edition game.

Seriously though, I'd like to see a Firefly Computer Game, but I'd want the flight simulation part kept to a minimum. I'd be more interested in the stuff going on INSIDE Serenity, as opposed to the other thing. Kinda like that X-Files game. Or maybe Myst. I'd wanna virtual tour of the ship kinda thing, with simulations of the characters walking around doing stuff, and voiceover dialogue done by the actual cast. Alan Tudyk has experience with green screen acting. He could teach the others how to do it. Then they just get their dopplegangers inside the game to mimic that. It'd be fun!

Better not be for the XBOX though. If a game can't be played on a PC, it's dead to me.

ZachsMind | March 24, 20:19 CET

Ooh, more info and snapshots here.

jam2 | March 24, 20:40 CET

You mean to say a simulation doesn't have to dismiss little things like say, gravity, to make this work?


I mean to say. I'm sure Joss originally thought about having Firefly as a brick, but it wasn't quite as fun... I mean a simulator of the show, not reality.

Each to their own on the game front. Personally, I'd only get an Xbox game as my PC isn't powerful enough for games. And I'd prefer space flighty, as walking around the ship would be interesting for about 30 minutes to me.

If there's to be a Serenity game franchise, they'll need to appeal to both the fan base and (very importantly) the non-fans. I think it's quite possible to do it well enough.

gossi | March 24, 20:47 CET

If there's to be a Serenity game franchise, they'll need to appeal to both the fan base and (very importantly) the non-fans. I think it's quite possible to do it well enough.

Yes, but then they'd munge up the marketing and nobody would go see it, er, I mean go buy it.

The One True b!X | March 24, 21:56 CET

That's cynical! Who knows. It depends who had the rights I suppose.

gossi | March 24, 22:42 CET

That's cynical!

Cynicism is merely frustrated optimism. ;)

The One True b!X | March 24, 23:25 CET

The game rights would likely go to Universal's crappy gaming division and they've never had any real succesful games. Especially from not so ovely abundantly successful movies...I think a 3rd person act/adv game would really kick ass though. Guns and stuff as Jayne, Mal, or Zoe (you could choose). Hand to hand and weapon stuff as River...i've thought about this a lot...

InevitableTraitor | March 24, 23:47 CET

Yep, like the highly unsuccessful Chronicles of Riddick, which took $14m or so in games rights on the Xbox alone in the first few weeks... That'd be a disaster.

gossi | March 25, 00:03 CET

How about a level of the game where you're Kaylee and you run around the ship chasing after Simon trying to get him to kiss her. That'd be fun. You could call it "Not A Power In The 'Verse."

ZachsMind | March 25, 11:53 CET

OK, well, I'm downloading it. I dunno if I'll be able to play it; seeings as it aint a Playstation.

nixygirl | March 25, 13:02 CET

A Firefly really isn't easy to fly. Align the two engines up slightly wrong, fire them up and watch yourself spin out of control.

Random fun: dock with a space station, and fire the Firefly engine (Ctrl+F12). You'll spin completely out of control, but take the station with you...

gossi | March 25, 20:04 CET

Reminder to myself: Never let gossi drive the carpool -- or take the car out of the garage! ;-)

billz | March 26, 02:59 CET

Well Gossi, I think there are a lot of gamers who are very interested in a Serenity game. I frequent an Xbox 360 forum where the discussion of a new upcoming Star Trek game was being discussed and the thread basically was taken over by people who are huge fans of Firefly and how much they'd love to see that as a game. I was pleased and to find myself surrounded by so many Firefly fans. So that leaves me to comment on Zachmind's comment about if there is a Firefly/Serenity game, he hopes it's not for the Xbox. Well, if there is one, I sure hope you are wrong because that would be leaving out a tremendous amount of potential buyers. I own a 360 and it is amazing and I'd love to see a Serenity game be made for it. If one is made I hope it is made for all platforms because that will help it be more of a success.

We just got Oblivion and the game is a huge RPG with this wide open world. I would love to see Serenity as RPG where you travel to the different planets and have different goals you need to accomplish.

As for a game having to appeal to non fans as well, if done right, it definitely would. The first Buffy Xbox game was a huge hit and was played by a lot of people who weren't fans of the show but because it was such a great game to play it had wide appeal just because of how good it was. Gamers just want a quality game with a good story.

Firefly Flanatic | March 26, 10:34 CET

I would hope for various scenarios of the game where you could take control of the characters, the ship itself, or maybe even get the characters into the mule (either the four-wheeler or the hovercraft) or various other stolen vehicles (or horses!). These days, a game doesn't have to be more beat-em-up/shoot-em-up action/adventure/RPG than flight-&-fight simulator. Or vice versa. Games can be both equally. And personally I'd like to see a lot of both. Taking control of villains might be fun too, guiding Saffron on the odd scheme as a bonus level, either completely unrelated to what Serenity's crew's going through at the same point in time, or intertwining her actions with theirs if the game designers could pull it off right.

And yes, let's not forget the awesomeness that is The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay. The Pitch Black sequel film may not've been all that great, but the original film and its video game sequel were very well-made (I had fun with the animated bridge-between-Pitch Black-and-Chronicles, Dark Fury, though I realize many were disappointed in it). Universal's game development division has the potential to put out great games same as anyone.

Kris | March 26, 16:47 CET