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Defiance Combines TV Show and MMO
In 2008 we discussed news of an MMO in an early phase of development that sought to merge two different forms of media: TV shows and video games. Now, reader querbeet points out that work on the game — Defiance — is much further along. Screenshots and an interview with a senior developer provide a clearer image of how such a project will work.
"Both the game and the show take place in a near future, post-apocalyptic version of Earth. ... The game is centered in the remains of San Francisco, while the show will take place in St. Louis. 'They exist within the same universe,' Hill told Ars. 'And primarily where we're going to be different is the fact that things that happen in the game will occur in the show and things that happen in the show will occur in the game. From a global standpoint this could be a large political change, a big environmental change, and they'll happen simultaneously on both.' As an example, Hill said that a character from the show could leave for San Francisco, show up in the game and go on adventures with players, before returning to St. Louis to discuss everything that happened while they were in the game world."
Syfy will not let it last and g4 is near death / UFC take over.
SYFY and G4 seem to be merging and if it's any thing like what happened with tech tv and G4 all the good shows will die.
Premise sounds good and all, but in all likelihood, the show will be cancelled before it can get more than a few seasons in.
The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for it to be pitted against a slightly greater evil
This is just a statement on the core concept, but how could they keep the show up to date with the MMO?
Shows require a significant production period - writing, preparation, acting, post-production and editing. In order to have characters reference events in the MMO, the events would have to be written in as particular plot points or relegated to token references (say a shot of a character facing away from the camera and we hear a voice over) that have little or no bearing on the plot.
Ha! They have out smarted your, there are no good shows left on syfy or g4.
If I were a player, would I have to sign a release, or agree to something, that says they can use my handle in their TV show? I just don't think they are going to take it well when 'ThEBigB@LLA2121!!11!!' seems to be wreaking havoc in San Francisco. Hopefully they have the sense to...ehem...correct any names of players that have significant impact on the universe. But correcting my also be bad as well.
Indoctrinate : to instruct especially in fundamentals or rudiments Educate : to develop mentally, morally, or aestheti
But what happens when Fox cans the show? Does the MMO lose its edge?
... it does :O
would make your network go bankrupt?
They'll end up being watered down prescripted events instead of retelling the adventures that happened with real players and the show's character(s) within the game.
how is babby formed?
You forgot to include Spike... I eventually see those three forming some kind of three way love child.
Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
I believe that Dofus already has a TV show.
So, if you kill one of the live-action characters in the game during a crossover, do they leave the TV show permanently?
comcast will just put sports or other stuff to fill the gap.
VS is becoming a real sports channel and the less stuff will need to go a other network.
in 2012 I can see NHL playoff games and olympics on it.
I can see this going all kinds of wrong. "Frank" gives his account of fighting with elements in San Francisco: "It wasn't looking good. We were cornered. Then luvz2sp00g and his unit Serenity Now came to the rescue, using incredibly powerful weapons to take down the aliens. However, I couldn't understand why they stooped over the dead to rub their genitalia in their faces..."
if it's any thing like what happened with tech tv and G4 all the good shows will die.
Glad I'm not the only one who thought that. Really, who is still watching that channel? Do they have anything worth watching?
...but will anything actually change? Will this be like a WoW MMO, where the only changes are scripted by the designers, and nothing the characters do actually matters? Or will it be more like Anarchy Online or (I've heard -- never played) Eve Online, where the actions of the players can actually change the universe, at least in some small way? If nobody plays the MMO, do the bad guys win?
Screen Savers > Attack of the show, screw periera and bailey, Give me Leo and Patrick any day. as a note, if u havent watch techzilla(or any of the other Revision 3 shows) you should. Old school tech TV fans will recognize alot of faces.
Damn you murdocj, you just gave away the major plot point for sweeps week in the first season. ;)
Other than a core group of players, who's going to be online at the exact moment the episode is aired. I *never* watch anything that's not DVR'd these days... TV conforms to my schedule and not the other way around.
Plus how does one keep spoilers from spreading between time zones?
I like the idea but it seems like Syfy is trying to hard to be relevant. First with the name change and then with this.
What they really need to do is tell good stories with believable characters. Create a good show and a fan base will follow. Go back to the fundamentals.
The reason the network does poorly is because most of it's original programming is garbage.
I thought it said DELIVERANCE. :(
Back when i was a techie, i'd watch Screen Savers and use what i LEARNED the next day on the client's computer. Yes, i LEARNED from a TV show. Crazy, huh?
Anywho, television is a business model more than it is a medium. It's also obsolete. Each show should be it's own "network", allowed to thrive or die on its merits.
Utilizing the synergization of benchmark e-solutions to pre-workaround action items!
Character 1: "FUCK! OFFF GIMMIE SOME CHOCOLATE MILK MOM"
Character 2: "This sucks, I cant listen to this, i'm turning off my headphones and microph..."
Character 1: "Your a loser.. go suck a fart you stink weiner"
Character 3: "What are you, 13 years old?"
Character 1: "Shut up im prolly smarter than yous guys"
Finally a new shwo Charlie Sheen has a shot of being on
Um. G4 does not suck. How else am I gonna get my gaming conference coverage?
Great. My friends already get glassy-eyed with dismay and start eyeing the exits if I happen to mention WoW or Star Trek in the course of a conversation, and bolt for cover if both happen to come up in the same conversation. Now I can skip to the chase by just mentioning the latest episode of Defiance...
reminds me of the .hack project--it was cool (briefly) to watch the anime and be able to say "hey, i walked down that street yesterday on my ps2!" hopefully the plot will be more interesting....
Media that can be recorded and distributed can be recorded and distributed.
-kfg
G4 has only two moderately decent shows left ("Attack of the Show" and "X-Play") and even those are just sad shadows of their ZDTV/TechTV predecessors ("Screen Savers" and the original X-Play, back when it aired more than twice a month). Any further downhill and their primetime lineup will consist of "Men Farting," "The Bimbos in Bikinis Power Hour," and "Oww, My Balls!"
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Man I miss Leo Laporte. That guy was a fucking god. A god with horrid taste in shirts, but a god nonetheless.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Not a big lost at this point. I already stopped watching G4 when they canceled CodeMonkeys
Syfy, cable’s premier imagination based entertainment channel.
Yeah, right
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.