Battlestar Galactica (video game)
Encyclopedia
A number of video games have been released based on the various incarnations of the Battlestar Galactica
franchise.
-developed Space Battle for Intellivision
and its M-Network counterpart, Space Attack for the Atari VCS/2600 platform, were originally slated to be games based on the Battlestar Galactica series. One of Mattel's subsidiaries, Concepts 2000, had the license to produce Battlestar Galactica electronic toys, so it was figured to be a lock that Mattel would get the license to produce the official Battlestar Galactica video game. The game was well into development when they discovered Mattel didn't get the license. The name was changed, but the graphics remained the same. The "flying saucers" in the game are actually Cylon Raiders; this is mostly imperceptible, due to the lack of detail that could be used in graphics of the platforms of that era.
's PlayStation 2
and Microsoft
's Xbox
in which the player plays as Commander Adama
as a younger man, and flies a number of missions in different craft against Cylon ships, following Adama's career during the First Cylon War. It retains many design elements from the 1978 series, although it was set in the new series universe. The game was an attempt at a bridge between the new and old series and feature the voice talents of Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck and Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo. It was developed by VU Games and Warthog Games
.
released a handheld electronic game called "Missile Attack", which was later resold as "Battlestar Galactica Space Alert" due to difficulties with NBC
who refused to air commercials for the Missile Attack game. Battlestar Galactica Space Alert was obviously based on the original Battlestar Galactica
film and television series.
Cylon Attack by A&F Software for the BBC Micro
in the 1980s was another game based on the original series.
The computer game Epic
, and its sequel Inferno
, released by Ocean software in 1992, featured a similar plot to Battlestar Galactica as well as similar ship models and characters.
and Microsoft Windows
on October 24, 2007. The game was developed by Sierra
/Sierra Online and Auran
.
The Xbox Live Arcade Game takes the player through the major fights of the first two seasons of the show as a Viper pilot, it also incorporates multiple achievements and online multiplayer, not to mention unusual abilities Colonial and Cylon fighters possess, such as shielding, stealth, and advanced weapons. Reception of the game by critics was moderate; it has received an average score of 55% from major publications. It has been removed from Xbox Live Arcade.
is a free-to-play browser-based MMO developed and published by Bigpoint
based on the 2004 remake of the television series. Released in open beta on February 8, 2011, BSGO was developed atop the Unity Game Development Tool
. In less than three months of launch, the game surpassed 2 million registered users.
Story
Man created the Cylons. The Cylons evolved. The Cylons Rebelled. The game begins 40 years after the first Cylon war. The Cylons paid a visit to the Twelve Colonies to annihilate the humans and take their resources. The aging Battlestar Galactica managed to escape the attack, gather a fleet of civilian ships, and set out for the home of the legendary 13th Colony (Earth). The Cylons pursued Battlestar Galactica for months until Battlestar Galactica reunited with Pegasus, the other survivor from the Cylon attack. Together, they were strong enough to retaliate and destroy the Cylon’s Resurrection Ship.
When the Cylons discovered that the humans destroyed the Resurrection Ship, they launched a colossal counter strike against the Colonial Fleet. The unsuspecting Colonials were forced to jump away to safety, but they suffered a mechanical malfunction in the process. A massive pulse of energy overloaded the FTL drives on both fleets, which triggered an uncontrolled jump that threw them off target.
In Battlestar Galactica Online, the Cylons and Colonials are stranded at the edge of one of the galactic arms. Both Colonial fleets are heavily damaged and low on critical resources. The race begins for the Colonials to repair and rearm their ships, escape and continue their quest for Earth before the Cylons gain enough strength to obliterate them once and for all.
known as Beyond the Red Line
had a demo version released on March 31, 2007. A dogfight
space combat simulator, the Beyond the Red Line demo allows players to play a tutorial, two missions and multiplayer. Although it's not an official licensed product, it has been featured in multiple publications. It has also been updated to allow third-party campaigns, of which there are currently 2.
known as Diaspora began development in May 2008 and was unveiled in October 2008.http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,56784.0.html This dogfight
space combat simulator is still in development and as of July 2010 had no public releases. It was begun by members of the Beyond the Red Line
team who split off due to creative and management differences.http://www.diaspora-game.com/faq.html (Official Website)
. Most were centered around the rag-tag fleet theme and usually provide themed events, Viper vs. Raider dogfights, and general combat.
Until December, 2010, there were several active sims based on the Re-imagined Series, with several more under development. These were:
Battlestar Pacifica (BSG-47): The Columbia Class Pacifica was the first of the sims based on the series. It opened in 2007 and was the oldest of the sims that were active as of December, 2010. The Sim restarted their story, having completed their storyline in December 2009. The sim featured a number of ships seen in both series, including a version of the Celestra. As of March, 2011, the sim remains closed.
Battlestar Mercury (BSG-21): In May 2008, The Battlestar Mercury sim opened and was created by former members of the Pacifica sim. The Mercury, a Mercury Class Battlestar similar to the Pegasus, featured the signature double sided landing decks, which allowed participating residents to land their ship upside down. In January 2010, the Mercury concluded their first story and following a restructure of their leadership, began a new story, this one centered around an original story concept inspired by a prop painting that hung in Commander Adama's quarters. However, as of January, 2011, the second story line was suspended and scrapped due to the situation with NBCUniversal (see below) and began their third story. Like their predecessor, the Mercury sim also featured ships from the Reimagined series, including a version of the Zephyr. (Official Website). It is one of three sims remaining in Second Life.
Battlestar Universe (BSG-33): Currently inactive. In September 2009, the Columbia Class Battlestar Olympia opened their story. Unlike their predecessors, The Olympia sim was set during the first Cylon War. Several months ago, Battlestar Universe closed their doors and the sim on which play occurred was sold. In early 2011 former owners of the original BSG-33 attempted to revive their project with a slightly changed concept on a homestead instead of a full sim. Unfortunately it was not to be, and BSG-33 Reimagined closed in July 2011, with its builds and some of the staff being absorbed into BSG-21.
Battlestar Athena (BSG-99): The Warstar Athena, a design based on the Warstar concept, is currently under construction. The story is based on the RDM concept, but with a more offensive stance with other little twists. The Sim opens during the first quarter in 2010. It has recently closed, but was, as of 18 March, announced as being made ready to return.
Battlestar: The Twelve Colonies (BSG-118): In January 2010, this particular BSG sim opened featuring a pre-Cylon attack cityscape as well as a new, non-canon class of Battlestar, the Phoenix, which combined a number of features from the other sims, including the Mercury-style landing bays and an expansive two story CIC similar to the Olympia's. This particular sim differed from others in that when the Cylon attacks occur, the Twelve Colonies were not completely lost, resulting in expanded roleplay potential located on the various Colonies themselves. Located in Galactica, the city contained familiar sets from the series, including the Riverwalk Market and other notable landmarks. It has ceased play as a BSG sim and will reopen with an original sci-fi story under the name Tocana Colonies.
BSG: Exodus (BSG-104): Following a new concept and original story using the re-imagined series as a backdrop, this sim began construction when disputes over owner conduct, fragmented the BSG47 sim for the third time. The sim is open for roleplay as of early July 2011, and provides information on their story and background on their website (Official Website). The roleplay sim features a detailed Valkyrie-type battlestar build as well as a full civilian settlement, and in their second sim, a Cylon Basestar. Exodus is scheduled to open for role play in Spring 2011. Exodus' owners, administrators and players spearheaded the campaign to resolve NBCUniversal's DMCA against Battlestar Galactica intellectual property in Second Life.
Although the number of sims have paled in comparison to the Star Trek and Star Wars sims in Second Life, there has been a very dedicated following amongst them. However, in July 2010, NBCUniversal began efforts to have the sims removed from Second Life by claiming an intellectual property infringement by both individual creators and Linden Labs for hosting such work. The initial campaign moved to stop the sale of items such as flyable ships and uniforms from the series made available to residents of second life by a number of vendors. Despite the efforts of the various BSG themed sims, Universal began demands that the sims cease and desist using their trademarked images and content in their role-play sims. By December 7, 2010, the majority of the sims had either shut down or changed their content and storylines away from that in the series.
Exodus, a newcomer in the BSG fan roleplay world staffed by long time members of the community, took up the cause and recruited Anthony Hasledge of the 'IFT Sci-Fi Alliance', to open dialogue with licensing executives and resolve the trademark issue. Other former and current BSG sim owners joined the effort, as did players from every quarter of the BSG roleplay community. Their efforts were successful and, so long as the BSG sims in Second Life comply with a set of rules including no sale of any products related to BSG, they are allowed to continue. As of February 5, 2011, Universal has allowed fair-use of intellectual property related to Battlestar Galactica. So far, Mercury Role Play has begun loosely bsg themed role play activities, despite still being under construction. Exodus opened in July 2011, and is still in pre-cylon attack era. There is no further news on the BSG99 sim.
Recently, an announcement was released that the Exodus and Twelve Colonies, who had changed their name to the Tocana Colonies after the controversy, had agreed to a merger that would take place as of April 8, 2011. However, it was later revealed to be an April Fool's Day
Hoax.
of various games have been made.
total conversion. Beta versions of BSG: Fleet Commander are available for Windows and the Macintosh. This is a real-time strategy
game in which players command human or Cylon fleets from both the original series and the 2003 reimagined version of the series. It has been mentioned by many gaming publications.
modification. It was featured as the 'Mod of the Month' in the May 2008 issue of PC Gamer
. The mod development was finished at version 5.0, as only a semi-conversion; large chunks of Star Wars content remained. Development then focused on a follow-up project, which was set to be a larger, total conversion mod. The mod is set to be completed under a new name, Battlestar Galactica: At War. This uses the same concept for the game, and is set to totally convert Star Wars: Empire at War into Battlestar Galactica.
, Homeworld
, Star Trek: Armada II
, Star Trek: Bridge Commander
, GTA: San Andreas, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
, and X3: Reunion, as well as add-ons for the land and space simulator Orbiter.
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
franchise.
"Space Battle" & "Space Attack"
MattelMattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
-developed Space Battle for Intellivision
Intellivision
The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. Development of the console began in 1978, less than a year after the introduction of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. The word intellivision is a portmanteau of "intelligent television"...
and its M-Network counterpart, Space Attack for the Atari VCS/2600 platform, were originally slated to be games based on the Battlestar Galactica series. One of Mattel's subsidiaries, Concepts 2000, had the license to produce Battlestar Galactica electronic toys, so it was figured to be a lock that Mattel would get the license to produce the official Battlestar Galactica video game. The game was well into development when they discovered Mattel didn't get the license. The name was changed, but the graphics remained the same. The "flying saucers" in the game are actually Cylon Raiders; this is mostly imperceptible, due to the lack of detail that could be used in graphics of the platforms of that era.
Battlestar Galactica (2003)
The 2003 Battlestar Galactica mini-series inspired a video game for SonySony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
's PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
and Microsoft
Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
's Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
in which the player plays as Commander Adama
Commander Adama
Commander Adama is a fictional character in the 1978 movie and subsequent ABC television series Battlestar Galactica and its continuation series, Galactica 1980. Adama is the commander of the great military vessel Battlestar Galactica, commander of the refugee fleet and military commander of the...
as a younger man, and flies a number of missions in different craft against Cylon ships, following Adama's career during the First Cylon War. It retains many design elements from the 1978 series, although it was set in the new series universe. The game was an attempt at a bridge between the new and old series and feature the voice talents of Dirk Benedict as Lieutenant Starbuck and Richard Hatch as Captain Apollo. It was developed by VU Games and Warthog Games
Warthog Games
Warthog Games Limited was a UK-based video game developer, located in Cheadle Hulme, Stockport, with studios in Sweden and the USA.The developer later developed titles as Gizmondo Europe, before the company disbanded; and key staff formed Embryonic Studios which later became TT...
.
Others
In 1976, MattelMattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
released a handheld electronic game called "Missile Attack", which was later resold as "Battlestar Galactica Space Alert" due to difficulties with NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
who refused to air commercials for the Missile Attack game. Battlestar Galactica Space Alert was obviously based on the original Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction television series, created by Glen A. Larson. It starred Lorne Greene, Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict and ran for one season in 1978–79. After cancellation, its story was continued in 1980 as Galactica 1980 with Adama, Lieutenant Boomer and...
film and television series.
Cylon Attack by A&F Software for the BBC Micro
BBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
in the 1980s was another game based on the original series.
The computer game Epic
Epic (computer game)
Epic is an action-based space flight simulator game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean Software for the Amiga and Atari ST in early 1992, with ports for the PC DOS and NEC PC-9801 later the same year...
, and its sequel Inferno
Inferno (video game)
Inferno is a computer game developed by Digital Image Design and published by Ocean of America in 1994 for the IBM PC. This game is a sequel to Epic.-Reception:...
, released by Ocean software in 1992, featured a similar plot to Battlestar Galactica as well as similar ship models and characters.
Battlestar Galactica (Mobile)
Superscape, a mobile phone entertainment company, announced the launch of an action-game based on the series. Through a licensing deal with Universal Studios Consumer Products Group, the Battlestar Galactica mobile phone game is available for download now worldwide for Java enabled handsets. It was released for mobile phones in February 2006. The player starts as a rookie pilot. Players take over the controls of the Colonial Viper Mark VII high performance fighter, and are quickly drawn into the ongoing interstellar war. Fighting their way through 20 levels and a variety of missions, players battle with the deadly Cylons.Battlestar Galactica (2007)
A Battlestar Galactica game based on the new series was released for Xbox Live ArcadeXbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
on October 24, 2007. The game was developed by Sierra
Sierra Entertainment
Sierra Entertainment Inc. was an American video-game developer and publisher founded in 1979 as On-Line Systems by Ken and Roberta Williams...
/Sierra Online and Auran
Auran
N3V Games is an Australian video game developer and publisher based in Brisbane, Queensland.-History:Auran was established by Greg Lane and Graham Edelsten in 1995, and released its first game, Dark Reign: The Future of War, in 1997...
.
The Xbox Live Arcade Game takes the player through the major fights of the first two seasons of the show as a Viper pilot, it also incorporates multiple achievements and online multiplayer, not to mention unusual abilities Colonial and Cylon fighters possess, such as shielding, stealth, and advanced weapons. Reception of the game by critics was moderate; it has received an average score of 55% from major publications. It has been removed from Xbox Live Arcade.
Battlestar Galactica Online
Battlestar Galactica OnlineBattlestar Galactica Online
Battlestar Galactica Online is a browser-based Massively Multiplayer Online Game based on the 2004 television series Battlestar Galactica. Released in open beta on February 8, 2011, it was developed by Bigpoint and Artplant using the Unity Game Development Tool. In less than three months of...
is a free-to-play browser-based MMO developed and published by Bigpoint
Bigpoint Games
Bigpoint GmbH is a German video game developer that has specializes in browser-based games. Bigpoint runs a gaming portal website with a number of browser-based massively multiplayer online role playing games it has produced and has over 200 million registered users...
based on the 2004 remake of the television series. Released in open beta on February 8, 2011, BSGO was developed atop the Unity Game Development Tool
Unity (game engine)
Unity is an integrated authoring tool for creating 3D video games or other interactive content such as architectural visualizations or real-time 3D animations. Unity's development environment runs on Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X, and the games it produces can be run on Windows, Mac, Xbox 360,...
. In less than three months of launch, the game surpassed 2 million registered users.
Story
Man created the Cylons. The Cylons evolved. The Cylons Rebelled. The game begins 40 years after the first Cylon war. The Cylons paid a visit to the Twelve Colonies to annihilate the humans and take their resources. The aging Battlestar Galactica managed to escape the attack, gather a fleet of civilian ships, and set out for the home of the legendary 13th Colony (Earth). The Cylons pursued Battlestar Galactica for months until Battlestar Galactica reunited with Pegasus, the other survivor from the Cylon attack. Together, they were strong enough to retaliate and destroy the Cylon’s Resurrection Ship.
When the Cylons discovered that the humans destroyed the Resurrection Ship, they launched a colossal counter strike against the Colonial Fleet. The unsuspecting Colonials were forced to jump away to safety, but they suffered a mechanical malfunction in the process. A massive pulse of energy overloaded the FTL drives on both fleets, which triggered an uncontrolled jump that threw them off target.
In Battlestar Galactica Online, the Cylons and Colonials are stranded at the edge of one of the galactic arms. Both Colonial fleets are heavily damaged and low on critical resources. The race begins for the Colonials to repair and rearm their ships, escape and continue their quest for Earth before the Cylons gain enough strength to obliterate them once and for all.
BSG: Beyond the Red Line
A fan made total conversion for FreeSpace 2FreeSpace 2
FreeSpace 2 is a 1999 space combat simulation computer game developed by Volition, Inc. as the sequel to Descent: FreeSpace – The Great War. It was completed ahead of schedule in less than a year, and released to great critical acclaim...
known as Beyond the Red Line
Beyond the Red Line
Beyond the Red Line is an unofficial and free stand-alone total conversion for the game FreeSpace 2, based on the reimagined TV show Battlestar Galactica...
had a demo version released on March 31, 2007. A dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
space combat simulator, the Beyond the Red Line demo allows players to play a tutorial, two missions and multiplayer. Although it's not an official licensed product, it has been featured in multiple publications. It has also been updated to allow third-party campaigns, of which there are currently 2.
Diaspora
A fan game based on the open source FreeSpace 2 engineFreeSpace 2 Source Code Project
The FreeSpace 2 Source Code Project is a group of programmers currently maintaining and enhancing the game engine for the space combat simulator FreeSpace 2, developed by Volition, Inc. The source code was released in 2002, and is used by several projects. Most prominent among these are games based...
known as Diaspora began development in May 2008 and was unveiled in October 2008.http://www.hard-light.net/forums/index.php/topic,56784.0.html This dogfight
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
space combat simulator is still in development and as of July 2010 had no public releases. It was begun by members of the Beyond the Red Line
Beyond the Red Line
Beyond the Red Line is an unofficial and free stand-alone total conversion for the game FreeSpace 2, based on the reimagined TV show Battlestar Galactica...
team who split off due to creative and management differences.http://www.diaspora-game.com/faq.html (Official Website)
Battlestar Galactica in Second Life
As well with other popular scifi shows, there were several Battlestar Galactica themed sims (simulators) in Second LifeSecond Life
Second Life is an online virtual world developed by Linden Lab. It was launched on June 23, 2003. A number of free client programs, or Viewers, enable Second Life users, called Residents, to interact with each other through avatars...
. Most were centered around the rag-tag fleet theme and usually provide themed events, Viper vs. Raider dogfights, and general combat.
Until December, 2010, there were several active sims based on the Re-imagined Series, with several more under development. These were:
Battlestar Pacifica (BSG-47): The Columbia Class Pacifica was the first of the sims based on the series. It opened in 2007 and was the oldest of the sims that were active as of December, 2010. The Sim restarted their story, having completed their storyline in December 2009. The sim featured a number of ships seen in both series, including a version of the Celestra. As of March, 2011, the sim remains closed.
Battlestar Mercury (BSG-21): In May 2008, The Battlestar Mercury sim opened and was created by former members of the Pacifica sim. The Mercury, a Mercury Class Battlestar similar to the Pegasus, featured the signature double sided landing decks, which allowed participating residents to land their ship upside down. In January 2010, the Mercury concluded their first story and following a restructure of their leadership, began a new story, this one centered around an original story concept inspired by a prop painting that hung in Commander Adama's quarters. However, as of January, 2011, the second story line was suspended and scrapped due to the situation with NBCUniversal (see below) and began their third story. Like their predecessor, the Mercury sim also featured ships from the Reimagined series, including a version of the Zephyr. (Official Website). It is one of three sims remaining in Second Life.
Battlestar Universe (BSG-33): Currently inactive. In September 2009, the Columbia Class Battlestar Olympia opened their story. Unlike their predecessors, The Olympia sim was set during the first Cylon War. Several months ago, Battlestar Universe closed their doors and the sim on which play occurred was sold. In early 2011 former owners of the original BSG-33 attempted to revive their project with a slightly changed concept on a homestead instead of a full sim. Unfortunately it was not to be, and BSG-33 Reimagined closed in July 2011, with its builds and some of the staff being absorbed into BSG-21.
Battlestar Athena (BSG-99): The Warstar Athena, a design based on the Warstar concept, is currently under construction. The story is based on the RDM concept, but with a more offensive stance with other little twists. The Sim opens during the first quarter in 2010. It has recently closed, but was, as of 18 March, announced as being made ready to return.
Battlestar: The Twelve Colonies (BSG-118): In January 2010, this particular BSG sim opened featuring a pre-Cylon attack cityscape as well as a new, non-canon class of Battlestar, the Phoenix, which combined a number of features from the other sims, including the Mercury-style landing bays and an expansive two story CIC similar to the Olympia's. This particular sim differed from others in that when the Cylon attacks occur, the Twelve Colonies were not completely lost, resulting in expanded roleplay potential located on the various Colonies themselves. Located in Galactica, the city contained familiar sets from the series, including the Riverwalk Market and other notable landmarks. It has ceased play as a BSG sim and will reopen with an original sci-fi story under the name Tocana Colonies.
BSG: Exodus (BSG-104): Following a new concept and original story using the re-imagined series as a backdrop, this sim began construction when disputes over owner conduct, fragmented the BSG47 sim for the third time. The sim is open for roleplay as of early July 2011, and provides information on their story and background on their website (Official Website). The roleplay sim features a detailed Valkyrie-type battlestar build as well as a full civilian settlement, and in their second sim, a Cylon Basestar. Exodus is scheduled to open for role play in Spring 2011. Exodus' owners, administrators and players spearheaded the campaign to resolve NBCUniversal's DMCA against Battlestar Galactica intellectual property in Second Life.
NBCUniversal Controversy
Although the number of sims have paled in comparison to the Star Trek and Star Wars sims in Second Life, there has been a very dedicated following amongst them. However, in July 2010, NBCUniversal began efforts to have the sims removed from Second Life by claiming an intellectual property infringement by both individual creators and Linden Labs for hosting such work. The initial campaign moved to stop the sale of items such as flyable ships and uniforms from the series made available to residents of second life by a number of vendors. Despite the efforts of the various BSG themed sims, Universal began demands that the sims cease and desist using their trademarked images and content in their role-play sims. By December 7, 2010, the majority of the sims had either shut down or changed their content and storylines away from that in the series.
Exodus, a newcomer in the BSG fan roleplay world staffed by long time members of the community, took up the cause and recruited Anthony Hasledge of the 'IFT Sci-Fi Alliance', to open dialogue with licensing executives and resolve the trademark issue. Other former and current BSG sim owners joined the effort, as did players from every quarter of the BSG roleplay community. Their efforts were successful and, so long as the BSG sims in Second Life comply with a set of rules including no sale of any products related to BSG, they are allowed to continue. As of February 5, 2011, Universal has allowed fair-use of intellectual property related to Battlestar Galactica. So far, Mercury Role Play has begun loosely bsg themed role play activities, despite still being under construction. Exodus opened in July 2011, and is still in pre-cylon attack era. There is no further news on the BSG99 sim.
Recently, an announcement was released that the Exodus and Twelve Colonies, who had changed their name to the Tocana Colonies after the controversy, had agreed to a merger that would take place as of April 8, 2011. However, it was later revealed to be an April Fool's Day
April Fools' Day
April Fools' Day is celebrated in different countries around the world on April 1 every year. Sometimes referred to as All Fools' Day, April 1 is not a national holiday, but is widely recognized and celebrated as a day when many people play all kinds of jokes and foolishness...
Hoax.
Fan Made Game Mods
Game modificationsMod (computer gaming)
Mod or modification is a term generally applied to personal computer games , especially first-person shooters, role-playing games and real-time strategy games. Mods are made by the general public or a developer, and can be entirely new games in themselves, but mods are not standalone software and...
of various games have been made.
BSG: Fleet Commander
Battlestar Galactica: Fleet Commander is a Homeworld 2Homeworld 2
Developed by Relic Entertainment and released in 2003 by now defunct publisher Sierra Entertainment, Homeworld 2 is a real-time strategy computer game sequel to Homeworld. It takes place after the events in Homeworld and concerns Hiigara's response to a new enemy called the Vaygr. Its gameplay...
total conversion. Beta versions of BSG: Fleet Commander are available for Windows and the Macintosh. This is a real-time strategy
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game in which players command human or Cylon fleets from both the original series and the 2003 reimagined version of the series. It has been mentioned by many gaming publications.
BSG: Edge Of Apocalypse
Battlestar Galactica: Edge Of Apocalypse, before version 2.0 known as Battlestar Galactica: Dawn Of War is a modification for Freelancer. The first version was released in March 2007 and it has since been frequently updated. The game allows players to pilot colonial or cylon fighters, transport and battleships and engage in space combat, trading or deep space exploration in an attempt to find Earth.BSG - Colonial Wars
Battlestar Galactica - Colonial Wars is a Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of CorruptionStar Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption
Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption is a 2006 expansion pack for the computer game Star Wars: Empire at War. It adds the "Zann Consortium" as a third faction and holds an average rating of 77% at Gamerankings.-Gameplay:...
modification. It was featured as the 'Mod of the Month' in the May 2008 issue of PC Gamer
PC Gamer
PC Gamer is a magazine founded in Britain in 1993 devoted to PC gaming and published monthly by Future Publishing. The magazine has several regional editions, with the UK and US editions becoming the best selling PC games magazines in their respective countries...
. The mod development was finished at version 5.0, as only a semi-conversion; large chunks of Star Wars content remained. Development then focused on a follow-up project, which was set to be a larger, total conversion mod. The mod is set to be completed under a new name, Battlestar Galactica: At War. This uses the same concept for the game, and is set to totally convert Star Wars: Empire at War into Battlestar Galactica.
Other
There are also Battlestar Galactica fan modifications of the games Battlefield 1942Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 is a 3D World War II first-person shooter computer game developed by Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh . The game can be played in singleplayer mode against the computer game AI or in multiplayer mode...
, Homeworld
Homeworld
Homeworld is a real-time strategy computer game released on September 28, 1999, developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sierra Entertainment. It was the first fully three-dimensional RTS. In 2003, Relic released the source code for Homeworld...
, Star Trek: Armada II
Star Trek: Armada II
Star Trek: Armada II is a real time strategy computer game published by Activision in 2001, based upon the Star Trek universe. The game was developed by Mad Doc Software. It is the sequel to Star Trek: Armada. Star Trek: Armada II was released by Activision a year after they acquired the full...
, Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Star Trek: Bridge Commander
Star Trek: Bridge Commander is a space combat simulation game for the PC, published by Activision and Totally Games in 2002, based in the Star Trek universe....
, GTA: San Andreas, Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne
Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne is a real-time strategy computer game developed for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS and Mac OS X by Blizzard Entertainment. It is the official expansion pack to Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos, requiring Reign of Chaos to play...
, and X3: Reunion, as well as add-ons for the land and space simulator Orbiter.
External links
- Battlestar Galactica Online Free-to-play MMO
- Battlestar Galactica Space Alert at the Battlestar Wiki
- Official site for the 2007 game
- http://www.bsg-galactica.com/ A fan based Modification for the game Freelancer, based on the old and new series.
- http://www.beyondtheredline.net Website of Beyond the Red Line total conversion for Freespace 2.