Firefly: the video game?

Well, first, we have no evidence that *any* ships except Alliance gunships and possibly cruisers are armed, even the Reavers seemed to have no weapons other than the magnetic grapple, at least none that appeared onscreen. Fact is, that the Alliance would strictly forbid ship weapons, because of the lack of shielding on the ships... just hull and vaccum. I mean, come on, these are the same people who get pissed if you don't have registration markings on the bow. And also, it's not as easy as one would think to mount a .50cal to a spaceship... I know that they have a genius mechanic and a weapons expert(several, actually) aboard, but if the weapon is not designed to work in vacuum then it would most likely not work... and if you tried to mount it inside the hull, firing outside, you'd need to cut new openings... not an easy or cheap modification... after all, it has to be airtight...

Oh, my GOD! Who's flying this thing! Oh, right, that would be me...

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Quote:

---

t's not as easy as one would think to mount a .50cal to a spaceship... I know that they have a genius mechanic and a weapons expert(several, actually) aboard, but if the weapon is not designed to work in vacuum then it would most likely not work... and if you tried to mount it inside the hull, firing outside, you'd need to cut new openings... not an easy or cheap modification... after all, it has to be airtight...

---

I'd think that Mal and Zoe would know several people who know how to add weaponery to a transport ship. They could probably rig some sort of launcher that could be run out of the front fourier (where Jayne blasted the space net from.

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

True, but since such a rig would probably be illeagal, concealing it from Alliance sweeps and patrols would be difficult. And considering that an illeagal salvage will get your ship impounded, the penalty for restricted weapons would be high.
Most likely simply not worth the cost, effort and risk, IMHO, anyway.

Oh, my GOD! Who's flying this thing! Oh, right that would be me...

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

You're right, it's possible just not necessarily worth it. I wonder if they would have an episode where they find it necesary inspite of the risk. Say they have to go deep into Rever territory or something like that.

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Well, you're right, I'd love to see an intense Firefly-style space combat sequence... i.e. no sound, realistic maneuvering, etc. Hmm, perhaps in the movie *hint hint*.

Oh, my GOD! Who's flying this thing! Oh, right that would be me...

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Personally, I love the fact that Serenity isn't armed with weapons. It doesn't make sense that she would be. We are, after all, talking about a civilian transport ship. Mounting a weapon on her makes as much sense as mounting a weapon on a present-day 18-wheeler. Both are used for hauling civilian goods from one point to another and both are potentially subject to piracy and theft, but we don't go sporting machine gun turrets in 18-wheelers, so why should we strap a laser cannon on a Firefly-class transport ship?

Even though the premise of Firefly has humanity reverting back to "Old West" tendencies, I don't believe that the territories are as lawless as is the time period in which they mimic. I consider the Alliance's efficiency to police itself is on par with most industrialized nations today. And most traders and business men of today do not require the use of vehicle mounted weapons to protect the delivery of their cargo. (I just got a mental image of a UPS truck with rocket pods bolted on the hood.)

I'm not exactly sure how civilian commerce in the future got so bloody in science fiction, but it certainly seems to have become a staple of the genre. However, by not equipping the Serenity with weapons Joss was able to weave a more believable (and to me, enjoyable) experience with the series, as well as provide unique challenges for the crew to overcome.

Since this thread is actually about creating a Firefly-themed computer game, I'll bring the thread back on topic with my own thoughts:

If I were to create a Firely computer game, I'd have the core gameplay revolve around keeping the Serenity and her crew flying. This means seeking out paying jobs, staying one step ahead of all the unsavory types intent on stealing the cargo (and perhaps the Feds if the cargo is illegal), and getting paid at the end of the day. The jobs could come from legitimate sources or from the black market and would range from cargo hauling to scavenging derelict ships. Pirate attacks would still be a possibility but instead of blasting the enemy ships with laser cannons, the crew would have to repel their boarding attempts through good old-fashioned gun fights from *inside* the Serenity. Avoiding the long arm of the law could also be in the best interest of the player, particularly when carrying ill-gotten Alliance-imprinted cargo. And of course, once the player has reached their destination and delivered the goods, they might find that actually getting paid is not as straightforward a captain might hope.

So the challenge would be acquiring and maintaining enough money to keep Serenity in the air with enough credits left over to pay the crew (wouldn't want to skimp on Jayne's payment, now would we?). And along the way, the player would attempt to keep Simon and River out of Alliance hands, find out who Book really is and what Inara is running from, and encounter many colorful personalities (some friendly, some not-so-much) during their travels.

Anyway, that's the kind of computer game I'd like to see. Either that, or a game with 18-wheelers sporting giant machine guns and rocket-firing UPS trucks.

-tRR

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

There's actually a video game like that-- It's called "Big Mutha Truckers".

Anyway, anyone here played Freelancer? Very cool space combat game that has interludes between fights where you look for your next job... there's a roleplaying aspect to it as you can build a rapport with various factions (government, pirates, etc.) and go around to bars looking for info. The FF game should be like that, but with FPS segments rather than space combat.

Early: You ever been raped, Kaylee?
Kaylee: You know, it's funny you should mention that... ever heard of the Fox network?

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME