Defiance

While my hate for SyFy is long documented, I have to admit this sounds very interesting and kind of cool.

?Defying? online boundaries - The Daily

Interesting concept for sure.

My question would be on the continuity between the show/game. Using their example in the article, if the viral outbreak on the show occurs week 3 of the show, do the players have to solve it before week 4? If they don't are they permenantly behind? Having to play consistently to the level of solving things for 13 straight weeks is A LOT to ask of an audience.

cboath said:

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Interesting concept for sure.

My question would be on the continuity between the show/game. Using their example in the article, if the viral outbreak on the show occurs week 3 of the show, do the players have to solve it before week 4? If they don't are they permenantly behind? Having to play consistently to the level of solving things for 13 straight weeks is A LOT to ask of an audience.

Great question. I think it might run the risk of railroading players based on their arcing story lines (much like RPG's with metaplots......i.e. World of Darkness)

The Making of Defiance - YouTube
Youtube link to the same video shown in the article posted by Stansfield in the opening post.

Defiance - SF Series and Movies
Synopsis

Defiance could turn out to be a fantastic sci-fi show as long as they keep the story engaging and really match their production design to the cool concept art as shown in the video, including cool props like this one.

Well, I'm not a gamer so I'd be skipping that portion of things, but the TV show looks like it could be interesting. Thanks for posting the link.

Defiance Trailer - Coming to Syfy April 2013 - YouTube

Defiance Trailer: New In Town - YouTube
Trailer 1

Defiance: Worlds Away - YouTube
Trailer 2. Music reminiscent of Firefly

VBI Weapons - English - YouTube
The second weapon XS50 Grinder reminded me of the District 9 Assault Rifle weapon.

Defiance Game Live Action Trailer - Join the Fight! - YouTube
Live Action Trailer to the Defiance Game.

Defiance: Preacher - YouTube
Another trailer for Defiance with some new bits of footage.

I was playing the Defiance game beta but its a very very simple game and the graphics are pretty low quality too.

I'm still undecided after watching the trailer, but I'll be checking out the show anyway, and I hope it's good and actually lasts (yes, I'm looking at you SyFy!)
I'm not a gamer though, so I have no interest in the game.

I give Defiance 5 seasons at best and the series will end either on a clifflhanger or a one episode that will feel rushed because it was written and shot at the last minute when they actually find out they're being canceled even though they were promised one more season.

Went the Chicago Auto Show today and SyFy was there promoting the show. Obviously, since it is a car show, they had the Lawkeeper there which is a modified Dodge Charger and a few people in costume as Castithans and Irathient.

The person I talked to (the male Castithan) said the game will impact the show in some way but didn't get into specifics. Probably won't play the game (backlog is way too large) but will definitely check the show out when it debuts.

I started in on the beta for the game yesterday and found it far more enjoyable than I thought I would. I'm not a fan of shooters, generally, but I really enjoyed the dynamic of the game. I like the fact that it's an open world, that you have vehicles that you can ride with your teammates in, and the interesting world. You also encounter characters from the show and am very curious to see how they're going to pull off the way the game and the show influence one another.

Now, having gotten a taste of the world, I'm seriously looking forward to the show. This is the first time in a long while that I've actually been excited about a show on SyFy since BSG went off the air.

After seeing the make up challenge on Face Off, Im hoping the show does well. I'm actually getting pretty excited to see this one.

The show, IIRC, is from Rockne S. O'Bannon, the man who created "Alien Nation" and "Farscape." It's safe to say he knows what he's doing.

Riceball said:

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I give Defiance 5 seasons at best and the series will end either on a clifflhanger or a one episode that will feel rushed because it was written and shot at the last minute when they actually find out they're being canceled even though they were promised one more season.

CB2001 said:

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The show, IIRC, is from Rockne S. O'Bannon, the man who created "Alien Nation" and "Farscape." It's safe to say he knows what he's doing.

See above. Having a good showrunner is no guarantee that the network won't screw it up in predictable fashion.

CB2001 said:

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The show, IIRC, is from Rockne S. O'Bannon, the man who created "Alien Nation" and "Farscape." It's safe to say he knows what he's doing.

Not to mention a lot of crew and some writers from the BSG reboot.

firesprite said:

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Not to mention a lot of crew and some writers from the BSG reboot.

Hopefully they'll have learned from past history and have it all plotted out for 4 - 5 seasons with a series finale that can inserted in to the end of season 4 if needed. If Rockne is smart he'll do this and not end any season on a big cliffhanger no matter how good the series seems to be doing and no matter what they get promised by SyFy.

Riceball said:

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Hopefully they'll have learned from past history and have it all plotted out for 4 - 5 seasons with a series finale that can inserted in to the end of season 4 if needed. If Rockne is smart he'll do this and not end any season on a big cliffhanger no matter how good the series seems to be doing and no matter what they get promised by SyFy.

This. Personally, I've always appreciated how Joss Whedon structured Buffy. each season was an arc unto itself and, while it built on previous arcs, the story could end at the end of any of those seasons and still be satisfying instead of leaving you saying "But what about...?"

Solo4114 said:

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This. Personally, I've always appreciated how Joss Whedon structured Buffy. each season was an arc unto itself and, while it built on previous arcs, the story could end at the end of any of those seasons and still be satisfying instead of leaving you saying "But what about...?"

Yeah, Joss was very good at that. I think that all showrunners that create a
sci-fi type show should take that approach, esp., given how fickle some networks can be. They also need to work out how they plan for their show to end very early one and at least have the base plot worked so that if the show does end up ending early they can at least (theoretically) end it properly.

Exactly. Planning some huge overarching plot is ambitious and cool, but unless the network lays out all the cash up front for it, I wouldn't trust that they'll get to just keep going. Having a slight hook into next season is cool, but should only be done when the network has already given them the greenlight. And as we've seen with Sci-Fi/SyFy, sometimes even that isn't trustworthy...

I'm just tired of having horses shot out from under me, ya know? Plus, I actually think it helps them write more coherent, focused storylines, rather than getting into the kind of "painted into a corner" situations that Ronald D. Moore, the writers of LOST, and Chris Carter found themselves in, where they have this huge mythology and no decent way to end the damn thing.

Syfy has the first 14 minutes up on their website. I absolutely love what I'm seeing so far!

Watch the First 14 Minutes of Defiance! | Defiance | Syfy Video | Syfy

I feel like a heretic, but for some reason, the previews of this show hold absolutely zero appeal for me.

firesprite said:

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Syfy has the first 14 minutes up on their website. I absolutely love what I'm seeing so far!

Watch the First 14 Minutes of Defiance! | Defiance | Syfy Video | Syfy

I've watch this and been playing the game some, I like it so far.