Battlestar Galactica is the gripping saga of humanity's last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including three Emmy® Awards and the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award. The show was recognized by the American Film Institute (AFI) as one of the most outstanding programs of the year two years running. The series was produced by Universal Cable Productions and executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. The outstanding ensemble cast was led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park.

Battlestar Galactica Online is the first game inspired by a blockbuster Hollywood franchise to be fully developed on Unity technology for MMOG audiences. This platform independent engine makes it possible to produce real-time 3D applications such as MMO games with exceptionally high quality graphics without having to download a client.

Players will be able to choose to play as cylons or humans in a constant struggle to control the universe or just survive its perils. A blend of tactical space combat, exploration, and mission-based gameplay will provide a diverse experience. The dramatic missions will define the game's overall storyline, enabling the player to delve into mysteries of the Battlestar universe. Battlestar Galactica Online will create a new standard for web games, with beautiful 3d graphics and innovative game mechanics bringing a new level of game play to browser based MMOG. Assets from the television production will be integrated into the game to deliver an even more authentic experience.

"Bigpoint's goal is to raise expectations on what can be achieved in a browser-based game," explains Heiko Hubertz, CEO and founder of Bigpoint . "Battlestar Galactica Online is the perfect license to help us elevate the consumer's understanding of this genre of gaming and reach gamers who have never tried a free-to-play game."

"Syfy's Battlestar Galactica TV series is a rich universe for Bigpoint to mold into an exciting MMOG experience," explains Jan Wergin, CTO of Bigpoint . "We've partnered with the creative forces behind the hit show to ensure the authenticity of our game design and identify story and character elements that Bigpoint can add to the Battlestar Galactica mythology."

Bigpoint is sharing more details about Battlestar Galactica Online's player customization, leveling and quest features based upon the hit TV series:

Player Avatar Customization, XP and Ranks:

Players in Battlestar Galactica Online take on the role of a pilot in their chosen faction's military - either a 'nugget' recently recruited from the human civilian fleet or a recently generated Cylon 'pilot mind'. From these humble beginnings, players can develop their character into a skilled and experienced officer capable of using the most advanced combat systems and commanding the largest and most powerful ships. Upon starting the game the player will be able to fully customize their avatar. This avatar will be used for the out of ship gameplay experience and in their respective faction's homebase.

A primary form of character progression in Battlestar Galactica Online is through the accumulation of experience points (XP). Characters earn XP by performing various in-game actions, and these XP are used to determine the character's rank and to train Skills. There will be 20 ranks available at launch for Battlestar Galactica Online.

Player Missions:

There are two types of missions in Battlestar Galactica Online - Story Missions and Assignments. Each faction has a series of Story Missions that introduce players to the game and gradually reveal their role in the struggle between Humans and Cylons. Characters will unlock access to story missions at specific ranks, and may accept them by talking to the military leader of their fleet. Story missions are designed to reveal to the player key plot points in the conflict, reward players with XP, resources and occasionally ship systems.

In addition, characters can receive daily Assignments by talking to important characters at their home fleets, or perform Duties. Assignments present the character with a specific task to complete, such as defeating a certain number of enemy players in combat or harvesting a certain amount of resources, and reward them with XP and resources. Duties are part of Battlestar Galactica Online's achievement system. Completed Duties will reward the player with XP rewards and titles. Each title has a small bonus associated with it, and characters may choose a single 'active' title from all those that they have unlocked.

Ship Classes and Customization:

Each faction in Battlestar Galactica Online has several playable ship classes, divided into three 'tiers' by size (small, medium and large) and role (Offensive, Defensive and Command). Each ship class has a specific number of slots for Ship Systems, which are items that grant ships abilities and bonuses when installed. There are four general categories of ship systems (Weapon, Hull, Engine and Computer) and three sizes (small, medium and large). In addition, most systems have several levels of increasing in power and effectiveness. Characters begin the game with a small ship, but by collecting enough resources can requisition additional ships, and by earning enough XP can qualify to command larger vessels. Eventually, a character can own several ships of different classes. By allocating XP, characters can train the skills required to use additional types and higher levels of ship systems, which can be requisitioned with resources. Battlestar Galactica Online is designed to promote flexibility and freedom of choice for its players and will not forced players into flying particular types or sizes of ship, but there will be advantages for certain types of ships depending on the quest and gameplay situation.

The different combinations of ship class and systems determine what a character can do in combat, and their skills determine how well they can do it, allowing for a huge variety of different playstyles and combat roles. Each standard ship can be upgraded into an elite version of its class. The upgraded versions of each ship class will have additional system slots, stronger and more durable hulls, and visual customization options.