In this comprehensive interview with Bigpoint Games CTO Jan Wergin, we ask all the Battlestar Galactica Online questions that we didn't have time to cover at E3

ZAM: The majority of the TV series took place on Galactica and other ships in the fleet, with the exception of New Caprica and a few other pit-stops, like Kobol and the "algae planet." How do you develop an MMO based on these surviving humans, who are always on-the-run? Will the MMO be "locked" within a small section of the TV story, or will it keep evolving and follow the events of the show?

Wergin: To develop a faithful MMO based on the Battlestar Galactica TV series, Bigpoint must capture the tension and drama that comes from the Fleet struggling to survive and/or the Cylon's needs to destroy the only living threat to their existence. The PVE quest and PVP battles will always be fueled by this tension and the idea that your survival relies on resources, collaboration and combat skill. We will be sharing more about the storyline at a later date, but I can say that it will always be evolving within the limits of what Syfy and Moore approve and based on what the fan's demand. Our browser-based technology allows us to stream in new content including new story-based quests and activities without the player even knowing, so the passage of time that could not be reflected in a TV show is accurately represented as a player experience.

ZAM: The teaser trailer released before E3 implied that players will be able to choose between two factions; the humans and Cylon… Will the MMO feature independent, equal PVE content and stories for each faction?

Wergin: Yes, both Cylon and Human factions will feature PVE soloable, group and raid quests that will require strategy, skill and a little bit of luck. PVE combat is also a big threat as players need to look over their shoulders at every turn.

ZAM: What can you tell us about PvP gameplay in BSG Online? Is it a PvP-driven MMO, or would you describe it as featuring an equal amount of PvE and PvP content?

Wergin: The game is a solid balance of PVE and PVP combat that will keep players engaged in the meta-storyline and the motivation to find Earth or destroy the last of the humans.

ZAM: Will the MMO actually feature PvE or PvP gameplay in "avatar mode," or is it just a social aspect of the game?

Wergin: Unfortunately we can't reveal everything at this time as we are still several months away from launch this winter. Like I mentioned above, most of the action that is currently in development will be space-based combat, but there will be an out-of-ship experience that we will be announcing at a later date. All that we can confirm right now is that players will have a fully customizable avatar and there will be a portion of the game for those avatars.

ZAM: Will players have the ability to engage in large-scale battles, featuring big ships like the Battlestar or Cylon Base Stars?

Wergin: We showed the Galactica in our E3 demo and featured a large scale battle in our trailer, so we better have it in the game! We are excited to show off more actual gameplay very soon that features some of these larger scale battles between convoys and raids. I think gamers are going to love gathering their "guilds" and raiding large convoys. Stay tuned for more info.

ZAM: What about controlling larger ships in some capacity, such as defending the Battlestar by firing gun batteries and missile salvos at incoming Cylon Raiders?

Wergin: We'll be sharing more info at a later date. 

ZAM: As a free-to-play MMO, what types of items and/or content will drive the micro-transaction revenue model?

Wergin: Bigpoint has a lot of experience with this business model and understands the balance between their larger constituency of non-paying gamers and gamers who like to buy virtual items because they don't have as much time to play and grind resources or loot. Anything that you can buy in the game will be achievable in the game for free. We haven't announced the exact items that will be for sale and are still developing them, but if you look at any of our popular Bigpoint MMOs on our portal (www.bigpoint.com) you can see the types of items that we usually offer for sale. No item is designed to be a game-changer, but it does offer players an opportunity to save some time or upgrade quickly before a big campaign.

ZAM: Finally and most importantly, will we be seeing "Six" [Tricia Helfer] in that famous red dress?

Wergin: Helfer is an amazing actress and created such a powerful character on the show. We will be making more announcements regarding talent during Comic Con in San Diego.

ZAM: Thanks for all the answers, Jan. We're looking forward to learning more later this summer!