Howdy, Stranger!
It looks like you're new here. If you want to get involved, click one of these buttons!
Quick Links
Seed: Hands-On Preview
Dana
Member Posts: 2,415
SEED: The Human Condition is due for online release on May 2nd, 2006. Recently, Staff Writer Garrett Fuller spent a lot of time in their world and filed this hands-on preview of the game. Check back after launch for a complete review.
;) Seed: The Human Condition is set for release in May. I was lucky enough to get a preview of the game and spend some time running around in Da Vinci to get a feel for the environment. Seed is a very different MMO indeed. There is no hack and slash speed style like Warcraft. There is no long level grinding like Everquest. Seed is a science fiction game that allows players to work together, hold elections, explore, engineer, and most of all solve the problems of living in a very rough environment. The game functions on many different intellectual levels. The most striking feature of Seed is the game makes you think and work towards a better community.
The game is set in an off world colony. A ship has crash landed into a hostile planet and sustained some damages. The ships computer Tau has woken up the crew to make repairs and maintain the stable environment. Players who are part of the Da Vinci colony need to begin their journey by boosting skill sets to help repair and maintain parts of the tower (or ship). Not only do players have the chance to simply fix things, they also have the ability to develop blue prints, build new systems, and begin exploring the planet for the possibility to terra form the surface making it livable for colony members. The story of the colony and the efforts made to keep Da Vinci stable will be the central part of the game. Developers have stated that the game content will be player driven. If you want to build a better life support system, work out the blue prints and begin the process. |
To read the full preview, click here.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Comments
Then those same people turn around and look at Seed and say "No combat? How boring".
But what they dont understand is that a game like this is drawn in a fundamentally different direction than your hack and slash games.
Hack and slash is only concerned with making the combat more action packed and adding more superficial content (new mobs to kill, new loot, etc) that centers around that combat system.
Games like Seed have only one way to grow: in depth and unique content.
I appreciate this write-up, as I was considering applying for the beta, but didn't do any homework. After reading Garrett's review though, I just don't see the appeal. This sounds like an MMO version of the Sims, City Life, or even Spore, and admittedly, I don't see the appeal of those games either.
So kudos MMORPG, as now my beta spot won't be wasted, and can go to someone who would actually enjoy it.
I'm excited about this game however. I've always hated those kill x of y quests that plague other MMOs. I do like raids and exploring new places though. But mostly I liked social interaction, crafting, housing or other pastimes because they had a potential for more depth.
The combat in MMOs is usually the same throughout the game, just different mobs and additional skills as you progress. So I was kinda looking forward to Vanguard, but Seed will absolutely be on my computer! Open beta april 24th too!
Well, I am certainly going to try this game.
The whole political aspect sounds great. In most games that have processes akin to voting and electing of representatives or leaders, it's usually just for positions such as guild leaders or town mayors (as in SWG), or to progress along a specific skill tree (like in A Tale in the Desert 2). So the power you gain in those games is fairly minimal and somewhat insignificant in the grand picture of the game. In other words, if u win the election, maybe u can set the new guild fees, or setup player events, coordinate meetings etc, but u don't literally trace a new path for the game itself.
But this, from what it says, once elected, your ring will decide and alter the course of the entire game. I can only imagine what it must be like to be a ring in power, and to consider what is best for the whole game community with every decision, while risking to get voted out at the end of the week. It's a bold new game concept, and I sure hope it'll work.
-virtual tourist
want your game back?
Runestone need to make more of a deal that SEED will be free to download (and to try for 14 days). AFAIK there is no boxed version. So it is kind of like the Guild Wars model in reverse, the game will be free but you pay monthly fees.
No annoying animated GIF here!
Hi All,
Glad you are enjoying the preview. I will say this, the game certainly appeals to a type of video game player. If you are an action oriented player who likes to run around and hack mobs apart or blow stuff up, this is not the game for you. If you really want to put effort into solving problems and creating an intense political environment then SEED may just be what you are looking for. There is definitely a huge technical side to this game for all the sci-fi techies out there.
Any questions feel free to ask
Garrett "Shags" Fuller
They are planning to charge $15 US (13 EU) per month after the free trial.
OPEN BETA STARTS SOON
www.seedthegame.com
I'm planning to check it out. Seed is an interesting change from the usual hack and slay.
While I'm a fan of action packed shooters (just installed Day Of Defeat: Source
the setting and story realy are interesting, but when it goes public like the beta version its gonna be a stillbirth.
I like the fact that Seed is trying something other than yet another conventional fantasy combat game. For that reason alone (I have others) I want it to succeed. But there are a couple of points that potential players should consider.
First, although Seed doesn't feature combat, that does not mean it isn't going to be a very competitive game.
The description of "rings" (which are basically guilds), and the fact that rings will control access to limited community resources that players will require in order to accomplish goals, means that the political wheeling and dealing in Seed is likely to be severe. If you're not both socially outgoing and intensely competitive, you may find that Seed pretty exhausting.
Second, the last time I checked the Seed website, the decision had been made not to implement the research minigame at launch. So although it's scheduled to be a part of the game, technically-minded gamers hoping for a game that lets them research new technologies will not find that capability in Seed. There are other technology-oriented features; just not research -- at least, not yet.
That said, Seed sounds like it has a lot going for it. I hope the beta goes well.
--Flatfingers
Just because SEED doesn't have a combat system from day one doesn't mean they can't or won't add it later. After all, it is an unexplored planet.
I was going to try the game, because I'm tired (once again) of World of Warcraft, and Galaxies will never again return to its past glory. However, considering SEED is admittedly incomplete when it goes live, I'm having second thoughts now. It might be better to let others deal with the "beta" state of the live game, and then check it out after it's had a couple of patches.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
As ye SOE, so shall ye weep.
--------------------------------
Currently Playing: Guild Wars 2 and Path of Exile
Quit: Eden Eternal, Wakfu, DDO, STO, DCUO, Sword 2, Atlantica Online, LOTRO, SWTOR, RIFT, Earthrise, FFXIV, RoM, Allods Online, GA,WAR,CO,V:SoH,POTBS,TR,COH/COV, WOW, DDO,AL, EQ, Eve, L2, AA, Mx0, SWG, SoR, AO, RFO, DAoC, and others.
www.twitter.com/mlwhitt
www.michaelwhitt.com
I think they are basically to the point where they either have to release or start thinking about closing up shop. I don't expect the game to feel finished by the time is goes live based on my experience in open beta. However, there is no box to buy, they offer a 14 day free trial, and are offering first 2 months for the price of 1. So the price also reflects the level of completion of the product. The first 75 days of play will cost $15 and you don't have to decide if you want to pay until 14 days into that time frame.
The open beta has had a ridiculous number of crashes and other problems. However, they have made significant progress. The open beta is basically functioning as a stress test. The other features of the game are not getting exercised that much in open beta due to the server and client instability. The main question is whether they can make enough progress to have a functioning if incomplete game at launch or within the 14 day free trial period. I'm hoping they can, but only time will tell.
Just walking around and klich the Use Wrench/screwdriver button.
Its like Working,not playing.
However, I want to note, this was a preview and in a preview a month before launch, a game sometimes gets the benefit of the doubt as far as incompleteness goes. They get no such benefit of the doubt in a review. I have no idea how it will be scored in the end, but the preview looks largely at potential.
Dana Massey
Formerly of MMORPG.com
Currently Lead Designer for Bit Trap Studios
Server crashes are still prevalent. Some people have tons of client crashes, many to the point that they can barely login or play (myself included). The crashes aren't due to outdated hardware either, they are mostly just random. Some machines it's ok on and others it can't run. I'm still getting NULL pointer reads from the client. The client doesn't even notice if it loses connection to the server, although you can tell because everything freezes and it eventually crashes.
From what I've been able to see, the gameplay design is of dubious quality. I've had trouble evaluating to all the crashes. The main parts of the game play are:
- Repairs: Hatches randomly break with 1-3 problems out of 5 possible breakage types (bio, mechanical, electronic, electrical, structural). The damage is represented as a bar. You use the appropriate tool for the damage type, wait a bit, and that damage will be repaired. Once you finish a repair you get access points (AP). Repairs currently have no effect on anything. It's not that different from mob pops with click-to-kill combat and only 1 drop type. There are a few tradeoff abilities that let you trade off one thing (like repair time) versus another (like repair quality). Many of the things that you can trade off on aren't implemented yet. The ones you can are repair time, tool stress, and inspiration drop rate. Inspiration drops are like a one time little skill training boost.
- Production: Gather some materials and a blueprint and find a factory with the appropriate functions. You need the appropriate skill and enough AP and then you just click to make it. There are 3 basic materials which you buy with AP from a sharepoint. The basic materials are stocked by the game. Blueprints also come from the game for now. For most useful items there is a whole tree of intermediate items you need to make. Overall, it's like a lot of other crafting systems except that you need an appropriate factory. There are already problems with resource hogging. There is an AP cost for basic materials but it is fairly low and otherwise is a first-to-click system. We are mostly stuck with whatever factories the game decided to default to since we can't admin yet. There are 3 hardpoints that are player controlled due to GM intervention where they basically just gave control to a RP ring (guild).
- Administration: Not available during free trial period. Colonists vote weekly on people to administrate hard points (places factories can be put). There are administrative skills that are needed to mount things. Basically, you select which factories and functions to mount on your hard point(s). Can't really comment further since trial characters can't participate and everyone is still on free trial.
- Research: Planned but not yet implemented. This is supposed to allow you to create blueprints.
- Roleplay: This game attracts a heavy RP element. I've seen people post that they had fun sitting in one place RPing for 6 hours at a time. To me this seems like a glorified chat room.
Claim = what they have now
- interactive stories = npc stories that allow for /yes, /no imput. NPCs that sometimes race off fast enough that many people are unable to follow them.
- dynamic dialogue "communicate with both players and NPCs, using emotes and nuggets" = chat with players, enter emotes through text commands, NPCs respond to some emotes (mostly /whatsup, /yes, and /no). I haven't interacted a whole lot with the NPCs yet. The NPCs weren't even in game at launch though.
- believable NPCs "The advanced AI gives each NPC its own personality, motivations and goals." = not enough information to evaluate, the NPCs do have states of mind like "determined" and such that you can see when you target them
- "player actions decide in which direction the game evolves" = so far it looks like a statement that was closer to the truth is "player actions influence GMs when they decide which direction the game evolves"
- personalized characters "Create a unique character by fine-tuning appearence and initial skills." = select 1 of 5 hair types, sex, 1 of 3 build types, 1 of ~6 facial hair/<something else for female> settings, 1 of ~25 colors for head hair, facial har, clothing color. Skills are not selected at all during character creation. The skill tree is wide and shallow (6 levels). From what I know about EVE it sounds very similiar. There are four main areas with a number of subtrees.
- flexible skill system = flexible skill system
- 3D comic book style graphics = 3D comic book style graphics
- administration = see above, in game but not available during free trial unless blessed by GMs
- crafting = see above about production
- politics "Use the colony democratic system to put your ideas into action." = in game, but not available during free trial
- projects "Co-operate to complete large scale work projects." = so far seems to be centered around producing items, the production trees for items are pretty large
- repairs = see above
- research "
Identify and cure diseases, and find more effective use for the ressources" = not implemented yet (they say it is partially implemented).
- rings = guilds
- trading = barter (AP are not tradeable but you can buy/sell for AP via the central computer)
I think the game has potential, but it also has a long way to go. At the moment, whether it is playable or not depends randomly on what hardware you have, i.e. a fast machine guarantees nothing. The gameplay I've seen so far has a very different skin on it, but many of the elements are familiar.