Interviews: Seed Studios - Under Siege

We've been keeping a close eye on Seed Studio's fantasy real-time strategy Under Siege but things have been a little quiet over the past month as the team puts the finishing touches to the title. We fired off some questions to the Portuguese developer to find out more about its intriguing PlayStation Network release.

Movemodo: Firstly, please introduce yourself and your role on Under Siege.
Filipe Pina: Hi there. My name is Filipe Pina and I am Producer on Under Siege.

Movemodo: What other games did Seed Studios produce before working on Under Siege?
FP: We did lots of small things, small games and software during the last decade. Since we founded Seed we made three Nintendo DS games, and our last published title was Toy Shop Tycoon for the Nintendo DS.

Movemodo: Under Siege is a fantasy-styled RTS – what games and artwork provided the game’s inspiration?
FP: We are big RTS fans, we played in our offices lots of multiplayer battles of Rise of Legends, Command & Conquer Generals, Company of Heroes and lately some Starcraft 2 as well. As for artwork we tried to deviate from the classic realistic style and go for a more cartoony feel for all characters; the bright colours and strong silhouettes pop up very well against the background.

Movemodo: The game also features a full single-player campaign mode. What’s the story that drives this part of the game?
FP: The player follows the story of Erik, Kari and Asgeir. Together with a group of soldiers they must find out what has triggered the sudden appearance of this massive invasion of enemies who destroy everything in their path. During their quest they meet other races with whom they form alliances.

Movemodo: The customisable aspects of Under Siege are very unique. What kinds of customisation can take place in the game (levels, units etc.)?
FP: Under Siege brings with it an Editor. This Editor is the same one we used to build the campaign and multiplayer levels present in the game. Just like LittleBigPlanet, everything that happens in the game can be made by the player, so the player can access everything and build his own levels with his own story. He can decide if the level is single-player, multiplayer (co-op or competitive), he can create his own cutscenes, trigger his own events and more. He can create his own Single-player Campaign if he wants to!

Movemodo: What kind of sharing capabilities will the game feature for customised items?
FP: The game has a built-in browser that allows the player to upload to our servers his levels. With the same browser everyone who bought Under Siege can download them. If someone created a lobby with a custom-made ,ultiplayer map the game will automatically download it for all players.

Movemodo: Real-time strategy games seem a natural fit for Move. Was it easy to incorporate the controller into the game?
FP: Yes! (Smiles)

Movemodo: Was Move support planned from the start or did it slot into place during development?
FP: The Move prototype was made available to us by Sony during production last year, so we had a year’s headstart to implement the Move correctly and fine tune it to perfection.

Movemodo: Please tell us a little more about the game’s co-operative survival mode.
FP: There are co-operative maps included in the game but not a Survival Mode. The player can create a Survival Mode if he wants too, the Editor tools allow to do something like that. We have more multiplayer maps with up to 4 players that are a showcase of what can be created.

Movemodo: The game is also playable with Dualshock 3 of course – what enhancements does Move bring to the game?
FP: It is quicker to point and click to choose your units. Other than that all buttons are the same. It is important to note that you need to play with a Move and a DualShock or Nav. Controller.

Movemodo: Can Dualshock 3 and Move players compete against each other online, or does everyone need the same controller?
FP: You can mix and match as you want.

Movemodo: What kinds of future download content can players expect to see?
FP: For now all new levels and maps made by the community and us will be available in-game directly for everyone. After the game is launched we will check out what players like the most in the game and future updates will be based on players' requests.

Movemodo: When do you expect Under Siege to be available in the PlayStation Store?
FP: November is our current release window.

Movemodo: Is there anything else you’d like to tell our readers who are waiting for Under Siege?
FP: The Editor is quite simple to use if the player wants to just have fun and create something, but at the same time it is complex enough to allow the creation of really complex game mechanics. We look forward to seeing everyone's creations online.

As well as keeping up with the latest developments on the title here, you can head over to the official Under Siege website and give the game a thumbs-up at its Facebook page.

Thanks to Filipe Pina for his time.