Under Siege is an upcoming real time strategy game, currently being developed by Portugal-based developer Seed Studios. The forthcoming PlayStation Network exclusive includes a single player campaign, competitive and cooperative multiplayer maps as well as a powerful editor. Under Siege will also be one of the first RTS games to utilize the PlayStation Move. For a deeper insight on the game and the PS Move PlayStation LifeStyle chatted to Seed Studios.
How does it feel to have developed the first RTS title to really implement Move controls?
It’s a big challenge for us, we are obviously excited and curious to see how the community is going to play Under Siege. We do believe that this is one way for the future regarding RTS games so it feels pretty good to know that we were one of the first developers embracing the Move.
Many people have wanted a more streamlined approach to control armies in RTSs, even wishing they could use their hands. Do you feel like the move controls implemented will offer a significantly different experience/an upgrade from traditional mouse and keyboard?
Definitely! We found out that using the Move controls in Under Siege turns it into a more intuitive game, very easy to play which also allows some of that flexibility and speed that the mouse usually provides.
What drew you to the PlayStation Network?
We wanted to offer the gaming industry an RTS with exceptional quality and at affordable price and we knew that there was a gap in the marketplace regarding RTS for this platform. We also took in consideration the fact that we believe that the future of gaming will unconditionally pass through this type of distribution.
How does it feel to know that you are directly responsible for whether move controls will be viewed as a success for RTS in the future?
Well, if in one hand we feel proud that we are one of the first developers going through this route, on the other hand it’s a lot of pressure because we know that first experiences are crucial for gamers. If a player doesn’t like to play in a certain way for the first time, it impacts negatively the future willingness to play it again the same way. But we truly believe that this will actually be a factor that will play on our side because the advantages of playing an RTS with Move are obvious as soon as you try it.
Now that you’ve developed and experimented with the Move in mind, do you think Sony’s upcoming motion controller is the future of gaming?
We believe so, for certain types of games, and that is exactly one of the factors that weighted a lot on the decision to postpone the launch of Under Siege. We found Move such an important step forward for console RTSs that we couldn’t miss the opportunity to develop one of the first.
How deep can players go customization-wise?
Keeping in mind that we built the Editor first and then the game on top of it, players can do everything we did for the main campaign or the multiplayer levels, in fact, they can do even more since we did not use everything we have in there. One good example is the possibility of creating any type of multiplayer map you want. You want an RTS Team Deathmatch? Or maybe a CTF with 2 players against the A.I.? Maybe a Survival Co-Op for 4?
Under Siege has been in development for over 2 years. What areas were really focused on perfecting, adding details, and adding depth?
First we spent a lot of time making sure the Editor is user friendly, second we also spent a lot of time tweaking all units and every map in the campaign. There were a lot of revisions of single and multiplayer maps, lots of things were sent to the trash and remade from scratch whenever we were not happy with it. The interface for the game was also reviewed and changed a lot of times since we wanted to get it perfect, and since this is a totally different approach to how you control an RTS on a console, only with trial and error you get to a stage where you know it works.
Are there any plans to release DLC after the game’s release?
Since the user can create its own maps there will already be a lot of content out there for download, so in the beginning at least we can just have fun and join in with the community on that. As for new content we will wait and see what the players want to see more of and then we decide.
Can you give us any insight on the game’s pricing?
We have not decided yet our price point because of various reasons but we are looking at a price within the range 10-20 euro. We believe that price is going to be an important contributor to Under Siege success because we are going to offer an innovative concept of game, with several unique features and exceptional graphic quality, but having in consideration the reality of the community which is inevitably feeling the pinch of the economical crisis. Having that in mind we do not want to overcharge any of our fans and we will not choose a price that will exceed gamers´ budget
Finally, when is the game expected to hit PSN?
Due to several external factors we can not give a precise release date. We are still “polishing” some areas and we are going on the next weeks for tests. If you want to give out a date, Fall 2010 is a good start 🙂
PlayStation LifeStyle would like to thank Pedro Flores Marketing Manager, Seed Studios, for taking the time to organize this interview and we’d also like to thank the entire Seed Studios team for taking the time to answer our questions. For more interviews, reviews and news, stay tuned to PlayStation LifeStyle.
