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The setting for Seed is a stranded space colony. The colony was formed to become a base of operations for further colonization on other planets, but something went wrong and now the colonists are stuck on the planet, in the original tower. Quarters are very cramped and there is a lot of stress because there’s not enough room for everyone. You join Seed as a colonist looking to make your way in this world. You might become a technician in order to keep the tower’s systems running, or else you might learn how to use the production system to make things. You may choose to work cooperatively with other players, or you may try to forge your own path.

Roleplaying is strongly encouraged, and there are plenty of ways to succeed if you choose to roleplay. There is a big political element to the game, since the people who control production are elected by the colony. Therefore, you have to wheel and deal if you want to become a producer.

One of the interesting points for me is that there is no combat in Seed. You spend your time specializing in skills that you can use in some way in the colony, and you can further yourself by contesting others in a political manner, but there’s no physical combat. This is a way to stay focused on the interesting things you want to do rather than simply grinding through levels and hoarding loot.

The graphical style is another area of departure from the current norm of MMORPGS that have a more realistic portrayal of humans. Seed has a graphic novel style that is designed to fit in with the sci-fi theme, yet also allows for some imaginative things to happen. As Lars explained, if you have a look that simulates reality, it makes any departure from reality seem very jarring. However, if you’re already immersed in the fantasy world of a graphic novel, you don’t have to stick to reality all the time.

Since the game is designed for the serious roleplayer, traditionally a fraction of the MMORPG community, the developers don’t expect hundreds of thousands of players to join up. Instead, they are focused on maintaining a single game world for the user community and expanding as needed.

The direction of the colony really depends on where the user community wants to go, so the developers plan to add more content in the form of game modules when needed. Also, they are interested in developing the content that the community wants to see. For example, there is no hard currency in the game now. There are access points, which you can earn by doing things for people and in turn pay to others. However, if the community wants a currency system and advocates for it, then the developers say that they will accommodate it. Thus, the game will grow organically depending on the audience.

There is already a very active user forum with boards in English, French, and German. Community events are planned for the future as well. Something missing from the game right now is a tutorial, which the developers are working to add soon, but the forums are temporarily filling that need.

Seed launched on May 2, and while there were some problems at launch (aren’t there always?), Alex reported that things are running pretty smoothly now. There’s a 14-day free trial going on right now, and if you decide to sign up you can get two months for the price of one. I plan to check it out, because I like the backstory, the roleplay focus, and the possibility of interesting new content in the future. If you want to do something in an MMORPG other than swing a sword and the sci-fi setting appeals to you, you should check it out too.