After a small break, Community Questions is back for 2019...and back with a banger! Shout out goes to the Seed community over on Discord for asking us super inspiring and enthusiastic questions about the project. There was a lot of go through, so we mainly focused on topics that had not been covered before. Check it out!





[AF] ProblematicMan: Will Seedlings be able to go on vacation to other colonies? Will we be able to build our colony specifically as a tourist destination and have its economy focused on visitors?





Mundi: "So funnily enough, we have talked about this during our brainstorming sessions about colony diversity. We want a lot of different ways in which colonies can focus on various industries. The tourism industry is definitely one of the things that came up, and we would love if that became a possibility. We haven't really taken the time to think through how that would work, so it's not on the current roadmap, but hopefully one day we'll get there; there's so much other stuff to cover first."





[AF] Lênon Kramer: Will Seedlings die and also give birth?





M: "Yeah, Seedlings will die and also be able to reproduce. We haven't entirely nailed it as of yet. But it will most likely be through intercourse or other scientific methods. Then, sometime later, a baby is born. Then it becomes a toddler, then into a child, then becomes a teen and from here, becomes a controllable character. The Sims is an excellent example of the kind of mechanic that we've looked at, but we're still working on this feature."





Lionbreaker08: Will there be any genetic mutations to make Seedlings better or even worse?





M: "We won't be working on genetics and DNA for some time, so we can't confirm or deny anything. But, we do have a lot of thoughts on this as its an obvious thing to approach, given as the game takes place in the future, especially as there's currently a lot of talk around CRISPR and genetic mutations and manipulations."





AllAmerican: How dynamic, extensive, and expansive would wars be? Could there be simple feuds between seedlings? Could those feuds expand into wars between different factions?





M: "We're thinking both on the micro and macro levels. From small, day-to-day disputes to larger scale wars. Two of the three founders of Klang were working on EVE Online, where you had some of the biggest conflicts in gaming history; that is definitely what we're inspired by. This mechanic will take some time to develop, but we do aim to create something big."





AllAmerican: Could there be terrorism/terroristic elements in the game?

M: "Absolutely. That's an easy one to answer as it is a sandbox, where players are pretty much free to do whatever they want. There could be various scenarios that arise where colonies must try to find ways to counteract terrorism. Personally, I think communities will be thinking about that early on and aiming to prevent acts of terror, with 'terror' being a very broad term. Then eventually, creating laws around that."





Lionbreaker08: Will every building look the same, or will there be random, small changes to a make buildings look slightly different?





M: "We're working on the building system now, which is shaping up to be very customizable. It's not only just details on a building but the entire structure of the building. A player will be able to create whatever comes to mind. You can color the facade, choose the ceiling height, place doors, windows, rooms inside, all of that goodness. We're aiming to do something amazing with this. We want colonies to look unique and have their own identity created by the players. We want to see huge cities and the building system players a broader role in that."





Batwomen: Is it possible for your artists to write about what they are doing, their design process, etc., show concept art and how the final assets are created? The screenshots I have seen so far look amazing and I think it would be fascinating to get to know more!





M: "That's a great idea! For sure, I'll pass the request on!"





[AF] Lênon Kramer: Will there be possibility of underground construction (like in Dwarf Fortress)?





M: "We're exploring the possibility, but this sadly won't happen anytime soon."





[AF] ProblematicMan: Will there be weather systems?





M: "I think it's pretty important to have weather systems; we'll have seasons. It's a very complicated thing to do and will take a lot of time to get right, but we need to get the core mechanics down first. So, I can't confirm how in-depth they'll be at the moment."





[Laputa] Qworst: Would it be possible to send our Seedlings to other cities and let them sleep there, adapt to the local environment, and maybe become diplomats?





M: "This is a tricky one because this would involve the government tool, which is a very deep and complex system. One of the scenarios that we have talked about is allowing players to move to another completely new community and take all of their Seedlings with them, but a player cannot be a part of multiple governments. So this is one of the things that we're still debating.





However, Seedlings will be able to travel around freely, and they should, therefore, be able to go to other communities and be able to rest there. I think communities will eventually form big alliances or networks, allowing for Seedlings to freely travel around."





[AF] Sendall: How do you intend players to play Seed? A few short sessions over the course of the day or in more extended, binge-like sessions?





M: "It's designed so that both are possible. We want to be able to cater to an audience that isn't required to play at all hours of the day. But, those players that do want to play for longer sessions will become those who end up running companies or governments. We want each and every session to be a juicy experience, no matter the duration."





[AF] ProblematicMan: Will we be able to have spies to get information about other nations?





M: "I'm really keen on gameplay surrounding Seedling espionage and hacking. I think that's going to be cool! Unfortunately, it's just too early to give out much more info."





[AF] Czarhollow: If the player is somehow unable to play the game, what will happen to their Seedlings?





M: "If a player has set up an efficient routine, then their Seedlings will survive on their own for a long time. But eventually, their lives will go 'off the rails'. They might lose their jobs because no one is taking care of their mental health or well-being. They might not have enough food, and they might try to steal, they might lose their shelter and become homeless. So the idea is that a community would try to prevent these events from happening, and that's where player-to-player collaboration comes in."





[Laputa] Qworst: Will we be able to customize colors for our Seedlings? Maybe like having specific clothing sets for politicians, researchers, etc.?





M: "That would be entirely up to the players. We'll have a way for players to put their Seedlings into some kind of uniform. That will also help organize the society and help to identify specific roles within the community."





[AF] Dylan75015: Can we create an organization like the United Nations?





M: "I think there are a lot of ways to do that through the metagame, but we won't necessarily create mechanics for that from the get-go. We'll try to support this kind of meta initiative as best as we can, though!"





[AF] ProblematicMan: How is research going to work? Will it be in the form of a huge research tree?





M: “We're still very much in the process of designing this mechanic. We like how Rimworld approaches research, by having research as a specific role for a character. But, we're still looking into this design.”





Eapple: Do you guys at Klang ever see a question from here that actually made you consider adding it into the game?





M: "Yeah, I've seen lots of great questions that have sparked ideas. When something pops up on our blog, Discord or during the AMAs, that's super interesting, I try my best to comment on it. So keep them coming!"





Spotty: How will land ownership work?





M: "It's a very tricky one to answer as it’s still being designed. We don't want it to be too codified, but it's difficult to say right now."





[TNA]Wololo: Can you rent real estate from other players?





M: "We would really want that, for societies in Seed to be able to reflect those in real life. But, it does involve a lot of complicated design. Hopefully, we can answer that more detail in the near future."





[AF] Dylan75015: Do you think it will be possible to customize our military troops?





M: "Absolutely! Players would be able to select clothing, and I think you'd also have to then think about mass producing military outfits. We're more than likely gonna have some ability-based stats on military clothing too, so you don't end up wearing a snowsuit for a battle in a desert biome, for example. You'd also have to think about producing bigger backpacks, bulletproof or strengthened clothing, and armored suits. That kind of stuff."





A big thank you goes out to those who posed us questions! Is there something you want to ask us about Seed? Be sure to let us know in the comments below or join the Seed Discord server and post your questions there!