Strange Seed - chronicle
Hi there! We’re a team of 3 indie devs — Chris (me), Jhulian and Felix — that believes the idea of creature evolution has never gotten the respect it deserves.
For me, the best game ever in the genre is E.V.O.: Search for Eden, an old SNES game. I highly recommend that everyone who enjoys classic games go play it. But the name that most people recognize is Spore.
Unfortunately, Spore bombed hard on release and that was mostly the end of the genre.
So indies need to save the day! Can we? Well, we’re trying. Here’s a FAQ about us.
...but post-Spore, every other big company has avoided it like the plague.
Uh, can we go back to talking about Strange Seed now?
Spore and most 3D evolution simulators make use of parts that are sometimes called “metaballs”. This is basically like a blob of Play-Doh that needs to be stretched and shaped. Then fully procedural animations (i.e. just based on math) take care of stuff like walking and attacking. It’s an amazing innovation that results in interestingly weird looking creatures. BUT, there are a few drawbacks. For instance, it usually takes an expert or really dedicated user to make a Spore creature look like a real-world creature. (To see what it takes, you can find some interesting, but long, videos on YouTube about creating a dragon or Pokemon from Spore parts.)
We’re starting from a very different direction: our game is full of real world creatures like pigs, seagulls, weasels, etc, and things like long-extinct giant insects and dinosaurs… plus our starting blob of DNA (the Seed from the title). In short, mostly real creatures with very defined shapes. We think the results of using these parts are really satisfying in a way that’s quickly difficult to achieve with metaballs or similar systems. (Fans of E.V.O. will know what we’re talking about here.)
Animation is also a strength of our system. Like Spore we use inverse kinematic animations, but we do ours in a more traditional hand-animated way that results in an animation set PER creature, which can then be freely used on any other creature in the game (e.g. making a deer hop like a frog). Ultimately Spore had relatively few full animation sets; we’ll have dozens.
Our big mistake with Miscreation was developing the entire game and dropping it on Steam with only internal bug testing and feedback.
With Strange Seed we’re going to release a demo as early as possible, and get as much of the game into people’s hands to play with and test as possible, a LONG time before release. If you want to help as a front-line tester please drop us a message!
We’ll probably be able to release around mid-2024. As for an initial demo, we’re aiming for Fall 2023.
We’ll keep posting updates on at least a monthly basis with where we are on the roadmap and what’s next.
For me, the best game ever in the genre is E.V.O.: Search for Eden, an old SNES game. I highly recommend that everyone who enjoys classic games go play it. But the name that most people recognize is Spore.
Unfortunately, Spore bombed hard on release and that was mostly the end of the genre.
So indies need to save the day! Can we? Well, we’re trying. Here’s a FAQ about us.
Why build it?
Because creature evolution could be f%#ing amazing......but post-Spore, every other big company has avoided it like the plague.
What is it?
Strange Seed is an RPG, not a simulator! We want evolves to actually do something. Both make numbers bigger (an RPG classic) and function uniquely in the game world, adding a Metroidvania-style component to world traversal. For instance:- Wings give you real flight abilities
- Tiny creatures can crawl into holes
- A big head with horns can break down barriers
- Predator eyes can see in the dark or infrared
- Chunky claws can dig
- A long neck or tongue can reach things
But I want a simulation game!
Great! There are some amazing evolution simulator games either in development or out already. Adapt and Elysian Eclipse are in the works. Thrive, Niche and The Sapling are out on Steam. If you’re developing or know another feel free to do some self-promo and comment it, or say hi.Uh, can we go back to talking about Strange Seed now?
Fine… if it’s an RPG, what game is it most like?
Tough question, and it’s something we think about constantly! Based on these points:- An inventory and treasure collection mechanics
- Mostly melee-range combat
- Some, but not a lot, of dialogue
What about the creature customization, can I build anything I want?
We chose a different system that we think has its own unique strengths.Spore and most 3D evolution simulators make use of parts that are sometimes called “metaballs”. This is basically like a blob of Play-Doh that needs to be stretched and shaped. Then fully procedural animations (i.e. just based on math) take care of stuff like walking and attacking. It’s an amazing innovation that results in interestingly weird looking creatures. BUT, there are a few drawbacks. For instance, it usually takes an expert or really dedicated user to make a Spore creature look like a real-world creature. (To see what it takes, you can find some interesting, but long, videos on YouTube about creating a dragon or Pokemon from Spore parts.)
We’re starting from a very different direction: our game is full of real world creatures like pigs, seagulls, weasels, etc, and things like long-extinct giant insects and dinosaurs… plus our starting blob of DNA (the Seed from the title). In short, mostly real creatures with very defined shapes. We think the results of using these parts are really satisfying in a way that’s quickly difficult to achieve with metaballs or similar systems. (Fans of E.V.O. will know what we’re talking about here.)
Animation is also a strength of our system. Like Spore we use inverse kinematic animations, but we do ours in a more traditional hand-animated way that results in an animation set PER creature, which can then be freely used on any other creature in the game (e.g. making a deer hop like a frog). Ultimately Spore had relatively few full animation sets; we’ll have dozens.
Hey, didn’t you guys make an evolution game before?
Yup. We made a 2D platformer called Miscreation that’s here on Steam. A lot of people really liked it. Unfortunately it was an early effort for our team and plagued by bugs. Our big mistake with Miscreation was developing the entire game and dropping it on Steam with only internal bug testing and feedback.
With Strange Seed we’re going to release a demo as early as possible, and get as much of the game into people’s hands to play with and test as possible, a LONG time before release. If you want to help as a front-line tester please drop us a message!
When will Strange Seed be out?
Not for a while! We began in Jan-Feb 2023 and spent a while just nailing down the evolve system. Then we started on combat, UIs, some world building… but even a lot of what is currently on our Steam page is not final.We’ll probably be able to release around mid-2024. As for an initial demo, we’re aiming for Fall 2023.
Got a roadmap?
Here’s a summary of what we’re working on in the next 2 months:- Combat system improvements and polish
- Aesthetics: live-swapping skins and animation sets
- Part upgrade mini-game (the lab mechanic)
- Creature construction polish
We’ll keep posting updates on at least a monthly basis with where we are on the roadmap and what’s next.
This was too long!
I know, I’m sorry, this game is my life right now so I’m a bit obsessive. Thanks for making it to the end!
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