Space Siege Interview

By 2047, the deterioration of Earth's atmosphere had become so severe that its leading governments focused their scientific efforts on finding ways to live elsewhere. Within two years, a Japanese scientist's work on micro-ramjets made interstellar travel possible, leading to the establishment of various colonies. In 2198, a vessel called the ISCS Rebecca Lee arrived at a planet in the Beta Canum Venaticorum system. Unfortunately, it was a holy place for the ferocious alien Kerak, who immediately annihilate all on board, then began a campaign to find and eradicate all of humanity, one settlement at a time. Within less than half a decade, every single outpost was eliminated, and the homeworld itself came under attack. An evacuation vessel, the Armstrong, managed to escape. However, it didn't get away completely; an attached enemy boarding pod put its fate in dire peril.

In Space Siege, your role is that of Seth Walker, a Robotics Specialist for the Allied Security Force. He is trained in traditional forms of combat, and also in his area of specialization, which means he can create and modify a range of mechanical devices to help in his battle against the alien menace. In various places aboard the massive ship, he can also obtain cybernetic replacements for several parts of his body. Installing them will make him more powerful, but at a cost he may not be willing to incur, the loss of his very humanity. His tale will play out soon since Gas Powered Games' l action RPG is shipping this week. Just before it does, we had the opportunity to find out what kind of play experience to expect by questioning its Lead Designer, Mike "Tyo" Marr.

Includes six exclusive screenshots

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Jonric: How would you summarize Space Siege? What type of game is it, and aside from the obvious setting change, what differentiates it from the Dungeon Siege series?

Mike Marr: Space Siege is the newest sci-fi action RPG from Gas Powered Games. It lets players control a single character, Seth Walker, and his robot companion HR-V. It's shipping this week.

more advanced possibilities require specific cybernetic enhancements, or are based on Seth's overall "humanity" level. The latter is determined by the player's choices about whether to replace his body parts with artificial ones.

While it shares some similarities to the Dungeon Siege series, we wanted to create a different kind of experience; the sci-fi setting was just an excuse to change the paradigm. We developed a more streamlined game system designed to appeal to players seeking a shoot 'em up that focuses on killing lots of creatures in big scrums, being a big character in an even bigger narrative, and getting lots of incremental upgrades for the protagonist, his armor and weapons.

We focused on a single, well-defined character with an actual voice and personality. He's part of an epic but still personal sci-fi storyline that doesn't involve navigating dialogue trees. We replaced save-crawls with auto-saves and progress memory. We infused the environments with sandbox physics hazards. There are mission progress rewards and skill trees, plus cybernetics with both clear benefits and drawbacks tied into the story progression. Those elements differentiate it from Dungeon Siege.

Jonric: What's the essence of the backstory that has taken place before play begins? How does the narrative proceed thereafter, and can it end in multiple ways?

Mike Marr: Before the start, human colonists unknowingly settled on the Kerak's holy planet, which pissed them off to the point where they decided to eradicate our species. As the aliens worked their way toward Earth, destroying settlements along the way, humanity realized we couldn't win, and scrambled to build 12 colony ships, hoping to escape before the final attack.

Space Siege starts with Kerak's arrival at Earth. Seth Walker is a robotics expert; the vessel he's aboard escapes the attack. Unfortunately, as it warps away, the enemy manages to attach a boarding pod. So, he starts fighting its crew as his vessel flees.

The initial objective is to remove the Kerak from the ship, but the game takes some unexpected twists and turns as Seth must decide how far he's willing to go to ensure the survival of his species. Will he give up a part of his own humanity in order to do so? Depending on these choices, there are multiple endings.

Jonric: What's the colony ship like? Does it have a various areas and environments? Do you consider any especially interesting or unusual?

Mike Marr: Space Siege takes place on the Armstrong, an expansive ship that barely escapes Earth's the destruction of Earth and the virtual annihilation of humanity by the Kerak. The vessel features various settings ranging from crew areas and immense cargo holds to a hydroponics laboratory and an atrium that has an indoor waterfall and lake. We wanted to change the environment around every 15 to 20 minutes in order to keep things interesting and fresh for the player.

Hands down, the most unusual location is the atrium.

Jonric: Is the player able to personalize Seth's initial attributes, equipment, physical appearance or any other qualities?

Mike Marr: Space Siege offers no character customization options at the start, but they appear as the player progresses through the game. Certain choices can change Seth's appearance, while all have an impact on his stats. Each weapon has its own upgrades that affect their stats, and there's a skill tree that gives additional unique abilities.

You can also upgrade your robotic companion with armor upgrades that change its appearance, and equip him with new weapons.

Jonric: How does character development happen over time? Is it based on leveling to gain better skills or abilities?

Mike Marr: There's no leveling in Space Siege. Instead, the player gathers parts, then chooses how to upgrade Seth's weapons and armor as well as HR-V. Upgrades occur quite frequently, about every 10 to 15 minutes of gameplay time.

Space Siege also offers distinct skill trees for combat and engineering. In both, certain more advanced possibilities require specific cybernetic enhancements, or are based on Seth's overall "humanity" level. The latter is determined by the player's choices about whether to replace his body parts with artificial ones.