Runestone launches Seed game website

The website for the upcoming massive multiplayer online role-playing game Seed is now online at www.seedthegame.com

Seed is being developed by Runestone Game Development and is estimated for release next year. The game will feature interactive stories and advanced artificial intelligence techniques to create a unique gaming experience. Furthermore, the game is presented in a comic book-like graphical style.

"The graphical style from the game is reflected in the website. We want to give people a taste of the visual theme and atmosphere," Jan Roed, art director on Seed, says.

Seed takes place in a distant future in a colony tower on a planet far from Earth. The colony should have expanded to the planet surface long ago, but the terraforming process has come to a halt. The players take the roles of colonists and it is up to them to decide the future and fate of the colony.

The new website holds information of game features and game play elements. Later, a story section will go in details with the setting and background story.

"We will frequently add sections and subsections to the site. We are looking forward to presenting much more detailed information about the game than we have been able to on our forums so far," community manager Morten Juul says.

The website also holds a press section containing answers to frequently asked questions by the media.

For further information, please contact:

Morten Juul

PR & community manager

Email: [email protected]

Phone: +45 4072 7744

Runestone Game Development

Filmbyen 23, 2. sal Nord

DK-8000 Aarhus C

Denmark

www.runestone.dk

Source:

Press release (21th July 2005)

Runestone Announces Seed

Featuring Advanced AI, Interactive Story, and a Truly Mutable World.

No Combat, No Dungeons, No Elves.

Aarhus, Denmark – December 20, 2005 – Runestone Game Development is pleased to unveil Seed, a new and genre-shattering massively multiplayer game slated for release in April 2006, with beta test sign ups starting in January 2006.

On an alien world in the far future, desperate human settlers must work together to ensure the survival of their colony and the whole human race. In Seed you will…

Use your intellect rather than your brawn.

“By trading in weapons for wit, we’ve truly created a simulated society and developed a game that engages you on an entirely different level than any MMG before,” said Lars Kroll, CEO of Runestone. “We have really taken the simulated society idea a big step further, where players can ascend to great political heights within the Seed world, but only if NPCs and players alike allow it through a robust democratic system.”

Interact with believable NPCs.

“NPCs play a significant part in Seed,” added Kroll. “We have focused on making the NPCs varied and interesting to work with. All NPCs in Seed have their own behaviors, motivations and goals, powered by a sophisticated AI engine with distinct emotion, knowledge, and event response systems. They remember, and they judge.”

Experience stories suited for your playing style.

“Seed uses a unique story template system to create stories according to the playing style and role of each player, whether that be searching for a mono-wrapper for a construction project or greasing a scientist for his vote,” continued Kroll. “You are free to choose how you fulfill your objectives, and no matter how you pull it of, the story will follow your lead, good or bad.”

Decide the fate of the colony.

“Seed is built as an evolving game world, and expanding the game world is an integrated part of the Seed design,” explained Kroll. “When Seed launches, the players find themselves in a colony on the distant planet Da Vinci. The terraforming process has ground to a halt, the space elevator to the orbiting space station has broken, and contact with Earth was ended long ago. What happens from there will entirely depend on the choices of the players. Should the terraforming process be restarted at all cost, or is it wiser to admit defeat and use the limited resources to extend the living areas of the tower? Is contact with Earth all-important or unimportant? The players will decide, all the while permanently shaping the environment around them, voting in their leaders and working together as they choose.

With groundbreaking gameplay powered by next-generation artificial intelligence poured into a rich, comic-book-style 3D world, Seed is like nothing else on Earth. Beta signups will begin January 9th, 2006 with the Beta starting February 1st. Learn more about this revolutionary MMG and get ready for beta test sign ups at www.seedthegame.com.

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Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, storybased massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the first title from the company, which is partly owned by its employees, and partly by business investors.

Source:

Press release (20th December 2005)

Runestone Announces Contract with Alchemic Dream

Aarhus, Denmark – January 4, 2006 – Runestone Game Development today announced a contract with Alchemic Dream Inc., leader in customer services for MMGs, to provide customer support, localization and game mastering services for Runestone’s upcoming MMG Seed.

“Seed brings a new vision of the MMG gameplay experience to the market,” explains Aurélien Merville, CEO of Alchemic Dream Inc. “AI technology and stories systems involve the player in the universe to a new extent. We are happy to provide our dedicated services to Runestone in order to help this company getting and keeping a satisfied audience in a lively virtual world!”

“In Seed we focus on personal, interactive stories,” Lars Kroll Kristensen, CEO of Runestone Game Development says. “We want our players to immerse themselves into the world and to be active members of a greater community. Therefore it is important for us that they are in the best of hands both in-game and in our forums, and we feel confident that they will be so with Alchemic Dream in charge.”

About Runestone Game Development

Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, storybased massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the first title from the company, which is owned partly by the employees, partly by business angel investors.

About Alchemic Dream Inc.

Alchemic Dream Inc., leader in services for MMOGs, is a Canadian company specialized in management, support and localization of MMOGs. Alchemic Dream manages titles such as Dungeons and Dragons Online, Second Life, RF Online, Dark and Light, Project Entropia and A Tale in the Desert.

For more information about Alchemic Dream, visit the corporate website at www.alchemicdream.net or contact the company at [email protected]

Source:

Press release (4th January 2006)

Runestone Announces Beta Test Sign-Ups for Seed

Roleplayers and Adventurers Sought for First Look at Unique New MMG

Aarhus, Denmark – January 9, 2006 – Runestone Game Development announced today that applications are now being accepted for beta testing Seed, the premiere genre-shattering massively multiplayer game slated for release in April 2006, with testing to kick off February 1st.

“We’re thrilled about being so near opening Seed to our testers,” said Lars Kroll Kristensen, CEO of Runestone Game Development. “This is the first huge step toward launch, and after years of work we’re all very excited to begin sharing it with thousands of gamers!”

In Seed, players find themselves on an alien world in the far future as desperate human settlers who must work together to ensure the survival of their colony and the whole human race. By using their intellect rather than their brawn, players alone will decide the fate of the entire colony, set within a highly mutable and interactive world.

Beginning February 1st, the testing phase will ramp up steadily toward launch, growing the population from the pool of beta applicants and ending with a stress test in March, where the community will be encouraged to come by the thousands to give Seed a try.

With groundbreaking gameplay powered by next-generation artificial intelligence poured into a rich, comic-book-style 3D world, Seed truly stands out from the crowd. Learn more about this revolutionary MMG and sign up for the beta test by visiting www.seedthegame.com.

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About Runestone Game Development

Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, story-based massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the premiere title from the company, which is owned partly by the employees, partly by business investors.

Source:

Press release (9th January 2006)

Runestone Announces Final Release Date for Seed

Aarhus, Denmark – March 8, 2006 – Runestone Game Development announced today that Seed, its upcoming genre-shattering massively multiplayer game, will officially launch on Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006.

Runestone has afforded the testing stage slightly more time to improve player experiences for load and connectivity.

“The testing of the title thus far has been a great success, and we have our testers and hard working development team to thank,” said Lars Kroll Kristensen, CEO. “Although we are slightly pushing our original release date, the extra month will ensure that we have ample time to now pay our full attention to the story engine and NPC interaction experience.”

Runestone has focused on making the NPCs varied and interesting to work with. All NPCs in Seed have their own behaviors, motivations and goals, powered by a sophisticated AI engine with distinct emotion, knowledge, and event response systems. They remember, and they judge. The NPCs have been paired with a unique template story system that creates stories according to the playing style and role of each player.

“We are taking every step to make sure Seed is a high-quality game,” continued Kristensen, “and we feel that this short delay will help ensure that we’re able to present a solid gaming experience to our loyal community.”

For more information about Seed please visit www.seedthegame.com.

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About Runestone Game Development

Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, story-based massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the premiere title from the company, which is owned partly by the employees, partly by business investors.

Source:

Press release (8th March 2006)

Seed Announces Open Beta Week

Community at Large Invited to Participate.

Aarhus, Denmark - April 18, 2006 - Runestone Game Development, developers of the upcoming genre-shattering massively multiplayer game Seed, announced today that starting on Tuesday, April 25th, its beta testing program will be open for an entire week to all who apply.

"We are looking forward to seeing crowds of players experiencing our game world as well as stressing and testing our systems to the limit," said Lars Kroll Kristensen, CEO of Runestone Game Development. “This will mark the home stretch of the development process as we prepare for next month’s launch.”

Everyone is invited to enter the Open Beta Week. Players need only apply at www.seedthegame.com no later than Monday, April 24th.

This open testing phase will end just prior to the Seed launch on May 2nd, 2006. The client will then be available for free download, along with its 14-day free trial, at www.seedthegame.com.

For more information about Seed, please visit www.seedthegame.com.

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About Runestone Game Development

Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, story-based massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the premiere title from the company, which is owned partly by the employees, partly by business investors.

Source:

Press release (18th April 2006)

Special Introductory Offer for Seed

Offer Allows You to Buy the First Two Months for the Price of One.

Aarhus, Denmark – April 26, 2006 – Runestone Game Development announced today a special offer, buy two-months, pay for only one for Seed, its upcoming genre-shattering massively multiplayer game, launching in May 2nd,

"The intro-offer is a big thank you to our loyal community and beta testers. At the same time we hope newcomers will seize the opportunity and experience the Seed world for themselves," said Lars Kroll Kristensen, CEO of Runestone Game Development.

Seed will be available for download at www.seedthegame.com with a 14-day free trial. The monthly subscription rate will be €13.00 or $15.00. The introduction offer is available in May only and will cover the first two months beyond the trial period.

"From the commercial release on May 2nd, we will add features and gameplay elements to the core game already there," continued Kristensen. "Exactly how this will proceed, will depend a lot on our community and the choices they make."

"The release of Seed marks the culmination of the two and a half years of development and beta testing," added Kristensen. "We’re thrilled to seeing our work come to full life."

For more information about Seed, please visit www.seedthegame.com.

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About Seed

In Seed, players find themselves on an alien world in the far future as desperate human settlers who must work together to ensure the survival of their colony and the whole human race. By using their intellect rather than their brawn, players alone will decide the fate of the entire colony, set within a highly mutable and interactive world.

About Runestone Game Development

Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, story-based massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the premiere title from the company, which is owned partly by the employees, partly by business investors.

Source:

Press release (26th April 2006)

Runestone Game Development Launches Seed

Free Client with 14-Day Trial Now Available!

Aarhus, Denmark - May 2, 2006 - Runestone Game Development is pleased to announce the launch of their premier genre-shattering massively multiplayer game Seed. The free client is available now at the official web site www.seedthegame.com, along with a 14-day trial.

On an alien world in the far future, desperate human settlers must work together to ensure the survival of their colony and the whole human race.

In Seed players use their intellect rather than brute force to get the job done, interact with believable NPCs with their own behaviors and agendas, and truly decide the fate of the colony, whether it thrives or fails, and have the power to change the world around them.

"The launch of Seed is only the beginning," said Lars Kroll Kristensen, CEO of Runestone Game Development. "The players' control of the world will ensure an ever-changing interactive player experience."

With groundbreaking gameplay powered by next-generation artificial intelligence poured into a rich, comic-book-style 3D world, Seed is like nothing else on Earth.

For more information about Seed and to start your own free 14-day trial, please visit www.seedthegame.com

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About Runestone Game Development

Runestone Game Development is a Danish computer game developer specializing in innovative, story-based massively multiplayer online games. Seed is the premiere title from the company, which is owned partly by the employees, partly by business investors.

Source:

Press release (2th May 2006)