Let’s face it, most of us will probably never find ourselves shipwrecked on a tropical island in the middle of nowhere. If, by some chance, this did happen, it’s even less likely we’d end up being killed by zombies or cannibals. We’d be far more likely to select the wrong leaf to use as toilet paper and die from the horrific infection that ensued. Welcome to the realistic survival scenarios of Thousand Miles Out by Northworks Software.
Okay, I might have been being slightly glib with the toilet paper remark, but only to get across the point that in a real survival situation poor decisions can be just as deadly as the stuff from horror movies. This is the premise behind Thousand Miles Out’s isometric survival gameplay.
The player takes control of the survivors of a shipwrecked research vessel. The crew and scientists were on their way home from their “three hour tour” when a sudden tropical storm left them adrift with noway to navigate the ship or call for help. After running aground near a deserted island the crew loads their meager supplies into the lifeboats and makes their way to shore. Just when they think they are finally safe, the second storm hits.
Would you, could you, survive?
Now, with only 4 survivors remaining, the player must utilize each character’s specific skills to keep everyone alive. Meanwhile, they will be trying to find a way to be rescued. Should you repair the radio, or build a massive signal fire? Can you eat that plant, should you?
The Kickstarter campaign is, interesting. Northworks is seeking $331,528. Most of the budget will go toward building and paying a team of about 10 people to complete the game by January 2018. Yes, technically the funds are being used to make the game, but they are kinda also being used to build and run the company for over a year. In fairness, Northworks and their partners, Travian, are both planning to assist with the financing for Thousand Miles Out, promising to “at least” match the funds raised on Kickstarter.
Community goal tiers
My reservations about massive budgets aside, the Kickstarter also has some unusual “reward” tiers. Dubbed “community goals” these rewards rely on a specific number of backers pledging at a certain level to unlock additional content for the final game. For example, if 300 people pledge at the $34 level then all backers will have access to an in-game flashlight, dog, or skinset. You have to pick which reward you want to work towards when you pledge. So, it would take 900 backers to unlock all three rewards.
https://youtu.be/uJPVipVfmjA
Maybe this is secretly brilliant and will force more potential backers to get on-board and fund the game. It seems more likely that none of the tiers will draw the necessary number of supporters. These in-game prizes probably would have worked better as additional funding goals if the overall goal wasn’t already so high.
Thousand Miles Out looks like it will be a fun game, but it still has a long way to go to secure funding.
