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Our Nation’s Miner Kickstarter Campaign Announced

• Ivan Mashkov
• February 18th, 2015

Kickstarter has been supporting the video game industry for years by allowing fans to fund new and unique projects. The latest campaign on the crowdfunding service is Our Nation’s Miner, the first title by the one-man team at Lord Bytesworth. This top-down space shooter will challenge players to experience the life of a interstellar miner, as an empire falls apart around them. Our Nation’s Miner will focus on “the culture of interstellar mining,” and the effect it has on a futuristic spacefaring civilization. Players will be able to explore the universe in their ship or leave it behind to explore the variety of shops, facilities and space stations. The game’s developer expects to deliver a unique experience by “merging the gameplay of Asteroids, the visual and third-person style of Mass Effect, plus the environmental sub-generation of the Diablo series.”

Our Nation’s Miner will feature a great deal of customization options. Players will be able to morph their ships into “any shape and size (within reason).” The same will be true of the players’ characters. Those characters will be able to stretch their legs outside of spaceships, while players are watching from a third-person perspective. Players will be able to explore the structures they’ve bought or refine a variety of ores. The process of refining ores is “inspired by real chemistry.” Our Nation’s Miner will allow players to influence the market and world around them in a variety of ways. This includes manipulating the market with bulk deals and changing tax rates by involving oneself in the political process. The campaign will run until March 13, however potential backers shouldn’t rush in blindly. A prototype of the game showcases much of the game’s potential and drawbacks. Our Nation’s Miner may end up becoming an enjoyable experience, however the game has its flaws.

Kickstarter is the premier crowdfunding platform for funding video game projects. It allows fans to fund projects that are not commercially viable. There have been cases of successful crowdfunding campaigns that have failed to deliver in the past, however these have been isolated incidents. The site’s management has worked on resolving some of the community’s concerns. This includes the introduction of new and simpler rules that govern the crowdfunding campaigns. Some concerns remain, however the platform’s success speaks for itself.