The developers of Outland 17 are asking on their Kickstarter page for help on the direction the development of the game should go by means of a survey.

Hey everyone, we have a quick follow up that we wanted to ask our backers to help with development and give direction to where you want to see the game go! It's a short, seven question survey about the game and the Kickstarter. It's anonymous as well, just click your answer and you're done! Click here to go to the survey. Thanks for the help!

Grenade Tree Games have written a post-mortem on their Kickstarter adventure for Outland 17, that failed in receiving the neccessary finds for the game. They mention the things that went well and the things that didn't went well. One of those being them unsuccessful in transferring the followers they had on social media into people who actually pledged. The charts show that a total of 13 people coming from RPGWatch pledged.

What Didn’t Work

• Not Enough Traffic - The most obvious observation: we didn’t have a big enough ball rolling at launch, in terms of both community size and media coverage. We underestimated how many followers and email subscribers would convert into backers. Even getting our friends and family to back or even share the project was like herding cats.
• Lack of Context For Goal Amount - We didn’t put up our stretch goals so as not to appear presumptuous about the level of success our campaign would have. Our humility was our downfall by not including those goals since it kept people from seeing our entire vision for the game. 
  
  Covering licensing fees isn’t as “sexy” as saying that their contribution will help get custom animations for the game or bring it to a new platform. End users are more interested in the tactile results they can recognize immediately.
  
  For example, we had an early stretch goal in the wings for Linux development and had mentioned it in the Kickstarter. This was largely missed as we still had comments saying they would support if it had a Linux release. Had we had our stretch goals been more prominently displayed, we could have had a better motivation for backers to support us to try to reach that goal. 
• Original Kickstarter Video Had The Wrong Focus - When we launched our Kickstarter we started noticing negative reactions to the video with people watching it and not understanding what the project or the campaign was about. The original one was more about trying to pitch a product and the team as opposed to pitching the game, which is the core of what anyone coming to Kickstarter cared about.
  
  We even had several people claim we were attacking other developers, which was never the intent of the video. We pulled the game trailer to the front burner, finished it and swapped it out but by then the first impressions had been made. 
• The Demo Suffered Scope Creep - The demo was originally released with three missions and a handful of abilities players could customize with. By the Kickstarter’s launch, it had tripled to nine missions. We had several calls to action in the demo to go to the Kickstarter but because of the size and scope of the demo, it didn’t have the focus to create an itch for the player that could only be scratched by the Kickstarter.
• $20 Is Too High - A comment that popped up a couple times toward the end of the campaign was that the base reward to get the game was priced too high at $20.
• Not Enough Team Info - We didn’t go into detail about each of the team members, which resulted in people not understanding each person’s contributing role.

The development of the game goes on, with another Kickstarter they plan in the future.

Outland 17 has still 8 hours to go and need another $4K to reach it;s $10K goal. In their latest update they respond to why there goal has been so modest  and sheir the stretch goals to show what the vision of the developers are for this game.

We've had a lot of people write in since our boost in backers, asking about our Kickstarter goal of $10k. Specifically why it is such a modest amount compared to the goals of most indie developers that put their projects up.

We certainly didn't want to give the impression that we're not ambitious with our project. We had drawn up a complimentary list of stretch goals to expand upon our initial goal and bring further improvements to the game.

We initially didn't post the stretch goals so that we wouldn't appear presumptuous about our expectations with the campaign, but we're sharing it now so backers and newcomers can have more context regarding the $10k base. Hopefully this can give you guys a better understanding of our vision for the project and address the curiosity that some had.

A Kickstarter update appeared for Outland 17, which is now halfway its $10K goal with a bit more than a day to go, about the squad abilities in the game.

Abilities play a much different role than just damaging your opponents like weapons do. They are more about tactics, giving you a choice to either manipulate the situation you're set up with or save the ability when it will be more beneficial. Most abilities come with a cool down period between uses, leaving it up to you to decide when would be the best time to deploy them.

Some abilities provide minor bonuses at no cooldown cost while some have a greater cooldown period with devastating effects. In a similar way that we can make all types of weapons, there are many types of abilities we can make. These range from status effects, like giving yourself more armor, to special-attacks, like pushing your enemies away with an explosion!

My favorite part about abilities is the impact they can make on the battle. The properly timed ability can mean the difference between your squad member dying, or the enemy being taken out.

Outland 17 has only 50+ hours to go at Kickstarter at this moment to reach the goal of $10K and is close to 42% of that figure at the moment, so they could use some help. In their latest update they bring us a new video and a new add-on, where you can have your image in the game.

On the Kickstarter page for the tactical RPG Outland 17, an update is provided about the art and visuals in the game.

Creating the environment for Outland 17 has been a fun experience. Though the production of the game has made life quite busy, I have enjoyed every second of it. Working into the wee hours and burning the midnight oil is what every environment artist anticipates. The hard work that everyone on Grenade Tree Games has put in has made our current version of our game a fine piece of digital entertaining art.

I can’t take all of the credit to what you see in the game. We had a very talented concept artist. I simply just made his two concepts into 3D representations. Our team member Rob Allan, who has taken multiple “hats” of our design team, also does a good job in the modularity of the 3D assets. He has created a diverse list of objects by putting stuff together like legos.

The visual style in Outland 17 that we represent is the idea of 18th century colonial wardrobe and architecture infused with sci-fi and high-tech technology. We collected a good amount of references that included a good amount of 18th century architecture, military uniforms and weapons. We went as far as searching YouTube videos of how musket weapons were held and shot. My detailed representations of the concept art is mostly in the “sci-fi” assets. I referenced of a lot of sci-fi games like deus-ex and dead space.

The fifth kickstarter update from Grenade Tree for Outland 17 has information the campaign is now 25% funded, and shares a new music tracks from the game.

Ladies and Gentlemen! Thank you so much for your support, you've helped us make it to the 25% mark. I'm excited to bring you an update on MUSIC, complete with a brand new track available on Soundcloud, "Yorktown Mix 3!"

We had the chance to ask Grant Taylor of Grenade Tree Games a few more questions again now that his game Outland 17 has launched on kickstarter this month.

Couchpotato: Welcome back the last time we talked Outland 17 was on the Square Enix collective website. So how have you guys been since then?
 
Grenade Tree: After the Collective we went to GDC and both where a great experience. We learned a lot about what fans wanted and have worked hard to integrate their feedback. The product of our hard work is a fully playable Alpha Demo. There's been a lot of time spent getting making the concepts we've been talking about a reality.

We released our first build about a month ago on GameJolt and have been getting a lot of positive feedback from the community. Using that input, we've been fine tuning the presentation and improving certain game mechanics.

The fourth kickstarter update from Grenade Tree has information from Outland 17
about developing weapons,. The game still needs $7,700 to get funded

Greetings fellow game enthusiasts! I am Robert, lead programmer on Outland 17 : Void of Liberty. I'm writing here to share with you a look at the more technical side of the game's development. Particularly all things weapons, attacks, and things that generally go pew pew in the game.

So help spread the  word guys as the game looks interesting, As for my short interview check back tomorrow as it was delayed a few days. Sorry about that  everyone.

The third kickstarter update from Grenade Tree has information Outland 17 has been Greenlit On Steam. It now has to get funded, and still needs another $8,000.

Breaking news! Thanks to all our supporters and the Steam community, you guys pulled together and got the game Greenlit on Steam within the first week of our Kickstarter! The team and I are really grateful to have you guys at our backs, it's really empowering to see our passion project make it to this level. We'll be doing our best to make the most out of this opportunity that you've helped give us. Thanks so much!

Check back on Friday for a shot interview with the developer.

The second kickstarter update from Grenade Tree has information about community support, and shares a few Twitch streams for Outland 17 with various gamers.

What’s better than having great news to blog about? Having amazing news to blog about. Because the Outland 17: Void of Liberty Kickstarter is in full swing and the community has arrived in full force with feedback and support. Just because the Kickstarter is up doesn't mean development stops!

Developer Grenade Tree's latest update for Outland 17 has news on how everyone can help support the game on Steam. So here is the information from the update.

Hey everyone, we're crowning the first 48 hours of our Kickstarter with the launch of our Steam Greenlight campaign! If you haven't seen it yet, head over to the page for Outland 17 and vote yes to get the game greenlit by Steam. All it takes is one click and if we get approved, we'll be able to distribute the game through the Steam platform.

Thanks to each one of our backers that we have so far, your support of our two year old baby is really appreciated. Please help post the Kickstarter on your favorite social media, and make sure to reach out to us too! We'd love to get connected with all of our supporters on our Facebook and Twitter and give a shout out thanking you.

Grenade Tree Games notified me they released an updated version of the free demo for Outland 17. Also don't forget to help back the new kickstarter campaign.

Our Kickstarter is focused on community input and is all about transparency to make things fair for all Outlanders regardless of race, gender, creed, or species. Be one of the first to help influence which platforms Outland 17 could be released on, or have a character shaped in your image.

Like the idea? We do too. But don’t be a Betty Black Hole about this, tell a friend! Share your revolution on Facebook and get the word out that your time has arrived!

While the gears of war are grinding our development team is still keeping the engines firing on all solar powered cylinders. To celebrate the release of your revolution, we have added another new level to the demo!

I was notified today by developer Grenade Tree they have launched their new kickstarter campaign for Outland 17, and are asking for $10,000 to help fund the game.

Outland 17: Void of Liberty is a tactical RPG based around the the American Revolutionary War, but set in the future. Earth has become overpopulated, so space stations are being built to alleviate the burdening population and explore resource possibilities throughout the galaxy. As in the 18th century, war is brewing under the strain of mercantilism, the distance of the colonies, the shift in values, and the widening gap between classes.

The impoverished are offered places on these “Outlands” in hopes of working off their debt to the corporate companies on Earth. However, with indentured servitude comes awful working conditions, an unfair legal system, and martial brutality. These have pushed the colonists to the breaking point.

G. Martin Wallace, citizen of the People’s Republic of Earth, hears rumors of civil unrest in the colonies. Despite official reports of peace, Martin Wallace must validate these rumors for himself. The game begins with Martin Wallace landing on Outland 3 to discover the truth, and eventually organizing a more effective force to match the military powers of Outland 3.

Grenade Tree Games notified me they released a free demo for Outland 17. Also don't forget to read our interview form last year with the developer for more information.

United by technology and a common government Humanity has lifted its gaze to the stars searching for the next step in the advancement of mankind. Colonies dubbed as Outland’s have been established throughout the solar system and have attracted the rich and poor alike as Earth becomes ever more over populated and congested. Not everything is right on these Outlands. A powder keg is about to blow that will ignite a change for all of humankind. It will either bring them to a new phase in history or doom them to repeat it. Battle through Outland 17 and lead a new age of humanity!

Grenada Tree Games sent the next newsletter for Outland 17 this week with information about their new Thunderclap campaign, and the kickstarter launch date.

Things have been moving fast over at GameJolt. Thanks to your participation, we're over 3,000 downloads and counting! We've gone over every message we've received and are updating and improving the demo to make this a truly community driven game.

We've also had a ton of Let's Plays done that have given us a look at how people pick up and play it! Keep 'em coming!

A lot of you know the Kickstarter is less than two weeks away and we're using Thunderclap to help kick off your revolution the right way. What's Thunderclap, you ask?

It's the easiest way to share an event on your social media and ensures that you and your fellow rebel leaders sync to spread the word.

But unless we get the minimum amount of supporters, the word won't go out. Support the system-wide revolution by going to the Outland 17 Thunderclap campaign and sign up to share the Kickstarter on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, or all three! The post will be made when the Kickstarter goes live on April 13th!

Keep up the awesome work guys, we're just getting your revolution started

Grenada Tree Games sent the next newsletter for Outland 17 this week that has information about the updated demo, and mentions a few Let's Paly videos.

With the new updates comes new visuals, so like every week we have a new Screensho tSaturday! Check out these screenshots of the alpha build.

We have a new blog up this week on our thoughts about the new Unity 5. We also post up our other big announcements there so check back often.

Grenada Tree Games sent out a newsletter with a download link for a new game demo from GDC 2015 for Outland 17, and talked about a new upcoming Twitch Stream.

It was an exciting time at GDC and I got to meet a lot of fellow developers and new fans of Outland 17! Y'all rock! Most of all I want to thank my Conference Associate family for the wonderful support and encouragement.

We're celebrating our return by giving you loyal subscribers access to try our alpha demo before it gets shared online publicly (Mac version here). Give it a try and let us know what you think!

Speaking of the demo, we're going to be trying something new today and this coming Wed (3/11), Twich Development Streaming! If you want to see the behind the scenes magic, check out our channel, we'll be going from 2-4pm PST.

Grenade Tree Games sent out new by e-mail about the Steam Concept page of Outland 17. So if you haven't joined the mailing list here is the new update.

We bring you the next stage of your revolution: Outland 17 is now up on Steam Greenlight Concepts!

The new Concepts page will be used to gauge reactions from you and the community, as well as to show off new development. We're looking for more engagement with our fans, so if you haven't offered feedback yet now is the time!

Development is still in high gear, so look forward to seeing some new screenshots by the end of the week!

Grenade Tree announced in a new mail update that Outland 17 was successful in getting voted yes on the Square Enix Collective . Here are the details of the e-mail.

A Strong Finish

We finished our time on the Square Enix Collective with an 81% "YES" rate! Thank you guys for the votes, comments, feedback, and being overall just awesome.

Where does this take your revolution to next? Outland 17: Void of Liberty will be entering Square Enix's due diligence phase, where they'll determine if it received enough support to be featured by them during crowdfunding.

We couldn't have hit this huge milestone without you guys, so again, thanks for helping share this game. Your excitement and passion only further fuels our fires, so we'll be updating you guys with more awesome game content while we gear up for Kickstarter.

Grenade Tree posted their fourth update for Outland 17 on the Square Enix Collective with some more Gifs that show how combat will work in the game.

We're releasing one more update for the end here. This one is actually in response to rjmhart's comment, where he wanted to see more examples of gameplay and how strategy is incorporated across the map using cover.

This first GIF is from our trailer, depicting one of many scenes where we show off some of the gameplay action. The game is  turn-based, giving you plenty of time to plan your attack with your squad, but actual turn-based action tends to make for a somewhat dry gameplay trailer. Each different battle we showed is a sort of "condensed" version to keep things rolling.

The game was also successful with 81% voting yes, and 19% no. So the game will now have the backing of Square Enix when it launches the kickstater campaign.

Couchpotato and GrenadeTree Games answer your questions about Outland 17.

Couchpotato: Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to answer a few questions about your game Outland 17: Void of Liberty. Can you share a little background information about yourself and your game studio Grenade Tree Games?

GrenadeTree: I grew up playing games, so you can say it's been a lifelong dream. It wasn't until college that I actually got the ability to make video games. I started making with cell phones in college. This was back in the day when phones were monochrome and you had to carefully choose which platform and model you wanted to support.

It wasn't until I went to Mt. Sierra College that I got the opportunity to learn programming and project management. (Back then there weren't college programs on game development, you had to research yourself by reading articles and going to conventions like GDC.)

For my senior project I produced a game with classmates. This is where I met Rob, a fellow alumni. He and I figured that the best way to start getting experience was to jump feet first into development. It was there in the halls of school that we started practicing with pen and paper prototypes of games. We even called people over to try out new changes we had made and got them to sit with us and play!

Our team grew from there as we took our project forward by refining elements of gameplay, visual style, and narrative. We formed a name for the team, Grenade Tree Games, and took a prototype of our game to E3 2013 to display at the Ouya booth. We’ve grown even more since that year and now are ready to push our project into full development through crowdfunding.

Grenade Tree posted their third update for Outland 17 on the Square Enix Collective with more information on one of your advisers named Malai. Here is part of the update.

We're coming down to the home stretch and in this update we introduce you to one of your advisers, Malai. Each of your advisers will offer different advise for missions and represent the different choices that you can make for your revolution.

A child of the Outlands, Malai started street fighting at an early age to earn money for her family. Learn her back story and how it ties to the beginning of Outland 17: Void of Liberty.

Grenade Tree posted their second update for Outland 17 on the Square Enix Collective with more information on weapons, and abilities you can use in the game.

Update #2

Welcome back to another update for Outland 17:Void Of Liberty for the Square Enix Collective! Thank you guys for the awesome questions and comments you have been throwing at us. Keep them coming!

Our last update gave you guys and gals a little view into the universe of Outland 17. This update will bring you up to speed on two of our core gameplay values, and how they tie into the exciting story of your revolution through Outland 17: Void Of Liberty.

As a team we wanted to build a game that hardcore fans of the tactical RPG genre would love, but still make the game accessible to those newcomers. A guiding core for our team is that a great game isn’t great if the gameplay isn’t intuitive for the novice, but challenging for the seasoned veteran.

So sit down, buckle up, and hold onto your hats; because this is going to be a big one!

Well I have been a busy worker bee on the site lately. I have the opportunity to do another interview with Grant Taylor the Marketing Manager for Grenade Tree Games.

So moving on check out the game here, and submit any question you guys have in the comment section on our site. I'll take down the news-bit on October 16th.

I aslo have two other interviews in the works so look forward to them also.

Grenade Tree posted their first update for Outland 17 on the Square Enix Collective with more information on the games story with a profile about G. Martin Wallace.

First comes first, the Outland 17 team would like give a huge shout out to the Square Enix community! We thank everyone for their participation in terms of votes and comments. A special shout out to Spovednik and LightCharles whose questions inspired a large portion of the content for this update.

A reoccuring theme is that this community wants to know more about the Outland 17 story, and where it may take you in during your revolution.

G. Martin Wallace, citizen of the People’s Republic of Earth, hears rumors of civil unrest in the colonies. Despite the official reports, Martin Wallace is compelled to validate these rumors for himself. The decision being made for him with the release of official reports confirming the implementation of martial law on Outland 3, an old colony in the asteroid belt.

In its prime Outland 3 was an ambitious and praised undertaking. A technological marvel set at the very edge of the new frontier. Built to stand the test of time, Outland 3’s primary role is to stripmine asteroids for raw materials for future colonies. Today, Outland 3 has fallen into the shadow of the colonies that it helped build.

The player starts with Martin Wallace landing on Outland 3 seeking out the truth. You help choose the direction of your revolution by gathering the people to organize a more effective force that can match the military force present on Outland 3. Every new member to the team unlocks new missions, new insights, and possibly a new path to win the Revolution.

Eventually your efforts will bring you to the doorstep of Outland 17 itself, but that’s all we can share with you guys so far. Again, we are really excited for the response and feedback that we’ve gotten from the community and look forward to talking to you guys more about the game!

Grenade Tree posted on our forum that their game Outland 17 is looking for votes on the Square Collective. If they win Square Enix will help the developer.

This is where the magic happens! Take a look through the projects, and if something catches your eye, you could help make it a reality – firstly by showing your support with a YES vote, and also by sharing your thoughts on the concept in the comments section of the pitch or pitch updates. Each project campaign lasts for 28 days, and at the end of that period, if there’s clear support for that idea, the team may be offered support through crowdfunding via the Collective campaign page on Indiegogo.

Outland 17: Void of Liberty is a turn-based tactical RPG designed to be accessible for casual gamers but enjoyable for the hardcore community. With an enticing story and the ability to engage in combat the way you want to play, there's something to offer for all in the universe of Outland 17. We'll soon be releasing more details and information so make sure to sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates and game info.

• Open Ended Character Progression: Don't you hate it when you pick up a shotgun or sword and you can't use it because of your class? In Outland 17, characters aren't limited by class, but instead gain levels and abilities based on our play style. The more you have a character use a shotgon, the more abilities and perks they get for it. Tired of running and gunning with it? Switch to a melee weapon and start leveling your skill with it! Mix and match items and weapons to create your perfect team.
• Accessible Gameplay: We have designed a system to work from the ground up to play well on any platform. It is easy to get started for casual gamers and multifaceted enough to hold the attention of veterans.
• Impactful Choices: One of the challenges of making a unique Sci-Fi world is that most ideas have been done before. By drawing from the American Revolutionary War we can create a world with familiar themes, but yet take a different approach as to how things function and appear. By focusing on the motivations of the main character for starting a revolution, we are able to craft a story around your choices.
• Epic Sci-fi Music Score: A revolution without music is a revolution not worth having! We set the environment with an awesome musical score composed by DS Wallace! His work includes composing custom samples and synthetic sounds for Tron: Evolution and the Prometheus and Gravity trailer campaign

Robert Allen the Lead Designer has posted a new blog update for Outland 17 where he talks about the unity engine the developer used for the game.

For those of you who don’t know, Unity is a game engine. This is what video games are built and created in; displaying the models, running the code, and shooting the particles. I’ve familiarized myself with a few of these over my time as a game developer, as well as mapping programs that work in a similar way sometimes. Unity has been something I’ve come to love over the now couple years I’ve worked with it for a couple of reasons. The points I’d like to hit on in this review are the way you build in unity, the way it handles it’s scripting, and finally it’s community.

First off, building in Unity threw me off of my game when I first tried to make something in it. Most game engines or mapping programs I’ve used in the past such as GTK Radiant, and UDK use what I call brushes. These are basically large bricks you can place to make a foundation for your game world like the floor, walls, and ceiling, before you start placing more detailed assets into them. Unity has no such luxury however (without special plugins anyway), where all of it’s assets have to be modeled or created to be placed into a world.

Grenade Tree notified me of a new trailer for their game Outland 17 was released a few days back. So after my short break lets start the news again.

A first glimpse into the universe of Outland 17.

United by technology and a common government Humanity has lifted its gaze to the stars searching for the next step in the advancement of mankind. Colonies dubbed as Outland's have been established throughout the solar system and have attracted the rich and poor alike as Earth becomes ever more over populated and congested.

Yet under the veneer of promises of the insurmountable wealth unrest is growing in the Outlands. Not everything is right on these Outlands. A powder keg is about to blow that will ignite a change for all of humankind. It will either bring them to a new phase in history or doom them to repeat it.

Developer Grenade Tree Games posted news on our forums about their Turn-Based Sci-Fi RPG called Outland 17. You can check the games website for more information.

In the meantime here is a concept art video.

Lead Your Revolution Through Outland 17

Outland 17 is a turn based Sci Fi RPG that takes inspiration from other genres such as tactics games and shooters. Each battle is a different experience because of the character load outs, environment, and tactics used. Every squad member can be customized with unique weapons, armor, attachments, perks, and skill sets to support an assortment of playstyles. With classes ranging from deadly snipers to resilient melee warriors, you choose the composition of your squad to best handle whatever challenges Outland 17 throws at you. Be prepared to fight on any battleground such as wide open fields, confined hallways, chaotic warzones, and more. Take cover, shoot explosive barrels, fire turrets, and do whatever it takes to gain a tactical advantage.