I never really got into Tribes, and I'll tell you why: Because I could never get the hang of skiing. “Skiing,” for those not familiar with the Tribes vernacular, is a way of using downhill slopes to move at extremely high speeds, and as the Tribes Wiki notes, it's an “essential feature” of the game because the maps are so damned big. So most of my time in the game was spent running—which, at Tribes speeds, is more like casually strolling—to get to fights, at which point I'd get shot in the face by some jerk who was little more than a speck on the horizon, and have to start all over again.

I always liked the idea of Tribes, though, and so I have high hopes for Midair, “a fast-paced, high-skill first-person shooter” that launched a Kickstarter campaign today. The names have been changed, but it's obviously very Tribes-like, with different types of playable classes, deployables, bases that need protection/destruction, and of course skiing, although in this game it's called “gliding.” (And unless my eyes deceive me, that's essentially a Spinfusor I see in the pitch video, too.)

Midair is being developed as a free-to-play game, but developer Archetype Studios said people who support it on Kickstarter will have “the opportunity to shape our game from the ground up,” and of course score some exclusive rewards as well. “As a team of indie developers, we also believe in creating opportunities for aspiring designers and artists to contribute to this project in a meaningful way,” the studio wrote. “Ultimately, backing Midair means that you’re becoming a part of the Archetype Studios community.”

Midair has actually been in development for two years now, and is currently in a pre-alpha state as a “playable multiplayer experience.” The purpose of the Kickstarter is to get the game finished and released within the next 18 months, and, if stretch goals allow, expanded with new game types, achievements, customization options, and other features.

The Kickstarter goal is $100,000, and it seems to be making good headway, having notched up nearly $20,000 in just its first few hours. It's slated to run until June 4, and you can find out more about Midair itself at playmidair.com.