Ebbtide: the supply lines behind its zombie siege

A helicopter full of survivors could be more than a successful evacuation. In Ebbtide's announced campaign, the people, troops, equipment and supplies brought to the Port of Los Angeles become the starting force for a wider world campaign. What you save in one place shapes what you can take into the next.

That connection is the part of ProjectAlive's zombie RTS I would follow most closely. The immediate spectacle is easy to read: an aircraft carrier group, armoured vehicles and air support against a city overrun by the dead. The longer question is how to keep that force useful when ammunition, fuel and safe roads run out.

Big guns, finite supplies

The developer describes a continuous operations map: zoom into a street to command its live battle, then pull back out while the fighting continues. Direct control of soldiers, tanks and helicopters sits alongside wider orders to hold, delay or withdraw. Los Angeles is divided into fifteen districts whose condition can deteriorate from Hold to Crisis to Lost.

Firepower has a cost beyond the next explosion. Ships have finite magazines. Ground vehicles and aircraft need ammunition and fuel from bases you still control, while walls require construction materials delivered by truck or helicopter. The enemy can ambush convoys and cut roads. A powerful defensive position therefore also creates a route that must remain usable.

The official gameplay trailer shows combined-arms fighting and previews a world map; the FAQ describes that wider sandbox as work in progress. The store description adds a particularly sharp rescue risk: zombies can cling to low-hovering helicopters. Put those ideas together and an evacuation becomes a choice about timing and exposure, rather than simply sending an aircraft to a marker. How well the systems work together remains something for a playable build to establish. See the developer's gameplay description and trailer on Steam.

The reported wishlist milestones

On 21 October, ProjectAlive announced 15,000 wishlists. On 23 October, the developer announced 100,000, saying that milestone had been reached in three days. Both figures are the creator's reports; AIM has not inspected the game's private Steamworks data.

The announcements establish a public sequence of reported demand. They do not supply daily acquisition data or split traffic between trailers, press, creators, advertising and existing followers. I would treat Ebbtide as a promising case for studying how an ambitious game attracts attention, while leaving the source of those wishlists open.

AI-made assets, human review and the next revision

ProjectAlive describes making the game alone and using AI for assets that were difficult to produce without help. The current Steam disclosure covers the soundtrack, some prerecorded voices, sound effects, ambient audio, event illustrations and the creation or refinement of selected 3D models. It also records AI-assisted translation. The developer says generated material was reviewed and edited before inclusion, with no content generated during play.

That is substantial production assistance across visual and audio work. It does not establish that AI wrote the game's code or that the whole project was generated. The FAQ names Unity 6 and C#; it does not identify a coding assistant or a measured AI share.

The 15,000-wishlist update makes the revision work unusually visible. The creator identifies weaknesses in voices and translations, seeks contributors for recordings and localization, and says collaboration with musicians on a new soundtrack would be welcome if the opportunity arises. These are plans and invitations, not evidence that replacement assets have already shipped.

For me, that makes the production story more useful: AI helped this creator reach a stage they say would have been difficult alone, and the next stage still involves selection, editing and possible human collaboration. The public interest creates an opportunity to improve the material, alongside pressure to deliver the game people imagined. Read the creator's production update.

What can you play now?

At the 26 October check, Steam lists Ebbtide as Coming soon. The developer plans a Steam Playtest followed by a public demo, with dates still to be announced. The price, release date and use of Early Access are undecided. Development currently prioritizes single-player; co-op is only being considered for a later update.

If the interesting part for you is keeping a defence supplied after the opening barrage, Ebbtide offers a clear reason to follow its development. A future playtest can show whether the transition between city command, direct combat and rescue decisions gives that premise enough depth. Follow Ebbtide on Steam.