Dear Insane Children, 

We have a ton of new Inmates joining the Asylum after yesterday’s big marketing and mailing list push. Join me in welcoming them to our mad family! And – everyone – please help us get the word out so we can hit that 2000 Patron Goal this month! Spread our images and creativity all around your social media channels! 

Today we’ve got new art, new patches, new jewelry, and the Livestream Link!

First up, Alex sends along a weapon concept…

I’ve created a “Broken Vorpal Blade” weapon concept, that is inspired by the “Solve Et Coagula” dissolve to reform idea. (chaos blade sounds like the obvious naming choice, but is taken by Dad of War).

The concept being, that this early in Alice’s timeline and story, things are still finding their way and figuring themselves out. 

The end result of Alice: Asylum’s journey being the familiar visual style we all know in the Alice Series.

I’ve applied this line of thought to the Vorpal blade, as a weapon that dynamically breaks apart and reforms, unsure of itself as much as Alice is, and not knowing really what form to take. 

This is expressed either by the weapon reforming as selectable modes, (knife, scythe, spear, shield etc.)

Or reforming during successive combo strikes. 

I like the idea of a multi-form weapon / shield / item. It fits nicely with the Chaos and Order theme in our narrative. And I imagine it would produce a lot of stunning and emergent visuals. He also sent along an idea for Runes  being applied to Alice’s skills (via slots on her dress and necklace) along with a UI mock-up (from DOOM)…

Meanwhile Jen continues delivering The Awesome with some new and updated embroidered patch designs…

Something tells me this next Patch Set is going to be even more amazing than the last… which I wouldn’t have thought possible until about 5 minutes ago! Let’s hurry up and unlock the Chaos Coin Goal so we can set (a much easier) goal for the next set of patches!

These are Alchemy Keys inspired by the set of keys from Madness Returns. I put these together in AI and cut them on my handy-dandy laser cutter (in wood) as part of the process of transforming them into a set of necklaces. They’ve been up on Mysterious for a while (as a placeholder) so that I can judge interest before pulling the trigger on production… 

They now have a higher “email me when ready” count than anything we’ve ever tested – so I know there’s lots of demand for them. Thing is, producing these (even the samples) is not going to be cheap. Before I start the factory on samples, a couple of questions for those of you who are interested. 

A bit of info about the necklaces first: They will be sold as a set of 5 pendants with a necklace chain. Everything will be made from stainless steel – matte or shiny dependent on answers to the survey (below). They will be 50mm tall and 3mm thick. Like we’ve done with the Chaos Coin, the set will come in a logo box / bag with a collector certificate. 

If you’re interested in this and want to provide feedback on price and design, please do so HERE. 

Last but not least, here’s the LINK to tomorrow’s YouTube Livestream. It’s at the usual time: 9AM Hong Kong Time on Thursday, August 9th. Consult International Meeting Planner to see what that translates to where you are. Also set a personal reminder as YouTube seem to ignore your subscription, reminder, and ‘bell’ clicks – because they know better than you what sort of content you should consume! 

We’ll go through your QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS during the stream. Martin says he’ll make a list of interesting ones prior to going live… so be nice to Martin and maybe he’ll pick yours! 🙂 

From Shanghai with Snackula,

-American

Sometimes you get a batch of art that makes you feel wonderful*. Images from a team of artists around the world which come together in a magical mix of what has been and what can be. Reminding me of all the times in the past, when I’ve seen art and concepts *click* in that distinctly *right* way. Recalling those feelings of being fortunate or lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time with the right group of people. Today is one of those days. 

First up we have an absolutely brilliant poster concept from Alex. I’m really blessed to have attracted yet another super-talented, incredibly dedicated and knowledgeable Aussie artist into the stable. He really knocked it out of the park with his recent efforts on Out of the Woods. Not just bringing amazing art to the table but also a technical expertise from the world of print and production that enabled us to do what would otherwise have been impossible.

And that poster… WOW!

And then Omri… Woo! Just f’ing NAILS IT with these asylum / Wonderland cross-over dresses. The addition of his art and presence to the team has been, as you all know, fantastic. It’s been years that we’ve crossed paths, chatted here and there, talked about working together… but never found the right time and place. Until now. And talk about RIGHT.

And then Jen delivers yet more Patch Goodness(tm). Everyone (including Alice) is on FIRE! I feel blessed. Randomly bumping into Jen on Twitter, getting into a few fun debates, with her bringing the hammer (and the cuteness) to our side. She also contributed in a huge way to the success and production of Out of the Woods, which in itself helped get us to where we are today… 

And though he didn’t submit any artwork today (and we should probably be thankful for that) I also need to send a ton of love to Martin. If he weren’t quietly going about the communication and community work, helping guide me in my moments of rashness, and being an excellent co-pilot during our weekly live streams… well, I’d have gone mad by now (and not in a good way). So, thank you, Martin, for not having a last name but always having my back.

Last but not least there’s YOU. Helping make all this a reality through your support, comments, and questions. Wonderful.

Speaking of you…

Seems the majority are on board with using the QUESTION and SUGGESTION tags in the comments. And Martin says he’ll also spend a bit of time pre-livestream to pull out Question and Suggestions for discussion during the stream. Hopefully that will satisfy everyone’s issues and desires. 

We do look forward to your feedback in the comments below. If you have a question or suggestion, well you know how to tag it. Do keep in mind that our livestreams are pretty hectic – with updates, discussion, Super Chats, and the comments from Patreon… So, spend a little time going through previous Patreon posts, comments, and YouTube livestreams before posting Questions – just to make sure you’re not reposting a topic we’ve already covered. 

*That track was in my Top 3 when I lived in Hong Kong and would go jogging through the mid-levels, past the botanical gardens, and down the Bowen Trail all the way to Happy Valley and back. All that mountain running eventually killed my right knee but it was fun while it lasted. What’s your favorite running, workout, energy music? 

From Shanghai with Wonder,

-American (and Lulu)

Dear Insane Children, 

This post was meant to start with 3-pages of me talking about political correctness and the importance of living life With Teeth but cooler heads prevailed. I was reminded of the precarious nature of our situation – all the eyes on us and what I’m saying. And the fact that I deleted that text and open instead with these words… well, that probably says all we need to say about the political state of the world we live in. I guess we chalk this up as a win for the PC Police. Yay :/

And… we start today’s post with the latest from Joey. Actually, this was in the batch of images she dropped yesterday but I somehow let it slip through the cracks. It’s icy! 

This looks to be a fantastic weapon. Especially when considered in context of my comments from yesterday. This thing can easily freeze enemies, form bridges, slow down mechanisms, make skating surfaces, extinguish fires, and so on. Most importantly, I am certain it would make a mean frozen margarita! 

Next we have an update from Alex: 

These would be the front and back images for the Chaos Coin collector card. With this we complete the set of items which will ship with the Chaos Coin – the Coin, box, frame, bag, and card. Quite a set! 

Let us know in the comments below your thoughts. My first impression – I love the ‘face’ side but I’m not so certain about the text being skewed. The back is also wonderful but the font on the CHAOS COIN text … not a fan. I wonder if Font Lord Martin had something to do with this? 😛  

Once we get a final design approved these need to be printed and sent to our logistics partner. That will (hopefully) coincide with them receiving the box/frame stuff from the factory… at which point the whole set will be complete! Thoughts?

Omri’s sent along an updated version of the Bargaining Dress which he’s now labeled the “Pleading Dress.” What do you think? 

This is certainly closer to the more subdued vision I had for her at this stage. I’ve also seen quite a few strong requests to maintain the green Bargaining Suit (or Dress) as shown in previous updates. I hear you! We’ll find a way to integrate it into the game.

Jen also continues her work on ideas for new patches. Of these she says:  

1. Shrinking violet with Alice’s hands reaching out with the cats cradle strings. Thought it might be a unique patch in line with the whole “only a few will understand this”

Also was thinking instead of the cats cradle I could put the burning house silhouette just out of reach? Kind of like she fell into the violet and is shrinking away from what happened. 

2. Bloody hobby horse, haven’t done proper typography on this yet, just a sketch idea. I should probably also give the banner a bit more flair but I wanted to make sure you liked the idea first as it’s a bit pastelish like the original hobby horse. Not sure if maybe people would prefer the more evil looking hobby horse? 

And she’d like to know if anyone would appreciate a Mock Turtle Ale patch…

The next set of patches is shaping up to be really interesting!

Let us know your feedback in the comments below.

And a last-minute delivery from Omri – The Hospital Dress! Of this he says: 

Hi! so before i’m doing the Asylum Dress, i thought to do the Hospital dress. According to the script she’s catatonic and you see her right after the fire. so.. this is what i thought she should wear.

Whew, that is a LOT of content to go through for one post!

And we’re not even done yet – a lot of you are writing to express concern about the QUESTION: label we’re using in the comments. I’ve read that some people don’t really enjoy listening to Patron Questions and Comments being read? So I’m a bit confused… And what do we do when we’re confused? 

I made a SurveyMonkey Survey! Hit that link and let us know your thoughts on Questions, Comments, and how to address these during the livestreams. 

Lots of content to discuss in this post and I look forward to some thoughtful discussion in the comments below. As you think about and comment on the topic of political correctness I am curious to know how many of you have taken the Political Compass Test. 

Might make for an interesting livestream aside for me to take this and talk about my responses and where I ultimately fall on the graph. I ask because I feel that single point analysis of a person’s politics and beliefs is by definition really shallow. Before you think you really disagree with someone’s politics or positions it’s useful to dig a bit deeper… so, yeah, thoughts on that as well! 

From Shanghai with Icy Balls (not really, it’s 40c outside), 

-American 

Dear Insane Children,

Inmate Alyssa asked in the comment section of the previous post about weapons – and I told her she was going to LOVE the next post. And, hey, that’s THIS post! So… get ready because… incoming!!!

Joey’s been working on a series of weapon designs per our “toys as weapons” design direction. Her designs combine elements of what we’ve seen in the past two games with several new and original ideas. The result is a toy chest full of things that go BOOM (or PO!) in the best way!

The Jack Bomb (image at top) will be familiar to all who played the first two Alice games. At this point it’s probably a requirement that we include it in future Alice games. And not just because it’s visually appealing, fun to use, and deadly – but it’s also overloaded with functionality. I like when our weapons are also tools – and the Jack Bomb has proven itself capable in both categories.

Next up is the flamingo – another concept we’re familiar with. As for the design implementation this time around – I think it would nice to see (as we’ve seen before) the option for a ranged and melee attack. Might also be fun to give the weapon a bit more character – perhaps it can be made to squawk and drive away easily frightened enemies? Could it carry Alice through the air – either gliding or rising up into the air? What other uses can you think of for the flamingo? 

Next up is an idea similar to the Demon Dice in the original Alice game. I have to admit that was NOT my favorite weapon – the idea that your own weapon might attack and damage you… Yeah, not sure what I was thinking when we came up with that one. But we shouldn’t throw the dice out with the dumb demons. Joey’s new presentation of the idea suggests using the random nature of the dice to randomly summon a variety of attacks.  It’s one of those ideas which sounds good on paper but in the heat of a battle… Well, what do you think? 

What’s not to like about a turned off / turned on toad? Beyond the offensive and defensive concepts presented here I can also imagine using the Toad Top as a lasso – perhaps to swing across chasms or grapple objects at a distance. There are some proper Spinning Top Ninjas to be found in the parks around Shanghai – anyone seen anything similar in other parts of the world? 

And last but not least… 

One of these days Alice, POW, ZOOM, straight to the moon! Perhaps this shouldn’t be a pistol but a rifle and we call it the Ralph-el? Ahem… I’ll show myself out.  

I used to have a semi-thought regarding Alice and guns. It’s been a long time but I feel like I wasn’t the biggest fan of her using anything which looked like a conventional gun-type weapon. Not because I have anything in particular against guns (the cause for some lengthy debates with some of my friends) but that guns seem to lack imagination. One of the primary motivations for my originally wanting to design a game around the Alice universe was that I was tired of guns in games. Four years of BFG’s, gibs, and non-stop death-match at id Software did that to me. 

Seems this “gun” is sufficiently creative we could let it pass. What do you think? 

As usual leave your feedback in the comments below. If you have a specific question you want read during the next livestream please mark it as “QUESTION: ” so Martin doesn’t struggle trying to find it among all the other bits of text.

Housekeeping Notes

For those of you who ordered an Asylum License Proposal Booklet from Mysterious… 

That’s nearly 150 orders signed, sealed, labeled, and out the door. Usual delivery time is 20 days. If you absolutely must have a tracking number then please wait until ~25th of August then write to inquire (via the private message function here on Patreon). 

Our Patron count is at 1719 as I write this. That means we need to add around 9 new Patrons per day for the month of August in order to unlock the Chaos Coin Patron Goal. You can help us reach this goal by spreading the world to your social channels and friends. Let them know that for as little as $1 a month they can help support the creation of all this great artwork, story, and design. Every little bit helps and every voice has a place in the discussions taking place here.

I look forward to your feedback and QUESTIONS: in the comments below. And I hope you’re all having a wonderful weekend! I spent all day today (Sunday) packing those boxes but it’s the sort of work that leaves me feeling thankful for having the opportunity to do it. Your trust, support, and contributions to our efforts here always fill me with gratitude and wonder 🙂 

From Shanghai with Love, 

-American 

Dear Insane Children, 

I seek the finest and the bravest knights in the land to join me in my Court of Camelot! You have proved yourself worthy… but none (or at least not all) shall pass. It’s the same story every month. We add, on average, around 400 new Patrons per month but then lose around 200 at the start of each new month – a net gain of around +200 per month. For those of you who’ve been around for a while the pattern is familiar… 

As it pertains to our work and progress on Asylum this means nothing – tis but a scratch! But for those of you interested in reaching our next Patreon Goal – the Chaos Coin – it may feel a bit frustrating. The good news is that if the previous trend holds we should unlock that goal this month, August 2018. 

Several of you have written to ask, “What’s going on?” And I think the answer is highly variable. Some people actually write to say, “I need to drop support this month for XYZ reason,” while others just vanish silently. I think there are many who have other pressures and obligations to deal with. And there are probably a few who have figured out how to game the system in order to consume content for the month, then cancel before they are charged. 

Patreon recently implemented a “Charge on Pledge” option which, like it says, charges a Patron the moment they pledge as opposed to waiting for the end of the monthly cycle. I don’t think we see the issue as being large enough to warrant enabling this feature. Despite the ups and downs we’re happy, healthy, and making incredible progress towards our shared goals.

I do want to make clear that we absolutely COULD NOT do what we’re doing by way of art, design, and story pre-production if it were not for YOUR support. For that, I’l say again (again): THANK YOU! 

You are the dedicated few who are acting in a meaningful way to help bring to life a new chapter in an adventure you love. You’re taking part in a (seemingly successful) experiment in crowd designing, funding, and promoting a full-blown game development. 

I think you’ll look back in some years, holding the physical output of your commitment in your hands, and think, “I made this real.” 

Omri sends along a dress fitting with our ongoing progress – the Confidence / Aggression Dress (pictured above). We discuss this and other new bits of art at length in yesterday’s Livestream on YouTube. The other dress we featured was the new Bargaining Dress… 

We had a ton of fun on the livestream and I really enjoyed reviewing these new dresses with everyone. Lots of great feedback and ideas flowing from you all! 

Omri, Joey, and Alex are all working on new art and rounds of revisions based on your comments and we should expect to see lots of great new images next week. I also expect we’ll have bits of news to update on talks with EA, financiers, publishers, and others. 

I look forward to your comments and feedback. Remember if you do have a specific question you want addressed during the next livestream, mark it clearly with “QUESTION: ” – that will help Martin sort through and find things more quickly. Thanks! 

From Shanghai in another Typhoon,

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

Chaos always has its White Rabbit. Is it any wonder the Chinese designate the rabbit as Yin (vs Yang) – placing it in the house of Chaos? The trickster, the creator, the symbol of the eternal cycle as best represented in the motif of The Three Hares.

The puzzle  concept contained within this image of contour rivalry is one we could take as analogous to the nature of chaos and the grief cycle. 

Perspective dictates the nature of the phases of our journey. What was an “ignorant bliss” before the storm is later viewed as a period of great shame and regret. During that peaceful time it seems nothing is wrong and nothing could go wrong – but turn the wheel a few degrees and the “ears” which sat so comfortably atop the head of contentment now feature prominently above the head of the Chaos Rabbit. 

And then the wheel turns and the ears shift and we’re following the next rabbit. On and on it goes. 

This week we’ll follow the White Rabbit to another YouTube Livestream. Hit THIS LINK to set a reminder. And don’t forget to set your own reminders because YouTube is (rabbit) poop. 

That Livestream is set for 9AM on Thursday morning Hong Kong Time (August 2nd). Use International Meeting Planner to sort out what that means where you live. 

During this week’s stream we’ll discuss the back-and-forth I’ve had with Jennifer regarding new embroidery patch designs. From the outside this might look like simple “patch design” but in reality we’re establishing a CODE. A set of glyphs and symbols which will underpin a secret level of communication within Alice: Asylum. And we’re starting with the glyph that starts it all – the one that sits over the door leading into this new adventure. 

These are the latest versions of the White Rabbit symbol (alongside some patches she’s using as inspiration). I’m a huge fan of #1 and so I’ve incorporated it (main image, above) with the Tarot Card Back image sent to us by Alex this week. 

Now, Alex says he’s not feeling like this is going in the right direction – would like a do-over, and that’s fair enough… but not all the art we’re doing these days has to reach a ‘final’ stage. I’ve told him that it’s enough that we define the basic outline of an idea, stick a pin in it, and move on.

Truth is, we’re not in a place where we could start manufacturing Alice Tarot Cards tomorrow, so there’s no super-urgent need to finalize these images… especially not when there are so many other images we could be working on. And he is now working on something COOL … more on that later.

Back to the patches, I said to Jen: 

Now I think we’re getting somewhere… if I had a friend with one of these patches on his/her jacket or backpack… I might think they were into a satanic rabbit cult. I personally like #1 the best. I feel like my brain is tainted by the red/white color scheme of the Chinese “White Rabbit” candy – so I can’t take #2 seriously… though I do believe “White Rabbit” brand candy is the candy of choice for satanic rabbitists.  

Not sure if you’ve all seen the Chinese candy I am referring to…

But some of the earlier designs did feel a bit close to this – certainly in color scheme…

So… what do you think? Which White Rabbit would you prefer to follow through the chaos of existence?

As usual, leave your QUESTIONS and comments below. If you have a question, please mark it clearly as such. And we’ll do our best to get through everything… 

Btw, I am literally giving away Greg’s Junk during the livestream tomorrow. 

From Shanghai with the Cult of Lulu,

-American

PS: The Chaos Rabbit image attached as a JPG so you can use it as your desktop background – like me!