Dear Insane Children, 

Just a quick reminder, especially important as 2000+ of you scramble to figure out Chaos Coin Stuff, that there’s exactly ONE place you want to send us messages regarding your Patreon rewards, account, and other important issues: The Messages Interface on Patreon! 

Via web it looks like that “pencil writing on paper” icon (above).

On mobile it’s a button labeled, you guessed it, “MESSAGES” 

Pressing either of those buttons will take you to the Message Panel. If you’re viewing via web you’ll see a “Send Message” button at the top of the page. On mobile you’ll see an orange circle with a “+” inside of it. In either case, press the thing, enter my name (hint, it’s “American McGee), and send a message. Yay!

Going this route, and using the Patreon account under which your issue exists, will greatly reduce friction in getting your issue dealt with and guarantees we’ll actually see your message… unlike posting it to a month-old image on Instagram, PM’ing it to American on Discord, or SMS’ing it to Font Lord  from your Nokia 5120 which still miraculously works for some reason (the phone, not the method of contacting us). 

While your creativity in finding ways around the path of least resistance is impressive we don’t want stuff to get overlooked or lost. 

Thank You!

 Dear Insane Children, 

Hope everyone had a pleasant weekend. I finally managed to clear the social and work calendar enough that actual *free time* was had and enjoyed. Not that I don’t enjoy making BBQ ribs for friends on the weekend but three weekends in a row and it starts to feel a bit like work! 

Let’s start the week with something entirely cute and not at all horrible – Omri’s vision for Alice as her own enemy. She appears in the form a Alice as a 7-year old. Sweet and cuddly enough in her “OFF” state but a demonic, screaming, fire-engulfed ball-and-chain spewing hellion in her “ON” state. Sounds like children in general to me… 

Omri says the idea is that she comes from a time in Alice’s past when the family was whole and happy. Now that the family is in a pile of sad ashes, Alice’s vision of the past turns into a nightmare reminder of her pain. Says Omri, “She’ll appear at random out of the shadows. Or, just suddenly, look left! There she is!” 

Sounds like a JUMP SCARE to me… Are we doing those?! 

I don’t mind the occasional jump scare. There’s a kinda, “Alright, alright, you got me…” to them which I can accept in small doses. I’d not like to fill the game with them – they’d become tedious and tiring. In fact, this touches on one of the Key Principals I think we ought to flesh out and write down… that being that ‘horror of the imagination’ is much more horrifying than blood splattered on the screen or a repeated offering of jump-scare-type mechanics. 

Where we’re going is horrific by its nature. It’s a distorted and broken imagination. And it should raise the hairs on the back of the neck to venture into some of the darker places. Alice’s reaction to exploration of those spaces will often be enough to set our teeth on edge. We’ve talked before of having her sing quietly when she’s nervous or scared. And we’ve suggested she might resist player control input at preset moments when the fear just gets to be too much. Subtle forms of feedback like this in combination with art direction, music, and sound design will go a long way towards making us feel creepy-crawly without needing to fall back on jump scares. 

And we’ll still have the occasional fountain of blood. Don’t worry 😉

Please share your feedback, QUESTIONS, and SUGGESTIONS (tagged as such) in the comments below!

Chaos Coin Surveys

At last! September 17th is upon us! (At least here in Shanghai). That means Font Lord has spent 17 days working on gathering eligible Patrons into a list in preparation for sending out surveys and the actual Chaos Coin Sets. 

Out of 2103 Patrons who qualified (their pledge was $35 or more at end of August) there are 20 still marked as “declined” by their payment processor. Another 20 have not entered their mailing address on Patreon. Those 40 people will NOT get a Chaos Coin until they correct these issues. 

Are you among that 20? Well, check your Patreon user info. Is your address in there? Good. You’re not in that 20. Now, check your payment system. Do you see a payment processed for Patreon in September (for the August payment) at $35 or more? Great! You’re done. If you answered “no” to either of those questions then PM Font Lord here on Patreon and we’ll try to get you sorted out. 

For those who feel confident they are in the group of eligible Patrons, check your email. You should find an email from Survey Monkey for the Chaos Coin where you’ll input your name and message. Details and rules are provided on the Survey Monkey page. Hold onto that link! You can use it to update the info on the Coin at any time in the future (up until we’re prepping to ship the game). 

Once you’ve answered that survey you can also safely adjust your pledge as needed. BUT WAIT – do keep in mind that if you stay at the $35 for two more months then you can pick an Art Print from the Mysterious Shop… 

That’s a small selection of all the prints available to choose from. AND we’ll add a few more prints to the list by the time you’ve stuck around for two more months. We might even add this amazing new beauty from Alex…

Plus, we’ve got the new Embroidered Patch Set on the way, which you don’t want to miss out on! Stay Insane! The Asylum needs you… 

Rabbit Design Council Update

Attention RDC Members! Based on your feedback over the weekend Joey’s put together a revised version of the White Rabbit Plush. When finished this soft doll will closely resemble the doll carried by Alice in the games – in terms of materials, design, and size. 

When providing feedback, please keep in mind we’re trying to stay close to the image in the top-left of the concept image below…

Yes, Alice’s Rabbit Doll has a funky dog-face. Stop pointing that out – you’re hurting his feelings! How’d you like it if everyone went around saying, “Well, he’s alright but he looks like a dog…” 😛 And let’s also keep in mind this is meant to be the Rabbit she’s carrying in Asylum – when Alice is 13. For that reason it will NOT feature the heavy “repair” stitching seen on the Rabbit in Madness Returns (among other things). 

Joey’s added red material and adjusted the leg/ear proportions. 

What do you think? Feedback in the comments below! 

Coin Miscellaneous 

As I am writing this update two questions regarding the coin arrived… 

First, “will my name become intellectual property?” Your name in the game is like a credit on a film. We don’t own it but you are implicitly granting us the right to use it and your message in-game without license, compensation, etc. If you aren’t comfortable with this, then don’t submit a name or message. 

Second, someone asked the presentation format for the name and message in the game. This was something we shared in a previous Patreon post. Scroll back! But to save you time, here’s what Alex whipped up for an example of what it might look like… 

For now, get your name and message into the Survey Monkey (if you want those things in the game) and sit back and wait for delivery of the physical coin. Mailing of those will start soon BUT we’re heading into Mid-Autumn festival here in China so shipping times will be impacted. When your Coin is fulfilled you should receive an email with a tracking link. 

If you don’t get a tracking link then please wait until October 15th before you write to ask for one. 

Whew! That’s a ton for today. I’ll let you all absorb that and keep an eye on comments for any urgent questions or concerns. 

From Shanghai in the Rain, 

-American

Dear Insane Children,
Omri has been back and forth with me, Joey, Martin, and Matt (AKA the Rabbit Design Council) and working towards the final design for the White Rabbit Collectable plush toy.

We believe the image above is The Rabbit we’re looking for. But what say you?

Give us your feedback in the comments below. Then we’ll send this little guy hopping off to the factory for production of a concept design.

From Shanghai with Fluff,
The RDC

Dear Insane Children, 

Quick reminder we’re starting a YouTube Livestream at 9AM Hong Kong Time (September 13th, 2018). (That’s about 50 minutes from when I’m posting this). You can join us by hitting THIS LINK. 

I’ll be playing Little Nightmares while Font Lord reads your suggestions, questions, and super chats. Plus we have new art to review! 

There will be prizes. And Lulu. 

Join the fun!

From the Rabbit Hole,

-American (and Martin and Lulu)

Dear Insane Children, 

Want your very own “White Rabbit Plush + Rutledge Asylum Property Bag” collector set?

THIS PROMOTION IS OVER

IF YOU MISSED IT – DON’T CRY – YOU CAN STILL GET A RABBIT PLUSH SET

JUST VISIT THIS LINK:  The Mysterious Store 

 ****  ****   ****  ****   ****  ****   ****  ****   ****  ****   ****  ****   ****  ****   ****  ****  

 THIS PROMOTION IS OVER 

When we reach 3222 Patrons here on Patreon we’ll unlock the set at an Early Bird price of $45.

Here’s how you can help us reach 3222 Patrons and get a White Rabbit Collector Set of your own: 

1) Pledge NOW at any level – even $1 a month (there is a tier for that!) 

2) Wait until we hit at least 3222 Patrons (we’ll send out notice when we do)

3) Increase your pledge to $45 (or more) for that month (use the Custom Pledge option)

That’s it! For a month or two at $1 plus a month at $45 you’ll get a White Rabbit Plush express-mailed anywhere in the world (FREE SHIPPING with tracking is included), the Rutledge Asylum property bag and…

A Patreon Special embroidered Lulu Patch! *(Lulu not included)

And…

A downloadable Rabbit Dress for Alice: Asylum! You’ll get Early Access to the Plush Dress and be the first to hop around Wonderland like a mad bunny!

That’s a White Rabbit Plush, Rutledge Asylum Property Bag, Lulu Patch, and in-game Plush Dress, shipped for FREE with tracking anywhere in the world for only $45. Crazy, insane, and easy! 

And, as a Patron, you’ll gain Early Access to Patron-only posts, artwork, design discussions, and more. At $5 a month you can also access our super-secret Discord Server where the Insane Children gather to discuss all the insane things! 

The White Rabbit Plush is the result of crowd-design efforts here on Patreon. 

That’s a “life size” (~30cm tall) White Rabbit Plush collectible inspired by the rabbit we see Alice carrying. 

Here on Patreon you’ll be able to get this at an Early Bird Discount Price. If you miss that, don’t worry! We’ll also have it for sale over on Mysterious (but it’ll be more expensive). 

Don’t be late! 

Hit THIS LINK and become a Patron NOW! 

From the Rabbit Lair,

-American (and Lulu)

Dear Insane Children, 

I’ve got an idea for a new boss in Alice: Asylum… “Million Poster Tubes” – he might be a distant cousin to Rick & Morty’s “Million Ants” but that doesn’t make him any less formidable. That’s the thing about growing an awesome Patreon community and running a super successful campaign around the Chaos Coin… Physical things must then be signed, packed, and delivered to Insane Children all over the world.

After several solid days of signing, rolling, packing, labeling, and shipping, I can finally say I’ve defeated Million Poster Tubes… for now. Many thanks to my trusty sidekick Font Lord and our latest addition to the team, Matt. (Matt needs a better nickname). 

And, thank YOU, for waiting patiently while I was focused on The Tube Wars. 

Speaking of bosses (or the lack thereof) this was one of the most highlighted bits of feedback about Alice: Madness Returns… “Where are the damn bosses?” The game is so deliberately anti-boss that it even features a bit of a head-fake at the start. Just when you think an epic battle is about to commence between Alice and the evil duo of March Hare and Dormouse… nope! 

So we’ve heard lots of requests for “moar bosses!” in Asylum – and those requests will be heeded. We’ll even feature that same furry duo, March Hare and Dormouse, which are the subject of today’s main image. 

Joey’s come up with an art treatment and boss design I suspect we’ll all enjoy a few cups of. What do you think?

Who are some of the other major Wonderland Characters you’d like to see Alice fighting in Asylum? Comments below – and be sure to use QUESTION and COMMENT tags if you’d like Martin to read your stuff during the next livestream. 

Joey also sends along another image inspired by a multitude of requests and questions from fans: Alice parkour across the rooftops of London. 

This was another area where many people felt we could have delivered a bit more action in Madness Returns. The main constraint being, as usual, time and money… we simply didn’t have the resources for rigging, animating, and coding all the stuff necessary for a “normal” Alice who was playable in this fashion in the real world. Depending on resources we’ll try to remedy that in the new game.

The last bit of new art from Joey is a triptych of enemies – all members of the family “Creepy Doll Part Nightmares.” We discussed this image and lots of other art in detail during the last livestream. In case you missed that, you can still watch it HERE. 

During that livestream we FINISHED the very slow, very death-filled play-through of “American McGee’s Alice” and we’re now in need of a new game to play! With that in mind PLEASE COMMENT BELOW with ideas for what game we should start playing  next. 

I’ve heard requests for DOOM and Quake. I’d personally like to give “Bad Day LA” a spin. Franbow has come up multiple times – but people have also mentioned it’s very heavy on text and reading… which might not be the greatest thing to mix with us also trying to respond to your comments, suggestions, and Super Chats. So… give us your (other) suggestions in the comments below!

Chaos Coin Update

Martin is working to compile all your info for shipping out the Chaos Coins. That process will continue until September 17th. Martin will do a final data extraction on September 16th around Midnight and use that info to build the final shipping list. We will then send out the survey (via email) which you’ll use to provide us your Name and Message for embedding on the virtual coin. 

If you’re still having trouble getting your Patreon payment to go through then please contact Patreon and/or your financial institution and work with them to clear that up. On our side we’re powerless to help with failed transactions. But fear not – so long as you get the issue cleared up this month, then you will receive your coin!

Please, do not write asking us to confirm that your pledge is OK or if you’re receiving a coin. Even though Stickboy and Font Lord are super heroes (of sorts) we’d still struggle with dozens of such requests. Wait until the 17th. We’ll post an update at that time and the survey links will be emailed. If, after that point, things aren’t clear or you feel uncertain, you can email us and we’d be happy to help 🙂 

Those of you waiting for the 17th in order to adjust your pledge (and thank you for waiting as requested) I do want to quickly spam you with a reminder that two more months at that pledge level would unlock an autographed art print, which you can select from the Mysterious Shop and have mailed anywhere in the world (free shipping)… 

3 x $35 = one art print, so keep that in mind. Full list of available art for you to select from is available via THIS LINK to Mysterious. And two more images will be added before you hit your x3. If you do decide to stick around at that level, you might consider adjusting your Tier so that Font Lord doesn’t have to work as hard to sort you into the correct category later on 😉 Mmm… spam. 

Livestream Time

We’ve set the next livestream for Thursday, September 13th, at 9AM Hong Kong Time. Hit THIS LINK to set a reminder. YouTube sucks, set your own reminder, etc. And use International Meeting Planner if you are confused about time zones and whatnot.

Last but not least… the White Rabbit Doll design. We’re pushing this towards production so provide your feedback in the comments below. He’s going to be our new best friend, so let’s make sure we get him right! 

From Shanghai with Tube-itis,

-American