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