We're ALMOST there! (Patreon)

We need one more week, before we can "Lock Down" the project, and produce the "Final Alpha."

Trust me - we did our LEVEL BEST to get this out by the end of October.  Personally, I started the week with a list of 20 minor corrections I had to address, and only two items remain.  I believe these final issues can be addressed with an update to the back-end packages - but we're at the point where adding new stuff  might cause further delays.  This means it's a coin toss whether I can address those before the lock down.

One of the neat things we WILL include is the first iteration of Ronan, the only kitten you'll meet in the game.  Currently, Laura's working on his coat - the first draft always looks like the poor cat just came out of the dryer- but he's still adorable, at this early stage...

I also was finally able to add a location that I've been meaning to bring in for quite some time: the abandoned migrant cemetery by the old LaFlamme Fishworks.  It's the final resting place for those workers who lost their lives during the brief heydey of that enterprise, yet did not possess the funds for the final ferry trip back to the mainland.

I was reluctant to add this area, as that it brought to the mind some of the more unpleasant things about humanity that we wanted to address:  Our propensity for prejudice, and our indifference to poverty.  

It also is a reference to an unfortunate thing that I have seen a great deal of:  A persistent pattern of past vandalism & desecration of graves - not out of malice - but out of sheer indifference to history.

Near where I live is the West End Cemetery - one of the oldest of such places in Portland.  It boasts impressive monuments and mausoleums, and while some are still buried there today, it contains graves that predate the founding of the USA by over a century.

It is a very pleasant place to visit - people still go there to read, relax & reflect while maintaining social distance.  However, you soon realize that over 80% of the tombstones have been vandalized or toppled over.

Again, one must acknowledge that the vast majority of this happened not because of any malice towards anyone buried there, but because to some, it was just something to do. 

One cannot lay this propensity towards a callous disregard for history solely at the feet of our modern era.  One must remember the thousands of egyptian mummies that were either sold to be cut open at victorian-era parties - or literally ground up to create a unique shade of brown oil paint.

But as I said - those are the less uplifting themes we have had to consider, lately...

IN MORE CHEERFUL NEWS...

Last night, I was alerted to a page on Twitter called VNVIsland that posts screenshots of Peace Island with VNV Nation Lyrics.

If you were not aware, the music of VNV Nation had a great deal of influence on the story of Peace Island.  It was neat to see someone else on the same wavelength - their captions are (mostly) appropriate.)

We have had to delay the launch of the Steam page for a month.

Ya see: in order to get that up, we need a new trailer.  The old one was shot almost four years ago, and while it's charming, it's BADLY out-of-date.  

We're doing a shot-by-shot remake of the existing trailer, with a professional VO and better production values - but we've not been able to do many in-game shoots, because we've been too busy getting the Final Alpha together.  

On this end, we all agree: At this stage, It's more important to finish the alpha, than promote the game.  Once we have that delivered, I can spend a few days gathering footage.

IN-GAME MENTIONS ARE STILL BEING PROCESSED - It's an exhaustive process, and we've only been able to address 25% of outstanding placements.  IF YOU ARE DUE FOR THIS PREMIUM, AND WE HAVE YET TO REACH OUT TO YOU, PLEASE CONTACT US ASAP! 

Shipment of postcard & print premiums had to be temporarily halted, due to a momentary lack of postage funds - they will resume, on Tuesday!

WE'LL BE DOING ANOTHER QUICK UPDATE THIS COMING WEDNESDAY, LETTING YA'LL KNOW WHAT'S WHAT.  

Thanks again for your confidence, support, and patience!