THERE IS A NEW STORY DRAFT PDF DOWNLOAD AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.
DOWNLOAD IT. READ IT.
Hello there Insane Children,
Alex here with another peek behind the scenes of pre-production.
Big STORY SPOILERS ahead in the PDF download on this one.
I’ll keep this post spoiler and specifics free, so read on with spoiler god-mode enabled.
Since we last spoke together, American and I have continued our work on the Alice: Asylum story.
After our experimental format was received positively, (thank you!) we’re back at it, ironing out the specifics.
We’re deep-diving into the actual in-game story.
Fleshing out and positioning the narrative American will want you to encounter as a player. Starting from the opening cinematic, and moving you forward.
What we’ve now written is a much different, larger, and darker beast.
There’s a lot more teeth.
Hold onto your butts, it’s about to get real.
TWO IMPORTANT THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND:
1. THE PDF IN THIS POST IS A FIRST DRAFT FOR THE OPENING CHAPTER ONLY.
It is the very first pass on taking our established key story beats, threading them together, and starting a cohesive narrative experience.
The analogy I used this morning with American was:
Getting all the clay we have lined up to work with.
Slamming all those pieces together.
Then dumping that clay heap on the table.
Ta-dah. Opening story.
It’s time to get sculpting in finer detail.
Severed heads and appendages from this draft will be on the cutting room floor.
A lot will be removed, or repurposed in the next pass.
And that’s great.
American and I agree, the key takeaway from this draft is:
We need to lean it up.
Speaking of which…
2. Scene Duration and Pacing.
As American explained in the last post, a page in this screenplay format roughly translates to 1 minute of screen time. We’ve got 17 pages here.
We’re going to try and cut that in half, (or close to) with the next pass.
And that’s not a problem. We both agree it’s entertaining overall, and there’s some fun scenes.
However, the current draft takes you on a slower-paced, guided tour through the opening. Explaining each step to you in detail. Stopping at each station as you go. Allowing you to take your time as a player. And ask questions.
The pace we want to hit for the story at this point, is more along the lines of strapping you into a fast rollercoaster.
That hits some gut-churning loops.
Then flings you off the tracks.
Over the fence of the amusement park.
And leaves you in a burning, grinning heap in the parking lot.
Sound good?
Much more story, art and experiences to share as we go.
In closing here, I just want to take a moment to thank all of you for continuing to provide the means for American, the team, and myself to make this happen.
We couldn’t do it without your support. I truly hope you’re all enjoying being along for the ride with us. Let’s make something special together.
Stay insane you beautiful people.
-Alex