Dear Insane Children, 

American here with a long-overdue update. First, an apology for the delay since my last post. As many of you know, my mother, step-father, and Yan’s mom are all visiting Shanghai these days. This is my mother’s first visit to China since I left the US 15 years ago. And we’ve taken them all around the city and surrounding area to view the sights and eat lots of yummy food. They are having a blast but I hardly have any time in the day for work or updates. 

Meanwhile our team of artists continue their efforts on outlining the characters, locations, and other critical elements we’ll see in Alice: Asylum. My work with various biz and finance aspects of the project have also continued – with some good (but unshare-able) progress there as well. 

Slumber and Shock

The art-design team effort is mainly focused on the early stages of Asylum. We’re starting at the beginning with the game starting at Alice’s home…

Where we’ll see Alice and her sister playing in the snow. 

I’m hoping to use the snow/ash motif throughout the game and so we’ll start referencing that imagery from the first frame of the game. 

Now as much as I love a snowman melting into a horror-skull… I don’t think it makes sense to hit this sort of note only a minute into the game. In fact, I’d like to spend quite a bit of time (15~10 minutes?) in solemn exploration of the Liddell family home. 

There will be plenty of time for horror later. And I think it’s important to fully illustrate the happy home life Alice had viciously taken from her. 

So these initial opening scene sketches will need some revisions… but it’s still fun to explore various ways we might open the game. 

What’s your response to the Opening Action trend we see in so many movies/games these days? Do you miss the slow, intentional build-up of traditional horror/drama films (“The Shining” is a great example)?

Work is also being done to establish a look/feel for Alice and her family. Here’s an initial attempt by Norm (left) where Omri (right) has done a bit of editing. This pre-trauma Alice strikes me as a bit “dopey” … but then she’s yet to face the Chaos which transforms her into the heroin we all know and love. So perhaps this is the right direction? 

And here are renders of sister and mom. No sign yet of Keanu-Dad. 

Some preliminary work is also being done on the transition phase between Shock and Denial. The idea here being that Alice spends most of Shock in Stealth-Type game play and ends up being chased from that section by a growing army of monsters. 

The “Shock Manifest” creature pictured at the top of this post is an example of the sort of enemy we might encounter during Shock. I really like the thinking behind this monster and can picture large areas filled with these creatures in their idle state – rocking silently back and forth. In my feedback on these creatures I suggested that we might see them grow to a variety of different sizes – some roughly the same size as Alice while others tower over her. This would echo the reality of Triggers – and how you try to avoid them so that you don’t activate the recollection of a trauma. But a trauma, once activated, might grow to a minor annoyance or blossom into a truly crippling emotional storm. 

Crowd Design

We’ll host another Crowd Design session via Discord tomorrow morning (Shanghai time). That’s at 6PM PST on Monday. 

You can learn about our Discord server via THIS LINK. If you’ve been a Patron for at least a month at $5 (or more) then you’ll have access to Discord. Please join us while we discuss the design, story, and art of Asylum!

Tags & Kittens

The Asylum Tags are being manufactured! And we’re expecting another revision on the Cheshire Kitten Plush design. I’ll post more on these two topics next time – but in the meantime, fear not! Good progress being made on those fronts. 

More to Explore

I’m off to another day of exploring the wonders of China with my family. And I really appreciate your patience while I spend time with them. I’ll post an update about our sightseeing once they’ve left and the dust has settled. These are their last few days before heading back to the US. 

From Shanghai with Love, 

-American (and Family)

Dear Insane Children, 

This morning we received a revised Production Sample for the Cheshire Kitten Plush. 

This is still a Work In Progress. We are still collecting feedback and working towards a Final Production Model. This IS NOT the Final Production Model. 

Quite a few details have updated based on our last round of feedback. Have a look… 

And a side by side shot with the Version 1 Production Sample…

Oh cruel world.

There you have it! 

Let us know in the comments below your feedback on this latest production sample. 

And please remember to provide Constructive and Actionable Feedback that will help to inform any changes we might decide to make with a future Production Sample. 

There will be another Production Sample after this one. 

Two main points I feel we need to address: 

1) The fur is still too long. It hides the detail in the tattoos and doesn’t capture the spirit of the emaciated Cheshire Cat we know from the games. Even if this is the kitten version – we still want shorter fur. Should not be a problem to achieve this goal.

2) Depth contouring of the facial features still needs work. While the overall shape and design of the head is much improved, I’d still like to see the nose and mouth contoured (outward) a bit more. 

On point #2, I think the factory is having a difficult time with this one. While making this model they sent me several concerned messages where they tried to explain they didn’t know how to combine the detail work with the contour requirements. Ultimately, we may never achieve our “ideal” in terms of shape… we need to keep in mind that there are limitations in terms of materials, production ability, and conflicting goals. 

While there may be examples of plush toys in the market where the workshop has managed to achieve more contoured facial details, it seems that the factory we’re currently working with doesn’t have the technology or skill to get there. 

If that’s the case, then we need to ask ourselves – is this aspect of the design important enough to warrant abandoning this workshop and going out to find an alternate who can (attempt to) achieve a more contoured face? That sort of process could introduce many months of searching and prototyping… so… something to think about and discuss.

That’s it from me… Share your feedback and thoughts in the comments below!

PS: My mom (now in Shanghai) says of this Cheshire Kitten, “It’s super cute!” 

From Shanghai with Meow, 

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

Do you know how memory works? Many people believe they remember things like a video recording – each moment captured frame by frame, filled with sound, sight, and emotion. And that events can be recalled, even years later, full of detail and meaning. 

But the reality is that you don’t so much “recall” the memory of events as you “retell” them like a narrator. And with each retelling your brain makes small edits – changing events, filling in blanks, and making the overall narrative more interesting. It’s like a game of Chinese Whispers that you play with yourself. (There’s research to suggest that you’re constantly storytelling after every “decision” you make – when in reality those decisions are happening automatically on a subconscious level and your concision mind is forced to write narrative to explain “why” you did something when you have no real answer to that question. Look up “split brain surgery” and the effects on our understanding of why we think we do the things we do).

We’ve all heard stories of False Memories implanted by well-meaning psychologists… resulting in mass hysteria around satanic cults or child molestation events that never existed. And we know that emotion can be a powerful agent when mixed with the recording or recollection of life events. 

When it comes to our Alice story, there are plenty of inconsistencies, gaps, and false memories. We (the player) see events through Alice’s eyes. We explore the narrative through Alice as a “vehicle” in the world of the first two games. 

We must be true to the events and characters that precede AMA and AMR but we also need to ask ourselves how much of what we think we know can be trusted. How much is real? How much is mis-remembered? How much is implanted – false memories? 

Let’s not forget that Bumby unleashed The Infernal Train inside Alice’s mind to literally destroy her recollection of the past and cover up his crimes.

It would be easy to get stuck on questions like, “Why don’t we see Lizzie in the family photo at the start of AMA?” (Check out the opening sequence video HERE). A simple explanation might be that young Alice’s memory simply stripped away the inconsequential information. All that filtered through her memory were the key elements – the (emotionally powerful) sound of her parents screaming resulting in a vivid recollection of their faces. Lizzie was silent (for reasons young Alice would not have been aware). So Lizzie was absent from that memory. 

Is it necessary to go back and align each and every inconsistency with an explanation of this sort? Sure, we’re creative enough to do it, but what does it add? 

This is one reason why, when people ask, “Why was X like Y in AMA?” I’ll answer with “That’s up to you to decide.” Yes, maybe I have an explanation. Maybe I don’t. Maybe I could make one up on the spot… But why put such a fine point on things? Not every question deserves an answer.

And if the (potential) answers to these questions would not result in dramatic changes to our understanding of the nature and end result of the story being told… then how important are those answers? 

I’m thinking hard about all of this while exploring the moments of Alice’s life leading up to The Fire. Our art team are storyboarding these events and laying out a series of scenes which will lead us from the first frame of Alice: Asylum through to our descent into Denial (the first Stage we’ll explore in Wonderland). 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this topic. What elements of AMA and AMR are “sacred” to you? Is there any signals you’ve seen thus far that we might trample some aspect of Alice or her story in the work we’re doing on Asylum? 

Let me know in the comments below! 

Crowd Design Session #11

Speaking of your feedback…

We just uploaded the latest Crowd Design Session over on my YouTube Channel. 

Hit THIS LINK to check out our latest discussion. This week we’re diving into the UI/UX designs presented by Alex. 

Upcoming Schedule

A reminder that my mom is coming to visit Shanghai (landing in about 24 hours). That means that myself and Yan (and Lulu) will be busy showing them the sights for the next ~2 weeks. During that time I will continue to update with art, design, and story stuff. And we have an updated Cheshire Kitten design to share soon. But if the updates seem a little slower than usual – well, that’s why. 

It’s my mom’s first visit to China. When I was a kid she used to take me to a place called “Hunan’s” in Dallas where I would giggle half to death while eating a “Poo Poo Platter.” That was about the closest we ever got (or ever thought we’d get) to China – so I expect her head is going to explode when exposed to the real deal! 

From Shanghai with Poo Poo,

-American

Hi Everyone  

Fontlord here, taking a little time out from lording over my fontly subjects to remind you about all the different options that you could do before being charged at the beginning of June.  

Of course, if you’re simply wanting the Rutledge Tags, make sure you’re set at the $15 (or above) tier level before the month ends.   
Expertly modelled here by Lulu…

FAQ About the Rutledge Tags can be found HERE.

——————-

But take a look at this fantastic image below, this is the art print we’ll be giving away for those charged at the $75 level at the beginning of June.
It’s also going to be a choice for those who have done 3 months at the $35 tier from this point onward.    
Dark Wonderland by Omri.

And it gets even better, if you do set yourself to the $75 tier and that’s the first time you’ve ever been at $75, you’ll be getting….
* The Dark Wonderland Art Print
* A Rutledge Tag
* And a Chaos Necklace
How awesome is that?

So, basically you have just over a day to decide if you want to be at the $15, $35 or $75 tier levels depending on which fantastic items you want to receive.

Still confused?  PM US HOOMIN !!! 

—————

In other news, we continue to investigate the viability of the Art of Alice Cosplay Coffee Table Book idea.
(Please like and follow the Facebook page if you’re interested  🙂 https://www.facebook.com/alicecosplayofficial/  

Here is the basic outline of what we believe the book/Kickstarter will look like. So please take a look at these specs and let us know in the comments bellow if you think you’d be interested in supporting the Kickstarter when launched or if you have concerns or other advice and comments on the subject.

Size = 13″ x 11″
This is actually pretty big and would lead to some incredible high quality pics.

Length = Around 200 Pages
We’re hoping to feature at least 100 Cosplayers, so this guesstimate doesn’t seem far off.

Price = $45 to $60
We’re thinking of two versions. A normal cover and a shiny/embossed/UV coated version. Also there will be Early Bird specials and such on Kickstarter, but this should be the range of prices depending on when you sign up and which you go for.

So, there you go.  Tell us how you feel     🙂  

Big hugs from Font Manor, deep in the heart of Fontsbury.

– Cheers

Dear Insane Children, 

A bit of murder scene reconstruction going on with our art team. They’re trying to define the setting, characters, set pieces, and timeline for “Slumber” – the period of time prior to the fire (Pryor Fire). 

Jen  sends along a 3D mock-up and says, “Alice ‘s room is the furthest away from where the fire started, hence she was able to jump out the window. The parents and sister were trapped by proximity, the multiple doors would have delayed the fire (and potential chemical explosions from Arthur’s photography equipment) for Alice.

She could see her parents dying in the fire because her room has two doors, one into a shared foyer where the master bedroom is (or the bath could be here) I could also put some kind of decorative lattice/ornate wall where she can see through but not try and get to them as a child might.”

My foggy recollection of events includes Alice going downstairs to see the fire. Then back upstairs to try various doors. Then out her window once she realizes she’s about to burn to death with her family. 

What do you recall of these events? 

Lots of other art, design, and story work going on behind the scenes. And we’ll share more of that with you in the coming days. 

No Live Stream This Week

Sadly, there will be no YouTube Livestream this week.  But when we do return next week on the 6th (5th in the US) we’ll hopefully have the updated prototype for the Cheshire Kitten Plush. Plus tons of new art for review!

From Shanghai with Smoke, 

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

Just a quick heads-up that we’ll host a Crowd Design Session over on Discord in a few hours. That’s at 6PM PST on May 27th (9AM on the 28th here in Shanghai).

What’s Discord? Check out THIS LINK to learn more. One important thing to keep in mind: You have to have a first month pledge processed at $5 (or more) in order to unlock Discord access. 

Today’s Topic: UI discussion based on Alex’s UI/UX images. Those were shared previously in THIS POST. We’ll cover some of the comments from that post and gather your general feedback on this topic. 

All this information will be funneled into our Alice: Asylum Design Wiki. 

Speaking of the Wiki, there are some great updates (Thanks, Taylor & Omri) to the pages for Slumber and Shock.

See you soon!

From Shanghai with The Crowd, 

-American