Dear Insane Children, 

“Kill it. Kill it with fire!” Well, we tried that and this is the result – at least inside Alice’s mind. Family and home destroyed in a fire. Alice tortured mercilessly by recurring nightmare fragments of their dying screams. Manifest in Wonderland as insect-like automatons which serve to mechanically probe Alice’s psychic wounds ensuring they’ll never heal. 

During yesterday’s livestream it was suggested by one of our Inmates that these contraptions aren’t controlled by Alice’s family members but are a sort of articulated mobile cage in which they (or Alice’s memories of them) are trapped. For someone suffering from PTSD this analogy is apt. Memories of the trauma return at the slightest trigger – as if a mechanical button was pressed. The recurring pain is brought back like a song on a player piano. Once it starts playing it often keeps going to the point of exhaustion, collapse, or breaking. 

Some of the most insidious forms of trauma are those which include loved ones whose presence or recollection of now serves as the primary trigger for pain. Containing Alice’s family within diabolical mechanical creatures who stalk her through the mental landscape of Wonderland is a perfect analogy for this. The question then becomes… how does one defeat this sort of mental monster? 

I’d love to hear your thoughts and comments below. 

And while we’re on the topic of centi-nopes…

Crawly, the doll-part centipede, spawned more than just horrified reactions. He (it?) also got me thinking a way in which we might present text, UI, manual, enemy descriptions, and other elements in-game… as if through the lens of 13-year old Alice’s way of seeing and labeling these things. Again, this was discussed in some detail during the live stream but the idea is that “Crawly” is exactly the sort of thing a little girl might call this sort of beasty. Another enemy we reviewed is “Itsy Bisty”…

A name inspired by the classic children’s nursery rhyme of “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” but misspelled – a misspelling I suggest we hold on to if we decide to go the route of presenting the game’s text and other elements through Alice’s eyes. How far might we take this idea? Could the game interface break or evolve to reveal new elements as a function of Alice’s fear and progress? 

Heavy stuff… perhaps it’s tea time? 

Yes, the Teapot Cannons are back. Joey suggests these are kinder, gentler pre-Madness versions. Not yet clad in metal armor. Compared to those other horrors these two are downright cuddly!

Speaking of cuddly… 

Yet another revision on the White Rabbit Plush design. This time Joey’s adjusted the proportions a bit more… Skinnier, different leg/arm lengths, etc. What say you, Rabbit Design Council? 

At this point I think we’ll get this one made as a sample along with the design previously shown. That way we have two to compare side by side. Always a good thing. 

Alright, I am prepping for travel… will post another update of story, art, and fun once I’m on the ground in Thailand. 

From Shanghai with Nope, 

-American

Dear Insane Children, 

If you’ve never read it, I suggest you check out “The Wasp Factory” by Iain Banks. It’s a dark little book with an unexpected twist. Not for the faint of heart though as it contains gratuitous violence against all manner of beast and man. Still, as psychological horror goes, it’s … well,  The Irish Times called it “a work of unparalleled depravity.” And it’s one of my favorites… go figure. 

Livestream Tomorrow

Here’s THE LINK for tomorrow’s livestream. You know the routine… set a reminder of your own. But also click on that link and set a reminder over on YouTube so their algorithm gains more data to use in frustrating what people actually want. The Tech Giants can’t learn how to frustrate us if we don’t let them frustrate us! 

We’ll go live at 09:00AM on Thursday, September 20th (Hong Kong Time). You can use a website like International Meeting Planner to figure out what time that is where you live. For people in the USA that’ll be on Wednesday because you’re living in the past. It’s great here in the future. I ride around on an electric scooter and no longer have any use for paper money. Wee!

Speaking of people who no longer have use for paper money… Alice’s father has fire for arms! I should invite him over next time we’re making BBQ. 

There’s a lot to unpack in this new enemy design image from Omri. Let’s discuss your feedback during the livestream tomorrow. Leave your QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS (marked as such) in the comments below. Font Lord will read those while I play Little Nightmares. 

Patches Update

Our next Patron Reward will unlock at 3222 Patrons. It’s a set of NEW embroidered patch designs. The factory just started manufacturing these… so, let’s hit that goal! Maybe we can unlock it in time for the holidays! 

 That’s it for now… more fun stuff on the stream tomorrow. See you then!

From Shanghai with Fire for Arms,

-American

Hi Everyone

Martin here with a little FAQ about the Coin survey we sent out yesterday.
Just a couple of questions and clarifications.

1) Where’s my Survey?
Well, have you checked your inbox? Also try having a look in your spam folder before messaging us.  Also make sure you’re actually in the Chaos Coin gang before asking us where your survey is.

2) Can I use Latin for the message?
Actually we did get this question a couple of times.  And now we had a chat about it here, the answer is no. Sorry.  Please keep all messages in English and use English characters when writing your name too.

3) Can I use a quote from (insert celebrity/book/movie/poem/song here)?
I wish we could have clarified this much earlier.
Please use an original message of your own creation or only use quotes from stuff that’s in the public domain. (FYI, Alice IS in the public domain)

We’d really like to avoid potential suing and litigation  🙁
By the way, if there is a legal superman in our Patron list who knows all about the fair use and/or not of quotes and such, please PM us  🙂

4) Can I edit my pledge now I’ve completed the survey?
Yes, go ahead.  But please be aware that 3x$35 gets you an art print of your choosing  🙂
(Also you cannot mix and match tiers, e.g.. 2x$35 + 1x$75)

5) How can I edit my survey after I already filled it in?
Just use the link you already have.  You can edit for years with that same link.

– Cheers

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