Shock, Discord, Emotions, and Rabbits
Added 2019-01-14 05:08:12 +0000 UTCDear Insane Children,
Omri sends along a new image to represent the Shock Stage from Alice: Asylum. This is the stage at the very start of the game - as is detailed over on the Design Wiki. Here's my feedback to him...
I love this image. And I really like the thinking behind moving away from the fire motif. It is a bit overdone. And... shock isn't a burning hot thing. It's actually a numb cold thing. Everything is broken and blown apart. It's difficult to breathe. Your ears stop working. Everything coming into your mind is muted, dull, meaningless. So... I think the overexposed brightness of the image; all the visuals being obscured... this makes a lot of sense.
How do you feel about this representation of Shock? Have you personally experienced a true and traumatic shock? How did it impact your perception of the world and people around you?
Let's get our shared expediences collected in the Comments on the Discord and over on the Wiki so we can represent this stage in-game with the highest accuracy and impact.
Discord + Crowd Design
Lots of new Insane Children joining the Asylum these days. Welcome, all!
A reminder to newcomers that what we're doing here is a bit unique:
Using Crowd Design to guide the development of the next game in the Alice series: Alice: Asylum. To that end we have several tools in place which you should check out:
1) A Private Discord Server. Where you can interact in real-time with our Asylum of Insane Children. This is accessible to those who pledge $5 or more per month. And you must be processed for one month at $5 before access is granted. More details VIA THIS LINK.
2) A Design Wiki. This is where we collect artwork, design notes, narrative elements, suggestions, and everything else we hope will go into Alice: Asylum. You can add comments to articles and we'll review those during the Weekly Design Discussions. View that via THIS LINK.
3) Weekly YouTube Livestreams. This is where we discuss all the art, narrative, and design work being done on Alice: Asylum - with updates on other projects like Out of the Woods, Pirate Jam, and our efforts to establish a new development studio in Thailand. Post your QUESTIONS and SUGGESTIONS in the comments on Patreon and we'll respond to those during the Livestreams. Subscribe to American's YouTube Channel via THIS LINK.
4) Social Media Channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter also contain updates and notices about all our projects.
5) Weekly Crowd Design Discussions via Discord. This is where the entire community gets together to review suggestions and comments on the Wiki. We discuss the merits and feasibility of ideas - then determine whether those ideas might make it into the game (or not). If you miss a live Design Discussion - fear not! We post those to the YouTube channel for later viewing.
Design Discussion Tomorrow!
Speaking of Design Discussions... the next one is happening in about 24 hours. That's 10AM Hong Kong Time on 1/15/2019 or 9PM EST on 1/14/2019 for those of you in the US.
If you have Discord access then please join us as we continue through the list of design suggestions over on the Design Wiki.
During the last Design Discussion we touched on the idea of Emotion Bottles which got Alex sketching...
What do you think of the idea of Alice collecting bottled up emotions in order to unlock or power-up certain attacks and abilities?
The Stages So Far
Joey sends along an overview map of the areas we've defined so far for Asylum...
Along with a guide to enemies and where we'll find them...
All of which leads me to believe we're building up to an EPIC adventure!
White Rabbit Goal Update
Over the weekend we've added around 50+ new Patrons per day. Wow!
This is partly because I created a $1 "Unlock the Rewards" Tier for those who want to stand in line for the least $$$ per month - and then bump up their pledges when we hit 3222 Patrons.
Currently we're at 2,585 which means we have 637 Patrons to add before we hit the goal. To make that happen I'll continue the big marketing push we've got underway.
YOU can help us by spreading the word on your Social Media Channels! Grab this picture...
And tell all your friends that for the low-low price of $45USD they get:
1x White Rabbit Plush Doll
1x Inmate Property Bag
1x Lulu Embroirderd Patch
1x In-game DLC Rabbit Dress for Alice: Asylum
All of that mailed anywhere in the world with tracking - and shipping is FREE. That is a literally insane good deal! So tell your friends, fr-enemies, family, furries, future self time-travelers, and any other f'ers you can think of!
You can use the bit.ly link I created: bit.ly/RabbitPlush - which will take people to a Patreon page with all the info.
Let's hit that goal! (Full details in THIS POST).
Pirate Jam 2019
This week also finds me pulling together all the info collected during my previous trip to Thailand - and mapping out all the locations we'll visit during Pirate Jam 2019.
Are you a game developer interested in joining our fleet from March 28th to April 7th? Then hit that link and submit your application.
Sponsors are also welcome! Again, hit the link!
Alice Tarot Cards
We are exploring the idea of presenting a Tarot Card Set based on Alice artwork as a Kickstarter campaign. If you have interest in this project please let us know in the comments below.
One thing we need to judge is just how many people would back a project like this. Other questions include: How much is a deck like this worth to you? What type of deck is most interesting? What sort of pitfalls or common mistakes should be avoid?
This is a big "unknown" to us - so all the feedback and advice is much appreciated.
It's a Circus
Whew! That's a TON of stuff going on across a wide range of projects. It's a bit MAD...
Do let me know in the comments below if you have any questions, suggestions, or just words of wonder.
Hope to see many of you during the Design Discussion on Discord tomorrow!
And I'll send out a reminder for this week's YouTube Livestream soon.
Martin Message(TM)
Martin says, "We are playing catch-up since the holidays with sending out posters and whatnot. If you are waiting on something to be delivered, rest assured it's on the way! And if you have a question or concern about the delivery of a physical item, PM US."
So, there you have it. Yes, your stuff is on the way, and yes, we are a bit behind but slowly catching up!
From Shanghai in the Circus,
-American, Martin, and Lulu
Comments
God I would love an Alice tarot deck, $40 usually seems like a good price for decks like that (I think I've bought an out of print deck for that much?) I could only imagine how gorgeous the deck would be
2019-01-26 20:47:46 +0000 UTCI would love a tarot deck! But i wouldn’t use it for what it is, i’d be like a collectors item where the illustrations are exclusive/top notch, more for the special art then usage. And not playing card size, decent large images to appreciate all the details. Sturdy construction, nothing cheap. Would easily pay $50~70.
Angel Ellis
2019-01-22 19:55:55 +0000 UTCYou MUST do the Tarot deck!!!!... OMG everything I've ever wanted!!!! I think 50USD is a good price, and maybe you could just do a limited number of decks... Keep up the good work!!!!
2019-01-20 00:30:37 +0000 UTC200% YES FOR THE TAROT DECK!
2019-01-17 22:09:36 +0000 UTCI want those bottles!!! I don't care if it has juice, perfume, or are empty I would love to add those to my collection!!!
2019-01-17 00:02:34 +0000 UTCAlso I would LOVE a tarot deck! And I have a question regarding the rabbit goal: It is said that you get a rabbit if you pledge 45$ or more for one month. If i pledge 75$ for one month to get a rabbit and then go down to 2$ the next do I still get the necklace and the art print of the 75$ tier?
2019-01-16 13:07:00 +0000 UTCTo the artwork of shock: it is perfect in my opinion and I 100% agree with your feedback to the art. As someone who got diagnosed with ptsd recently this and the stages with their brilliant artwork feel very close to home. I just want to add some personal stuff to anger that could be useful (hopefully?). For me the anger mostly felt uncontrollable and it had to get out somehow. I also associate blood with anger (like boiling blood). Maybe this could be added to the level design, especially the first topic of this urge to make it feel more realistic to some but as I sad it is just my personal experience.
2019-01-16 12:58:37 +0000 UTCAs for price, it could easily be anywhere between $30-$70.
Richanne Matthews
2019-01-15 19:44:48 +0000 UTCI would love for someone to gift me a tarot deck (a tarot deck for personal use should never be bought by yourself, it should always be gifted to you, preferably by a loved one). Likewise, I would love to give someone a tarot deck. So I might suggest that you market it as a gift set?
Richanne Matthews
2019-01-15 19:43:24 +0000 UTCI would definitely back an Alice tarot deck..!!
2019-01-15 08:20:34 +0000 UTCThe first thought about the trauma design was same as yours - too bright and grey. If you guys saw Lemony Snicket's Unfortunate events... movie there is a good represantion of this topic. I think I had one traumatic moment and few shocking moments in my life but never knew how can I put in one picture. The trauma would be darker if I'd do the paint.
sumblinker
2019-01-15 07:31:37 +0000 UTCTAROT TAROT TAROT I’m so excited about a tarot deck! I would easily pay $50 for such a deck, possibly higher if it’s a full 78 cards. I love pop culture decks and would love to see this come to fruition!
Legion Ratfell
2019-01-15 01:07:49 +0000 UTCI would definitely back an Alice tarot Kickstarter! Even though I'm not really into tarot I just think the artwork that goes along with the cards is cool. A few years ago I bought a deck of zombie tarot cards because I liked the artwork. The cards come in a box with a booklet that fits on top which explains the meaning of the cards. They are available on amazon if you want to take a look for inspiration (I'm not sure if posting links here will work or if it will get marked as spam). It would be a decent amount of artwork to put together a full deck so I think I'd be fine paying 50ish dollars for the deck.
2019-01-15 00:29:58 +0000 UTCI think the white rabbit should stay a stuffed bunny and become more realistic as the game goes on
2019-01-14 23:07:08 +0000 UTCCannot agree more with the comments, I would absolutely love to see a deck and would pay up to 40 sparkly moniez for it. That said, I would love to seeyou dig more into the characters as well as putting your own American McGee spin on it, Out of the Woods style.
Velvet Divine
2019-01-14 21:37:25 +0000 UTCI know little about tarot decks, but I've been intrigued by them for a while and sometimes look at getting one. I would definitely back to get a Alice one made by you guy! I also like the bottles - great designs and power ups could be fun, but I might make them a bit tricky to get to (like the frustration when Alice first drinks and leaves the key on the table and it almost destroys her in the original book lol)
2019-01-14 14:45:44 +0000 UTCI agree with some comments above, YES to the deck, but dig into the characters and make it as real to the symbolism of the deck as possible, when you use a deck you need to connect to the art, words, and feel in order for it to solidify and connect with your spiritual self to convey the messages properly. I would pay 25-35$ for a deck typically. :)
2019-01-14 13:54:05 +0000 UTCI would love a tarot set!
2019-01-14 11:49:25 +0000 UTCThis all sounds so amazing, Would LOVE the Tarot set! 20$ to 40$ range sounds right. Also the art for the stages and the enemy designso far is beautiful!
Hahnt9009
2019-01-14 10:06:46 +0000 UTCI absolutely love the shock design, and have to agree that fire definitely been overdone (even though I have noticed it until just now ^^'). The live stream is going to be at 3am for me, so I honestly doubt I'll be there for it, but we'll see, and even if not I'll most likely share my thoughts on some of the topics in the comments when I do have the time to watch it. As for the White Rabbit Dress, I've recently said the same on Youtube, but even though I do plan on getting it, I do not think it's a good idea to make this the only way to get said dress, and instead when the time has come it would be best to ask the people who did get this reward tier if they agree to releasing the white rabbit dress to public after a period of exclusivity
RancorSnp
2019-01-14 09:24:53 +0000 UTCThe description and setting for shock seem accurate to me. Would definitely be all for the tarrot card set.
2019-01-14 09:17:22 +0000 UTCI would definitely buy the tarot cards...……. please do them
2019-01-14 08:23:16 +0000 UTCI'd love to see a tarot deck for Alice!! 30 to $40 sounds about right, A big mistake that some tarot decks have is that sometimes the minor arcana depict repetitive or simplistic images for the wands, swords, cups, and pentacles. Since Alice Asylum is based on the various stages of grief and emotional experiences I think incorporating some of that would be amazing in the tarot deck as well, especially for the pentacle suit. Also it would be nice if the cards weren't too flimsy as that takes away from the quality of the cards.
2019-01-14 07:13:46 +0000 UTCEverything is shaping up very nicely!
2019-01-14 07:09:28 +0000 UTCI say yes to tarot set.
2019-01-14 06:44:27 +0000 UTCFuck yes about the shock. SUGGESTION: music in that area could be the sound of low tinnitus to begin with followed by wind whipping through mixed with some sort of haunting female vocal. Basically no instrument. Tarot. Yes. $25-35 Avoid the obvious. Really dig deep into the symbolism of the character and the alchemy and of the archetypes. Having a short phrase or string of words, even in some sense of riddle form to help depict the action is helpful, especially for beginners. Itd also be nice to include the regular playing card symbol the card associates to, but that's getting a bit semantic-y. Amazing as always Bless.
Sarah Heist
2019-01-14 06:28:58 +0000 UTCI desperately want the tarot set. Would pay $30-40.
Saucentric
2019-01-14 06:10:27 +0000 UTCI'd back a tarot deck in a heartbeat. As others have said $30-$40 would be the range I'd be willing to back for a deck.
2019-01-14 05:58:57 +0000 UTCI’d support the tarot card deck!
2019-01-14 05:52:18 +0000 UTCI love tarot cards, being a wiccan myself I want to start collecting different kinds. That being said, don't make it a game. I remember hearing in the livestream about a game with the tarot cards. Just don't. Anyways, $30-35 is about what I would pay for a really nice tarot deck. You can probably bump it to $45 if you include a book. But if you do, make sure they're accurate and correspond to the original tarots or else people that actually own, use, and enjoy tarot decks don't find a reason to accuse you of "abusing tarot tradition for profit" or some sort of rubbish like that
2019-01-14 05:44:13 +0000 UTCI'd back the tarot card deck.
Isaac H Chapman
2019-01-14 05:42:31 +0000 UTCTarot cards, please!
2019-01-14 05:41:04 +0000 UTCI would love a tarot deck. Also a nice book to go with them. I've paid up to £60 for a set with fully illustrated book.
2019-01-14 05:30:46 +0000 UTCI’ve paid up to $30 for a very nice tarot deck. One thing about tarot decks and users is we often trade or give away decks, gift tarot decks being considered purer then self bought ones. Maybe at a higher backing offer 2 decks to increasing funding?
2019-01-14 05:26:27 +0000 UTCI would love tarot cards! Generally nicer decks are around $40 USD, and I would be happy to pay that (especially with the amazing Alice artwork)!
2019-01-14 05:25:01 +0000 UTCI would love to back the tarot card deck. Most tarot card decks range between 15 and 40 euro's but 35 should be fine. If you really want to know more about tarot cards you should defitnitly visit a spiritual shop, they can tell you a lot about it.
2019-01-14 05:21:49 +0000 UTCI'm all for a tarot card kickstarter. Just make sure the cardstock quality is nice.
2019-01-14 05:20:33 +0000 UTCWould pay 30 for the tarot cards be kinda cool to see them in the game too. I love the dress idea!
Kittypants
2019-01-14 05:16:10 +0000 UTCThe DLC rabbit dress is nice but you sold me on her shoe design. That damn shoe looks AMAZING. This post feels like an intro. Its neat.
Saleh Abu-Rashid
2019-01-14 05:12:26 +0000 UTCI for one will definitely back the tarot card project! Unfortunately I’ve never gotten a deck of my own so I’m unsure about the prices out there...
Cherrie Wu
2019-01-14 05:12:00 +0000 UTC
