Dev News, Pics, Promises, and About Those Scammers...

Okay- it's been an AMAZING week.  Quite frankly, I could release what we have RIGHT NOW, and not only would it deliver all features we promised - it would surpass them.

First, let's go over the basics:

- The proper atmospherics have been brought back in. For some reason, the lighting settings, along with a few of the post-processing effects had been knocked out, resulting in a rather gray uniform world where there were no realistic shadows. Getting this fixed, and seeing the world again in its proper light was wonderful, considering that easthetics were always a priority.

- Intro animatic has been added.  This was a draft version I made just over a year ago.  It's a bit amateurish, but I thought it was important to add, as a piece of exposition.

- The Soundtrack & NPC audio is in.  This was something that was regrettably knocked out of the previous two releases. In this new version, there are several new audio biomes.

- More accurate loaders.  No more waiting around while your cat floats in mid-air.

- More & better colliders. While there remain a number of gaps, there are fewer than ever.

- Improved Icons & Interface. Better than before, but not yet perfect.

- Reactive foliage. Grass & flowers now bend at your passing, and fade out a bit if they are between you and the cat.

- NPCs working in their proper positions/paths.  That was a last-minute issue when we tried to release in June.  While we cannot guarantee that a deer won't get caught on the occasional rock, at least it's the Rock's fault, and not the deer's.

- New Menu system/map. The entirety of the UI is currently under review/re-design, but this is something that has been lon-overdue, since it was first shown in our trailer. 

- Re-vamped first level. New actions, and we've added tips to guide you along the way.

- Within the next 72 hours, we'll have persistent interiors.  This means that - for example - should you enter the market and spend a bit of time wrecking the place -   When the next cat enters, everything you knocked out of place is still in the same location.  

- Inventory.  Cats can pick up and drop items.

- A FAR better cat controller. I daresay it is becoming harder and harder for the cats to get stuck pretty much ANYWHERE.  Yes, bugs still exist, but given a few more months and a few more animations, I can see us rivalling RDR2's quadrumed IK by the time of Beta release.

- And as always: Improved performance!

There are probably 20 or so other improvements we've added that currently slip the mind - we'll be listing them all in the "Final Alpha" manual that I begin writing, tomorrow!

So, get to the point, Eric - when can we play the Final Alpha?

Right now, there remains only one last element to add: the market interior.  We REALLY want to give players the opportunity to completely wreck a place, while simultaneously testing the absolute limits of the controller.

Here's my problem:  We have always set deadlines with every expectation that we would meet them. However, this month, we have experienced one unforseen delay after another.  

I could go into detail about all of them, but all you have to do is read the few previous updates to get a sample of what's been going on.  Just suffice it to say that it feels as if we've been swimming in Murphy's Law.

As a result, I cannot make ANY promises.

Between you and me, I believe it is within our grasp to release a PC version by wednesday.  However, I have absolutely no idea what's going to happen over the next 48 hours that might delay it.

We are doing our best, and will continue to do so.

SPEAKING OF WHICH - MAILING OF PRINT PREMIUMS WAS DELAYED BY TWO WEEKS, DUE TO LACK OF PROPER MAILING MATERIALS- SHIPMENTS COMMENCE AGAIN, TOMORROW (TUESDAY.)

If you have not recieved your premiums, please message us here on Patreon, or email us at peaceislandllc@gmail.com

SO, ERIC - YOU MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOVE ABOUT SCAMMERS?

This is a LONG story.  We have mentioned it on occasion in members-only posts.  

Until recently, we felt we could not go fully public due to non-disclosure agreements.  After reviewing paperwork and consulting with attorneys, we are now at liberty to discuss the entirety of this affair at our discretion.

By way of synposis:

For almost two years, we fell victim to a confidence scam - a scam that we have since learned is widespread, and specifically targets crowdfunding projects.

We were very fortunate in that the scammers that went after us were utterly incompetent when it came to stealing money.  They were only able to take about 1-2 percent of our total operational budget, which I paid for completely out of my own pocket, so that it would not cost our patrons one single cent.

The true cost of their scam was in time lost. If it had not been for these individuals, we'd have released the public beta a year ago.  

That is all we are going to say for now - specifically because we know these scammers still lurk our Patreon updates.

They just need to know: their days of scamming hard-working indie creators are coming to an end, VERY SOON.

NEXT UPDATE WILL BE ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF THE FINAL ALPHA!

Thanks as always for your support, confidence, and patience!