Recovery, Shrinking Islands, and a Word About GameDev Solidarity.

Simply put: We got the new power source hooked up last night, and are still catching up on getting everything together.  If you want to know what I have personally been looking at, more than anything else, it’s this:

We will be returning to our usual Monday update schedule this coming week, where we will be showing off the latest developments.  In the meantime, we’ll be showing off the latest content this coming Sunday, in a livecast here.

During one of the days I waited for the hardware to arrive, I took the chance to revisit Cliff Island - this time to explore their historical society.  Doing so is not easy - Cliff Island (if I have not mentioned this before,) is one of the more distant islands in Casco Bay, requiring a two-and-a-half-hour round trip.  In addition, the society is only open on three days, between 2 - 3:30 pm, which falls squarely in the middle of a four-hour gap in ferries to the mainland.

Considering that the society occupies a space roughly the same size as two standard office cubicles, the tour is kind of short, and you’re left with a LOT of free time…

However, in the service of research for Peace Island, there is no rocky outcropping I will not venture haphazardly and resolutely towards (as long as there is relatively reliable commuter ferry service.)  While there was a heck of a lot to learn, the most amazing thing that stood out to me was that immediately following World War 2, Cliff Island once boasted a year-round population of over 300 people - there were even a few hotels, and a cattle ranch.

I should mention here that in the 2000 census of the Island, there were only 60 permanent residents.  When I first visited in 2011, I was told by the owner of the Island’s market that there were 45.  I believe the number now hovers between 35 and 40.

Yes - during the summer there’s a surge of rentals and seasonal residents that might bring the population close to half of what it was, but aside from a few families who still pursue the lobster trade, the island is becoming an increasingly quiet place. When one wanders their dirt roads after the fall of night, one notices that there are very few lights glowing from windows, even at the height of tourist season.

As global temperatures rise and the lobsters move northward, even those families might be forced to follow so many of their relatives and search for greener pastures elsewhere.

I sincerely hope that this is not the case.  The one thing that always settles upon my mind when I visit the island communities of Maine is the tangible weight of centuries of hardscrabble life that went into building them. It would be a shame for all of that to be lost and forgotten.

So- another game featuring cats was released.

Normally, this would not concern me, outside of being upset that I am too busy to play said game - but that is a common feeling.  Once Peace Island is finally released, I’m going to lock myself in a room for a month with my PC, a locker full of hot egg rolls, and every game that has come out over the past five years.

I am only mentioning this, because there are people out there who are assuming that there is some sort of rivalry between ourselves and that other project - and I want to quash that IMMEDIATELY.  You see, this reminds me of a painfully “cringe” trope from the animation community:

For decades now, it has been generally agreed among fans of US animation that Matt Groening (creator of “The Simpsons”) and Seth MacFarlane (creator of “Family Guy”) absolutely HATE each other.  It has gone so far, that rival camps of fans have cropped up on each side of this discussion, loudly claiming one has ripped off the other.

The problem with all of this is:  None of it is true.  Matt Groening and Seth MacFarlane are actually very good friends.

Likewise - if I were to personally meet anyone who worked on that “other project,” I would want nothing more than to shake their hands, congratulate them on their success, and thank them for taking the chance and proving that immersive cat adventure games have such a wide appeal.

Understand:  Game development is not a competition - it is a labor of Love, in the truest sense of the word - I explain more here.

See ya again on Monday!