So- a lot of stuff...

First off, I felt it necessary to announce:

Due to the current COVID-19 situation, we are temporarily halting the shipment of postcard/art print premiums.  If you are among those who got their postcards in the most recent shipment (or will receive them soon,) know that the premiums that you receive are 100% safe- the postcards were packaged MONTHS before the virus emerged, and the prints were given nine days to sit before shipping.  Just dispose of the packaging immediately, and of course, wash your hands.

So- I can hear you asking "Hey, if the premiums are safe, why are you guys temporarily stopping shipments?"

It is because, in order to fight this pandemic, we ALL have to eliminate EVERY possible vector that we can.  The postcards, prints and stickers that we are sending out are safe- but the envelopes that we are sending out will come in contact with many individuals, and might come in contact with mail that was not packaged with the same care.  Every piece of mail raises the potential of contagion spread, and we feel it is our civic duty as a company to do our part to eliminate wasteful shipping during this current crisis.

Going by the numbers, it looks like the current perilous conditions will begin to abate in 1-2 months.  Strangely enough, it will be GOOD news, if we have to extend to two months, because that means we've been able to flatten that curve.  We will be posting an update about this policy, on the 7th of May.  

We appreciate your patience and understanding during these rather extraordinary times.

As was reported in our last update, work continues more or less as usual...

Arjuna has been updating and fixing more textures and materials around the Island.  The latest building he gave a facelift to was the abandoned old theater out by Greenwood Mansion:

We're getting revised audio for the radio station, and hopefully, we can bring in the new roads, within two weeks.

Oh- and THIS:

Ignore the FPS stats- those are recording playback within the editor.  I want you to take a look at that jiggle blue "Script" area at the top.  That used to be THREE TIMES as large!  Once we get some knots in the system worked out and deploy this solution universally, this is gonna improve performance dramatically.  I could see us conceivably breaking 60fps on higher-end machines.

Interiors continue to be roughed out.  Richard has taken a break from AI development, composing music for the game, and creating colliders to help out on that front (Yeah- he does ALL of those things, and could do MORE- have I mentioned recently how fortunate we are to work with the folks we have?)  We plan on including three interiors in the next alpha:  The Real Estate Office, the Church, and, well- the third one will be a surprise...

The new controller/IK/Animation setup for the cats is under intense development - watching it come together over the next couple of weeks will be quite exciting!  

Now- I wanted to address a question here that has come up time and again, when we have been interviewed about the Peace Island Project:

"Why an Island in Maine? "

The simple answer is that they are among the few singularly remarkable places I have have been fortunate enough to visit.  

Though most of them lie within view of the mainland, each of them hosts a unique, centuries-old community that, relatively speaking, only recently became integrated with mainland society.  This has resulted in a mix of the old and new that is striking at times.  Monhegan Island, for example, only got electricity in the 1990's and many houses retain their original gas lighting.  

But personally, it's a bit deeper than that.

I have never been one for the nightlife.  Going out to a bar and listening to awful music while drinking overpriced alcohol has just... never worked for me.

When I moved to Portland 10 years ago, and discovered that, for the price of a couple of bus tickets, I could take a BOAT RIDE out to an island where I could sit quietly, listen to music, and simply watch the SUN SET...

Well, I had finally found my "Happy Place."

I became such a frequent visitor that I started buying my tickets at bulk discount, and several island residents were under the impression that I actually LIVED there, and offered me a "lift home" as we walked off the ferry.

When my father passed away in 2015, my visits to the island continued, but instead of watching the sun set, I would simply walk and think, and process everything that such incidents incur on one's life.  That was when my night walks began.

I found myself just continuing to walk through the amniotic summer nights, until the last ferry set sail for the mainland.  Hours would pass, with my mind asking the same regretful questions over and over, leaving me with no recollection of what my vision processed during those long dark walks.  

But one night, I looked up from the road in front of my feet- I don't know why- I think I had become momentarily mesmerized by sparks floating upward, buoyed by the heat of a nearby beach campfire.  Something about their crimson beauty, accompanied by the laughter of people I would never know roused me from months of torpor, and I began discovering things...

One night I would hear music emanating from the old WW2 Battery, and discover within a free, open party in full swing - with lighting, a DJ, and full bar.

Another night, I would encounter a group of amateur astronomers setting up their telescope- through which I saw Jupiter and Saturn with alarming clarity, as well as the distant light of the Andromeda galaxy.

Another night, I would encounter an incongruous trio who were decked out in 1920's fashion, dancing in the near-darkness to the music of an ancient Victrola set atop a boulder.

On yet another night,  fearful I would miss the ferry, I thumbed a ride from a deaf public defender who was driving a vintage french car so obscure, I expected it to be driven by The Penguin, from "Batman."

I could fill several books with the friendly cats, odd people and incongruous things I have happened upon out on the islands of Maine.  I can imagine very few places more worthy of being the setting for an adventure game.

SEE YA'LL IN TWO WEEKS - STAY SAFE - AND AS ALWAYS:

If you have contributed more than 25 $ to the project, and have yet to receive your postcard set, please send me a message here, or email us:

PeaceIslandLLC@gmail.com