Clear facts about the alpha.

So, the Alpha will be released on Monday.  We didn't so much "push back" the release date, as simply move it one day later, to a regularly-scheduled update day.  It'd be a pain to have to do an alpha update, and another check-in, the very next day- why not just combine the two?

Now, as that day draws near, an imminent concern is causing me a great deal of stress:

Ya see, over the past month, a heck of a lot of articles have been written about the Peace Island project.  I've only seen about 10% of them, but I've seen enough to know that MANY of these articles are inaccurate, or misleading.

I also know that there are a great many patrons who came to this campaign via some of these articles, and might have pledged on the basis of some of this rather poorly-sourced information that they read in one of these articles.

What is more: I have a feeling that there are some articles that have told people either directly or indirectly, that the game is actually completed, and ready for the market.  I deduce this by the number of requests I get for download links & store pages.

I want to make it perfectly clear what you guys are getting, in this coming Alpha:

Three cats are positioned around the island, and you will have the ability to run around the entirety of the place.  There's a day/night cycle, and a slightly varied weather palette.  A new soundtrack has been added, with about 35 minutes of music.  

This is what we call a "Gameworld Stress Test."

Unfortunately, there will be bugs:

We're not going to be able to address ALL collider issues, and your cat very well might either pass through a wall (which is harmless,) or get irrevocably stuck - necessitating either a switch to another cat, or a quick re-start.

And there will be very limited player interaction, at this point.

I was hoping on getting the new player controller and the new animation palette finished and at the very least either a rudimentary climbing or hunting mechanism worked out in time for this Monday's release.

Unfortunately, putting these in would require us to delay Alpha Release for at least another week.

Now, I know that, in response to this post, I will get a goodly number of Patrons saying "Hey- we're cool with that- take all the time you need!"

That's really cool- but they don't speak for everyone.  I have a feeling for everyone out there who is fine with waiting for a more fleshed-out alpha are outnumbered by the people who want to mess around with the gameworld, NOW.

And that's where the stress comes in...

I am unfortunately in a position where no matter what I do, we lose support.

If I delay to make a better alpha, it will have been the second such delay, in under a month.  There comes a time when you have to deliver, or people become rightly dissatisfied with a developer who can't keep his promises.

If I don't delay, and release the alpha as-is, people are rightly going to wonder why what they got is so at odds with what the media promised them - I'm going to be called out for not fulfilling promises made by a writer that I never spoke with.

So, with all things being equal, I am going ahead with putting out what we have, at the moment.

You will be able to see that the game is NOT vaporware, and have a chance to see the game at a very raw stage of development.  Those who are disappointed will certainly let me know, and they have the same game to look forward to, that they had before.

But hey- let me throw this out there as a final offer to those with patience:

If I can get 100 responses below, saying they are cool with delaying the Alpha until the end of the month to ensure a better product, I'll consider it.

Either way, see ya'll on Monday!