Some Good News, And Some Bad News.

The past week has seen a lot of good news proceed across my desk.

First, we finally have the new controller mostly integrated - and it just MARVELLOUS to see the cats hugging the ground.

Prior to this, if a cat was walking up an incline, it would look as if it were standing on a small plane perpendicular to sea level as they ascended, making the cat’s movement seem “out of sync” with the terrain it was on.

We have also entered the final stages of baking the “Downtown” sector - which is the most asset-heavy area in the game.  Once we have this done, performance in the heart of Peace Island landing will be VASTLY improved.

In addition:  We have integrated the first “Moods.”  This means that when the cats are in a good mood and well-fed, their gait will be happy and energetic.  If they are not being well-taken care of, a cat will walk at a slower pace, with their tails dragging behind them.

Adding these sort of details gets us a bit closer to a goal that I hope we can reach:

Eliminating ALL UI elements during general gameplay, and letting more intuitive elements such as the pace of the cat, and its reactions inform the player as to their needs, rather than multicolored bars.

The geese have been fully integrated into the new NPC system - and it is an absolute JOY to see them move in sync with their footsteps, rather than skating along in a manner reminiscent of “Gumby.”  Next up, are the crow that circle the skies above Peace Island.

We are also on the verge of adding footstep sounds to the cats - so the world will be a bit less silent.  Climbing is also close to being integrated, which is something that has been unfortunately put off for YEARS.  Being able to climb curtains and ivy will add a new dimension to gameplay.

Further, we have REALLY improved the “Aimed Jump.”  Now, the camera zooms back a bit, and focuses on where you want your cat to GO, rather than where the can currently IS - we’ve also brought back the “arc,” so you can see if you’re clearing a fence, or other obstacle.

We will be showing off these new features, as soon as my new webcam arrives (my last one died, after three years of patchy service.)  I’ll be sending out a shout on our social media to promote it!

Now, I must unfortunately share some bad news.

Today at noon, we had to take our dear friend Gary to the vet for the final time. He passed away without pain, in Laura’s arms.

As hard as it was to do this, it was unfortunately not a hard decision.  Gary had been ill for quite some time with failing kidneys and diabetes.  During an emergency visit to the vet last night, we discovered that he had also suddenly developed lymphatic cancer.

As hard as it was to do this, we were glad that they let us come into the facility, so that we could be with him in his final moments.

At 17 years old, he had enjoyed a long life, and we consider ourselves so fortunate to have shared a great part of our lives with him.

In fact - If it were not for him, I would not be sitting here writing this.  If it were not for Gary, Peace Island would likely have never come into existence.

You see, in January of 2017, my first big foray into game development had failed spectacularly.  The idea had been too obscure, my talents too limited, and my time had run out.

As any game developer would at this point in their aspiring careers, I was REALLY doubting myself. I was 46 years old, and working as a grocery bagger, despite having over 20 years’ experience in digital media.  The thought of this being a permanent situation filled me with deep existential dread.

As I sat stewing in self-pity in my closet/office, Gary came in as he did, every day.

During the previous six months, he had always been at my feet as I wrestled with the Unity game engine. Considering my “office” had no windows and was rather cluttered and claustrophobic, I figured there were other places that might have more suited the feline mind - but every day, he was there.

As Gary took his usual place on a faded blanket by my feet, Something hit me:  Perhaps I was “aiming too high.”  

If I could make a game that will keep Gary entertained for more than ten seconds, I'd turn that into an iPad game for cats, and release that.  It wouldn’t be much, but it would be SOMETHING to show for all my efforts.

In about ten minutes, I had created the basic game code, and ported it to our old iPad.

I was heartened to see that Gary not only sat there for ten seconds - but for an hour - watching instances of 3d, virtual mice scrabbling around.

I took Gary's advice.  I spent the next week rounding out the rough edges, creating three "Animal NPCs" the cat could play with, and getting the menus to work.  I researched the visual spectrum of cats, and made all the “Animal NPCs” in colors that were visible to cats. A friend helped out with creating the interface.

Getting it up on the iOS app store - well, that took me about six months.  They don’t make updating things easy, and I spent three months submitting builds every day, only to have them rejected for some bizarre reason, 19 hours later.  However, I eventually succeeded.

Once I had made an ENTIRE game from the code, to final release - simple as that game was - it made me feel as if I perhaps DID have a future in game development.

It gave me the confidence to learn more about Unity, and it made me think that perhaps someday, Laura & I WOULD be able to make that game about cats on a Maine Island we had been talking about, for so long.

Again: Peace Island would not have existed, had Gary not found my efforts on that gray, depressing afternoon worth his interest.

We would not be where we are today, had it not been for him.

Thank you, Gary.

I feel I should end this, with something I saw on a veterinarian’s wall, many years ago.  It was a poster with a border of images of cats and dogs, surrounding the following words:

“We are sad, because we outlive our pets - but understand:  It takes most of a lifetime for a human to learn how to love others unconditionally.  Pets understand this from the moment they are born, and therefore do not need all of those extra years that humans waste on selfishness and hatred.  Just treasure the time you DID have together - they made you a better person.”

One last note: We must apologize, because due to this week’s events, we are late in sending out premiums.  We will resume sending them on Monday.

Thank you so much for your continued support.

See you next week!