July Progress Update
over 1 year ago – Sat, Aug 06, 2022 at 09:03:15 PM

This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.

Timeline update
almost 2 years ago – Sun, Jun 19, 2022 at 08:22:53 AM

Just wanted to keep y’all informed. It’s crunch time for writing and editing of Aberrant Reflections.

I'm working with our editor, Richard, to get the text in good shape by the end of June. He has been extremely helpful in the iterative process.

Playtesting is ongoing and has been crucial to tightening up the adventure.

OSJ is ready to start making a pretty map from my chicken scratch draft as soon as it's ready for them.

In July, I’ll be getting the text copy in the hands of our layout artist, Jean.

If we can work out a preliminary design sometime in July or August, we can get Jacob involved with illustration sizes as early as possible. And we can make sure the art and layout jive and we have the spot art we need.

August/September will probably be the month where illustration work starts kicking off full-swing and we can get final art assets into the layout.

For now, it looks like we can still hit our original estimated delivery of digital and print rewards for this winter.

Cheers!

Chris M (directsun)

Surveys and development update
almost 2 years ago – Sun, May 08, 2022 at 07:30:15 AM

Happy tax season!

It's tax season here in the United States and I'm busy taking care of personal and business chores.

Surveys are out. As mentioned in a previous update, the reason for the survey at this stage in development is mostly just to find out if you live in the USA in Washington state. It just means I need to file taxes differently.

We are not ready to ship, so you can change your address at any time.

Playtests and progress

I know I've said it before, but I feel like it helps to say it again: Puzzles take a lot of playtesting to get right.

The most recent playtest has been extremely helpful, like the rest. While I had hoped that this playtest would be the last, the adventure just isn't ready yet. I need to cut content. The dungeon is too big, and as a result, there's too much for the players to keep straight at once. Specific puzzle hints and mechanics, especially when spread out over multiple sessions,  can be easily forgotten between games.

I'm going to keep some of the more complex puzzles as optional and less distracting instead. This way, if players want to get deep in it, they can get still extra rewards.

With all that said, I don't want to let "perfect" be the enemy of "good". I am keenly aware that at some point soon, I will need to wrap on writing so that the rest of the team can get going full speed on art and layout and cartography. I want to make sure that the entirety of what's produced is fun to play and a joy to run. I will keep iterating until I have the adventure tight and polished, but I am making sure to not obsess unreasonably.

The first half of the dungeon is solid and I'm extremely happy with it. I've been slowly feeding key entries to my editor so development is still moving forward. 

Estimates haven't changed yet and I still expect fulfillment this fall. I will continue to keep y'all informed. 

Thank you again for your amazing support and making this project possible. <3

Status Update and Playtest Recruiting
about 2 years ago – Fri, Mar 25, 2022 at 04:31:00 PM

Writing is going smoothly.

Everyone on the project is very excited to get started. Hopefully, I can get the text copy to my editor in a couple of weeks.

Playtesting continues to yield great benefits and I’m really excited with the changes being made as a result of them!

Speaking of playtests…

I’ll be doing another playtest soon and I am currently looking for players.

I’d like to give priority to backers!

I need players who can commit to ALL of the following 3 sessions.

Saturday, April 2nd at 9am - 12pm PDT (GMT -7)

Saturday, April 9th at 9am - 12pm PDT (GMT -7)

Saturday, April 16th at 9am - 12pm PDT (GMT -7) [Easter weekend]

Games will take place on Discord over voice chat.

It’s important to have the same group for this adventure so try to think about your availability for all three days!

I have four player spots and they will be filled on a first come basis. Fill out this form and I will e-mail you to let you know if you’re in. This will most likely be the last open playtest.

I’m looking forward to playing with you!

A Tale of Two Surveys

Okay, so there are going to be two surveys: a Kickstarter survey and a Gamefound pledge manager survey.

The Gamefound pledge manager will be used to collect shipping information and shipping payments. That'll go out as we get closer to our ship date in the fall.

Sometime in the next few weeks though, I will send out a Kickstarter survey for a few things. 

First, and most fun, I need the dad joke topics from those of you who purchased the “Bundle of Love”. Gotta get them marinating in my brain before I can unleash them upon the world.

Second, and considerably less fun, is tax related information. I just need to know if you live in Washington State in the USA. This won't affect your pledge and you won’t have to pay anything more. It just means that I’ll be filing state taxes on the money collected for your pledge.

Fulfillment and Shipping Cost Estimations

Floating Chair Club is going to be handling fulfillment and we've been running the numbers. It looks like we are going to be able to stick to the original estimates for shipping! Wohoo! Things may change by fall, but right now, things are looking good.

Here are those numbers again as a reminder:

Estimated Print Tier Shipping: US = $6, CAN = $11, UK = $11, Everywhere else = $15

Estimated Retailer Shipping: US = $12, CAN = $19, UK = $19, Everywhere else = $26

Estimated Shipping With Add-ons: Additional $1 for each physical add-on

Cheers, and play more games!

- Directsun

And so it begins!
about 2 years ago – Wed, Mar 02, 2022 at 09:15:05 AM

You all have helped make this an incredible campaign. I feel incredibly lucky to be a part of something so special. Thank you so much!

The Seers Sanctum

Those of you who opted for an add-on of Puzzle Dungeon: The Seers Sanctum should be receiving an e-mail from DriveThruRPG in the next few hours letting you know how to download it.

If for any reason you don't receive the e-mail in the next 24 hours, make sure to check your spam and junk folders first, and then let me know.

Please also leave a review on DriveThruRPG. They really help :)

Next Steps

Playtesting of Aberrant Reflections is set to continue now after the brief hiatus that was Zine Month marketing.

I'll be finishing up the text draft so that I can get to the all important editing phase next month.

#ZiMo

Aberrant Reflections crowdfunding campaign may have ended, but Zine Month 2022 rages on! Check out the project showcase for more indie zine projects at ZineMonth.com and follow #ZIMO on twitter!