Today’s blog post is short and sweet. There are no new interviews to share, though I did hear a rumor that a feature on a very big gaming site will be hitting next week, so stay tuned for that.

The other big news is that I just wrapped up an alpha build for the game! It’s not content complete, and there are certainly plenty of bugs to fix and polish features to implement, but the major features are all there. I’ve sent the build to a group of friends and family for playtesting, feedback, and bug-finding, and I’m eager to see what they have to say.

This is the 4th playtest, and the first since April, so a lot has changed since the last time I got feedback on the game. The playtesters (who are all thanked in the credits) have been amazing, and have made the game much better than it ever would have been in a vacuum. Their feedback on early playtests was instrumental in shaping some of the core features in the game, and I’m sure they’ll find a ton of things to comment on in this build as well.

The build isn’t perfect, but when you work on something a long time you lose all perspective. With every playtest, I’m surprised to hear people say they like features that I was never too hot on, and that they dislike ones I was sure would be popular. It’s a nerve-wracking process to send something out knowing that you’ll get criticism in return, but it’s absolutely the only way to move forward.

Anyway, that’s about all from Novelist land. We’re slowing climbing in the top 25 on Greenlight, and as the game gets closer and closer to launch (still no exact date yet) your continued efforts to get votes are appreciated. I’d love nothing more than to have the game on Steam when it ships, so please continue to spread the word.

Thanks!
-Kent