Wed Mar 18 '20 Announcement
about 4 years ago – Wed, Mar 18, 2020 at 07:23:06 AM

The Spirit Island beta continues, and it has been going very well. The game is very playable and we're working to smooth out interactions, improve the visuals, and finish up major features like undo. We're working hard to get the game into Early Access soon!

A reminder - anyone who backed at a level that includes a Steam Key for the game will receive their key at the Early Access launch, there’s nothing more for you to do (except fill out your survey if you haven’t already).

An important note if you’ve never played a game in Early Access before - A game in Early Access is not finished. You can think of it as a step between beta and full release. The majority of large features are implemented, but there will still be bugs to fix, content to complete, and features to implement. In fact, you can help us shape the game during the Early Access phase! We’ll post more information about how and where you’ll be able to do so once we’re closer to the actual release.

As a result of this approaching milestone, we will be ending pre-orders for Spirit Island next Wednesday, March 25th. If you know anyone that’s been thinking of picking up the game, this is their last chance to pre-order at 20% off before the Early Access Launch. We do not yet have a launch date, but rest assured we will post here when we do.

Thanks for all your support so far, it won’t be long now until you are working with the Dahan to save the island!

Mon Feb 17 '20 Announcement
about 4 years ago – Mon, Feb 17, 2020 at 08:09:28 AM

There are several phases to getting Spirit Island into your hands, and one of the major ones has just begun!

✅Campaign complete
✅Rules engine complete
✅Internal testing
✅Beta testing ⬅ we are here
• Early Access
• Retail release

As you can see above - Spirit Island has officially entered beta testing! The beta team is hard at work playing the game, and finding lots of bugs for us to squash.

If your pledge includes membership in the beta team, and you have not yet received access, check the following list:

1. Did you complete your survey? (recover your survey here)
2. If your survey is complete, check your spam folder for email from [email protected]
3. You must respond to the invitation email in order to participate in the beta program.

We will be performing another lockdown tomorrow (Tuesday), and sending out another round of beta invites later in the week.

The time between entering the beta testing phase and launching the game in Early Access is influenced by many factors. We don’t yet have anything to report regarding when the game may enter Early Access, but we’ll be sure to update you here once we have more information.

Stretch Goal Update

Pre-orders continue to roll in, and as a result, another stretch goal has been unlocked!

50k - BONUS FEATURE: Cartography:

• Alternate terrain styles will add even more variety to the game. The game already includes four double-sided map boards, and we will commission alternate artwork you can use for them.

There’s just one more goal to achieve and if the pace of pre-orders continues, we can still get there. Continue to spread the word far and wide!

Tue Jan 28 '20 Announcement
over 4 years ago – Tue, Jan 28, 2020 at 07:59:24 AM

If you missed Handelabra Live the last couple weeks, you can now watch the rebroadcasts on YouTube.

On Episode #249, John and Jeremy showed off the 2D "strategic" view:

Then on Episode #250, John gave a first look at the new story-based game setup (low frame rate due to computer issues):

We do stream every Tuesday evening at 7 PM Eastern, so tune in tonight to see a bit more!

Beta Starting Soon!

If your perk includes access to the beta, make sure you have filled out and finalized your survey. Also make sure our beta invite emails don't goto your spam folder. We hope to begin that process this week, and the email address you should be looking for is [email protected].

Tue Jan 14 '20 Announcement
over 4 years ago – Tue, Jan 14, 2020 at 07:28:15 AM

Work continues on the game, and we wanted to show you how it's been coming along. One major feature we’ve put a lot of time into recently is a new 2D map display. We know that while some folks love the idea of a beautifully realized 3D game board, others prefer a simpler strategic view. You'll be able to choose whichever you prefer for gameplay. Note that this is still a work in progress!

In addition to this new map view, we’ve also been hard at work implementing the rules engine, which as of this writing is nearly complete! The rules engine has the low level programming of what each card and spirit power does and how they work together. However, that doesn’t mean that the game is complete as a whole. We still have lots of work to do on the visual display, user interactions, and various other elements. But it's a great milestone, nevertheless! Spirit Island is a complex game with lots of interactions, and we're committed to creating an experience that's both fun to play and accurate to the rules as designed.

Live Stream Tonight, 7 PM Eastern

If you want to see the game in motion, join us tonight on Handelabra Live. John and Jeremy will be together again, and will start the stream with some previews of more spirits, as well as the 2D map view. We're continuing to iterate on the 3D map as well - the screenshots below are not final.

Stretch Goal Status

As of this writing, there’s less than $900 to the Cartography goal! Pre-orders continue at a really great rate, meaning it’s quite possible that we’ll reach them all before the game comes to Early Access. Keep spreading the word!

Mon Jan 6 '20 Announcement
over 4 years ago – Mon, Jan 06, 2020 at 09:39:41 AM

The Handelabra team is officially back at full force in the new year, working to get Spirit Island into your hands. Pre-orders are still live, and we’re thrilled to let you know that there have now been enough add-ons and pre-orders to achieve the next stretch goal!

48k - BONUS FEATURE: Adversarial Appearance - ACHIEVED!

• Adversary specific appearance for invader pieces will further customize the game. Explorers will carry the flags of their country, and towns/cities will have some unique architectural elements.

Pre-orders will remain available until the game launches in Early Acces, so there's still time to achieve the reminaing goals!

Surveys

Just another reminder that, if you haven’t yet filled out your BackerKit survey, you should do so - especially if your perk includes membership in the beta team. There are several steps needed to onboard new beta members, and we plan to start that process this month. If you are not onboarded when the beta goes live, you may miss your chance to participate in the first rounds of the beta.