Alpha Colony a Multi-platform Exploration, Building and Trading Sim Game

Kickstarter funding fell short by just $28 and future plans

Thank you all for your support, but I am afraid that we came up $28 short on our Alpha Colony Kickstarter. I know many of you offered to increase your pledges or suggest that we simply redo the Kickstarter again, but Kickstarter is very strict about their terms and (for now) our project will not [...]

12 Hour Countdown

Thank you everyone, for helping us get the word out! We’ve seen a recent surge of new backers thanks to your shares and tweets. We’re only $7,000 away now… If you haven’t already, please continue to share with your networks and help us reach new fans. There’s also some GREAT Architect level pledges left. At 50% off [...]

The Final 48 Hours

Thank you everyone for helping us to get this far. With 2 more days to go, we’ve gotten over 82% funding. With just a little further to go, we send out our last video update. Together, we can do this! If everyone gave just $20 more, we’d be there! And although $20 doesn’t sound like [...]

This Holiday, Give them A World

Is there someone special on your list who already seems to have everything? Well, our Alpha Colony VIP rewards might be just the thing. After all, who already has a planet to call their own? Or has ever seen their name appear under ‘game designer’ under in the credits of a major video game? Game [...]

Blooper Reel!

Watch the Alpha Colony, stumble, mumble and fail for your amusement. Over 3 Minutes of comedic goodness as we embarrass ourselves for the cause.

Kickstarter funding fell short by just $28 and future plans

Posted by Christopher on December 3rd, 2012

Thank you all for your support, but I am afraid that we came up $28 short on our Alpha Colony Kickstarter. I know many of you offered to increase your pledges or suggest that we simply redo the Kickstarter again, but Kickstarter is very strict about their terms and (for now) our project will not be funded. Obviously, we are very disappointed. We have invested 10 months and over $60,000 of our own money into this project.

We appreciate all of your feedback and criticisms (especially with regard to improving our promotion and press coverage and lessened focus on the desktop platforms) as well as ideas for a future Kickstarter effort. For now, our team needs to feed our families, so we are going to focus our efforts on projects with more immediate demand and financial rewards such as getting Championship Spades out for tablets and smartphones as well as updating our existing card and board game lineup for desktop PC and Mac. Given that Christopher has been trying to build Alpha Colony for almost 14 years, it is unlikely this will be the end for Alpha Colony. However, we do have to be a responsible business and accept the reality of where we are at the moment and do what is best for our team.

Although many of you considered us falling $28 short really unfair, in the end, it is perhaps for the best. To be committed to deliver our dream game underfunded, understaffed, and leaving us all broke would have been even more heartbreaking than not funding at all. I believe there is still a way to build Alpha Colony in all of it’s glory (for Linux and Mac with multiplayer!) and we simply need to find the right means to make it happen. Whether that be through a private publisher or another better-promoted Kickstarter or some other means is unclear at the moment, but we will keep you appraised of where we are going!

If you have not already, please Like Alpha Colony and DreamQuest Games on FaceBook. This is the best way for us to keep you appraised of our future plans for Alpha Colony as they unfold and to get early notification of any future Kickstarter so you can help us make sure it succeeds gloriously the next time around!

Thank you,

Christopher and the entire Alpha Colony Team at DreamQuest Games

12 Hour Countdown

Posted by Eve on December 1st, 2012

Thank you everyone, for helping us get the word out! We’ve seen a recent surge of new backers thanks to your shares and tweets. We’re only $7,000 away now…

If you haven’t already, please continue to share with your networks and help us reach new fans.

There’s also some GREAT Architect level pledges left. At 50% off or more, these tiers let you work with our team to design an in-game feature… for a small taste of what it’s like to be a real game designer. To recognize your contribution, you’ll also be listed as a “Game Designer” in the credits and receive several extra boxed versions of the game so you can share your achievement with your friends. Architect level pledges are extremely limited, so if you haven’t already… pledge now before they’re gone.

The Final 48 Hours

Posted by Eve on November 30th, 2012

Thank you everyone for helping us to get this far. With 2 more days to go, we’ve gotten over 82% funding. With just a little further to go, we send out our last video update.

Together, we can do this! If everyone gave just $20 more, we’d be there! And although $20 doesn’t sound like a lot, remember about our pledge matching… so your small contribution is like giving us an additional $40! Which will also count towards stretch goals if we meet our minimum funding goal.

This Holiday, Give them A World

Posted by Eve on November 29th, 2012

Is there someone special on your list who already seems to have everything? Well, our Alpha Colony VIP rewards might be just the thing. After all, who already has a planet to call their own? Or has ever seen their name appear under ‘game designer’ under in the credits of a major video game?

Game designer credits come with all four of our special ‘Architect’ level pledges, because they allow you or a loved one to actually participate in game creation, by helping our team design one aspect of the game. Available in a limited quantity, these tiers are also up to 76% off the original price. Also available with each Architect level pledge is a pile of fun Alpha Colony goodies, including several collector’s game boxes, collectible figurine, iPad skin and more. See the Alpha Colony Kickstarter page for a complete list of all rewards.

Architect of Light: Helps design an in-game positive event

Architect of Destruction: Helps design an in-game negative event

Planetary Architect: Helps design an in-game map, for all to play. Gets to name the map. Receives a 1-of-a-kind print of their map that includes their name, the name of the planet, the icon of their favorite race, and the date of ‘discovery’.

Architect of Life: Helps design an in-game playable race for all to play. Helps to choose racial bonus, appearance, and name of new race.

Giving someone the chance to be a part of creating a real video game, is an experience they’ll never forget. So, if someone you know loves video games, consider giving them this very special and unique gift. But act soon, rewards are limited. December 1st is your last chance to purchase the gift of a lifetime.

Blooper Reel!

Posted by Eve on November 29th, 2012

Watch the Alpha Colony, stumble, mumble and fail for your amusement. Over 3 Minutes of comedic goodness as we embarrass ourselves for the cause.

Save Alpha Colony. Are YOU an Architect?

Posted by Eve on November 28th, 2012

The Colony, and the lives of all the colonists are in danger. The fate of Alpha Colony hangs in the balance. Legend has foretold however, that in the Colony’s darkest hour… 12 saviors would rise to lead the Colony to safety.

The Elders say, they will be called the Architects. They wield the power to shape the course of history. Three by three the Architects will come. Who will step up and rescue our Colony? Will they arrive in time?

In honor of these trying times, we are offering our VIP reward tiers at more than 50% off for our final 4 days!

As the Colony’s desperate plea reaches across the galaxy… YOU have the power to save Alpha Colony. Will you answer the call?

Join the Sacred Twelve:

Three Architects of Light will bestow blessings upon the colonists. (Design a positive in-game Event)

Three Architects of Destruction will maintain balance in the Colony by dealing swift, divine justice. (Design a negative in-game Event)

Three Architects of Life will introduce new alien lifeforms to the Colony, and bestow them with innate abilities necessary for survival in the harshest outreaches of the galaxy. (Design a playable race)

Three Planetary Architects will summon new planets into existence around the Colonists, filled with new resources and challenges. (Design a playable map)

The Rewards of Being an Architect:

All the Architects will have the Colony’s undying gratitude. They will also receive the VIP Kickstarter Rewards tier at %50 off their original price. These reward packages include:

Game Designer credit in-game, which will recognize your creative contribution.
Three Collector’s Edition DVD Game Boxes and an additional Collector’s Edition DVD Game Box signed by the entire Alpha Colony team.
A collectible, limited-edition figurine.
A 4-color, die-cut vinyl sticker.
Exclusive VIP forum access, including to our Alpha preview.
A Kickstarter-Exclusive T-shirt.
A Kickstarter-exclusive Alpha Colony iPad 2 or 3 skin.
Exclusive Beta access to early prototypes of the game.
A Kickstarter-Exclusive, in-game, playable bonus race.
Digital Wallpaper Download.
Digital Soundtrack Download.
A Kickstarter-exclusive in-game First Colonists Badge.
Full Digital Game Download for all funded platforms.

Three Platforms Now Supported!

Posted by Eve on November 27th, 2012

Thank you for all your support this holiday weekend, helping to enable the secret early unlock of Alpha Colony for Android. Android support now joins PC and iOS. You will now be able to play Alpha Colony everywhere you go! At home on your PC, or on the go on your Android or Apple phone or tablet.

Thank you everyone who liked Alpha Colony on Facebook! We will now unveil our 3 winners that will each receive a special Alpha Colony goodie bag:

Bret D Ballentine
Tuyen Quang Tran
Ted Timmons

If your name is on the list, please contact us via Facebook so we can get your details.

We’re so close to being able to deliver a more fully-featured game than ever before. Please continue to share, like and tweet! We can’t do it without you.

Mech loves Android!

Your Alpha Colony pledge dollars are now matched!

Posted by Eve on November 26th, 2012

It’s our final week here for Alpha Colony and we’ve just crossed the halfway mark. We’re revving up to for new content all this week to help us meet our goal. Beginning with a very exciting announcement!:

Double Time! Every dollar pledged to Alpha Colony on Kickstarter gets matched!

Starting today, your dollar goes further! This is really exciting news because it means that we now have a realistic chance of not only succeeding but also reaching several of the stretch goals we had our heart set on. But how is this possible?

#1 – Colorado Film Incentive Program

We’re proud to announce that our application to the Colorado Film Incentive Program has been accepted! This program matches funds spent on creative content projects based in Colorado, such as film or video games. However, if we don’t reach our Kickstarter goal, we will not be able to spend the minimum requirement to be eligible for these additional funds.

#2 – Private Funding

A private backer has also agreed to match our Kickstarter funds in make additional stretch goals possible. However, we need to prove that the game has enough demand first by reaching our Kickstarter minimum funding goal.

This means if we can just reach our $50k minimum funding goal, we will now able to deliver all of our stretch goals up to $100k. Including:

Playable Tutorial Mission
Separate Wampus Mini-Game
4 Additional Playable Races
Android support (tablets and phones!)
iOS LD support (tablets and older iPhones!)
Prospecter Game Mode
Random World Events
Auction Mini-Game

We’re really happy about what this means, as this really makes Alpha Colony a more complete game. However, it’s still all or nothing, so if we don’t make our minimum funding goal we won’t get any of our backer’s money, any money from the state of Colorado or any money from our private backer.

Matching funds apply toward future stretch goals too!

Best of all, this matching goes above and beyond our minimum goal and will apply to all future stretch goals as well. Now that your money goes further, it’s more important than ever to like, share and tell your friends and family about our project. Let’s get Alpha Colony funded!

Last day to win!

Just a reminder, it’s the last day to qualify to win our Thanksgiving goodie bag giveaway! Tomorrow we’ll announce 3 winners, who’ll receive fun Alpha Colony swag. All you have to do is go to our Alpha Colony Facebook page and like.

Choose: Good or Evil?

Posted by Eve on November 21st, 2012

There comes a time in everyone’s life when they stand on the precipice of an important decision where either good or evil could win out… such as Alpha Colony’s Angelic and Troublemaker Editions.

Both editions include a huge swag bag of Alpha Colony goodies. And they each allow you to help design an actual in-game event that will shape the experience of all Alpha Colony players. Which is why the also come with YOUR NAME listed in the credits as a game designer to herald your glory to all! They even come with additional copies of the game so you can show off your fame to friends and family. But as you are immortalized in video game history, how would you like to be remembered?

Angel Edition:

Alpha Colony players celebrate your benevolence as you bestow a positive game event upon them. You have the opportunity have the ability to bestow gifts and bonuses upon players. You will be remembered for your kindness. Players will sing your praises as they struggle to survive on a hostile and distant planet.

Troublemaker Edition:

Alpha Colony players will shake their fists in vain as you release your wrath upon their misfortunate souls. You will cripple their production, or smite their resources with your mighty godly reach. You will be immortalized in infamy, as players curse your wickedness. By helping to craft a diabolical negative game event, you have the opportunity to torture all Alpha Colony players from now until the end of time.

Which will you choose?

As your soul wrestles with this epic battle between good and evil, who will ultimately win out? Will you bask in the glory of your saintly righteousness, or will you indulge delicious temptation? Of course, there’s nothing to stop you from creating another Kickstarter account so that you may indulge your inner Jekyll AND Hyde.

Android, Early Unlock!

Posted by Eve on November 14th, 2012

Although it wasn’t the favorite platform in our survey, we’re still pulling hard for Android. And for those of you who have voiced your preference for Android… we’ve decided to put together a special holiday offer just for you.

We’re offering early unlock of the Android platform if we reach 500 likes on our Alpha Colony Facebook page by thanksgiving. So help us get there by visiting us on Facebook and sharing with your friends. We think the Android community is strong enough to make it happen.

As an additional incentive, anyone who does like our Facebook page will also be entered for a chance to win an Alpha Colony goodie bag! So what are you waiting for? Become a fan of Alpha Colony today!