What's a "story-driven game"?
Though Pine fits most comfortably in the category of games, it’s definitely an experience centered around bringing the story to life through the illustration, animation, and interactivity.
Pine will definitely be accessible to non-gamers interesting in a more interactive approach to story telling! There won’t be really hard puzzles or jumping from platform to platform or anything like that.
Other games you might call story-drive games are Florence, If Found…, and Her Story.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
How long will it take me to complete Pine?
At a high level, we want Pine to have a short story feel to it’s pacing. We don’t want it to overstay it’s welcome, but it does need to be long enough to fully tell the story, to let the characters come to life and to let the player experience the woodworker’s journey.
We’re hesitant to make any sort of commitment to a specific length before seeing how the pacing goes once the pieces start lining up. Also, the pace at which you move through the story will be somewhat up to you!
With all those caveats out there, we’re targeting something in the neighborhood of an hour. We think that’ll be long enough to tell the story well, without feeling like there’s filler.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 11:58
Will Pine be accessible to the Deaf?
Pine will be wordless. There won’t be any spoken dialog, so subtitles will not be necessary.
Right now the experience design doesn’t include any audio-only queues, so you will be able to progress all the way through the story by the visuals alone.
If we do decide to include any audio queues, we’ll make sure to add an accessibility option to add visual queues for the Deaf.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What countries qualify for DDP?
We’re delivering with duties paid to the countries listed below. For other countries (aside from the US), you’ll be responsible for local taxes, customs, etc.
Australia Austria Belgium Brazil Bulgaria Canada Canada Chile Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Germany Great Britain Greece Hungary Ireland Italy Japan Latvia Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Mayotte Mexico Monaco Netherlands Norfolk Island Poland Portugal Romania Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What countries will have tracking?
These countries!
Australia Austria Belarus Belgium Bulgaria Canada Christmas Island Cocos Islands Colombia Cook Islands Croatia Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Gibraltar Great Britain Greece Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Japan Kosovo Lebanon Lithuania Luxembourg Malaysia Malta Mayotte Mexico Monaco Netherlands New Zealand Niue Norfolk Island Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Korea Spain Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Thailand Tokelau Turkey United Arab Emirates Vietnam
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What's up the with NDA for the beta program?
The NDA is an important part of making sure that everyone in the beta program is in it as a team. They make it safe for us to share parts of Pine as they are being developed and still a little rough around the edges.
We’ll work with our lawyers to make sure the NDA is as friendly as possible, but basically what it will say is: While we’re developing Pine, you as a beta tester won’t share any information about the game that we don’t publicly share. After the game is released, the NDA expires.
We don’t think there will be anything scary in there. Also, it will be a digital signing so you don’t have to worry about mailing anything.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
Tell me more about the Backer Trees.
Well, first of all, that’s not a question! :-D
The main thing to note here is that we, of course, have editorial control over the messages and symbols. We’re not going to curate or anything, but we want to make sure the messages are all polite and inoffensive. Likewise, the symbols can’t be crass or inappropriate.
Additionally the symbols will need to be reasonably simple to make sure they look good as a carving. If you request something that will be difficult to accommodate, we’ll reach out to you to figure it out.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What if I don't want my real name on my Backer Tree Branch or Backer Tree?
If you prefer to not have your name in the Backer Forest, you’ll be able to use a nickname on your Backer Tree Branch or Backer Tree. For the Branch, it will have to be something like name, not a message or tagline!
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What name shows up on my Backer Tree Branch and how to I tell you what message I want on my Backer Tree?
We’ll take stock of the pledges after the campaign is funded, and figure out if we can get all the information we need in a single backer survey. If that seems tricky, we might set up a small site where you can manage that stuff alongside your shipping address, etc.
We’ll aim for whatever experience seems the easiest for our backers.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
Will Pine be localized to other languages?
Right now we’re only planning an English version, but the story itself will be wordless, so should by accessible to speakers of any language.
Depending on the eventual success of Pine after launch, we will explore localizing menus, etc.
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What about .... ?
We’re still adding preemptive FAQs. In the meantime, if you have a question about something, send us a message via Kickstarter or comment - cheers!
Last updated: February 04, 2021 07:43
What about international shipping on the other rewards?
We really wanted to offer international shipping on all the rewards, but because of how small our operation is, we didn’t feel confident that we’d be able to confidently offer a smooth shipping experience for international customers.
We have some hopes of eventually putting together a small merch shop but we don’t want to risk the development of the game so that would be further down the road. Make sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date about things like that!
Last updated: February 16, 2021 08:08
What is BackerKit?
BackerKit is a service that crowdfunded project creators use to keep track of hundreds to tens of thousands of backers—from shipping details, pledge levels, preferences and quantities, whether they have paid or had their card declined, special notes, and everything in between!
The BackerKit software and support team is independent from the campaign’s project team—BackerKit does not handle the actual reward shipping. For more information about the preparation or delivery status of your rewards, please check the project's updates page.
How does BackerKit work?
After the campaign ends, the project creator will send you an email with a unique link to your survey. You can check out a walkthrough of the process here.
I never received my invitation. How do I complete the survey?
The most common reasons for not receiving a survey email is that you may be checking an email inbox different from the email address you used to sign up with Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Tilt Pro account, or it may be caught in your spam filter.
Confirm that the email address you are searching matches the email address tied to your Kickstarter, Indiegogo, or Tilt Pro account. If that doesn’t work, then try checking your spam, junk or promotions folders. You can also search for "backerkit” in your inbox.
To resend the survey to yourself, visit the project page and input the email address associated with your Kickstarter, Indiegogo or Tilt Pro account.
How do I update my shipping address?
BackerKit allows you to update your shipping address until the shipping addresses are locked by the project creator. To update your address, go back to your BackerKit survey by inputting your email here.
When will my order be shipped, charged or locked?
That is handled directly by the project creator. BackerKit functions independently of the project itself, so we do not have control of their physical shipping timeline. If you want to check on the project’s status, we recommend reading over the project's updates page.
I completed the survey, but haven't received my rewards yet. When will they arrive?
As BackerKit does not actually handle any rewards or shipping, the best way to stay updated on the shipping timeline would be to check out the project's updates page.