Apple iOS MMC Alpha Install Instructions

[Mini Militia Classic Alpha Force]

Dearest iOS users (and those of you who are morbidly curious),

Inside this message is the link Apple gave us to give you to use to get the alpha installed via Apple's Testflight. I can feel you vibrating with excitement. You are very close to install...

But lets talk about what you should consider doing first and why... You should join this list if you have not already. Its the official mouth piece of the MMC project right now. When I give out a link it will be to this message I ask you to do the same (more reasons below)

Lets start with some definitions. This a quick summary. We'll spend a whole post reviewing alpha results and the future beta. There are better definitions out there, but this will get you up to speed faster.

Alpha -> we're replacing lost systems in the renegotiation (see news link later on for more info on that and some of the impacts.) This means NOTHING new but for the systems we replace. Yes we have added a few quality of life adjustments here and there. We were already going to do a lot of those back in 2018 where we left off before we brought in Miniclip. We got to keep a little of the work we did after via a contractual agreement, but I digress. This is 99% Chad and Hunter code... at its best (and worst ;) )

Beta -> this is where we are tuning and tweaking. The later beta is where we planned on trying to add new content (try is a very non-committal word) We aren't there yet though. You can ask for new stuff we will write it down to look at later. But beta is where we will be trying out the new good, the bad , AND the ugly ideas. 

Your feedback along the way to shape the app is very welcome. It always has been. Even when you ask for the same thing over and over. It means you care enough to ask. It lets us know this is worth fighting for if enough people keep asking. That means there is a lot of caring happening. Lets hug it out and move on.

Please remember THIS IS ALPHA. Although nearing the end of alpha it is still very rough and missing whole parts still! There is a six+ month of developments and reports to sift through. Please take the time to catch up on the alpha group messages if you have not already been following along. I can't stress enough you will be clueless to timely release alerts and detailed progress info if you do not The only people who get to post here is Appsomniacs. You can always set this group to web only in the settings for the group. Google may require a Google account. But inclusion is optional you can always visit this link and read anonymously. Its the messaging tool we are using right now to organize the troops and its where we respond to questions sent in reply:
https://groups.google.com/g/mini-militia-classic-alpha-force

Send questions/reports into testingfeedback [at] Appsomniacs.com we will read them. Troubleshooting issues should go here too. (the link is dead, I will add a contacts page at a later date!) https://appsomniacs.com/Static/Games/DoodleArmy2/contact.html

Consider reading the alpha groups back log and seeing the hell you have missed so far if you haven't already. 

Here is more reading. Less than the google group that's for sure. When I update the website News/FAQ/Help Center pages there will be helpful data here so far.

https://appsomniacs.com/Static/Games/DoodleArmy2/news.html

The news site is where I am starting to post the detailed lists of changes. There is not enough room to list everything, so this is my solution. This is the SAME news page that opens in the app.

https://appsomniacs.com/Static/Games/DoodleArmy2/helpcenter.html
(The help center link is NOT online yet at the time of this send, but I will refer people back here and when its up it will be useful.)

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oOdaFTQF18rN-_gzysJljA9OCAZMRcPl

This is where we've been sharing screen shots and roadmap documents on our public share

Join the list to get your name in the register of alpha players. Its optional! You don't have to do it. I won't know who you are and I won't know how to reward the alpha tester badges too, but that's a choice you get to make. If you are NOT on this list in good standing I will not make exceptions to this. Apple wants you to have that option. I don't want to manually sign people up one at a time either. We're at an impasse.

So without further ado Apple says this link is ALL you need.

https://testflight.apple.com/join/mTdIgovd

Just kidding. Here is the link in a font size you can actually read.

So without further ado Apple says this link is ALL you need.

https://testflight.apple.com/join/mTdIgovd

Did you stop reading? I hope not... there is a little more. Especially if you have trouble and didn't read Apple's exacting instructions. I can't protect you from yourself.

Some Advice for smooth(er) onboarding: Use the link from your device AFTER you install test flight. I opened it on my desktop and its a wall of text of instruction... This site had our icon in it, so I know its somehow connected.

The link either works... or it doesn't. A handful of people this doesn't work on hasn't been fun and all the troubleshooting. No effort Appsomniacs did bore fruit! That means it didn't work for this people and we don't know why. I am directing them to Apple support. And I am sad that is how it has to work. Once you have the app then we are fully to blame thereafter. ;)

The app minimum is iOS 10 but Invites were saying iOS 13. If you can get yourself into the program while on a higher iOS version on another device, it is purported that you then download from cloud to an older device down our minimum of iOS 10. 

Do your friends and subs a favor! 

When you share  this message share the link to THIS message on the alpha google group (not the direct link to testflight) it. You can strip out this message, but your doing everyone a disservice and I will point them to you when they come at me angry they didn't get counted. I Promise this. I will deflect this anger. I usually take it on the chin, but not this time. Fair warning. This message is the sole place we will share this link from so people understand what they are getting themselves into.

I am excited to see more platforms on the game. It's more work for us. Be patient, there will be slip ups. We will botch features and releases, etc. There is much still to come time and space willing. By the time are ready for full release I hope we are well oiled machine. But that is months away and we have a lot more work to do. I would also like to thank our Comms Officer for helping organize our messaging. Without them this would be MORE of a haphazard mess. For the record they did NOT edit this message for me and correct all the grammatical atrocities I have committed.

Thanks for reading this far. You can always tell when I am rushing an email. It's very long... and informal... I hope it conveys my thoughts on how we should proceed. Please translate to your friends if you can.

Sincerely,

Hunter (and Chad, who I have secretly locked in a basement dungeon coding for your pleasure,)

P.S. I purposely put a lot of links in this email in hopes you would click them all and self educate on the project. I have fielded SO many questions to answers we have already answered. I may need to put another general questions and answers post.