The alien has been replaced with a new character. I think this change may upset some players, but it is something I have wanted to do for a while. The TLDR reason is that he is too silly in a way that I don't feel represents the game.
The value of clear communication
Why are Candy Crush and Dark Souls so different visually?
The answer is of course that they are two different games trying to communicate the two different player experiences they have to offer. The reason they and other games care about communicating honestly is that settings the wrong expectations is just bad for everyone. Some players who would like your game don't buy it and some players who wont like your game buy it instead. This is what happens if communication is off:
What really annoyed me about the alien character is that he undermines the efforts we have spent on staying true to the source material (meaning computer architecture etc). He is silly to a point that could suggest nothing is taken seriously.
However, I overreacted in my effort to remove silliness and I removed the story from the game. All I ever heard about it was an occasional negative comment and I have read those same jokes so many times they are completely unfunny to me. However, once I removed it I kept hearing demands to put it back. I did a poll and 90% of players actually like the story, so now it is back (with a few tweaks). Scroll down to see what the new character looks like.
