I am here now! Thank you. Subscribed + watching this thread if anyone has any questions. Been a while since I've been on TouchArcade... previous Tallowmere thread is here from 2015!
Never played the first game but this sounds interesting. Looks like a lower budget (no offence by saying lower budget) Dead Cells from the videos I just seen?
Yeah, Dead Cells contains a lot of character animation. And to stay alive, rolling to avoid attacks is a main mechanic. Whereas in Tallowmere and Tallowmere 2, animation is more simplistic, adorning a paper-book flip style. I've tried to animate the weapon attacks more in Tallowmere 2, though none of the characters have any hands this time! To stay alive, a button to raise your shield is all that's required. Still involves timing, but on a more casual scale, without having to worry about dodging and rolling into things. But not using your shield brings on death pretty quickly – shield usage is a core mechanic.
Totally going to pick this up, but this just feels like stripping out random features here and there to make a butchered free version. Would much rather it
There’s @ChrisNZL that can answer your question, I’m just a humble poster XD But it doesn’t look like stripped. It allows you to try basics of the game
It's not even just giving folks the basics with the free version, and what's included in the IAP is definitely not random. Apart from the co-op features, which my oblivious self presumes requires hosting somewhere on the interwebs (thus extra costs), all those are perks. Not essentials, but perks.
I would personally disagree with that these are all perks. Whilst you obviously don’t NEED these to enjoy the game, and I would say that things like Co-op, Weapon Rack, Magic Mirror, and maybe even Merchant Potions (but that’s just because there are only like 2 good potions in the game, imo) are perks, but Mystery Rewards are significant parts of the decision making process and Lady Tallowmere heals are a core part of the game. But that’s all just my opinion, if this was more expensive I’d be upset, it’s just a minor nitpick at such a low price point.
Without the Core Supporter Pack, it's a stripped-down demo version essentially, but without completely stopping you in your tracks. The game just becomes harder with limiting the number of kittens you can rescue, no home room healing after a certain point, nor the ability to spend gold to buy potions (though you can still find them in treasure chests). The Mystery Rewards from Lvl 3 and higher aren't required – you can still choose the regular Health or Damage rewards. But at that point, you can make the decision if you'd like to support the game or not. Or keep going and see how far you can get despite the limitations. A purchase helps me keep doing this professionally. Mobile monetisation is weird. If you want to play Couch Co-op locally on an iPad (or iPhone if you don't mind squinting), I assume you've got the disposable income to afford two Xbox or PlayStation controllers, so $4.99 USD for the game should be affordable. If you want to play Online Co-op with friends, the price is a potential barrier. But, that's the model I'm going with for now. I've implemented Family Sharing with iOS, so you can purchase once within your family and all play together. Game Center accounts are used for player names. I'm hosting several servers around the globe (check out tallowmere2.com/servers for locations), so you should be able to get a pretty good ping no matter where you are. I weighed up lots of options on what to go with. The original Tallowmere was premium because there were no extra technical requirements. But with the sequel here, I feel the mobile market prefers free-to-install... and then it's a wild jungle of how to approach things after that. My stance on things: Ads – Not a fan as a consumer, nor as a developer. Sitting and watching something in return for a reward? Does anyone like ads? I don't want to implement them if I can help it. In-game currency – You get gold during each run by defeating monsters. Like, actually having to play the game and slay them. Directly buying gold, or watching an ad to get gold, is not something I want to embrace. Character cosmetics – I quite like cosmetic monetisation models in games, but, I still need to implement outfits and hats for Tallowmere 2 – on the cards, but not in yet. And because the game is 2D, rather than 3D, I'm not sure things would ever feel cool enough to set up a shop. Heck, I'd rather you play the game to unlock something, rather than get your wallet out further. Seasons / Expansions – I plan to just update the base game and let everyone enjoy things, rather than segregating the player base every time I release something new and substantial. Also means less technical stuff I have to deal with. I plan to offer story-based gameplay modes, short episodes for unique runs... As well as adding goodies to the classic high-score mode that is currently implemented. Wait times / Tickets / Gem packs – None of this exists in the game. Frankly, when I play a mobile game that starts limiting my time, I uninstall it. So many of these systems exist as endless money sinks... Not a fan. Separate Full Version / Demo Versions – Releasing two apps can be a thing (a free demo, and then a premium game beside it), but I feel the IAP model with one app flows better than managing two apps. I got into game development to make fun things. I am not a fan of IAP systems on mobile, but that's just how things are. The amount of time it's taken me to implement this single Core Supporter Pack – I'd rather not alter the monetisation model further if I can help it. Time will tell. Factoring in all of the above, and deciding how I want to approach things, a slightly gimped version of the dungeon to start with, but then unlocking full access with a single purchase – this sits right with me.
I actually agree with this a lot more after reading this post hearing it worded by the dev makes it make a lot more sense and I 1000% this is a better way to go than apps. While I still personally would’ve preferred a premium app, I guess that’s just because I already own the game on Steam, so I don’t need to be sold. Still super hyped for this, really want to play it with my friends who don’t own PCs.
This is starting to roll out in various time zones so release thread has been made: https://toucharcade.com/community/threads/425867/
