🔱 Roadmap: 0.3, 0.4, 0.5

[Chris]

Tallowmere 2 has been on Steam Early Access for over a year now, with over 8,000 adventurers taking part. Thank you very much for playing and sharing your feedback.

At times, it is challenging to keep atop of all comments, feature requests, bugs, and gameplay reports, and how best to track and prioritise everything.

The number of items on the issue tracker[github.com] is large. Lots to do!

Below is a rough summary of issues and enhancements to be addressed.

Version 0.2

Feature requests:

• ✅ Online Co-op: Allow servers to save online games – added in 0.2.4.
  
  
• ✅ Option for auto-attack – added in 0.2.6 as "Hold to Attack".
  
  
• ✅ Inventory management: Rearranging weapon order; marking items as junk – added in 0.2.7.
  
  
• ✅ Weapon Selector: Add circular layout – added in 0.2.7.

Other bugs:

• ✅ Online Co-op: Poison ticks not working – fixed in 0.2.5.
  
  
• ✅ Dual-monitor issues – seems fixed in 0.2.9.

✅ Fixed in 0.2.3:

• ✅ Online Co-op: Still receiving occasional reports of players sometimes unable to use keys on doors, or room transitions stalling and not working – fixed.
  
  
• ✅ Rare issues with internal lists and arrays failing to clear, resulting in creature modifiers and numbers not calculating properly – fixed.
  
  
• ✅ Non-English keyboard input not working (mainly for online chatting) – fixed on Windows; fixes for macOS and Linux will come once Unity fixes issues with their engine.
  
  
• ✅ Allow buff potions to be consumed even if player has full health – done.

Version 0.3

Changelog

Goodies to add:

• ✅ Demon Statue rewards – Added new basic reward type: "Health & Strength"
  
• ✅ More shield types – Added three shields from the original Tallowmere.

Gameplay design changes:

• ✅ Shields – beef up health numbers – done.
  
• ✅ Health and damage – investigate and balance the numbers when the "dungeon grows stronger"; ensure calculations are more robust and less wild – fixed and improved.
  
• ✅ Melee AI – less standing around – fixed.
  
• ✅ Ranged AI – investigate range limits and awareness – seems okay.
  
• ✅ Zaerie AI – address sticking-to-wall issues, bounciness – fixed.
  
• ✅ Traps – investigate spawn positions, spawn rates, visibility awareness, deactivation, destructibility, and damage – improved.
  
• ✅ Address loopholes with the Merchant selling gold-related potions – fixed.

Platforms:

• ✅ Launch the iOS[apps.apple.com] and Android[play.google.com] versions – done.
  
• ✅ Enable cross-platform online co-op – done.

Version 0.4

Fulfill Early Backer pre-orderer rewards:

• In-game name-crediting
  
• Kitten-naming (to be part of a Kitten Collect-a-thon mode and achievement)
  
• Difficulty modes

Platforms:

• Launch the Nintendo Switch™ version

Version 0.5

Dungeon:

• Implement the first Bastardly Boss + Guard-naming backer fulfilment
  
• Weapons – tweaks and balancing, including damage modifiers to certain weapons
  
• Add outfits and headgear
  
• Add stealth and ice
  
• Add additional elements to current weapons
  
• More kittens, blessings, pedestal offerings, curses, and Demon Statue rewards

... And Beyond

Additional things are planned, but not sure which version they will land in yet.

Gameplay enhancements:

• Difficulty modes to make the game easier or harder – while being mindful of achievements, leaderboards, weapon-unlocking, and character-unlocking.
  
• Conquest Modes – special runs to modify the dungeon's behaviour.
  
• Pre-run perks – small player-selected modifiers that can be unlocked, to aid their run in different ways.
  
• Special room areas.
  
• More weapons.
  
• Special NPCs to help spend your gold with – Blacksmith, Brewmaster, Rare Merchant, and more.
  
• Tutorial.

Languages:

• Korean – added in 0.2.3
  
• Spanish – added in 0.2.4
  
• Russian – added in 0.2.9
  
• Japanese – in progress

Further additions:

• Native Steam Input support
  
• Online Co-op: Add automatic match-making
  
• Weapon HUD visibility options – toggling and condensing to save screen real estate
  
• Additional UI scaling options > 150%
  
• Keyboard Couch Co-op (no controllers)
  
• Pets and companions
  
• Dungeon Room Editor
  
• Online PvP
  
• LAN servers

Onwards! Thanks for your continued patience and support.

[Chris]

I will be calling this game done in the near future, and move it out of Early Access.

The permanent cognition disabilities that the Cushing's tumour I had makes programming quite hard.

The tumour was identified in October 2022. I had adrenal surgery to remove the tumour in December 2022.

I was then on hydrocortisone medicine after that, since my other working adrenal gland was atrophied, and I needed cortisol. I was able to work in the mornings usually still, and thus was able to spend months getting the Kitten Collect-a-thon update out.

Then around October 2023, my other gland started producing some cortisol. In November, 2023, my doctors stopped prescribing hydrocortisone since my gland was making just enough cortisol to be considered healthy enough, though it is lower than what the medicine was giving me.

So for about the past 4 months, I have been trying to continue coding in a passionate fashion. But without much cortisol, my cognition issues really are getting in the way. And I no longer have the drive to be very creative, wanting to code. Cortisol really gave me a drive over the years, but that is not the case anymore.

My doctors estimate I had the Cushing's tumour for about 5 years. So, pretty much all throughout Tallowmere 2's development. Which explains a lot for why I was getting slower and slower over the years, yet also so determined at the same time.

Cushing's causes brain damage effectively, since the excess 24/7 cortisol eats away at muscle. From what I've read, Cushing's often damages the prefrontal cortex, which is why I struggle with multi-tasking, thinking, remembering (which tab did I just have open? what was I working on a moment ago? what's the name of that file? what's the syntax again? ...) And although the brain can kind of recover, Cushing's survivors never quite think the same. The cognitive issues persist even after surgery.

I just can't work on this large game anymore. Maybe I could try my hand at a smaller-scope game, but T2 is a large project, and too large for my brain now due to the damage that the tumour has done.

Cushing's tumour is very rare, around 10 people per million. And unfortunately my doctors did not catch it early enough. I'd never heard of it before being diagnosed. But it explains why I have been so mentally slow.

So, going forward, I will keep the game going and maintain as best I can. It is still playable and still fun. But for additional content, I do not plan to add more at this point. The tumour's effect on my brain makes programming quite hard, let alone other daily life tasks.

Maybe I will work on something else, something smaller, but maybe I will just embrace disabled life unfortunately. I want to try being creative, but it is super hard. T2 is just too large for me without cortisol giving me a drive anymore. Very complex to add new features, plus online netcode... I just can't do it anymore, and I need to move on. Thanks for understanding.

[Darkness]

Best wishes for you, Chris.

[Mordekay]

I'm sorry, Chris. Don't exhaust yourself, make sure you get enough rest everyday.

[Thorn.]

heartbreaking news, but we all wish you the best of luck Chris. Thanks for giving us Tallowmere

[MoldySpore]

Came looking for updates and found this. Just wanted to say that myself and many of my friends and family love your games (I 100%ed Tallowmere and many of my friends and family have also played it a lot) and Tallowmere 2 has been amazing and a great way for me to keep playing games with people who are far away. They are such great games.

Thanks so much for all your hard work on these games over the years. Wishing you the best of luck and good health in the future!

[BadMedium]

Damn, bro. I'm so sorry to hear that. It sounds like you're facing it very bravely and realistically. I deal with mental health issues that have taken years to come to terms with, and I've had to come to accept that certain things are outside of my ability to do.

I love this game and have followed it since early on, and I just want to say I really enjoyed it and it gave me comfort and fun in dark times. Whatever you end up going on to do, I'm sure you'll be a benefit, a boon, a value to.

[Void]

I understand and I wanted to say thank you. My dad has been in prison since 2006 and we used to play games together all the time. He was just given a securus tablet a year or so ago and tallowmere was one of the games he got- and its something we play together now. Just telling eachother our progress in the race to floor sixty. It's the first game we've been able to do this with, and it wouldnt have happened without your work.

Thank you for everything, and I hope the day treats you well <3 Wishing the best for you

[BrianPatrickDMF]

Hey man, been playing Tallowmere 1 and 2 for years now. They're both in my top 10 "time played" here on Steam. I've been very happy with your work and want to say thanks for making it. I didn't know the extent of your health problems, but was aware of something for awhile now. Even as is, T2 is a complete experience so though there's disappointment at no future content or a T3, it's cool man. Just live your life, a game isn't worth the difficulty from what you describe.

I just want you to know that I've been playing 2d games since the NES was new and yet this simple game you made is one of the best I've ever played. I'm a fan of your work and you should be proud of that.

[Chris]

Hi all, thank you.

My doctors say I may regain some cognition improvement over the next two years. (it takes about 3 years after Cushing's surgery to have the brain heal and recover somewhat, though it will never be 100% again)

I hope to return one day, but for now, I am putting coding aside and focusing on other less-intensive things. Time will tell.

[Darkness]

Originally posted by Chris:

Hi all, thank you.

My doctors say I may regain some cognition improvement over the next two years. (it takes about 3 years after Cushing's surgery to have the brain heal and recover somewhat, though it will never be 100% again)

I hope to return one day, but for now, I am putting coding aside and focusing on other less-intensive things. Time will tell. :reheart:

Get well, Chris! Focus on your health, try other stuff during this time. Maybe you'll return to coding one day, maybe not, but it'll be fine, I'm sure of it!

If coding won't ever be a viable possibility, and you do love games and would like to dedicate some of your life to it once again, I'm sure other possibilities will appear when the time is right!

Worst case scenario, you can be a failed youtuber like me one sub is guaranteed.