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Show HN: Yahtzee and Poker and Cosmic Horror = Pine Tar Poker (pinetarpoker.com)

45 points by bmalicoat ↗ HN
I'm excited to launch today! Pine Tar Poker is a yahtzee-inspired poker game with just a touch of cosmic horror for iOS and Android.

I started working on this idea last January by making a paper prototype: a simple printed score sheet I could use with a real deck of cards. I had some fun with that, so I brought it into Unity and kept expanding on it over the last 11 months during nights and weekends. It's tough for me to stay motivated on side projects and see them through to release, but the act of shipping something is so fulfilling that it's usually worth the pain. For Pine Tar, I stretched myself in the narrative department by adding a bit of a Lovecraftian tone to what would otherwise be a Western saloon setting.

One thing that kept me motivated during development was seeing my dad get hooked on the card game. He'd text me when he got his first royal flush and when he prestiged the score sheet -- he got every hand type in one game! He has amassed so much in-game cash, I think I need to expand the number of digits I show there!

If you get a chance to try it, let me know what you think! If you can't afford it and want to try it, I have a few codes for both platforms, my email is in my profile.

23 comments

[ 2.5 ms ] story [ 58.4 ms ] thread
burritas
It looks really cool, but (IMO) you need to work on selling the game better with the written word. I have no idea what this is except a card game with western and Lovecraftian imagery; how's it different from any other card game app?

Congrats BTW, I've never released anything.

bmalicoat
Thanks for the feedback! HN really tests your marketing skills, stripping away gifs and videos. My skills in that department are already lacking so it's good practice.
christiangenco
Congrats on launching! Your game looks polished, consistently thematic, and I feel intrigued by the "magick" mechanisms hinted on the landing page.

I'm curious what marketing mobile games looks like in 2023. App store optimization? Buying app store ads? Getting people to review your game?

bmalicoat
I wish I knew! I've been testing out different strategies. I have a free game with an IAP (http://apple.co/downwordly) and it does okay from an install perspective, but not great for purchases. I was lucky to get it on Apple's radar to drive most the traffic.

This is my first time just doing a paid game. Definitely learning as I go. My plan for the first week is to send out download codes to people who might have an audience to put it in front of. I'll let you know how it goes!

donio
Looks nice but what makes this more relevant to HN than the thousands of similar games?
bmalicoat
Good question. I wasn't sure the applicability, but as a long time reader of HN who has found hidden gems, I figured it couldn't hurt to share something I was proud of.
langkilde
As you should! :) Kudos for creating something!
quickthrower2
Show HN: does’t require the thing to be a breakthrough
josephcsible
Two things I'd wish for:

1. either a free demo/trial, or a video with a few minutes of uncut gameplay

2. a WebGL build

bmalicoat
Good suggestions! I'll record a long play video. I've never done a WebGL build with Unity, but I'll try that too. I'll update this post if I get something going...
sogen
Congratulations!

I’ll upvote anything Yahtzee related. And add to that cosmic horror, consider me interested.

As already mentioned, it would help if the website had a more lengthy description.

bmalicoat
Thank you! I'll update the website with more copy that isn't "in-universe", as well as a non-trailer video of gameplay. Appreciate your support.
coffeebeqn
Card games are inherently complex. Look at the trailer for Slay the Spire (A tier) or Inscryption (S tier horror card game trailer). They both show cards on the move and cool things happening in short cuts. I’m intrigued by the poker, Yahtzee and the theme but I really don’t know what it is.

Congrats on releasing a game! I’ve been there and it’s great to get it out there. But also painful.

bmalicoat
Thanks. Another skill I'm working on discovering is fresh eyes. It's tough to see something you've been so close to for the better part of year through the eyes of someone with no context! Add to that all the things that inundate us daily, you really have to try hard to get a foothold in the vanishing attention of everyone. Appreciate the trailer references!
throwanem
It's a fun enough game that I think I might have run out of content! I've got the second table, second stone, and I've had my second tarot reading, but the bartender seems out of things to sell other than beer, and I can't get a new tarot reading (or cancel the active one).

Is there more to the game at this point? It's hard to tell; there's nothing encouraging me to think so, and while the core mechanic isn't bad it needs more of a loop around it than I'm finding evident right now.

bmalicoat
Try to complete the active tarot card :) There's quite a few more stones.
mhrmsn
Congratulations on the release, what an achievement!

The game is fun, I like the look and feel - have to ask though: Is it ever possible to win anything on the one-armed bandit? :D

bmalicoat
Haha, it is possible! It's basically there as a coin sink. I don't think it would pass muster to be in a real casino because the payout table is truly random!
IanCal
This was fun, I like the mix and it doesn't get too grindy. I found it challenging swapping between the two, but that's part of it.

It's a little frustrating paying to unlock something then that thing also needing funds - maybe a higher price for tarot the first time but the card is unlocked?

I've bought everything and have the moon key but no idea what on earth it does, so I'm not sure what I'm working towards. Maybe I'm missing something?

Nice game.

phnofive
Found a bug: sometimes, after completing a cycle of the deck, the top card will no longer be viewable. Can share a video if helpful.

Still can't figure out how to complete Tarot2 :(