Statement regarding shared user data within our game
Dear Tinkerers,
In the past few days, we have received several reports from you regarding our game unintentionally accessing your microphone data and collecting data from you during gameplay. To avoid confusion, we would like to address these raised concerns clearly and explain exactly what happened in this case.
The Short Version:
Due to a bug in version 1.0, PlayFab’s voice chat feature could be enabled in multiplayer under certain circumstances, putting you in a private voice chat lobby.
With version 1.0.1, this bug was fixed. According to PlayFab, no audio data is stored or processed. We have never had access to audio data.
The option to share anonymized user data with us via Unity Analytics is unrelated to the microphone bug.
We cannot attribute this anonymized user data to any natural person.
The shared data contained only in-game events like items crafted, quests completed, etc, which would have helped us balance the game.
Since version 1.0.2, we have completely disabled the option to share anonymized user data via Unity. In 1.0.2 it was greyed out, and later completely removed in 1.0.3.
With the latest update, you will find an EULA at the beginning of the game. You now have the opportunity to trace in detail which data Tinkertown accesses and whether and how it is processed by us or external partners.
We’re sorry for any confusion and inconvenience this may have caused.
The Full Explanation:
Microphone Usage in Tinkertown
To enable multiplayer sessions in Tinkertown, we utilize the "PlayFab" service from Microsoft Azure. This SDK supports the ability to access your microphone for features such as in-game voice chat or text-to-speech analysis. Version 1.0 of Tinkertown contained a bug that could activate your microphone under certain conditions and started a private voice chat within PlayFab, even though we had no intend to use this feature. After you brought this issue to our attention, we fixed this bug with version 1.0.1.
We consulted with PlayFab regarding the implications for your data. PlayFab assured us that voice audio is never stored anywhere. If the network connections were relayed connections, the voice data would have passed through the nearest Azure region used by PlayFab’s service, determined by QoS latency measurements per player. Since Tinkertown never used any accessibility features like speech-to-text, the data would not have been processed at all, only relayed.
If the players were connected through a peer-to-peer network, their voice data would not have passed through the relay at all and would have traveled via the internet. Approximately 92% of connections were P2P in the last 6 months. All traffic sent via Party, including voice, is encrypted.
Our team never had access to your voice transmissions at any time, and we still do not have the ability to access your voice data.
Shared User Data
To continually improve Tinkertown, there was an option for you to share anonymized data with us via Unity. Until version 1.0, this option was enabled by default. The anonymized data helped us make adjustments to the player experience and fix bugs. This anonymized data could not be attributed to any specific player.
With the release of version 1.0, some users raised concerns that this option was enabled by default. With version 1.0.1, we added a pop-up dialog at the first game launch, asking if you would like to share this anonymized data with us or not.
It is important to emphasize once again that the anonymized data you could have shared with us had no connection to the microphone bug. These are two completely unrelated topics.
However, due to the confusion caused by these reports we have decided, as a precaution, to completely disable the option to share anonymized user data with version 1.0.2. Consequently, the option in the menu is currently grayed out. Since version 1.0.2, there is no way to share user data. This means that when you start Tinkertown now, you do not need to decide whether you want to share anonymized user data because we aren’t collecting user data.
What Happens Next
First and foremost, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience caused. It took us some time to recognize and address all the issues and seek advice on how to handle such cases. Our team has made significant efforts in improving this situation in the past few days. We understand that you were and still are concerned, and we would like to prevent that from now on with the latest update.
From now on, when you start the game for the first time, you will find an End User License Agreement (EULA) where you can read all the details about how services can access data from Tinkertown and in what manner. This EULA must be accepted to start playing Tinkertown. If you do not agree to the EULA, you will not be able to play Tinkertown. With this approach, we aim to provide the highest level of transparency, allowing you to play Tinkertown without any uneasiness. Within the EULA, you now have the opportunity to trace in detail which data Tinkertown accesses and whether and how it is processed by us or external partners.
We hope that this step will help us regain your trust. The reviews criticizing our game have deeply affected us. We would like to ask you to give Tinkertown a second chance, and we would be grateful if we could alleviate your concerns about your data through this explanation.
If you have any further questions, we are here to assist you.
Your Team at Headup
Patch 1.0.4
Added End User License Agreement (EULA)
Player characters now look towards the direction they attack
Building Contest: Launch!
Hi Tinkerers!
We are marking the launch of Tinkertown with a building contest, hope you want to join us!
This time, we are eager to see how you celebrate the release in-game. Create a festive scene, take a screenshot and share it on our Discord! In order for your submission to count, the in-game Moai stone head (Headups logo) has to be a part of the image.
Each contestant can only have one submission each, and the three winners get picked by the dev team voting on their favorites.
The contest runs until July 10th 3PM CET, and the winners are notified shortly thereafter.
Prizes: 1st The title of “Building Champion” on Discord and two games from the Headup library 2nd Two games from the Headup library 3rd One game from the Headup library
Good luck and happy launch!
Version 1.0.3
Removed several issues that could lead to instant death when loading into a world or respawning
Added the housing quest texts to the journal, so you can remind yourself what your Townians need at a minimum!
Added more rewards to the quests of Tina, Graves, and Tyrone
Fixed several issues in the journal with information showing incompletely
And several more minor bugfixes
Version 1.0.2 live!
Hi Tinkerers!
We are humbled and amazed at how engaged you are in us going 1.0, a big thank you for that!
We've had a few snags during the launch, but we are working super hard to fix any issues. Please continue to give us your feedback, it's so valuable to us!
In 1.0.2, we are adressing some of the most frequent feedback points, for example the bug in the Forest Volcano (yay, dragon is back!) and UI issues.
Here's the full list:
Tinkertown 1.0.2
Fixed issues with the Forest Volcano map
Fixed some UI issues on the title screen
Fixed an issue where Quests are not shown correctly
Fixed some minor bugs
Thanks a million for your continued support!
Your Tinkertown team
Patch 1.0.1. out now
Tinkertown v. 1.0.1
Fixed some issues with tracking quests
Fixed some issues with audio devices & microphones in multiplayer
Added an option dialogue at the game's initial launch, allowing you to decide whether you want to share anonymous user data, or not
Addressing issues regarding microphone usage and shared user data
Dear Tinkerers,
We have received multiple reports regarding issues with microphone functions within Tinkertown. Our team is aware of those and we are currently working on a solution. We apologize for any inconvenience caused!
Along with this update, we will also implement an options dialogue at the game's initial launch, allowing you to decide whether you want to share anonymous user data, or not. Until the patch is released, you can disable this here: Settings > Game > Share User Data.
Allowing the game to anonymously share gameplay data and error reports helps us to improve the gameplay experience further. You can read more about how and what data Unity collects here: https://unity.com/legal/privacy-policy
Again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused and hope that you continue to have a great time in Tinkertown!
UPDATE: Patch 1.0.1 is now live and addresses the issues mentioned above. Thank you for your understanding.
Tinkertown 1.0 is Out Now!
Happy release day, dear Tinkerers!
Grab your backpacks; the day has finally come! After more than three years of development and Early Access, we are happy to announce that Tinkertown 1.0 is finally out! ːsteamhappyː
We are super happy and proud of what we have achieved, and it has been a lot of fun putting it all together! We hope you will have as much fun exploring the world and all the dungeons, and we can't wait to see all the towns you build and the adventures you go on!
So, now that Tinkertown is fully released, we wish you all happy adventures!
With Tinkertown 1.0, we have added many exciting features for all you new and experienced adventurers out there. When reaching the end game, you will be met by our new void dungeon and even a new boss fight. Do you have what it takes?
You also have a journal to help you with your journey through the world. Here you can find what monsters, areas, and recipes you have discovered and which ones you are missing.
And to make the world feel even more alive, we have given all NPCs a “Love-o-Meter,” which fills when you follow their questline and build their dream homes. If you fill their meters - maybe they’ll even reward you!?
These are all the changes, enhancements, fixes, and tweaks included in update 1.0:
Added Void Dungeon
New Bosses and Rewards
New Questline
Added Journal that displays your findings:
Shows defeated enemies, their locations, spawntimes, drops, and lore
Shows Townians, their quests, info, and likes
Shows Recipes and Items, everything you can find in Tinkertown, and what you can craft out of it
Shows Achievements and progress towards
Added new unique effects for every Weapon in the Game! Added the Happiness Meter (Love-o-Meter) to Townians.
Make them happier by decorating their houses with things they like (rewards will be added at a later time too)
Added two more supported languages:
Brazilian Portuguese
Spanish
Additional Fixes:
Fixed an issue sometimes causes players to die in the ocean
We would love to hear your feedback on Tinkertown 1.0, so please join our amazing Tinkertown Discord to meet other tinkerers or say "hello" to our teams.
Happy, full release day to all of you! The Tinkertown Team
Dear Tinkerers, that's what awaits you with Tinkertown 1.0!
Ahem...is this thing on? Yes? Great!
Dear Tinkerers, ladies and gentlemen, esteemed citizens of our wonderful town, thank you for gathering here today! As your mayor, I stand before you to address the progress we have made and the promising future that lies ahead.
Only a few days remain until we finally welcome you into our little town, into which we have been pouring so much love, work, and care over the years. Before we open the city gates – or what do the kids call it these days? – “launch our 1.0 version this week on June 22nd”, we would like to remind you of what our lovely Tinkertown has been all about ever since it was founded way back when and give you an outlook on what’s ahead.
Tinkertown is a heartfelt journey, that blends nostalgic charm with a sense of adventure, as well as our town spirit of excitement, discovery, and creativity. Of course, all of you know that the thing our town prides itself on the most and what truly makes it great is its Tinkerers – all of you!
Here is a small overview of the upcoming additions you can look forward to from June 22nd:
Journal: Accompanies players on their adventure, showcasing NPCs, achievements, and quests.
Quest Progress and Rewards: Shared between players on the server, ensuring everyone receives their deserved rewards.
Rapport Building/Love-o-meter: Players can enhance relationships with NPCs by completing quests and upgrading their houses with preferred decorations, leading to additional rewards.
Recipes and Resources: The Journal includes a collection of recipes and resources found during travels, providing hints for new discoveries.
Bestiary: Displays encountered monsters, their locations, timings, and lore details.
Now that you have the key to our town gates, let’s get excited for June 22nd together! Your Mayor, Paul Tinkerton (and your team at Headup)
It’s only one week until the 1.0 release of Tinkertown, so we’re taking the time to reflect on our journey so far!
It’s been an amazing experience having you all by our side as we refined and polished the game based on your invaluable feedback. Your support and dedication have been instrumental in shaping the game into something truly special.
Over the past years, our game has grown from a two developer project to being several people's full time job. We are so proud to be where we are right now, thanks to our team and thanks to you - the players.
To celebrate what we’ve achieved during our early access phase, we searched through our records to present you with some numbers and stats about our journey together so far:
Truly a labor of love: Tinkertown has been in development for 1290 days
There have been a total of 119 patches and updates. All of those symbolize the big and small steps we have been making toward our launch next week!
Over 2300 tinkerers have joined our Tinkertown Discord server. Why not become part of the action? Rumor has it there’s an art contest going on as we speak…
You do love a good bit of exercise! We’ve recorded about 9 million jumps in the game so far!
One big town, connecting players from all over the world: There are tinkerers from over 25 different countries all over the world are playing our game.
We're incredibly proud of what we've accomplished together, and we can't wait for you to experience the full version of the game on June 22nd.❤️
