Starting Note

Hey, it's been a while since version 0.1 released, huh? I good 2 months at this point.

I'd just like to start by saying that this game isn't dead, I've just been taking a bit of a break (which wasn't meant to be this long but oh well). Planning for v0.2 is pretty much done and some things are already complete, but there's still a lot more to do before the update is truly ready.

In this dev log, I'll be going over the planned content for this update. I'll start with returning features, then I'll comment on completely new features that I plan on adding.

Returning Content

• 4 of the 10 remaining towers: Octogon Shooter, Drill Sniper, Power Charger, and Cash Producer

  • Quite a lot regarding these 4 are going to change compared to the original, just as a warning

• 1 of the 3 heroes: Aerial Blaster

  • Aerial Blaster is also going to be changed rather heavily. A lot went into how I wanted Aerial Blaster to feel now, as many things have changed (explosion-like attacks with pierce caps, for example). Overall, this hero is getting a massive overhaul.

  • An important note regarding heroes and how they're unlocked. You no longer need to spend any Stones on them. Instead, every 10th level, you'll get the option to unlock a hero instead of a tower.

• 2 of the 13 remaining maps: Twist n' Turn and Grid

  • Both maps are going to be a bit different. For starters, Grid will be more like an actual grid, and Twist n' Turn will have more, well, turns, as the movement isn't as limited anymore.

As a note, I will say that Powers, and by extension the Shop menu, are being delayed to v0.4, after most of the towers are re-added to the game. Due to this, stones will still be useless next update.

New Content

• Enemy Speed Difficulty Modifier

  • This will only apply to Easy, Hard, and Extreme difficulties for right now. The only other difficulty I plan to use this for is Master difficulty (which will share the same speed modifiers as Hard and Extreme)

• Map Progression System

  • As both maps being added this update are Beginner maps, it allows me to properly start this system.

  • As the Alpha Roadmap states, all non-Beginner maps will start out locked, but you'll get keys when you complete any gamemode on a map.

  • These keys will allow you to unlock a map of the same or one higher difficulty.

    • For example, an Intermediate Key can be used to unlock any Intermediate or Advanced map.

  • When you unlock a map, it will prioritize using the lower-difficulty key first.

    • Unlocking an Advanced map will prioritize using an Intermediate Key over an Advanced Key, for example.

  • Unlike what the roadmap says, these keys CAN'T be used to unlock a map of a lower difficulty, as legitimate problems would pop up if I allowed that.

• A "Missed Rewards" Present

  • This present allows you to collect level up rewards that you might have missed, primarily due to an update that adds new content being released. (Such as most of these pre-1.0 updates)

• Tutorial

  • A short, optional tutorial that players can play when they first start a save.

  • Don't worry about skipping the tutorial, as you'll still get the Stones and player XP from it.

  • Tower XP is a little bit of a different story, but I'll figure out a way to make it work.

  • The plan is a "short", 20 round tutorial that mainly teaches the basics, and gets the player to Level 6, which provides a bunch of Stones and 4 total towers to start with.

• Game Pop-Ups

  • Brand new pop-ups that'll appear for the player's first time encountering a new enemy, enemy modifier, getting past Round 80, or for tower abilities and ultimates.

  • These pop-ups will give an insight on various enemies and modifiers, provide useful information regarding tower abilities and upgrades, and provide a warning as to what Rounds 81 and onwards will contain.

  • They will only appear once in a save slot, however there will be an option to view these pop-ups again after encountering them.

• Game Over Tips

  • Depending on the enemy you die to, their modifiers, and the round you're on, the game might provide a tip on the game over menu.

  • I can maybe add an option to disable these if people want.

• Pre-Round Comments

  • A little pop-up in the bottom of the screen will appear whenever a round concludes or if you reload a save and will say something, which can change depending on the round or gamemode.

  • These comments can sometimes be helpful, and might give small hints as to what comes next. Sometimes, they might just be a fun little comment that has no meaning at all.

  • You will be able to turn these comments off in the Settings Menu.

A lot is going to be done for new player experience, as that's something the original lacked pretty heavily. That's also my main reasoning behind adding all of these new progression systems, just to ease players into the experience a bit, even if it's going to hurt not being able to just jump into Master Mode on Extreme maps anymore.

Reminder that these are still just plans, early into an update, and may change at any point down the line. I will say that you shouldn't be surprised if the Game Over Tips don't make it into v0.2, as it's currently the only planned feature I'm heavily iffy on.

Ending Note

That concludes the content plans for this update, I'll post important content dev logs, and maybe a poll or two, down the line.

As for an unrelated note, it's current my first game, CvZ's, fifth anniversary! I'm hoping to get back to it at some point and finally deliver something new and up to date with that game. Maybe it could be alongside TDTest Unity's later updates, or maybe after v1.0 releases, I have no clue.

What I will say however, is that I've been planning some stuff with it. I don't know when I'll get around to it. Maybe after a few more updates here with TDTest Unity, maybe after the v1.0 release, who knows? I'll quickly drop off a gift, however:

Until next time!