It seems that a new online game genre is emerging - something that I’ve been observing over the last few weeks. The iterations that have enchanted my browser are “Desktop Tower Defense”, “Onslaught”, “VR Defender Y3K 1000+”, “Picnic Panic TD”, “Flash Element TD” and “Turret Tyranny”.
MANY, MANY hours have gone into discovering their appeal and this post attempts to validate the wasted time and perhaps reclassify it as ‘research’. Here’s a quick overview of the Tower Defense (TD) genre, the games that I’ve found that fit within and a few notes on their points of difference.
The TD genre has been derived from origins such as Warcraft, Starcraft, Command & Conquer and Age of Empires and is recognised by a few key elements (update: see the comment by Gary below for more info on this).
Elements
- Creeps: The bad guys - Creeps invade the Game Map in waves. The games escalate in difficulty by producing Creeps with greater resilience, greater speed and more immunities.
- Money: It makes the game go ’round. The more Creeps you destroy, the more money you get.
- The Goal: This is where the Creeps are venturing towards. If they make it, you lose health/lives which will eventually result in you losing the game.
- Towers: The good guys - These are constructed and updated by the player and are strategically positioned to prevent Creeps from reaching the Goal. There are usually a variety of Towers which are available to the player in exchange for Money. Typical Tower variations include:
- a small fast cannon
- a larger, slower cannon
- a fire-powered weapon
- an ice-powered weapon
- a laser-powered weapon
- an anti-aircraft weapon
- The Path [optional]: Some games have a predefined path that the Creeps will traverse. Different paths will provide a variety of challenges depending on total length and possible strategic Tower location points.
- Game Map: A 2D arena where everything takes place. Usually consists of one screen.
Strategy
Although strategies may slightly differ from game to game and map to map, the core approach rarely deviates from one of two choices: build numerous low-powered Towers, or build fewer high-powered Towers. As Towers have their various costs and strengths, the charm (and possibly the addictive quality) comes from choosing which path you wish to pursue. Parallels can be drawn to RPG games like Diablo, where the player builds a character based on a general strategy adopted in the early stages of the game.
Examples
We start of with a look at the game that spawned the genre:
Desktop Tower Defense
DTD has bemused the masses and has hopefully made its creator, Paul Preece, a few pennies. Many still regard this game as the best-in-class and is proof that a simple approach is often better.
Pro:
- Of the games listed in this post, this remains the only version to employ pathfinding techniques to get the Creeps to their goal. The player is free to place Towers wherever desired and the Creeps will do their best to squeeze through the gaps.
Con:
- Upgrades to the Towers do not change the appearance of the Tower or projectiles.
Onslaught
Onslaught is my pick of the lot and is certainly the one I’ve ‘invested’ the most time into. It features a number of enhancements to the core idea that genuinely add to the experience.
Pros:
- Laser turrets/towers automatically chain together to create a more powerful weapon.
- The player gets to choose which Tower attribute to increase enabling a wider variety of development possibilities. Available attributes are Damage, Range and Fire Rate.
- Towers that have been heavily upgraded will automatically combine to produce special combo weapons.
- A variety of maps give easy access to games that require different tactics.
- Tower graphics incorporate attribute stats into their design.
Cons:
- Overall, the map graphics are pretty ugly.
- Complexity - you will probably leave the game frustrated unless you choose to read the instructions. I almost did.
VR Defender Y3K 1000+
Very similar to Onslaught but with an Intergalactic twist.
Pros:
- Simple but stylish graphics allow Flash to handle the game better and results in a faster/smoother game experience.
- An original take on weapons helps to differentiate it.
Cons:
- So much happens in the later levels that it’s hard to figure out what’s going on.
- Upgrades don’t provide much variation (most versions are guilty of this)
Picnic Panic TD
This version takes the theme of a Fairy/Pixie that is trying to defend a picnic from hordes of invading bugs… possibly trying to appeal more to the ladies. Clearly, a lot of effort went into the development of this game - unfortunately - it is probably my least favorite. Subsequently, it’s the one I’ve played the least. Please let me know if you’ve got some good things to say about it.
Pro:
- Uses a scrollable game map to give the player more to think about.
Con:
- The least exciting?! Probably due to the picnic theme. (I should really give this one another chance)
Flash Element TD
This version has a few new ideas that set it apart. My third favorite attempt behind Onslaught and DTD.
Pros:
- Nice sound and graphics on the main game map.
- Different rules - the game ends when there are 100 Creeps on the screen.
Con:
- Probably not different enough to get us to question our allegiance to the top two versions. Nice try though - 3rd Place.
Turret Tyranny
Honestly, by now I was getting over it. If the game didn’t do something special very quickly it wasn’t going to keep me entertained for long. Initially it didn’t seem to cut the mustard - but considering there is some obvious effort involved, I gave it another go and was pleasantly surprised.
Pros:
- The interface reveals a dynamic line of sight for each Tower - a nice touch!
- Additional Tower variations can be unlocked at any time for a set price.
- The Path is a loop - the Creeps have to complete the loop once to achieve their goal. Another nice touch.
- It’s a business! People can purchase an upgrade to the game that allows people to create their own maps, save them and distribute them to friends. Interesting!
- Comprehensive tutorials and walk-through.
Cons:
- Graphics and interface are more confusing than others in the genre.
- Graphics aren’t compelling - killing dots isn’t much fun.
- It seems as though Towers can only be upgraded once?!
Conclusion:
Well, there you have it. In my humble opinion, Onslaught takes the prize for best game though the original DTD is still quite entertaining and worth a look. Make sure you check them all out and please let me know if you feel I’ve been too harsh on any of the games listed.
I would like to note that all of the games are obviously the result of many hours work - so that in itself is a great achievement! For independent casual flash games, they are all quite good.
Links
Update
Here’s another one:
- Flash Circle TD: By far the best graphics out of the lot… possibly an equal third place with VR Defender
Update 2
And another one:
- Vector TD - quite good, check it out
Update 3
And again:
Which one do you like the most? Have you found any more?
