(Showcase of the current state of the game)
Hi and welcome to the 21st development blog post for Unleash!
Over the past two weeks we have carried out a number of tasks, the most noteworthy of which include a drastic rebalancing of the attacking behaviour of a number of damaging towers in the game. A lot of graphical changes and improvements have been happening and are happening in these weeks, including a completely new map design, recoil animations for some towers and new structure icons. Finally, the Top-X scoreboard achievements are no longer based on absolute numbers, but the probably more achievable Top-X percentages.
Damage Towers Balancing Model
Previously, the majority of damage towers (Quadmount AA, Machine Gun, Tesla Coil AA, Electric Tower, Flamethrower and the Frost Cannon) have seen their attack speed decrease as they upgrade, while their damage increases. Coupled with the fact that the armor of monsters doubles for each upgrade level (0 / 2 / 4 / 8), this balancing model ensured that non-upgraded towers generally did not deal damage to level 3 monsters or above. Therefore requiring the player to upgrade towers.
However, the decrease in attack speed meant that visually rapidly firing towers, such as the Machine Gun, Flamethrower and Frost Cannon, in reality ended up attacking relatively slowly (once per second) on the last upgrade level. This resulted in healthbars slowly decreasing in chunks, rather than smoothly ramping down as one would probably expect based on the visual appearance of the attacking VFX.
Therefore, these towers now deal a fixed amount of damage across levels (6 for single target, 5 for splash damage ), while increasing their attack speed (5 / 5 / 6) and armor penetration (0 / 3 / 5 or 6). This new balancing model results in almost the same damage-to-cost ratio for the affected towers, but means that damage is applied much more smoothly and the visual effects seem to match the behaviour of the tower better.
New Map Design… again
Once again we have revamped our map design drastically. While the current version is still a work in progress, it features a dramatically different look and atmosphere compared to the previous ‘arena-style’ map design. The new maps are set in an industrial setting, where each lane is a type of platform elevated high above the ground. The arena-style maps tended to steal attention from the towers and monsters - the actual action - with too many details and moving parts in the stands. This new design places all the focus on the battle, while providing a simple and somewhat ominous backdrop.
(The new industrial map design helps bring focus to what matters: the war)
Top-X Scoreboard Achievements in Percentages
Based on feedback from some of our players, as well as reflection and discussions in our team, we have decided to change the Top-X scoreboard achievements (Top-1, Top-10 and the new Top-20) to be in percentages, rather than absolute numbers. The feedback was that a “Achieve Top-1 on Scoreboard” achievement is basically unachievable for most players, and thus could be a nightmare for completionists. A Top 1 % achievement should be easier to reach, and the threshold for it will naturally increase as the player base grows.
Tower Recoil Animations
Some of our towers have barrels that were meant to recoil when firing - and now they finally do! The recoil animations help make the towers look more powerful, providing an elegant visual feedback to accompany the existing muzzle flashes. Also, moving parts on the towers help make the base feel more alive and responsive, when the hordes of monsters come running, flying, walking, hovering, jumping and digging.
(Tower recoil animations make towers look more impactful and provides visual feedback)
UI Structure Icons
We have reworked all structure icons in the HUD to make them more easily recognizable. The new icons use the structure’s damage type as their outline color, which should aid in easier recognition and a more intuitive understand of the role of different towers. The new structure icons are slightly more caricatured than the old ones, hopefully making them easier to learn and remember. We are currently working on replacing the monster icons too, although that work has only just begun today.
(New structure icons with damage type outline colors should hopefully be easier to learn and recognize)
Closing Remarks
A rebalancing of a number of central damaging towers have resulted in a more smooth application of damage. A new map design in an industrial style affords a more clean battlefield and a more ominous setting. Top-X scoreboard achievements should be more achieveable as percentage-based, rather than absolute ranks. Tower recoil animations provide feedback and make the towers seem more impactful. A new set of structure icons for the HUD hopefully aids in visual recognition and intuitive understanding of the icons.
Get in contact with us through Discord, or any of our other social media channels. You can find all of them through our website. Also, you can watch our internal gameplay sessions over at Twitch.
And remember… Monsters never come alone.