(Showcase of the current state of the game)
Dev Blog 26 :: June 1st, 2018
Hi and welcome to the 26th development blog post for Unleash!
The TD Scenario Editor has now reached the technical implementation phase, but there is still a ways to go. Work on the 3v3 game mode has gradually started, but it’s still very early days for that. New concept art has arrived by Monster-Mail from the art team, rethinking the spawn portal area and the life gate. The Skyhook no longer has a hook, after a visual level-up. Finally, we are gearing up for the first Unleash competitive event!
TD Scenario Editor: Mission Report June 1, 2018
The TD Scenario Editor is underway, as also mentioned in the previous development blog post. It is now in the process of actually being implemented in code, based on the previously shown concept art. While there is still much more work to be done, we’re aiming for a version 1 release before the Steam Summer Sale begins.
(The current work in progress state of the TD Scenario Editor)
As explained before, the TD Scenario Editor will enable players to design and share their own TD scenarios - thus virtually enabling the community to get involved with the first steps for Unleash in a ‘modding’ direction. We’re hoping that our community will provide us with plenty of feedback when they get their hands on the editor, and that a myriad of wonderful, quirky, fun and challenging scenarios will arise on Steam Workshop.
3v3 Game Mode: The Work has Begun
Currently, Unleash features two game modes supporting multiplayer: Tower Defense and Line Tower Wars. We have now begun working on a third, inspired by the classic “Wintermaul Wars” in Warcraft 3 (WC3). The new 3v3, 2v2 or 1v1 game mode will be the first game mode in Unleash to include teamplay (co-op). Two teams can fight each other, it can also be used for one versus one, or one player can fight a team of two or three. The map that this will take place on will also be different, somewhat resembling the classic one from the WC3 days.
We are very far from done with it, and even after the implementation itself has reached a certain state, there will most likely be a lengthy testing phase. Currently, we are estimating that the first release with the 3v3 game mode may happen within two months from now - but don’t spawn monsters at us if it ends up taking longer! We are committed to delivering a stable game mode that is fully playable, rather than a half-broken one that hasn’t been tested sufficiently.
We are super excited for this new phase in the competitive play options within Unleash, and we can’t wait to see how our players will come up with new ways to play Unleash on this new map and in this new game mode. Stay tuned for more news on this in the coming weeks!
Monster Birth and Death - But Prettier!
For new players starting up with Unleash, it can be confusing what the spawn portal (at the top of the lane) and the life gate (at the bottom) mean. We have heard a few times from first-time players that they do not know what direction monsters will move in, before they actually spawn and move. While the tutorials do show and explain this, many players seem to opt for going straight into a real game - skipping the tutorial completely.
(The new spawn portal area concept art features more or less the same portal as today, but with new visuals around it making it more clear that this is where monsters will appear)
Therefore, the art team have been working hard on making it more intuitively clear where monsters will appear and move to. This has resulted in new concept art for the spawn area and the life gate. The concept art displays several ideas, staying in theme with the overall graphical style, while deepening the level of detail.
(The new life gate concept art shows a humanoid - maybe a ‘Dreamer’ - in an energy bubble, and the gate itself looks more alive - with tentacles tying it together)
Skyhook - Rehooked
The Skyhook tower is no more - R.I.P. All hail the new… Yeah, we don’t actually have a new name for it yet. The art team has completely reworked the look of the (previously named) Skyhook Tower. Instead of shooting a hook or harpoon, which felt a bit too analogue and old-school, it is now much more sci-fi - shooting an “energy bola” at flying monsters, temporarily tying them down.
(The (previously named) Skyhook Tower has seen a considerable upgrade of its visual representation)
While its functionality is more or less the same as previously, this completely new look feels more in-theme with the rest of the game and the other towers. Additionally, its cooldown can be seen visually on the tower through a “charging up” particle system on its top plate.
First Competitive Event: For Glory and Fame!
We have long thought of Unleash as a competitive Tower Wars game - with the potential to become an esports game in the future. Thus, we want to start a tradition and culture surrounding tournaments, competitions and other competitive events. To that end, we have been discussing how the first tournament could run.
Since we are a small indie team, our resources are very limited - this means that if we wait for an actual technical implementation to support a ‘real’ tournament, it may take a while, since we are tied down to other tasks (such as the above mentioned). Instead of postponing the possibility to run a tournament, we want to start up softly with low-tech simple tournaments.
To this end, we are running a poll on our Discord server and on our Subreddit. You can let us know what type of tournament you think we should run and you can share any relevant feedback on the topic with us there!
Closing Remarks
The two major topics for the coming weeks are the TD Scenario Editor and the 3v3 Game mode. However, the art team is also busy (and not just feeding our Monsters), so new concept art has been made for the spawn portal area and the life gate and the no-longer-so-called Skyhook Tower has seen a considerable rework of its visuals. Furthermore, the first competitive event in Unleash is currently the topic of a poll on Discord and Reddit.
Get in contact with us through Discord, Reddit, or any of our other social media channels. You can find all of them through our website. Also, you can watch our gameplay sessions over at Twitch.
And remember… Monsters never come alone.