What are tower defense games?

[maniacalpha1-1]

As per title. Are these games where you build defenses then when you are done hordes of enemies attack you? Or if not what?

And are they multiplayer, and how is the multiplayer done? Coop? Competitive?

The one I saw to ask this is Sanctum which apparently doesn't come out til next month, but there must be others.

 

[Wardawg1001]

Basic idea is that you build towers with varying abilities and upgrade paths, and waves of enemies run past them. Your towers shoot them dead, or if they get through alive you lose. Many tower defense games have the enemies running along a pre-determined path, some of them allow you to control their path by placing towers in their way.

Multi-player can be done in different ways. Coop for instance, each player could have certain areas where they build their towers, and the monsters have to run through both of your areas to get through alive. Competitively could be something like you both have your own individual area and separate monster spawns, and whoever lasts longer is the winner. Another version of competitive tower defense could allow you to manipulate the amount and type of monsters the other player has to defeat.

 

[etrigan420]

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/game/463847/80994844.swf

/thread

...or whatever it is that the kids say these days...

 

[AstroManLuca]

Usually single player. You start with a little money and use it to build one or two towers, then enemies come at you. The more you kill, the more money you get. Then you build more towers or upgrade your existing ones.

The enemies come in waves. You can build and upgrade your towers during the waves, but you get time between them to catch your breath and build more.

Some games have a set path the enemies follow and you build the towers next to the path, while others have an open field and you create a path by building towers.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense type game that's coming out and it mixes in dota style play apparently. Looks fun.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/65800/

 

[MentalIlness]

Bloons Tower Defense.

 

[KaOTiK]

Defense Grid the Awakening

Steam has a demo

It is awesome

 

[Elcs]

Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense type game that's coming out and it mixes in dota style play apparently. Looks fun.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/65800/

It's cross-platform. Makes me understandably wary.

Defense Grid the Awakening

Steam has a demo

It is awesome

This. Best Tower Defense game on the market.

Also, this. Revenge of the Titans - Tower Defense/RTS hybrid - Review

 

[Ancalagon44]

Warcraft III has some excellent user created TD maps, such as Skibi's TD. There is also Desktop Tower Defense, and Vector Tower Defense is quite cool.

 

[JEDI]

marked for later

 

[Jules]

I just seen Sanctum on steam myself. Thinking about buying the 2 pack but not sure if its gonna be good. It does look pretty cool from the trailer. Anyone else see it?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

plants vs. zombies is considered a tower defense type of game also. can't go wrong with that game.

 

[Via]

Bloons is the best way to start, imo.

Start with Bloons TD and work your way through the others.

 

[pukemon]

Defense Grid the Awakening

Steam has a demo

It is awesome

+1 for Defense Grid. I got last year on Steam for $5.

There's actually a version on XBox Live for the 360. I'm thinking the controls might be a bit more difficult there without a mouse though.

 

[Gibsons]

For free games, Bloons 4 and Desktop are great. Bloons uses the predetermined path, while in Desktop you need to build a maze.

On the pay side, both PvZ and DG are a lot of fun. Interesting comparison between the two though, they're near opposites in a few ways - PvZ is silly/funny, DG is serious. PvZ requires some busy clicking, DG doesn't. PvZ maps are fairly similar - a few rows with everything coming straight at you, DG has a huge variety of maps, long/short, straight/crooked, etc.

 

[zinfamous]

defense grid for $5 is total win. Very good game.

 

[dpodblood]

plants vs. zombies is considered a tower defense type of game also. can't go wrong with that game.

Another vote for PVZ! :thumbsup:

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Are there any of these in which the combat phase is FPS instead of RTS?

 

[Elcs]

Are there any of these in which the combat phase is FPS instead of RTS?

No, that defeats the entire object of having an Tower Defense game.

 

[zinfamous]

Are there any of these in which the combat phase is FPS instead of RTS?

that doesn't make much sense. the object of tower defense is to blast away invading hordes with stationary towers. would you want first person action of the horde being blasted away?

Though i see potential for a novel approach--fighting the towers strategically, by not being a mindless drone that walks along a pre-determined path, or even tower designs that can be independently controlled by the player--focus fire on what you want to attack at that particular time.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

that doesn't make much sense. the object of tower defense is to blast away invading hordes with stationary towers. would you want first person action of the horde being blasted away?

Though i see potential for a novel approach--fighting the towers strategically, by not being a mindless drone that walks along a pre-determined path, or even tower designs that can be independently controlled by the player--focus fire on what you want to attack at that particular time.

Er - maybe it might seem silly to me too if I had actually played one but I got the impression it would make sense that you could defend the tower firing out of it from first persion view. Running back and forth between gun stations, whatever, or even using hand held weapons.

And certainly if there were multiplayer competitive where live players assault your tower I would have thought FPS would make sense...

I'm already thinking of how there could be a Battlefield 3 tower defense map lol...20 players taking on 4 who are defending a tower....

 

[zinfamous]

Er - maybe it might seem silly to me too if I had actually played one but I got the impression it would make sense that you could defend the tower firing out of it from first persion view. Running back and forth between gun stations, whatever, or even using hand held weapons.

And certainly if there were multiplayer competitive where live players assault your tower I would have thought FPS would make sense...

I'm already thinking of how there could be a Battlefield 3 tower defense map lol...20 players taking on 4 who are defending a tower....

in the tower defense games that I know of, the enemy never attacks. They are simply a mindless horde that follows whatever path you force them through based on your tower placement (the better ones, anyway). Their only strength is differing armor levels, speed, and sometimes units that can fly.

But I think you raise a really good point--why not have the enemy fire back?

:hmm:

afaik, most of the good ones started based on warcraft=inspired maps. I know that was my favorite aspect of warcraft2--building towers in effective choke holds to slow down the hordes. Of course, the enemy could always destroy those towers. Not sure why that mechanic hasn't really been implemented in pure TD games.

it could make for a clusterfuck of management if you ahve to constantly rebuild lost towers and watch new paths open up for quickly-swarming targets.

 

[Martimus]

in the tower defense games that I know of, the enemy never attacks. They are simply a mindless horde that follows whatever path you force them through based on your tower placement (the better ones, anyway). Their only strength is differing armor levels, speed, and sometimes units that can fly.

But I think you raise a really good point--why not have the enemy fire back?

:hmm:

afaik, most of the good ones started based on warcraft=inspired maps. I know that was my favorite aspect of warcraft2--building towers in effective choke holds to slow down the hordes. Of course, the enemy could always destroy those towers. Not sure why that mechanic hasn't really been implemented in pure TD games.

it could make for a clusterfuck of management if you ahve to constantly rebuild lost towers and watch new paths open up for quickly-swarming targets.

That type of game is more like a RTS than a pure tower defense. Like you said, the Tower Defense genre is pretty much a simplified RTS. I loved the original C&C where you could build walls and make a somewhat controlled base. I used to keep one enemy base around on some levels and just build up my own tower defense type setup and try to make it as impenetrable as possible. Of course by the time I had gotten that far, the enemy base wasn't strong enough to build up much of an attack force.

 

[Schfifty Five]

Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense type game that's coming out and it mixes in dota style play apparently. Looks fun.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/65800/

I have that game on my ipad but could never really enjoy it due to the "on screen controls".

I hate playing games on touch screens that give you those virtual on-screen movement controllers. I always end up moving my thumb off the controller area and it just feels awkward.

I may try it on steam depending on how much it costs.

 

[RFE]

Er - maybe it might seem silly to me too if I had actually played one but I got the impression it would make sense that you could defend the tower firing out of it from first persion view. Running back and forth between gun stations, whatever, or even using hand held weapons.

And certainly if there were multiplayer competitive where live players assault your tower I would have thought FPS would make sense...

I'm already thinking of how there could be a Battlefield 3 tower defense map lol...20 players taking on 4 who are defending a tower....

Although not a tower defense game, it really sounds like you are thinking of something like Defense Alliance. Its a free mod for Killing Floor:

http://store.steampowered.com/app/35420/