Hi all! A few months back, I created a game (which was temporarily quite popular), known as Formation Defense. Some of you may have played it. If not, I recommend you do so by searching 'formation' through battlenet (NA server). Please make sure you play the version created by Wingdnosring. A user named Spark has created a stolen version, which I'm currently trying to get removed.
The game has gone several months without an update, but I'm looking to revitalize the game and give its loyal fanbase something new to toy with.
If you have anything to suggest, I'm all ears. I don't want to rush the next update and I'm looking for constructive criticism. The terrain is already on my to-do list (I'm looking for a terrainer as we speak). Additionally, I've already optimized some triggers, fixed some bugs, and put more information on the unit tech tree dialog.
I'm particularly interested in feedback regarding making the game more noob-friendly. One of the game's biggest strengths is its focus on strategy and replayability. Unfortunately, this is also its greatest weakness, because a beginner will often lose within the first few waves. I considered something like a 'tutorial mode' that halts spawns and introduces new segments of the game one at a time, but this option only opens up more questions...'is it worth eliminating the challenge for a full game?', 'should the tutorial mode only be available in single player', 'can I desynchronize players' spawns so somebody goes to wave 1 after the tutorial while everybody else is on wave 10?', 'What happens to the existing tutorial?...is it helpful..should it be removed?'
Thanks for taking the time to play, discuss, and comment.
The really bad thing about the map is when players disconnects (for any reason), the game usually unbalanced like hell.
The leaving ratio is like... A whopping 50% whenever I play that map.
There's gotta be a way for players to catch up, because once someone leaves and your being pummeled with concentrated units sent from the other side, you can't gain much out of killing them.
So maybe increase mineral gain off of spawned player units? Getting 1~5 mineral for Goliath and so isn't a great idea.
1 Mineral per 10 gas can do...
Goliath will give 12 minerals for 120 gas basically, and Thors will give 60 minerals for 600 gas, when killed.
The idea is that if the other players manages to beat down your spawned units, they should at least gain some sort of advantage.
This is so players feed each other's side, while gaining minerals for their income.
Otherwise, there needs to be something to substitute the loss of players that the other team won't take advantage of...
Maybe spawning units will have a shorter cooldown for the team with less players, enabling them to send more units if possible? Maybe a +1 capacity to the summoning for each player gone?
So you can spawn 5 zerglings if your alone?
If you want to make the game more noob friendly, have it so level 1~3 players will see a "prebuild" strategy for their units, to make the most out of them.
Basically, colored or transparent unit will be labeled there and you can indicate spots for them to put that kind of unit.
It will not appear once your past level 3.
Also, minerals are a big deal, and refunding your towers will really cripple you if you don't know what you are doing.
There needs to be a refund "resource" for all players, like you can get a 100% refund for 3 towers, after which you'd have to get 50% refunds. Maybe its possible to buy this resource with gas at the supply depot, at 100 gas for 1 resource for a refund 'coupon'. Obviously, economized players will take advantage of this, so maybe limit the amount of buyable coupons to 3. So you start with 3, and can by 3 more. That's it.
<<quote 299066>>
Please make sure you play the version created by Wingdnosring. A user named Spark has created a stolen version, which I'm currently trying to get removed.
</quote>>
No idea. Noticed this weekend that another user had published my exact map under a slightly different name. It even still names me as the creator in the loading screen -_-.
Hi Wingednosering, I was a HUGE fan of this map in the past. I wrote this on hiveworkshop for you, but I don't think you ever read it. Here is my suggestions and review again:
This was a very fun game, I beat your last version the other day after countless tries.
What I generally thought:
This map is HARD until you find out the exact one path to winning the TD portion.
The psionic enchanters and getting ALL their power upgrades were very very very critical to winning.
The formation side was generally easy to beat (except for the bosses), but the tower side was difficult until you made the aforementioned upgrades.
There are only 3 good towers in the game. Machine turret (upgrading it further makes the tower WORSE?), that burning oil tower, and the antiarmor tower. For all the ground units in the game you only need to build just 2 towers to beat the entire thing. For the air, you just spam the machine turrets in all the other spots.
The Mobius research foundation has the best units aside from the robot guys. But it doesn't really matter cause only the tower D portion is sorta hard.
Recommendations:
1. REMOVE the tower defense portion! What makes this map interesting is the formation defense. Why do you even have the tower part? It just makes the map unfocused and is a giant waste of effort because the tower part and the formation part are completely independent. The first rule in product design is not to make a product that tries to be too many things.
2. Make it so we can put units in exact spots in the formations!
3. Make a "start wave" button. I don't see the point of having the timer. This goes for every TD.
3. Improve the formation defense part and make it better and/or longer. Again, this was the most fun part, focus on what makes your map unique.
4. Competitive mode perhaps (tower wars style) to improve popularity.
5. If you implement a competitive mode, then perhaps some kind of persistent XP system.
That's all I have to say, this map was immensely fun. Probably my favorite defense map right now. I wish you had cut out the TD part though, I really want to play with my units more.
Note that formation defense is a little like "Legion TD" from Wc3. I realize a similar map came out in Sc2 recently and was the most popular map. You could of been this, as your map had came out first, but I feel the issues above affected it too much.
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Hi all! A few months back, I created a game (which was temporarily quite popular), known as Formation Defense. Some of you may have played it. If not, I recommend you do so by searching 'formation' through battlenet (NA server). Please make sure you play the version created by Wingdnosring. A user named Spark has created a stolen version, which I'm currently trying to get removed.
The game has gone several months without an update, but I'm looking to revitalize the game and give its loyal fanbase something new to toy with.
If you have anything to suggest, I'm all ears. I don't want to rush the next update and I'm looking for constructive criticism. The terrain is already on my to-do list (I'm looking for a terrainer as we speak). Additionally, I've already optimized some triggers, fixed some bugs, and put more information on the unit tech tree dialog.
I'm particularly interested in feedback regarding making the game more noob-friendly. One of the game's biggest strengths is its focus on strategy and replayability. Unfortunately, this is also its greatest weakness, because a beginner will often lose within the first few waves. I considered something like a 'tutorial mode' that halts spawns and introduces new segments of the game one at a time, but this option only opens up more questions...'is it worth eliminating the challenge for a full game?', 'should the tutorial mode only be available in single player', 'can I desynchronize players' spawns so somebody goes to wave 1 after the tutorial while everybody else is on wave 10?', 'What happens to the existing tutorial?...is it helpful..should it be removed?'
Thanks for taking the time to play, discuss, and comment.
The really bad thing about the map is when players disconnects (for any reason), the game usually unbalanced like hell.
The leaving ratio is like... A whopping 50% whenever I play that map.
There's gotta be a way for players to catch up, because once someone leaves and your being pummeled with concentrated units sent from the other side, you can't gain much out of killing them.
So maybe increase mineral gain off of spawned player units? Getting 1~5 mineral for Goliath and so isn't a great idea.
1 Mineral per 10 gas can do...
Goliath will give 12 minerals for 120 gas basically, and Thors will give 60 minerals for 600 gas, when killed.
The idea is that if the other players manages to beat down your spawned units, they should at least gain some sort of advantage.
This is so players feed each other's side, while gaining minerals for their income.
Otherwise, there needs to be something to substitute the loss of players that the other team won't take advantage of...
Maybe spawning units will have a shorter cooldown for the team with less players, enabling them to send more units if possible? Maybe a +1 capacity to the summoning for each player gone?
So you can spawn 5 zerglings if your alone?
If you want to make the game more noob friendly, have it so level 1~3 players will see a "prebuild" strategy for their units, to make the most out of them.
Basically, colored or transparent unit will be labeled there and you can indicate spots for them to put that kind of unit.
It will not appear once your past level 3.
Also, minerals are a big deal, and refunding your towers will really cripple you if you don't know what you are doing.
There needs to be a refund "resource" for all players, like you can get a 100% refund for 3 towers, after which you'd have to get 50% refunds. Maybe its possible to buy this resource with gas at the supply depot, at 100 gas for 1 resource for a refund 'coupon'. Obviously, economized players will take advantage of this, so maybe limit the amount of buyable coupons to 3. So you start with 3, and can by 3 more. That's it.
I'm not sure you're thinking of the right game. Formation Defense is solo for the moment, although 7 people can be in the game at a time.
<<quote 299066>>
Please make sure you play the version created by Wingdnosring. A user named Spark has created a stolen version, which I'm currently trying to get removed. </quote>>How did it get stolen?
No idea. Noticed this weekend that another user had published my exact map under a slightly different name. It even still names me as the creator in the loading screen -_-.
Hi Wingednosering, I was a HUGE fan of this map in the past. I wrote this on hiveworkshop for you, but I don't think you ever read it. Here is my suggestions and review again:
This was a very fun game, I beat your last version the other day after countless tries.
What I generally thought:
This map is HARD until you find out the exact one path to winning the TD portion.
The psionic enchanters and getting ALL their power upgrades were very very very critical to winning.
The formation side was generally easy to beat (except for the bosses), but the tower side was difficult until you made the aforementioned upgrades.
There are only 3 good towers in the game. Machine turret (upgrading it further makes the tower WORSE?), that burning oil tower, and the antiarmor tower. For all the ground units in the game you only need to build just 2 towers to beat the entire thing. For the air, you just spam the machine turrets in all the other spots.
The Mobius research foundation has the best units aside from the robot guys. But it doesn't really matter cause only the tower D portion is sorta hard.
Recommendations:
1. REMOVE the tower defense portion! What makes this map interesting is the formation defense. Why do you even have the tower part? It just makes the map unfocused and is a giant waste of effort because the tower part and the formation part are completely independent. The first rule in product design is not to make a product that tries to be too many things.
2. Make it so we can put units in exact spots in the formations!
3. Make a "start wave" button. I don't see the point of having the timer. This goes for every TD.
3. Improve the formation defense part and make it better and/or longer. Again, this was the most fun part, focus on what makes your map unique.
4. Competitive mode perhaps (tower wars style) to improve popularity.
5. If you implement a competitive mode, then perhaps some kind of persistent XP system.
That's all I have to say, this map was immensely fun. Probably my favorite defense map right now. I wish you had cut out the TD part though, I really want to play with my units more.
Note that formation defense is a little like "Legion TD" from Wc3. I realize a similar map came out in Sc2 recently and was the most popular map. You could of been this, as your map had came out first, but I feel the issues above affected it too much.