Today, one of most recognized genres in video games is the
tower defense game. No matter what form the playing field takes or what manner of creatures are presented, tower defense is instantly recognizable thanks to the winding maze, the never-ending waves of opponents, and the various towers / weapons at the player’s disposal to push back the raging hordes.
Unfortunately, the trouble with nearly all
tower defense games currently available is that they tend to get repetitive. Wave after wave of monsters assault the map, and the only variations are the type of monsters you have to deal with, as well as the new weapons you unlock as you finish each level. Once you manage to unlock them all, there’s nothing new to expect, other than an ever tougher wave of opponents.
Which is why have decided to come up with our own ideas for the tower defense game. Here’s what we came up with:
New views
Why restrict the game to a top-down perspective? Why not let the player take control of a tower or turret, and shoot the monsters through the weapon’s crosshairs?
There are two ways this can be done. The player can shift to a first-person view, ala Beach Head, and beat back the tide of monsters. It can also be in 2-D view, similar to most tower or castle assault games. The player uses the mouse to aim the crosshairs in first-person view, and to aim where the projectiles land in 2-D view.
Monster mode
How about playing the game from the perspective of the invaders?
In this mode, another player could try breaching your
tower defenses and leading the monsters to the end of the map. Again, there are two ways to do this:
1. RTS style – the opposing player commands the monsters like a general
2. RPG style – the opposing player takes command of a powerful unit, a bigger, badder version of the standard brute which looks like it desperate needs to buy HCG or avail of plastic surgery. At the same time he has the ability to command other nearby units in a limited fashion.
An example of a monster mode game is
Villainous Tower Attack.
New ages
Finally, so the game won’t be repetitive, the game progress from one age to the next. For instance, the game can start at the Bronze Age with stone towers and spear-throwing tribes. Then it could move up to the Iron Age, with medieval fortifications and raiders firing muskets. Finally during the “modern” age, we could Maginot-style fortresses being assailed by Panzer
tanks and storm troopers.
So you see, there are plenty of ways to breathe new life into an
old game. So if you happen to be a game developer, please take our advice to heart and try to cram some of our ideas into your future releases. No royalty fees necessary.
Source:
http://thegamerzone.org/gamer-discussions/the-trouble-with-tower-defense-games/
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