Collected Tower Defense Tips

[MindWorX]

This is a guide i decided to put up, it's going to contain usefull abilities and unitsetups, for creating interesting towers. This is not a guide to create a tower defense, but a guide to design towers for one.

First a list of basic passive abilities, this is a list made browsing from an end in the editor, if i missed any, just post, and i'll update the list. I'll try and keep out duplicate effects, like multiple detection abilities, one version should be enough.

Terms:
DoT = Damage over Time
AoE = Area of Effect

QnA:
Q: Why is an Orb Effect a bad thing?
A: Because there can only be one orb effect active on a unit at one time. That means, no purge and splash damage at the same time. It also breaks Bouncing attack, and Multi Hit. Heres some examples:
Orb of Lightning(new) vs Envenomed Spears
Default Orb of Lightning(new): Occasionally, the orb effect appears overriding Envenomed Spears, but on all other attacks, Envenomed Spears will poison the unit.
100% Orb of Lightning(new): Envenomed Spear wont work, since the orb will override the effect completely.
100% Orb of Lightning(new) w/ Cooldown: Envenomed Spears will work, aslong as the orb is on cooldown.
100% Orb of Lightning(new) w/ Manacost: Envenomed Spears will not work, unless the tower doesn't have the mana needed for the orb effect.
Contributer: Razorbrain

Standard Passives

Barrage
Allows you to make a unit attack multiple units, with the same damage as the tower does itself.
Pros: Multi Target, hits multiple enemies in one way or another, should not be confused with AoE.
Cons: Orb Effects.

Feedback
Burns away mana on attacked units, dealing the burned amout of mana in extra damage.
Pros: Mana Burn.
Cons: Orb Effect.

Flak Cannons
This ability i don't know much about, but from what i've seen, it increases the AoE size of AoE towers.
Pros: N/A.
Cons: N/A.

Flying Machine Bombs
This ability does nothing at all except shows an icon. Usefull for dummy icons, for other abilities that are missing icons.
Pros: N/A.
Cons: N/A.

Magic Sentry
Detects invisible units.
Pros: Detect Invisible.
Cons: None.

Phoenix Fire
An auto fireing ability, which does DoT.
Pros: Can have multiple versions, all working.
Cons: Doesn't display an icon, but can be fixed with a dummy icon.

Bash
Gives a percentage chance to stun attacked units.
Pros: Stunning.
Cons: N/A

Burning Oil
Sets fire to the ground wherever the tower attacks.
Pros: AoE DoT.
Cons: N/A.

Envenomed Spears
Poison ability, deals damage over time.
Pros: DoT, Slowing.
Cons: Orb Effect.

Pillage
A little advanced, but gives a percentage of the units gold and lumber price, based on the damage you deal to it.
Pros: Gain gold and lumber from attacking.
Cons: N/A.

Pulverize
Chance of AoE effect centered at the tower attacking.
Pros: AoE damage.
Cons: Centered on the tower, not the attacking unit.

Critical Strike
A nice ability that has various effects: Chance for multiplicated damage and a fixed damage bonus.
Pros: Does multiple effects.
Cons: N/A.

Disease Cloud
Deals damage to units around the tower. Can leave a plague cloud if the tower dies.
Pros: AoE DoT.
Cons: N/A.

Frost Attack
Slows units hit by the tower, works with splash attacks.
Pros: Slows attacked units.
Cons: N/A.

Spider Attack
Makes the projectile return to the attacker. Purely a visual effect.
Pros: N/A.
Cons: N/A.
Contributer: PurplePoot

Incinerate
Deals extra damage, and makes units explode on death.
Pros: AoE damage on death.
Cons: Orb Effect.

Orb of Lightning(new)
This is one of the most usefull abilities in any tower defense. It allows any point or unit target non-channeling ability to be autocast on attacks. Allows a percentage chance, different for Heroes, Unit and Summons.
Pros: Special
Cons: Needs a trigger to function correct after blizzard did a "balance" change and is an Orb Effect.

Auto Cast

WIP.

Unit Setups

WIP.

Other Things

Orb of Lightning(new) fix, this is tempoary, since its a little leaky.

• Attack Fix Part 1
  • Events
    • Unit - A unit enters (Playable map area)
  • Conditions
    • ((Entering unit) is A structure) Equal to True
  • Actions
    • Trigger - Add to Attack Fix Part 2 <gen> the event (Unit - (Entering unit) Acquires a target)

• Attack Fix Part 2
  • Events
  • Conditions
  • Actions
    • Unit - Order (Triggering unit) to Attack (Targeted unit)

Remember this whole guide is a WIP, so i'm still working on it, any input would be appreciated. If you know any passive abilities i've missed, please tell me, and i'll add it to the list.

 

[PurplePoot]

*Orb of Lightning, not Ord of Lightning

Also, Spider Attack makes the projectile return to the attacker (crypt fiends and such). As far as I know, it's solely aesthetic.

 

[Diablo-dk]

Sometimes slow/lightning orb effects won't proc unless you manually set the unit to attack(right click a unit).

Though i'm unsure if it's the same for towers.

Also, you wrote Burning Oil twice, where one of them should be disease cloud(i think)

 

[PurplePoot]

You may want to mention

A) immolation

B) the meatwagon disease cloud that leaves the cloud at the point where the tower hits

 

[MindWorX]

Fixed and updated

@Diablo-dk: As i wrote in the con, it needs a trigger to function. Going to add the trigger to the guide too, since it's pretty simple.

 

[Razorbrain]

1. Is Envenomed Spears really Orb Effect? it just doesnt make sense
2. What is the trigger for the Orb Effects to work?

else, the Tutorial seems good

 

[PurplePoot]

1. Is Envenomed Spears really Orb Effect? it just doesnt make sense

It is, as far as I know. Orb Effects don't necessarily come from orbs. They're just passives that interfere with eachother.

2. What is the trigger for the Orb Effects to work?

For each tower of that type, when (That Tower) Acquires a Target, order them to Attack that target. That should work.

 

[MindWorX]

1. Is Envenomed Spears really Orb Effect? it just doesnt make sense
2. What is the trigger for the Orb Effects to work?

else, the Tutorial seems good

1, Yes, it really is, try have a unit have Orb of Fire and Envenomed Spears at the same time, one effect stops working
2, Added a tempoary fix that will work for now. Going to add a leakless one later on.

EDIT: Posted while PurplePoot posted

 

[PurplePoot]

Oh, you may want to add a condition filter so as not to needlessly add that event to towers without one of the specific orb effects - it could reduce any potential leaks/lag by alot.

 

[Razorbrain]

on the Envenomed Spears thingy, how come Naix in DotA can have a orb effect, while having a Passive Slowing Attack(with damage overtime), much like Envenomed Spears?

 

[MindWorX]

on the Envenomed Spears thingy, how come Naix in DotA can have a orb effect, while having a Passive Slowing Attack(with damage overtime), much like Envenomed Spears?

It's possibly a triggered slow effect, since it's the only way to avoid problems.

 

[Razorbrain]

yea, didnt think of that, ill look it up

 

[Diablo-dk]

As from what i remember from the old dota days, N'aix' poison is an orb effect.. seen him have cold attack while his poison didn't work, so i suppose it is an orb effect.

 

[Razorbrain]

i have checked it up!
i have been at a friends house, but now that i got home, i tested it

i gave a hero(Paladin) the Orb of Slow skill, and the Slow Poison skill, and here is what i found out:

in default, it worked just normal, occasionally,the Paladin casted Slow, but on all other attacks, he used Slow Poison

when i changed it to 100% chance to make Slow (Orb Verison), the Slow Posion didnt work
except, when i gave the Slow a Cooldown, in which, he casted Slow, got a cooldown, and started doing Slow Poison

its not only in Cooldown the Slow Poison does work, but when the Paladin doesnt have enough mana to cast the Spell in the Orb(tried with Chain Lightning and Shockwave)

 

[MindWorX]

Added and updated.

 

[Wolverabid]

Tutorial Approved!

~ Thread moved to General Mapping Tutorials.