microrunnertd 1.1.4

[Krisent]

Looks cool.

 

[Mech_Warrior]

Hey Cokemonkey,

Wow, nice map! Just got done playing it with a friend, and I have to say that it's a unique take on a TD. I hope you continue working on it.

One suggestion if you continue to update it: Have you considered making it 8 players, with 4 teams of 2? Not only would this incorporate more players per game, but you could add elements through which players can interact with each other's games. You could have PvP modes where you try to be the last team standing, or even a co-op where you can aid the other 2-person teams, etc. Something to keep in mind if you keep working on it.

Overall 4.5/5, .5 taken off because there are only three races, which makes it limited atm.

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Hi Mech_Warrior,

Thanks for the comments, I appreciate that you took a minute to give me your thoughts.

Hey Cokemonkey,

Wow, nice map! Just got done playing it with a friend, and I have to say that it's a unique take on a TD. I hope you continue working on it.

Thanks! I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. I suggest playing on hard mode next time if you think you're up for it

One suggestion if you continue to update it: Have you considered making it 8 players, with 4 teams of 2? Not only would this incorporate more players per game, but you could add elements through which players can interact with each other's games. You could have PvP modes where you try to be the last team standing, or even a co-op where you can aid the other 2-person teams, etc. Something to keep in mind if you keep working on it.

I'm always happy to hear suggestions, because in my experience there's rarely a "bad idea". I have a plan/desire to make the map support more players. See:

https://bitbucket.org/Cokemonkey11/microrunnertd/issues/14/map-should-allow-4-players-on-two

My idea was to have 4 different maps (kind of like what you see in mad balls arena elmination tournament), but with a twist: two of the maps are mirrior image of each other. Teams of 2 players each pick their map to play on. If they pick the mirror image maps, they race to win first!

I thought this could be fun for another reason: the nature of this map is that different terrain has a big impact on the way you play/run.

Do you think this could be a decent take on your idea?

Overall 4.5/5, .5 taken off because there are only three races, which makes it limited atm.

Yes, I understand, ideally I would have 8 races, but I think for now I could only plan to ever have 4. The metal race took me around 50 hours to make!

Don't forget this map is a public resource, so if you have some ideas for a race, you could always hack it in, or let me know what you think

Regards,

 

[xXxMKDxXx]

Add more players !

 

[Shadow Fury]

That's a good and quite original TD game! I don't need to stand and watch my towers killing creeps all day thanks to the idea of having a runner to control. However, here are some points I want to discuss with you, starting with the most important ones:

- I played all races and I must say Spirit race is underbalanced under a few aspects. Some of the starting towers deal magic damage, making them very weak against medium armour. I had hard times getting through the first waves, not to mention when the dryads' wave came. The only two pierce towers were the Archarcher (what a cool name XD) and Dorran the Archer. The former couldn't use her special skill and the latter was weak. I had to run around for one entire minute to kill them all. I wouldn't be saying this if I had had such problems with the other two races which were relatively easier to play. However, I don't mean it's impossible to win the game with that race. To balance things out, I suggest you change Archpriest's and Archarchpriest's (lol, another cool name) damage to pierce
- 3 races are insufficient, but considering that there are only 2 players, it's fair. However, I believe this map can sustain up to 4 players and more players = more races. Think it over
- When I kill the two Quill Mastahs, the round ends even if there are summoned boars on the ground. You should fix that
- The race Metal is a bit off the mark. Most of its units have nothing to do with metal/machinery so I wonder why its name is like that. The stats of towers are all right, nothing wrong with them, though I'd recommend changing the models and names of those towers into something more metal-like. Frankly, when I picked this race, I expected to build things like tanks and robots

That's all I can say. Map approved with a rating of 3/5 !

 

[O.Elayadi]

Cool map 5/5
i wanna to see better maps soon ok?

 

[Cokemonkey11]

That's a good and quite original TD game! I don't need to stand and watch my towers killing creeps all day thanks to the idea of having a runner to control.

Thanks for the review! I should remind you that the runner concept is not my original idea. Credit where credit is due: this is the work of Envious.

I played all races and I must say Spirit race is underbalanced under a few aspects. Some of the starting towers deal magic damage, making them very weak against medium armour. I had hard times getting through the first waves, not to mention when the dryads' wave came. The only two pierce towers were the Archarcher (what a cool name XD) and Dorran the Archer. The former couldn't use her special skill and the latter was weak. I had to run around for one entire minute to kill them all. I wouldn't be saying this if I had had such problems with the other two races which were relatively easier to play. However, I don't mean it's impossible to win the game with that race. To balance things out, I suggest you change Archpriest's and Archarchpriest's (lol, another cool name) damage to pierce

Thanks for the comment. Right now I Think the wasteland race is the most powerful one, since they have so many features that ignore armor types. Yes, in solo mode Spirit probably has some difficulty in the start of the game.

A couple more comments:

* The game tends to be much easier (with any race) in solo mode.
* The game should be balanced towards hard mode, which is only available with two players.

3 races are insufficient, but considering that there are only 2 players, it's fair. However, I believe this map can sustain up to 4 players and more players = more races.

Yes, as mentioned above, I would like to add 2 more players - but not directly into the running area. I have some other ideas that are more ambitious. I don't know if I'll ever make time for that though. Same with races. Making a race is a drafting process, and the Metal race took a number of days to finalize.

When I kill the two Quill Mastahs, the round ends even if there are summoned boars on the ground.

Good spot! I had noticed this, but never added it to my tracker. See https://bitbucket.org/Cokemonkey11/microrunnertd/issues/28/quill-mastah-round-should-not-end-until

The race Metal is a bit off the mark. Most of its units have nothing to do with metal/machinery so I wonder why its name is like that.

The race is referring to Metal music/lifestyle. It's meant to be humorous (like archarcher etc ) Black metal often has undead/ice themes, and technical metal often has badass/monster themes. I'm sorry you didn't catch on

Thanks again for the play-test.

 

[Shadow Fury]

Thanks for the review! I should remind you that the runner concept is not my original idea. Credit where credit is due: this is the work of Envious.

Yeah, you said that, but it's fine if you do that. Concerning Warcraft, it is something original.

Yes, as mentioned above, I would like to add 2 more players - but not directly into the running area. I have some other ideas that are more ambitious. I don't know if I'll ever make time for that though. Same with races. Making a race is a drafting process, and the Metal race took a number of days to finalize.

I'll be waiting for that!

The race is referring to Metal music/lifestyle. It's meant to be humorous (like archarcher etc ) Black metal often has undead/ice themes, and technical metal often has badass/monster themes. I'm sorry you didn't catch on

Aaaaah that explains it. My bad :/

 

[gusanomental]

Fun map!

 

[Rufus]

General Review notes:
-Good-looking and clear loading screen.
-The short cinematic in the beginning also perfectly clarifies exactly what you are supposed to do.
-I was automatically dealt spirit after a pretty short delay. I'd like some more time to choose.
-The little village you run around in is beautiful! Minimalistic with delicate placement of doodads. The ship in the north-eastern cornor was questionable but ok.
-I really like the concept.
-Good, clear coloured text.
-Fun audiable messages in the beginning of each wave, and proper sound effects.
-Maybe a bit too little time after each wave. I felt a bit stressed. Perhaps increase it with like 10 seconds and give the option to skip to the wave when you are ready? (this felt better later though. no need to change)
-You gotta be careful so that you don't split the group of enemies around the island you focus in the beginning, forcing you to be more of a tactician. Good.
-Fun tooltips on towers. "Powerful drug dealer. Deals powerful drugs."
-Ranged chasing units aswell! Good twist that keeps the game feel more dynamic.
-Actives on towers is nice too. Can give you a nice advantage if you are good at micro-controlling.
-"Bandito Masterino"! After this wave I started lookingat every creep name.
-Given the new design of the creep lanes, it is not that obvious where your most powerful towers should go, which is nice. Gives you mroe creative workspace.
-Ah fck. I became sloppy at level 9, messed up and died. It was a little bit sad to have to restart the game from scratch then. Perhaps a few more lives would be nice?
-Being able to skip the start cinematics. This maps seems to have no loose ends.
-Skeletal runner for the metal race? Feels like something more fitting could repalce it.
-"Archarcher" ...Your mind must be one of the best places in the world!
-Maybe possible you could make the runner run forward automatically when it spawns. However, the reaction time you have plays a small role in your general success, so maybe not.
-The cow caller was not very strong for its cost.
-I died at level 11 again this time with the spirit. This time I was smart enough to save, but loading the game crashed Warcraft :/

Easter eggs I found:

Spoiler

-The exploding frog kinda shocked me when clicked. I was about to complain that it was in the way of my building, but nope.
-The startled lady in the south-east.
-...and that she turns into a jumping acolyte.
-The flying boat in the north-east?

Summary:
Clarity is key, and this map has it.
The concept of this map is outstanding! I've really never encountered anything like this before. In most other tower defences you have nothing to do when the creeps start rolling in, but here you have a completely new task at hand: escaping them!
That also allows for a non-linear and new way of creating the "creep lanes". You've also made sure using smart tile placement and doodads that one can not just mass towers in one little aquare and just run around that.
Really, the base concept is the best part of the map, which is an awesome fundation.

I usually have lots of things to say about improvement to be made, but I found very little in this map.
This is a solid well-made map, with great concept and fun factor. I rarely rate maps 5/5, but this is one of them.

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Thanks for the review!

I was automatically dealt spirit after a pretty short delay. I'd like some more time to choose.

Okay, there's a timer dialog during this period, but I agree this is a problem I've seen in past. I've created an issue for this: Bitbucket

It was a little bit sad to have to restart the game from scratch then. Perhaps a few more lives would be nice?

Interesting! My experience was that the game seemed to get a bit too easy, but I suppose that happens when you test your own map a hundred times.

What if [in normal mode - not an option in hard mode] after dying, you have three lives to try again - but the catch is that you lose out on any gold from the creeps that you failed to kill. This will make it easier to advance/finish the game, but increasingly more difficult each time you die.

Skeletal runner for the metal race? Feels like something more fitting could repalce it.

Copy-pasted from above:

The race is referring to Metal music/lifestyle. It's meant to be humorous (like archarcher etc ) Black metal often has undead/ice themes, and technical metal often has badass/monster themes. I'm sorry you didn't catch on

The cow caller was not very strong for its cost.

Possibly true. But I suspect then that the Cow God is a bit overpowered. In future I might add metrics so I can evaluate this, but at present I think it's pretty okay. In particular, summoned tauren become much stronger once you have an ice obelisk.

This time I was smart enough to save, but loading the game crashed Warcraft

Hmm I never thought about this. Do you know if this can be fixed?

Easter eggs I found

There's at least one more big one to find

Thanks again for the review. I'd be happy to play with you together in hard mode next time!

---

Historically, only I have touched this project, but I'm very happy to accept contributions - Bitbucket

 

[Rufus]

What if [in normal mode - not an option in hard mode] after dying, you have three lives to try again - but the catch is that you lose out on any gold from the creeps that you failed to kill. This will make it easier to advance/finish the game, but increasingly more difficult each time you die.

Sounds like a good idea.

Hmm I never thought about this. Do you know if this can be fixed?

Nope, sorry. I've never encountered it before. :/

There's at least one more big one to find

Damnit!

 

[Sirmarkis29]

amazing map mister! keep up and bring new updates
5/5 for simplicity and ez to play!
Have a amazing and chill day mister

 

[CapAd]

Hi @Cokemonkey11 is there a chance for 1.1 version upload?
I would love to play the beer race, although 1.1 from bitbucket didn't work for me

It's also a great map, thank you!

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Hey @Saran thanks for letting me know you're waiting for this!

I kind of got burned out working on this, but I have made a note that beer race is indeed needed for 1.1.

I'll see if I can spend some time *this month* finishing that up!

And it was probably a mistake to upload a 1.1 prototype on bitbucket - sorry for the confusion.

Cheers,

 

[Cokemonkey11]

After nearly 3 years of quiet, microrunnertd has been updated to 1.1.0!

This releases the new "Beer" race, which is pleasantly educating, historically accurate, and I must admit just a load of fun.

@Saran this is for you my friend :3

 

[CapAd]

Hey! The new race is working ok, although I haven't tested all buildings yet.

However I've noticed one bug with the Spirit race - Archarchpriests do not use their heal spell.

Great job

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Hey! The new race is working ok, although I haven't tested all buildings yet.

However I've noticed one bug with the Spirit race - Archarchpriests do not use their heal spell.

Great job

Hey @Saran I just tested this and found that indeed heals are broken

This probably related to the upgrade from wurst standard library 1 to 2.

Thanks for reporting this.

I've created this high-priority ticket to fix: Cokemonkey11 / microrunnertd / issues / #40 - [spirit] heal is broken in 1.1.0 — Bitbucket

I promise you won't have to wait 3 years..

Cheers,

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Version 1.1.1 is released - this is a minor patch that fixes the spirit race's priest heal ability

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Version 1.1.2 is released - this fixes a collection of critical issues caused by the wc3 1.31.x patches.

 

[Blasterixx]

Finished playing the map solo(on normal difficulty) and i had a blast , from the smooth terrain and units to the unique towers, their attack animations and their spells everything looks amazing,i like the new concept of having a unit to kite/run with from the "bad" guys instead of just protecting a stationary object like all the other td have, The unit and spell descriptions/names are pretty hilarious and don't give away much about what they do(making the map a bit mysterious), but i think this is somewhat a bonus making the player play and test for himself what the towers do and try to find the perfect balance between them to achive victory, the map is not short nor too long either making it perfect for all kind of players that might not have enough time as well, overall Great map!

I hope you will keep updating this map, i would love the map to have more player slots and different terrains for each player maybe? or just implement 2 modes like:
-Teamplay mode: where everyone builds in the same zone/town, there would be more spawns depending on the number of players.
-Single player mode: where every player has its own zone/town where they have to survive alone, and the last player standing wins.

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Finished playing the map solo(on normal difficulty) and i had a blast , from the smooth terrain and units to the unique towers, their attack animations and their spells everything looks amazing,i like the new concept of having a unit to kite/run with from the "bad" guys instead of just protecting a stationary object like all the other td have, The unit and spell descriptions/names are pretty hilarious and don't give away much about what they do(making the map a bit mysterious), but i think this is somewhat a bonus making the player play and test for himself what the towers do and try to find the perfect balance between them to achive victory, the map is not short nor too long either making it perfect for all kind of players that might not have enough time as well, overall Great map!

I hope you will keep updating this map, i would love the map to have more player slots and different terrains for each player maybe? or just implement 2 modes like:
-Teamplay mode: where everyone builds in the same zone/town, there would be more spawns depending on the number of players.
-Single player mode: where every player has its own zone/town where they have to survive alone, and the last player standing wins.

Hey Blasterixx, thanks very much for your review, and glad you had fun! Based on your feedback, I've bumped up the priority on this issue which tracks "adding more players": Cokemonkey11 / microrunnertd / issues / #14 - Map should allow 4 players on two different areas — Bitbucket

If you have a bitbucket account, feel free to log in and "Vote" for stuff that you want to see in that issue tracker.

Have you tried the beer race yet? That's the newest one.

By the way: I can't take credit for the runner idea, which comes from a map called "Gridlock".

If you play again, I suggest trying in two-player -hard mode

 

[Whiteagle]

Really happy to see you continue updating the map, i will try the new race !

 

[Overkane]

Nice map idea.
Though i think it should be punishable if you run for too long.

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Nice map idea.
Though i think it should be punishable if you run for too long.

Thanks!

In gridlock (which this game is loosely based on), the balance is such that you can't run forever.

- Towers are all stronger
- Creeps run faster

I think this map should be balanced more in that direction, but it can be difficult to make adjustments.

I may revamp the balance at some point in the future.

Thanks again for comments

 

[Cokemonkey11]

Version 1.1.3 has a couple of minor fixes due to regressions caused by reforged

 

[PiesOfNorth]

Tried this out. I didn't make it very far yet, but I dig it. A fun twist on the TD formula.

 

[InSaNe_97]

I did not play much, not my cup of tea, but much I did play was good.