What's next for Element TD 2?
About two weeks ago, Element TD 2 officially released into Version 1.00, and we've seen a huge increase in the number of players! Reception has been generally positive, and for those not as happy with the game, we've been working on fixes to address those concerns.
Now that we've released though, folks have been wondering what's next for us. This isn't quite a Roadmap, but In this post, we'll be addressing both short-term and long-term plans. Read on for the full preview!
[h2]Short Term[/h2]
[h3]Version 1.01[/h3]
Within the next few days, we'll be releasing the next version, which should contain a mix of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. Ranked disconnects, more options for fine-tuning notifications, Campaign tweaks, and more!
FYI, due to changes we're making on the backend, when this patch releases, if you have a Checkpoint in the Campaign, it will unfortunately be nuked (meaning Load Checkpoint from the menu won't be available until you reach a new Checkpoint). We apologize in advance for this inconvenience.
[h3]Quality of Life Updates[/h3]
Over the next few months, expect to see the following:
[h3]Balance[/h3]
Unlike Early Access where there were balance patches every 1-2 months, we're extending that period a bit and aiming for 2-3 months. The game's overall balance is pretty solid now, and while there are things to adjust, there isn't as much of a need to change it immediately. Like before, Score Leaderboards will be reset whenever there's new balance.
Expect a Balance Patch to arrive in June or July!
[h2]Long Term[/h2]
[h3]Quad Element Towers[/h3]
Since the start of Early Access, we've long teased the idea of Quad Element Towers, and you folks have been posting a slew of ideas, both on our Forums and our Discord. Obviously, this update will fundamentally change the game, as it'll add 15 towers to the game. Not only that, but we also plan to change the Essence Upgrade into something much more interesting than its current incarnation.
Quads are expected to release as a Free Update by the end of the year. In the meantime, post your ideas to our Forums and our Discord!
[h3]Mazing DLC[/h3]
Later this year, we plan on adding Mazing Mode to the game as a DLC! In this mode, you'll be able to make your own mazes, rather than deal with a predetermined path. As this will be a paid expansion, this will be a larger update than the norm. Expect its own Maps, Leaderboards, and even a Mazing Campaign!
We'll provide more info as we get closer to its release, which is expected by the end of the year. Whether it's before or after the Quad Towers update, we can't confirm yet.
[h3]An Actual Tutorial[/h3]
Although the early part of the Campaign sort of covers some basics, it's a farcry from an actual in-depth Tutorial, and there's a lot of aspects of the game that aren't really covered well anywhere, like UI, how to use Support Towers, how to make use of 100% Sell in Random, etc.
Throughout the rest of the year, we'll be adding actual Tutorials to the game, covering everything from Basics to more Advanced Tactics.
[h2]Other Stuff[/h2]
[h3]Ranked Mode[/h3]
A lot of people play this mode, both in Pick & Random, and while many certainly enjoy increasing their rank, it's not necessarily clear how that MMR is calculated. Or that the mode is locked into Very Hard. Or if there's any rewards for reaching a higher rank. Or if- you get the point.
In general, expect to see a mix of UI and quality-of-life improvements to this mode throughout the year, an improved formula for going up or down in MMR, and eventually, actual rewards for going up in the ranks.
As for the possibility of other modes getting a Ranked adaption - presently, we can't confirm if there'll be a Ranked Teams or Ranked War added.
[h3]Speaking of War Mode[/h3]
When hosting a game, you may have noticed something called War Mode (or Team War). The intent of this mode was to provide a 1v1 experience with very active counterplay. To that end, we almost succeeded, but the mode is falling short of its full potential. Certain towers dominate it, the abilities become something of a waiting game, and in general, there's not enough to do in the mode, despite being more active than the standard game.
We intend on revamping this mode into something that achieves our original vision, and will be scalable to a higher player count. In the meantime though, it's still a fun and frantic mode. Find a friend and give it a try, and let us know what you'd like to see from it. The entire dev team considers it a hidden gem!
[h3]Will there be a Chapter 5?[/h3]
Most likely yes! However, this is a long ways off and won't release until sometime next year. When it does, it'll be a DLC, but it'll also be the most significant chunk of the Campaign yet. Look forward to it... eventually.
[h3]Regarding Workshop Support...[/h3]
More than anything on this list, we keep getting people asking if they could make their own maps for the game. Presently, Workshop Support is not planned for this year. It's not entirely out of the question, but in order to support it, we'd need to completely overhaul our backend. If it happens, it would come after both Quad Element Towers and Mazing DLC.
We know this is a highly requested feature, and yes, it would be really cool to see it implemented into the game. But it's also a large project that could take us many months to complete, and rather than have you guys waiting a really long time for that, we would rather push out more modes, towers, and other updates that can be completed in a significantly shorter amount of time. We'll continue to research it as we deliver more content to you.
[h2]In Conclusion[/h2]
We hope this answers your questions about what's coming next. We know it's short on actual details, but fret not, we'll expand on those with proper previews as we get closer to the various updates.
Now that we've released though, folks have been wondering what's next for us. This isn't quite a Roadmap, but In this post, we'll be addressing both short-term and long-term plans. Read on for the full preview!
[h2]Short Term[/h2]
[h3]Version 1.01[/h3]
Within the next few days, we'll be releasing the next version, which should contain a mix of bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. Ranked disconnects, more options for fine-tuning notifications, Campaign tweaks, and more!
FYI, due to changes we're making on the backend, when this patch releases, if you have a Checkpoint in the Campaign, it will unfortunately be nuked (meaning Load Checkpoint from the menu won't be available until you reach a new Checkpoint). We apologize in advance for this inconvenience.
[h3]Quality of Life Updates[/h3]
Over the next few months, expect to see the following:
- Define your own Hotkeys
- Improved Localization
- 5th co-op map
- Set your own default Targeting Priorities
- Improved Tower Customization screen
- Performance Optimization
- And more!
[h3]Balance[/h3]
Unlike Early Access where there were balance patches every 1-2 months, we're extending that period a bit and aiming for 2-3 months. The game's overall balance is pretty solid now, and while there are things to adjust, there isn't as much of a need to change it immediately. Like before, Score Leaderboards will be reset whenever there's new balance.
Expect a Balance Patch to arrive in June or July!
[h2]Long Term[/h2]
[h3]Quad Element Towers[/h3]
Since the start of Early Access, we've long teased the idea of Quad Element Towers, and you folks have been posting a slew of ideas, both on our Forums and our Discord. Obviously, this update will fundamentally change the game, as it'll add 15 towers to the game. Not only that, but we also plan to change the Essence Upgrade into something much more interesting than its current incarnation.
Quads are expected to release as a Free Update by the end of the year. In the meantime, post your ideas to our Forums and our Discord!
[h3]Mazing DLC[/h3]
Later this year, we plan on adding Mazing Mode to the game as a DLC! In this mode, you'll be able to make your own mazes, rather than deal with a predetermined path. As this will be a paid expansion, this will be a larger update than the norm. Expect its own Maps, Leaderboards, and even a Mazing Campaign!
We'll provide more info as we get closer to its release, which is expected by the end of the year. Whether it's before or after the Quad Towers update, we can't confirm yet.
[h3]An Actual Tutorial[/h3]
Although the early part of the Campaign sort of covers some basics, it's a farcry from an actual in-depth Tutorial, and there's a lot of aspects of the game that aren't really covered well anywhere, like UI, how to use Support Towers, how to make use of 100% Sell in Random, etc.
Throughout the rest of the year, we'll be adding actual Tutorials to the game, covering everything from Basics to more Advanced Tactics.
[h2]Other Stuff[/h2]
[h3]Ranked Mode[/h3]
A lot of people play this mode, both in Pick & Random, and while many certainly enjoy increasing their rank, it's not necessarily clear how that MMR is calculated. Or that the mode is locked into Very Hard. Or if there's any rewards for reaching a higher rank. Or if- you get the point.
In general, expect to see a mix of UI and quality-of-life improvements to this mode throughout the year, an improved formula for going up or down in MMR, and eventually, actual rewards for going up in the ranks.
As for the possibility of other modes getting a Ranked adaption - presently, we can't confirm if there'll be a Ranked Teams or Ranked War added.
[h3]Speaking of War Mode[/h3]
When hosting a game, you may have noticed something called War Mode (or Team War). The intent of this mode was to provide a 1v1 experience with very active counterplay. To that end, we almost succeeded, but the mode is falling short of its full potential. Certain towers dominate it, the abilities become something of a waiting game, and in general, there's not enough to do in the mode, despite being more active than the standard game.
We intend on revamping this mode into something that achieves our original vision, and will be scalable to a higher player count. In the meantime though, it's still a fun and frantic mode. Find a friend and give it a try, and let us know what you'd like to see from it. The entire dev team considers it a hidden gem!
[h3]Will there be a Chapter 5?[/h3]
Most likely yes! However, this is a long ways off and won't release until sometime next year. When it does, it'll be a DLC, but it'll also be the most significant chunk of the Campaign yet. Look forward to it... eventually.
[h3]Regarding Workshop Support...[/h3]
More than anything on this list, we keep getting people asking if they could make their own maps for the game. Presently, Workshop Support is not planned for this year. It's not entirely out of the question, but in order to support it, we'd need to completely overhaul our backend. If it happens, it would come after both Quad Element Towers and Mazing DLC.
We know this is a highly requested feature, and yes, it would be really cool to see it implemented into the game. But it's also a large project that could take us many months to complete, and rather than have you guys waiting a really long time for that, we would rather push out more modes, towers, and other updates that can be completed in a significantly shorter amount of time. We'll continue to research it as we deliver more content to you.
[h2]In Conclusion[/h2]
We hope this answers your questions about what's coming next. We know it's short on actual details, but fret not, we'll expand on those with proper previews as we get closer to the various updates.