Element TD 2 News

[h2]Improvements & Fixes[/h2]

• Fixed an issue where you couldn't ban or use the tower table in ranked pick or war
  
• Fixed an issue where the final boss of the campaign got stuck and gave out pathing cheat codes to the creeps
  
• Improvements to localization across multiple languages
  

Alright, let's get straight to the point here:

The Mazing Expansion launches on Friday, December 2nd for $6.99! You can go ahead and Wishlist the DLC by clicking here.

On top of that, you can get the base game for 40% off, so if you know any friends you'd like to turn into enemies for a discounted price, now's the best time!

Coming soon to a Steam Storefront near you!

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What is the Mazing Expansion?
This is a DLC that adds a new mode to the game called Mazing. Here, you build directly on the path, and your towers act as blockers that obstruct and extend the path that creeps must travel to reach the end. This mode is fully supported in both Singleplayer and Multiplayer.

What's included in the expansion?

• Mazing Campaign featuring 14 Missions, each with their own Achievements
• 10 New FFA/Teams Mazing Maps
  
• 4 New Co-op Mazing Maps
  
• Mazing Leaderboards for each of the new maps
  
• New Achievements specific to Mazing

Do I need the expansion to play online?
In order to access any of the singleplayer content or host games, you need the expansion.

However, you do not need the expansion to join Mazing lobbies online.

Mazes in Co-op can get pretty ludicrous.

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That's it for our last info dump before the DLC releases. Thank you to everyone that participated in the Open Alpha / Open Beta and assisted in testing and feedback. Just over a week remains till it releases. Look forward to it!

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Thank you to everyone that participated in the Tournament!
Our first Same Random Tournament was held this past weekend to great success! 40 people ended up participating in it, helping to give a resurgence in the game and community as a whole. Congratulations to our Top 3 Winners:

1. _Tobias_
   
2. YOYO
   
3. Scamper9
   

In all likelihood, we'll be running another Same Random Tournament in a few months, probably following Version 1.9 and another host of balance adjustments. We will also likely do something to make buy/sell abuse riskier in Random in that version.

In the meantime, Version 1.8.2 (to be released with the Mazing Expansion) will see Ranked Random starting from Short Length. The first 10 waves are basically unpushable and too good for "farming", so cutting them should help for now.

See that horrible use of mazing up top? Don't maze like that. You'll make our designer cry.

[h2]Improvements & Fixes[/h2]

• Streamlined the Notifications Menu into a toggle on/off, with a Settings gear to pull open its own menu
  
• Fixed a bug in Ranked Pick where selecting Confirm during the Ban Phase would indefinitely stall the game, forcing both sides to Alt+F4 out:
  • In theory, this should not have affected anyone's MMR.
    
  • Do note, in case anyone did suffer an MMR loss from this, the most we can do to "fix" anyone affected is to reset your Season 5 Ranked progress entirely. We have no way of adjusting it on a per match basis.
    
• Fixed loading into a checkpoint in the Campaign not preserving your life, gold, etc.
  
• Fixed not being able to load Wasteland Variant or Mission 24 in the Campaign
• Fixed Customize Builder/Tower having a white backdrop
  
• Fixed Turbo Lite not working when playing Solo Survival Online
• Fixed a bug in Mega Survival where it would not remember your recent map selection when returning to menu
  

With less than a month left until the Mazing DLC releases, we're choosing to release Version 1.8 a bit early. It adds some long requested features to the game, like Turbo Lite and Casual Mode. Additionally, it brings fixes, improvements, and balance adjustments.

Before we move on to the notes, one last reminder, the Same Random Tournament will be running next weekend on November 19th-20th. At this point, sign-ups are closed, and we have a total of 48 participants. To those of you that have joined, please refresh yourself on the rules. If you have any questions, please ask on the #tournament-discussion channel on our Discord server.


With that out of the way, onto the patch notes!

Just a couple of surf bros vibing to the chaos.

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[h2]Features[/h2]

• Turbo Lite added!
  • Game runs at x1.5 Timescale.
    
  • This is now on by default for Ranked Pick
• Casual Mode added!
  • This is a modifier you can turn on for FFA/Team games. When on, everyone plays the game at their own pace. Clearing the wave first will not cause the next wave to start for everyone else.
    
• Spectator Functionality added!
  • When you're in lobby, you can define yourself as a Spectator, allowing you to copy observe everyone else in the game.
    
• Mega Survival added!
  • You can now play the Co-op Maps from the Singleplayer Menu, allowing you to play it Offline or even with God Mode on.
    
  • Instead of a "Balanced" path option, you get "2-Path" instead.
    

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[h2]Improvements & Fixes[/h2]

• Same Random Teams adjusted:
  • Before, everyone had the same set of random elements, which in Teams, was somewhat pointless.
    
  • Now, each team will have two sets of elements, which is consistent across all teams.
    
• Fog of War can now be turned on/off in Graphics Settings. Set to On by default.
  
• On the end-screen, there's now a statistic for # of First Wave Clears
• Pressing F2 in Co-op should now bounce between each player area, instead of always reverting to the center of the map
  
• Viewing a replay that has Turbo on no longer locks out viewing at x1 or x0.5
  
• Fixed Front Targeting not working properly on creeps that have been Shredded, spawned by Spawner, or Resurrected
  
• Fixed a bug where Builders wouldn't properly react to the map terrain on some maps
  
• Fixed an issue where Slingshot Bosses could only speed up creeps once
  • In exchange, the effect can no longer stack.
    

Yo dawg, we heard you like Slingshots, so we stuck Slingshots in your Slingshots so you can Slingshot while you Slingshot.

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[h2]Balance[/h2]

• Earth adjusted:
  • Shockwave now hits for full damage instead of full/half
    
  • Shockwave damage reduced from 50 to 35
    
• Nature adjusted:
  • Damage increased from 85 to 95
    
  • Buff duration reduced from 3 seconds to 1 second
    
• Disease damage increased from 150 to 155
  
• Solar buffed:
  • Damage increased from 230 to 240
    
  • Damage-per-second increased from 115 to 120
    
• Mushroom formula adjusted:
  • Previously, it would deal more damage if a creep's speed was below 300, and less damage if it was above 300.
    
  • Now it deals 2% more damage per 1% of slow on the creep, and it no longer suffers a damage penalty if a creep is faster than default speed (300)
    
  • Damage reduced from 500 to 490
    
• Nova adjusted:
  • Shockwave now hits for full damage instead of full/half
    
  • Shockwave damage reduced from 700 to 500
    
• Runic damage reduced from 1150 to 1125
  
• Quake adjusted:
  • Shockwave now hits for full damage instead of full/half
    
  • Shockwave damage reduced from 1600 to 1250
    
• Impulse adjusted:
  • Range increased from 1500 to 1650
    
• Obelisk explosion and increment damage reduced from 4750 to 4500
  

As usual, courtesies of the balance update, Score Leaderboards have been reset. Additionally, we've moved on to Ranked Season 5.

Nope, this isn't War Mode. That's just a really big Obelisk explosion.

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That's it for today's notes! We'd like to thank everyone that participated in the recent Mazing Open Beta. Lots of fun bugs were fixed over that period, and we're hacking away at making the Mazing DLC a grand release. Look forward to it December 2nd!

Somehow, this was taken using the game's built-in camera controls. Blame Thank Wade on our Discord.

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EDIT: Applied a hotfix that fixes the following:

• Toned down lighting on Main Menu backdrop
  
• Optimized damage number display
  
• Fixed an issue where Portals would be gone when viewing a Teams replay
  
• Fixed Teams Portals using the wrong color on some maps
  
• Fixed dark shadows appearing when using Very Low graphics settings
  
• Fixed in-game Menu button pausing the game in Co-op
  

For those of you interested in joining the Same Random Tournament, it's your last chance! Tournament sign-ups will close November 11th at 10am PDT. How to enter:

• If you haven't already, join our Discord.
  
• Next, there's a new channel on there called #tournament-signup. Go there and comment with your name in that channel.
  • Please note that the name you enter here should be the name you use on both Discord and Steam during the event.
    

And for those of you already signed up, here's a refresher of the details. We also have an update on the tournament structure, game setup, and what to do in case of a desync.

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[h2]When and Where?[/h2]
The tournament will be played online, and it'll run from November 19th - 20th. Each day of the event, we'll start at the following time:

• 10am PDT (US)
  
• 7pm CET (EU)
  
• 1am CST (Asia)
  

[h2]Tournament Structure[/h2]
As this tournament is being played with less than 64 players, some players are advancing to Round 2 by default. This is determined by sign-up order. If you signed up to the tournament early, congratulations, you automatically advanced to Round 2!

On Day 1, covering Rounds 1 through 4, matches will be Best of 1. This day will last upwards of 4-6 hours. Players will be expected to check in a half hour before the first match starts.

• Some of these matches will have a caster streaming the matches.
  
• Round 1 will consist of 32 Players across 16 Matches. The winning 16 will move on to Round 2.
  
• Round 2 will consist of 32 Players across 16 Matches. The winning 16 will move on to Round 3.
  
• Round 2 will consist of 16 Players across 8 Matches. The winning 8 will move on to Round 4.
  
• Round 2 will consist of 8 Players across 4 Matches. The winning 4 will move on to the Semi-Finals.
  

On Day 2, covering Semi-Finals, Bronze Match, and Finals, matches will be Best of 3.

• All of these matches will have a caster streaming the matches.
  
• Semi-Finals will consist of 4 Players across 2 Matches. The winning 2 will move on to the Finals. The losing 2 will move on to the Bronze Match.
  
• The winner of the Bronze Match will determine Third Place.
  
• The winner of the Finals will determine First & Second Place.
  

[h2]Game Setup[/h2]
First up, for those in the tournament, make sure you're on the Tournament Branch. The password to get in is restricted to those signed up on the Discord. Once in:

• Once the bracket is posted, the first listed player in their match will host the game. The other player in that match will need to find the game with the correct player's name in the lobby list.
  
• All matches have to be hosted 10 minutes before the game is supposed to start.
  
• Setting up a match is the responsibility of the players, and in the case of any dispute, contact a tournament admin in the relevant match thread.
  
• In resolving these situations, the rules will be your first place to look. After that a tournament admin makes a ruling and that ruling is final.
  

[h2]Rules[/h2]
Each match will be a 1v1 played with the following Settings:

• Map: Random, Non-variant
  
• Difficulty: Very Hard
  
• Element: Same Random
  
• Length: Full
  
• Paths: Standard
  
• Game Speed: Normal
  
• Chaos: Enabled
  

Conditions:

• Anything possible within the bounds of the game mechanics is allowed.
  
• The winner is determined by which player lives the longest before the boss waves, or scores the highest if the game reaches boss waves.
  
• An individual shall be allowed a 10-minute grace period after the scheduled match start time before it is considered that they have failed to show.
  • In the event of a failure to show, the individual in question will forfeit the game and be considered eliminated from the tournament.
    
• At the end of a match all players must submit a screenshot of the results, along with a replay of the match in the dedicated channel or thread on the discord to confirm the results.
  
• Using the in-game chat for any kind of harassment over the course of a game is warrant for immediate disqualification.
  

In Case of a Desync:

• If there is a Desync, the match will immediately end. Consider that game null, and do a rematch.
  
• If it happens twice, then go by the following:
  • The one with the most lives before the desync wins that match.
    
  • If lives are identical, we go by number of first wave clears.
    

[h2]Prizes[/h2]
The Top 3 will receive an Element TD T-Shirt as well as cash prizes:

• 1st Place: $250
  
• 2nd Place: $100
  
• 3rd Place: $50
  

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Lastly, if you are interested in casting/streaming these matches, please reach out and let us know on the Discord. We'd love to have as many games casted as possible!

• Do note, we'll have a Spectator feature implemented into the game by then, which'll make this a lot easier.
  

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And that's it for the tournament! Version 1.8 drops tomorrow, and yes, it does include balance adjustments. Ideally, we wouldn't do this right before a tournament, but several features from 1.8 are required to run the tournament properly. Plus said balance adjustments aren't anything too major, and the tournament is Same Random.