Element TD 2 News

Welcome to the second open test of the Mazing DLC. This time, we're opening it up to 6 FFA Maps & 3 Co-op Maps, with their visuals fully implemented!

Now featuring 50% more trees!

To jump in, just grab the alpha branch and hit play!

• To do so, right-click Element TD 2 in your library
  
• Select "Properties"
  
• Go to the "Betas" tab
  
• Select "alpha - Mazing Test this weekend!"
  
• Once downloaded, play at will!
  
• Make sure you change your server to DEV; if you turn on any of Version 1.8's features, they all require DEV server, or things will break when playing online.
  

This second open test for Mazing will last until Wednesday, Nov 2nd at 1pm PST.

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[h2]What's New?[/h2]
First off, if you didn't try the first test, check out the Mazing Open Alpha post to see how Mazing works.

Otherwise, we've applied numerous fixes since the last test:

• Maps now have visuals!
  
• Maps also have proper previews and mini-maps.
  
• The Blocker has an updated visual, and it has a bit of height now.
  
• The path will now lock in at the start of the wave, as opposed to "redetermined per creep as they spawn".
  
• The builder now needs to move to build on a blocker.
  
• In Teams, you can now build on allied blockers.
  
• When a player leaves in Teams & Co-op, it will now sell their towers, but not their blockers.
  • Said blockers should then be selectable by anyone and not contribute towards anyone else's blockers.
    
  • Their current blocker limit will not be redistributed to everyone else. However, future blockers gained will be increased, as there's one less player to divvy to.
    
• Fixed an issue where drag-building more blockers than your current limit would result in "invisible blockers".
  
• Fixed creeps going "up" when trying to go through a Yellow Portal on certain maps
  
• Lastly, Version 1.8's changes are also applied. Check below for the preview!
  

Mazes can get pretty complex. What crazy long mazes can you make?

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[h2]Open Beta Feedback[/h2]
To give us feedback, drop a comment below, make a steam thread, or post on our Discord. We have a dedicated #mazing channel that you can drop your feedback in and ask questions.

We're looking on feedback on the following things:

• How does the difficulty curve feel?
  • To clarify, in Mazing, creeps move faster than the standard game, and they gradually speed up per wave.
    
  • Does this feel fair at the start of the game? Does it scale up too hard?
    
• Do you start with too few or many Blockers? Do you gain enough over time?
  
• Do the maps feel good to play? Do any of them have infuriating quirks that need to be fixed?
  
• What bugs are you running into it?
  
• Does rushing in multiplayer feel bad to play against?
  • We're considering turning Casual Mode on for Multiplayer Mazing by default. For reference, this is a new checkbox that sets everyone at their own pace, meaning the first person to clear the wave doesn't start the next wave for everyone else.
    

Something about this map seems... familiar.

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[h2]Tournament Update[/h2]
Up next a little update on the Tournament. We'd like to thank everyone that's signed up for the Tournament! As a result of the recent change to reduce the cap to 64 participants and shorten the period to the 19th-20th, we've got 46 sign-ups so far, leaving 18 spots left. Only 2 weeks left to sign up, so claim your spot!

Secondly, there's some features that are necessary for the Tournament to run smoothly that are not in the live version of the game. To that end, we've decided we'll be releasing Version 1.8 before the Tournament instead of after. As for what's included in that update...

Who knows, maybe there could be a Mazing Tournament in the future?

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[h2]Version 1.8[/h2]
Expect the following features:

• Casual Mode
  • Everyone plays the game at their own pace. Clearing the wave first will not cause the next wave to start for everyone else.
    
• Turbo Lite
  • Game runs at x1.5 Timescale.
    
  • This is now on by default for Ranked Pick
• Same Random Teams
  • 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.
    
• Co-op Sync (attempt #2)
  • We tried adding a feature in the past version or so that would sync up everyone in a Co-op game to the host's gamestate each wave. Unfortunately, it was rife with bugs, so it was removed.
    
  • That said, we've done some fixes and updates to it, and we're going to try again with it!
    
• Spectator Functionality
  • When you're in lobby, you can define yourself as a Spectator, allowing you to copy observe everyone else in the game.
    
  
  
• Balance Tweaks
  • In a nutshell, Nature adjusted for the 2058th time, Mushroom formula adjusted to no longer suffer from speed boosts, shockwave damage towers hitting for full damage instead of full/half, Impulse range buff, and other minor buffs.
    

Lastly, there'll be both a Score Leaderboard reset and Ranked Season 5.

Once the open beta period ends, we'll be shifting testing for the next two weeks to Version 1.8. Otherwise, Version 1.8 will be releasing on Friday, November 11th!

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We're still on track to release it on Friday, December 2nd. Expect an info dump next week confirming the Mazing DLC's price and features. In the meantime, enjoy the open beta!


EDIT: There's a few standout bugs in the Mazing Beta that we're still trying to fix; that said we'll be keeping it open till Monday the 7th. Thanks for the feedback so far, and enjoy the extension!

We've gotten feedback that the tournament taking place on Friday is making participation impossible for a lot of our North American players. This is because it takes place during what is normally working hours.

So, we're dropping Friday from the tournament. It will now take place November 19th - 20th. As a result, signups will be restricted to 64 players.

There is still room left so don't hesitate to join!

Sign-ups for the Official Element TD 2 Tournament are now live! We'll be organizing the tournament through the Discord. That said, here's 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.
    

Signups will close on November 7th or when a maximum of 128 participants have entered.


Below is a refresher of the details from the Tournament Announcement.

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[h2]When and Where?[/h2]
The tournament will be played online, and it'll run from November 18th - 20th. Each day of the event, we'll start at the following time:

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

Depending on the number of participants, each day may run upwards of 4-6 hours.


[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
  
• 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.
  

[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.
  

While you're waiting on the Mazing DLC, we'll be hosting the first ever Official Element TD 2 Tournament! We've been wanting to run tournaments for Element TD 2 for a long time. For a while, we held off because of the cursed Desync Issue. However, as of the latest fixes, it's about as fixed as we can get it, especially for 1v1 matches.

See below for the details!

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[h2]When and Where?[/h2]
The tournament will be played online, and it'll run from November 18th - 20th. Each day of the event, we'll start at the following time:

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

Depending on the number of participants, each day may run upwards of 4-6 hours.


[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
  
• 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.
  

[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
  

[h2]How do I sign up?[/h2]
We'll be organizing the tournament through the Element TD 2 Discord Server (click here to join). On October 7th, we'll be opening a channel specifically for sign-ups, and it'll run until November 7th.

The tournament will have a maximum of 128 participants. After that, no more players will be accepted.

Additionally, 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.
  

In the meantime, keep your eye on the Discord Server for more updates!

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We hope many of you will try out the tournament and ultimately have fun. We'd also like to thank everyone that joined the Mazing DLC's Open Alpha a few weeks ago. We received a ton of valuable feedback, and we're hard at work at fixing the issues from said test (don't worry, the tournament above has zero impact on the DLC's development). Expect an infodump later this month, as well as another open playtest by the end of the month.

Can't wait for the Mazing DLC? You don't have to anymore! At least, for this weekend. Welcome to the first open test of our upcoming Mazing Mode! Included in it is:

• 5 FFA/Teams Mazing Maps
  
• 2 Co-op Mazing Maps
  
• You can play the above in Singleplayer and Multiplayer
  
• Casual Mode
  

Do note, these maps do not have terrain yet; that's still being worked on.

To jump in, just grab the alpha branch and hit play!

• To do so, right-click Element TD 2 in your library
  
• Select "Properties"
  
• Go to the "Betas" tab
  
• Select "alpha - Mazing Alpha this weekend!"
  
• Once downloaded, play at will!
  

This first open test for Mazing will last until Tuesday, September 13th at 1pm PST.

If you want a preview of how this works, read on below for the details!

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[h2]What is the Mazing DLC?[/h2]
This will be a paid expansion that adds a new mode to the game, Mazing Mode. In the standard game, creeps take a predetermined path to reach the end. In Mazing, the towers you place act as blockers that change the path creeps take to reach the end.

This DLC will contain the following:

• Mazing Mode
  
• A 14-Mission long Mazing Campaign
  
• 10 FFA/Teams Mazing Maps
  
• 4 Co-op Mazing Maps
  
• Leaderboards for Mazing
  

Additionally, it'll be paired with Version 1.8, which will include Turbo Lite, Casual Mode, New Cosmetics & Achievements, and more!

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[h2]How Mazing Works[/h2]
While you can place towers down directly, there's a far more efficient way to maze, and that's with the Blocker. Located on the left side of your Build Bar, you can use this to quickly build up a maze.

As you place Blockers, the path will automatically adjust.

By default, you'll start with 20 Blockers. Each wave you clear, you gain 1 Blocker, and every 5 waves, you gain 2 Blockers instead.

• The number of Blockers you have also acts as your Tower Limit.
  
• These are values we may adjust over time.
  

However, these aren't just for increasing the path length. They also let you build Towers directly on them.

• Selling a Tower will always leave a Blocker behind. This way, you don't accidentally open up a hole in your path.
  
• If you place or sell Blockers in the middle of the wave, they'll be ignored by all currently active creeps.
  • This prevents you from accidentally opening a hole mid-wave, or routing creeps through an infinite loop via buy/sell abuse of Blockers.
    

If you place Blockers mid-wave, they'll be highlighted red, and creeps will walk through them.

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[h2]Open Alpha Feedback[/h2]
If you'd like to give us feedback on the Mazing Open Alpha, drop a comment below, make a steam thread, or post on our Discord. We'll have a dedicated #mazing channel that you can drop your feedback in and ask questions.

For now, we're looking on feedback on the following things:

• How does the difficulty curve feel?
  
• Do you start with too few or many Blockers? Do you gain enough over time?
  
• Do the maps feel good to play? Do any of them have infuriating quirks that need to be fixed?
  
• What bugs are you running into it?
  
• Does rushing in multiplayer feel bad to play against?
  • We're considering turning Casual Mode on for Multiplayer Mazing by default. For reference, this is a new checkbox that sets everyone at their own pace, meaning the first person to clear the wave doesn't start the next wave for everyone else.
    

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[h2]DLC Release Date[/h2]
Although this first test of the mode is fully playable, we are still a few months out from release. Some internal delays pushed us back on our estimates, but now we're back in full force. That said, we still have a number of things we're trying to finish, including:

• Finalizing map designs
  
• Actual terrain for each map
  
• Mazing Campaign
  
• Polish and other fixes
  

The Mazing DLC is expected to release Friday, December 2nd!

We'll be dropping more details about it in the coming months, including price and other stuff. There will also be more open tests down the road. In the meantime, try out the Open Alpha this weekend!

What are you waiting for? Grab the alpha and hop on in!

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EDIT: The latest batch of fixes have made Teams & Co-op properly playable now. As a result, we've extended the open play period by another day. Have fun mazing!