Axon TD: Uprising News

On Saturday, July 29th at 11:30am PST / 2:30pm EST, we'll be hosting a Developer Stream. This will be our last one before our Early Access Release next week. Check it out below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

We're getting closer to releasing in Early Access! In fact, we just announced we're releasing on Early Access on Wednesday, August 2nd.

Regarding the Public Demo, I know we previously stated it would remain open until release, but it's causing delays on our end to keep up a separate, limited build, so we're shutting it down. Don't worry, the game's releasing in less than 2 weeks anyways!

In the meantime, for our Certain Influencers & Internal Testers that have access to the Special Early Access build, we've just updated it to Version 0.0.7, and it unlocks the full game! Read on below for the full notes:

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Campaign:

• The first two chapters of the story-driven Campaign are now available! Follow Patricia and Omnibot as they take on a contract that is far above their pay grade!
  -- Do note, some of the cutscenes are WIP, and the one that's supposed to play at the end currently does not exist.
  -- We'll be tightening up the presentation and other stuff over the next few weeks.
  

General:

• Axon TD now has Achievements! Get hunting!
  
• Adjusted how scoring works and made the multipliers more transparent when hovering over your score. As a result of these changes, the Target Scores have been adjusted.
  
• Life Multiplier is now a scalar between 0.5 and 1.25 between 0 and 100 lives, respectively. Anything beyond 100 lives will increase your multiplier further, but with diminishing returns. This now applies continuously throughout the missions rather than just at the end.
  
• Speed multiplier now starts ticking down 10 seconds after the wave has stopped spawning.
  
• Base Multiplier has been renamed to Wave Multiplier.
  
• The tutorials have seen some updates to terminology and the difficulty.
  
• You can now hover over a path to see only that path, including it's sub-paths.
  
• Paths now have more distinct colors, making it easier to differentiate between different paths in Quickplay maps with multiple paths and Co-op.
  
• Adjusted the loading screens.
  
• You can now press Space to start and speed up the wave.
  
• Adjusted how the Destination tile functions. Now centers the camera on the active path, and in maps with multiple paths, you can press X to cycle through the paths.
  
• The leaderboards have been updated to track more stats. You can also view replays directly from the leaderboard now.
  
• Added Credit Generators, they generate 20 Credits per wave, and 20 when initially activated.
  
• Our tiles have been optimized to be more performant.
  
• Adjusted the difficulty labeling from "Normal" and "Hard" to "Easy" and "Normal".
  
• Adjusted all Tech tooltips to be more readable.
  

Quickplay:

• Adjusted the layout of several maps to not allow for quite as easy spawncamping.
  
• Made the wave orders of several maps a bit easier.
  

Survival:

• Added a second Survival map, Islands!
  
• Updated the Survival menu.
  
• Slight nerfs to the wave order of Survival 1.
  
• Increased the cost of rerolling after wave 10.
  
• Updated the Survival "Upgrade" icons.
  

Co-op:

• Added 5 new maps! Overlap, Reach, Approach, Redirection and Last Stand.
  
• Now has leaderboards!
  
• The post-game screen in Co-op now has Rankings and per-player stats.
  
• Contextual ping moved to the Middle Mouse Button.
  
• Menu has been updated.
  
• Multiple adjustments to existing maps.
  
• Adjusted the color of Player 2 to be a lighter blue, making it more readable.
  

Balance:

• Pulseray adjusted:
  -- Damage from 12 to 14
  -- U1 damage cap from 36 to 38
  -- U3 damage from 15 to 16
  
• Blast Cannon adjusted:
  -- Damage increased from 9 to 10.
  -- U1 damage per stack increased from 2 to 4.
  
• Link Blaster U3 has been replaced:
  -- Increased damage and range, reduced firing arc. Attacks hit all Axons in range, evenly dividing the damage between them.
  
• Plasma Vent U2 Amp now lingers for 2 seconds.
  
• Target Marker U2 has been replaced:
  -- Applies a damage amp debuff that bounces to a new target when it expires. Each time it bounces, amp effect is increased. Debuff is lost if the Axon is killed while affected.
  
  
• Missile Launcher U3 damage from 10 to 12
  
• Command Link cost increased from 75 to 100.
  
• EMP Mine U2 no longer increases AoE.
  
  
• EMP Gatling U1 cooldown increased from 0.3 to 0.4. No longer reduces the amount of EMP applied.
  
• Arc Reactor adjusted:
  -- Damage increased from 12 to 16.
  -- Cooldown increased from 2 to 2.6
  -- U3 damage increased from 5 to 7.
  -- U3 damage multipler per bounce increased from 1.25 to 1.3
  
• Gravity Generator U2 has been replaced.
  -- No longer slows around it, instead links up to adjacent towers and generates a Gravity Field around them.
  
  
• Artillery adjusted:
  -- Cost reduced from 75 to 50.
  -- DoT from 8 to 4 (still over 4s)
  -- U3 impact damage to 15
  
• Cryo Beam adjusted:
  -- Cost increased from 50 to 75.
  -- Damage from 5 to 9
  -- U1 damage from 3 to 6
  -- U2 max power gain from 10 to 15
  
• Radiation Vent adjusted:
  -- Damage increased from 16 over 6 seconds, to 20 over 10 seconds.
  -- U1 percentage of max HP damage increased from 5% to 7%.
  -- U2 damage increased from 32 to 40.
  -- U3 damage increased from 32 to 45. Duration increased from 8 to 15.
  

Audio:

• A new music track has been added to the game.
  
• Tweaked one of the existing music tracks a little bit.
  
• The music now loops through the three available music tracks continuously in Survival and Co-op.
  
• A bunch of work has been done with the mixing of audio in the game to make the right sounds have priority at the right time.
  
• Reaper now has a scaling SFX based on the HP of the Axon it's hitting.
  
• New SFX have been added for starting and clearing a wave.
  
• New SFX have been added to Frag Hammer and Seeker Drone.
  
• New SFX have been added to Colossus, Infector, Cloaker, Teleporter, Repairer and Booster.
  
• New SFX have been added for Amplify and Zeus Cannon.
  

Visuals:

• Added debuff VFX for Slowed and Teleported.
  
• Some of the more advanced Axons now have a different color scheme.
  
• The Generators have been recreated with our own model.
  
• Added healing numbers for Axon healing effects.
  
• Added custom icons for most of the Techs in the game.
  
• Added a new VFX for Bosses when they lock down between waves.
  
• Added a new VFX for the Hover Jet.
  
• Added a new VFX for the Damage Aura Tower.
  
• Added a new VFX for Proximity Mine U1.
  
• Added a new VFX for Link Blaster U3.
  

Fixes:

• Fixed an issue where Tutorial 3 couldn't be progressed beyond your first upgrade.
  
• Fixed Tower Techs not working in Co-op.
  
• Fixed an issue in Co-op where reconnecting would wipe your loadout and your stats for that session.
  
• Fixed an issue in Co-op where you would be stuck waiting for 60 seconds after someone disconnects.
  
• Fixed the "Marked Tiles" Tech breaking Co-op.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could load into a Co-op game without anything in your loadout, getting you stuck in loading.
  
• Fixed Rush mode carrying over from Quickplay to Co-op.
  
• Fixed Co-op mode waiting for players that have disconnected to ready up.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could change your loadout in Co-op during countdown.
  
• Fixed the "Gain ADDs if you have no ADDs" Tech giving you an ADD every wave regardless of the condition.
  
• Fixed Colossus Mk II not exploding correctly when killed.
  
• Fixed Damage Aura Tower breaking after loading a checkpoint.
  
• Fixed EMP not affecting Carrier, Colossus and Replicator.
  
• Fixed EMP Gatling not prioritizing Axons with abilities.
  
• Fixed Orbital Cannon not always dealing damage to Colossus.
  
• Fixed Drilling Laser not having a cooldown stat.
  
• Fixed an issue where Frag Hammer was breaking Armor on the primary tile.
  
• Fixed "continue" functionality in Quickplay not always remembering your loadout.
  
• Fixed a bunch of typos and grammatically incorrect tooltips.
  

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For more updates, join our Discord!

We're proud to announce that Axon TD: Uprising will be releasing onto Early Access on Wednesday, August 2nd for $19.99! That's right, it's less than 2 weeks away!

For any of you with Special Early Access to the game, there'll be a new build tonight that unlocks the rest of the game, Campaign included. We'll post up Version 0.0.7 Patch Notes alongside it when it's ready.

For everyone else, read on to find out what you should expect from the Early Access release!

What's that inactive button on the bottom row?

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[h2]Tutorial[/h2]

Start with the basics here!

Anyone that played our previous game, Element TD 2, knows that we love making games with lots of depth. This is still true in Axon TD, but this time, we decided to make learning the game a lot easier. In general, we sought far more intuitive mechanics and tower designs. It's much less APM intensive, and you've got unlimited time between waves to figure out what you want to do.

Oh, and on top of that, there's an actual Tutorial in the game.

Now with 120% more pop-up ads dialogues!

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[h2]Campaign[/h2]

Characters and a story? In a Tower Defense? Nonsense!

One of the things we wanted to focus on in Axon TD: Uprising is to tell an actual story. No, not "a great darkness has befallen the land, and only you can stop the hoardes of minions and stop the great evil".

Instead, it's "robots have taken over the world, and only you can stop them".

In the Campaign, you play as Patricia Jones, a defense contractor that's called to Planet Mega-451 to stop a "minor incursion". Of course, things are a whole lot worse than the request let on. Your ship is shot down (spoiler!), and you find yourself stranded on a planet infested with robotic enemies called Axons.

Ignore the fancy debug options in the corner, they're not real, and neither are we.

Build up your Loadout, progress through Tech & Upgrade Trees, and tackle the first 2 Chapters of this campaign, encompassing 15 Missions. Meet other characters, learn to love/hate robots, learn to love/hate mankind, and learn some of the truth behind this war.

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[h2]Quick Play[/h2]

This may or may not be the most optimal way to handle this map. Experiment to your heart's desire!

A mode where you can skip the progression and jump right into it! Select your loadout from among the game's 32 Towers/Traps/Mines and 8 Overloads, try to beat the level, and get the highest score you can on the leaderboards! You can even turn on modifiers like Random Loadout and Rush Mode for some extra challenge.

12 Maps will be available from the start!

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[h2]Co-op Mode[/h2]

You can see (and judge) everyone's loadouts before you all ready up!

It's like Quick Play, except up to 4 Players work together to defend against the Axons on much larger Co-op maps! Coordinate with your team using contextual pings, and send resources as you need to. This mode supports maps for 2, 3, or 4 Players!

That's a big map. We're gonna need a bigger boat... or bigger towers?

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[h2]Survival Mode[/h2]

This outcome is just one of many possibilities...

Survive against 30 Waves of increasing difficulty in this Roguelite Mode. Tack on whole islands, build your loadout over time through a selection of randomized rewards, and if you beat the gauntlet, compete on the leaderboards!

If the first map wasn't challenging enough for you, there's even a second one...

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[h3]Early Access Features[/h3]

• 32 Towers, Traps, and Mines
  
• 8 Overload Abilities
  
• 25+ Unique Enemies & Bosses
  
• An actual Tutorial
  
• 15 Mission Partial Campaign
  
• 12 Quick Play Maps of varying difficulties
  
• 9 Co-op Maps that support up to 4 Players
  
• 2 Survival Mode Maps
  
• Leaderboards for Survival, Co-op, and Quick Play Modes
  
• And 34 Achievements!
  

And of course, we have plans to expand just about all of the above throughout Early Access into Full Release. Once we release on August 2nd, look forward to our Roadmap!

Wishlist the game and join our Discord!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2296550/Axon_TD_Uprising__Tower_Defense/

On Saturday, July 8th at 11:30am PST / 2:30pm EST, we'll be hosting a Developer Stream, with the focus on Co-op Gameplay! We'll be trying out a new 2 Player Map and possibly failing miserably. Check it out below:

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

Before we get into it, we'd like to thank everyone that's played our demo! We've received a ton of feedback, some of which has resulted in the changes you see below. That said, we're going to keep the demo open a while longer, even all the way up to release!

Regarding Version 0.0.6, the below only applies to Certain Influencers & Internal Testers. However, we're posting it here publicly so that you can see the latest updates, even if they're not applied to the Demo Version.

• To clarify, we will eventually update the Demo over time with updates to visuals, audio, balance, UI, and more.
  
• However, the content of it will remain as it currently is.
  

Now, let's move onto the Version 0.0.6 Patch Notes!

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General

• UI has been improved:
  -- Wave Preview can now be toggled On or Off in-game next to the minimap.
  -- You can now hover over the entrance to show the wave preview.
  -- You can now right-click the entrance portal to preview the entire wave order and get a better overview of all the Axon types.
  -- You can now view the Path Length next to the minimap.
  -- The Damage Graph button has been moved to be next to the minimap.
  
• Blockers:
  -- Blockers are now refunded if sold or placed over with a tower.
  -- Blockers now cost a Sell to sell.
  -- Blockers can no longer be Recycled.
  
• You now have 2 Sells every wave in every game mode.
  
• Added indicators for Pre-placed towers(Generators and Aura Towers), to draw player attention to them.
  
• Adjusted how damage numbers pop up, to fix overlap in instances of faster damage ticks.
  
• You can now see how much Credits and Power you get back when hovering over a deployment to Sell.
  
• You can now view the Active Techs in Replays.
  

Survival

• Upgrades are now available! Each time you play Survival, you will earn points you can invest into Upgrades. For each upgrade, you gain a negative score multiplier. These are intended to help newer players along.
  
• Several adjustments to the wave list(made it shorter and in some cases slightly easier).
  
• Added new Expands.
  
• Reduced the number of Obstacles in the starting area.
  
• Your checkpoint is now remembered between sessions.
  

Quickplay

• Added 6 new Quickplay Maps! These include Matrix, Comms Center, Foundry 07, Duality, Distraction and Network Relay. These include some new Axon types, among other things, and this is the offering we're having for Early Access. Please give us your feedback!
  
• Adjusted all of the old Quickplay maps in various ways, updating them to modern standards, as well as giving them proper descriptions and target scores for 4-starring them.
  
• Adjusted Arrival starting area.
  
• Adjusted Relic waves 7 and 12 to be slightly easier.
  

Co-op

• Added a prompt to ask you if you are sure you want to start a Co-op map without a full loadout.
  
• There should now be per-player stats at the end of a Co-op session. This is untested.
  

Visuals

• Overcharge Tank and Supply Squadron now have models.
  
• Amplify & Zeus Cannon Overloads now have VFX.
  
• Colossus is now slightly bigger, and has VFX when hit from the front.
  
• Berserker now has VFX.
  
• Adjusted the healing wave pulses on all healer units.
  
• Added trails to speedy enemies(Boosters, Speed Supply etc).
  
• Updated the Armor visual.
  
• Replicants now "materialize" when they spawn in.
  
• The Infector now has a model.
  
• Updated multiple icons with custom-made ones.
  

Audio

• Added a draft for a new in-game music track. This one has replaced the old one for now. We'll probably have rotating tracks in the next major update.
  

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue where you could overlap the entrance with an Expand in Survival
  
• Fixed Proximity Mine triggering twice on every charge.
  
• Fixed Mass Cloaker cloaking itself.
  
• Fixed an issue with replays where if the player had loaded a checkpoint it'd break it.
  
• Fixed Supply Squadron VFX not clearing upon death(not sure if these are in any levels you guys have access to, but listing it to be safe).
  
• Fixed Replicator Mk II not exploding correctly when killed(it just sunk through the platform instead).
  
• Fixed Drilling Laser and Plasmathrower continuing to play into the Main Menu if they were firing when you entered it.
  
• Fixed being able to use stat-buffing Overloads on Command Link and Portable Generator.
  
• Fixed an issue where Radiation Vent U3 wasn't consistently applying to Axons.
  
• Fixed Mines displaying incorrect AoE values.
  
• Fixed an issue where Speedy Supply would go white when damaged.
  
• Fixed numerous cases of "rotating visuals" whenever an Axon turns a corner(shoot projectiles or creep effects).
  
• Fixed linking a tower to 2 Command Links resulting in no range buff.
  
• Fixed World Engine U2 buff range not being equal to its attack range.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could upgrade a tower twice.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Replicator would keep spawning after it had died.
  
• Fixed an issue where Debuff Cleanser was removing DoT debuffs(for example Nuclear).
  
• Fixed an issue where Nuclear wasn't disabled by Infectors.
  
• Fixed the "Deals damage for every 10 tiles" Tech not actually dealing any damage.
  
• Fixed "Activate an inactive Island to gain Tiles" giving 15 tiles instead of 1
  
• Fixed "Using an Overload twice gives a Recycle" Tech not working.
  
• Fixed "Rerolling twice gives a Recycle Tile" requiring you to Reroll 3 times.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Infector's ability VFX would apply to Pre-placed towers and Blockers.
  
• Fixed an issue where the "Global Slow" Tech's damage penalty would persist after selling adjacent towers.
  
• Fixed an issue where you no longer could see the Path Length in the post-game screen.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Pre-placed tower indicator would fade in and out instead of staying persistent.
  
• A whole bunch of tooltip fixes.
  

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[h2]Balance[/h2]

General

• Flame Vent has become Plasma Vent.
  -- It no longer ignores Armor & Shields
  -- Visual updated to match
  
• There is now Plasma Damage. Plasma damage is entirely absorbed by Armor, however, it deals its full damage to Armor, and also deals double damage against Armor.
  -- Any tower that previously only ignored Armor now deals Plasma Damage.
  -- This includes Plasmathrower, Plasma Cannon, Plasma Vent, EMP Mine U2, Seeker Drone U3, and Missile Launcher U3.
  
• Nuclear, Gravity Generator and Frag Hammer no longer have "range" and therefore can not be range-buffed. They are now referred to as "area towers".
  -- Note: Orbital Cannon's range can also no longer be buffed, which shouldn't have been possible in the first place.
  
• Range buffs (like from Command Link and the Boost Range Overload) now work on World Engine, Mass Driver and Gravity Driver.
  
• Gravity Trap U1 & U3 and Target Marker U3 now count as Mines instead of Traps when upgraded.
  

Axons

• Colossus HP reduced from 500 to 450.
  
• Reduced the Mass Teleporter teleport range from 4 to 3 tiles.
  
• Reduced the movement speed of Hover Jets from 1.2 to 1.1
  

Towers, Traps and Mines

• Blast Cannon U1 has been reworked. It now applies a permanent debuff to targets when it hits them, causing them to explode for 2 damage per stack within 2 AoE when killed.
  
• Plasma Vent U3 reset window increased from 0.25 to 0.5 seconds
  
• Link Blaster U3 has been reverted to its previous functionality.
  
• Proximity Mine:
  -- Charges reduced from 3 to 2.
  -- Damage increased from 30 to 50.
  -- AoE increased from 1 to 1.5.
  -- U2 damage increased from 90 to 120.
  -- U3 AoE increased from 2 to 2.5.
  
  
• Plasma Cannon:
  -- Cooldown reduced from 2 to 1.8
  -- U1 damage increased from 10 over 5 seconds, to 12 over 6 seconds.
  -- U2 EMP duration increased from 5 to 6 seconds.
  -- U3 Amp duration increased from 5 to 6 seconds.
  
• Reaper:
  -- Base damage increased from 5 to 6.
  -- Damage cap increased from 20 to 24.
  -- U2 EMP duration increased from 5 to 6 seconds.
  
• Mass Driver:
  -- Damage increased from 50 to 55.
  -- U3 damage increased from 40 to 45.
  
• Portable Generator:
  -- U2 Power cost increased from 25 to 30.
  -- U2 attack speed increase reduced from 20% to 15%.
  
• Frag Hammer U3 no longer Breaks Shields permanently. Now removes all Shield Charges on-hit.
  
• Gravity Driver U1 no longer ignores Armor and Shields
  
  
• Inertia Blaster
  -- Damage cap is now 45 except for U3, which stays at 50.
  -- Damage gain increased from 0.3 to 0.4.
  
• EMP Gatling now deals 1 damage per attack.
  
• Orbital Cannon U3 no longer prioritizes Strong.
  
  
• Artillery impact damage is now its primary damage, and its DoT secondary.
  -- This impacts for example what part of its damage gets reduced when hitting from outside a Protector dome(now Impact).
  
• Plasmathrower base damage increased from 4 to 5.
  
• Nuclear:
  -- U3 Power Cost increased from 30 to 35
  -- Total damage from 10 to 8
  
• Radiation Vent U3 duration increased from 6 to 8 seconds
  

Overloads

• Boost Range can now be applied to every tower in the game. Instead of doubling the range, adds 2 range.
  
• EMP Blast duration increased from 4 to 5 seconds.
  

Techs

• "Gain Add and Blocker upon placing down an Expansion" Add count increased from 1 to 2.
  
• "Lives on Perfect waves" increased from 2 to 3.
  
• "Marked Tiles" damage amp now lingers for 2 seconds after leaving the tile.
  
• "Reroll for Recycle now requires 2 rerolls instead of just 1.
  
• "Deals damage every 10 tiles" damage increased from 2 to 5.
  
• "Activate an inactive Island for Credits" increased from 15 Credits to 30.
  
• "Activate an inactive Island for Power" increased from 10 Power to 15.
  

Tower Techs
Added 32 new Techs! These are what we call "Tower Techs" and specifically apply to a type of tower that you have in your loadout. These also apply retroactively to any towers you've placed down.

Currently, these only show up in Survival

• Pulseray: Ignores Shields.
  
• Blast Cannon: Ignores Armor.
  
• Link Blaster: Range increased by 1.
  
• Portable Generator: Adjacent MegaCorp towers gain 5 damage.
  
• Plasma Vent: Gains 2 bonus damage for each adjacent empty tile.
  
• Gravity Trap: Upgrade costs reduced by 5.
  
• Target Marker: Damage amp increased from 20% to 30% if the Trap hasn't been triggered for 15 seconds.
  
• Proximity Mine: Charge count increased by 1, and cooldown decreased from 20 seconds to 15 seconds.
  
  
• Plasma Cannon: Ignores Shields.
  
• Reaper: On kill, grants adjacent towers a 10% attack speed boost for 5 seconds.
  
• Sniper: On kill, any overkill damage ricochets to a secondary target.
  
• Missile Launcher: Adjacent Vex towers gain a 15% attack speed boost.
  
• Mass Driver: If it hits 3 targets or less, reduce the cooldown of the next shot by 25%.
  
• Gravity Driver: Range increased by 1.
  
• Command Link: Range buff increased by 1.
  
• EMP Mine: AoE increased by 1.
  
  
• EMP Gatling: Damage increased by 2.
  
• Arc Reactor: Increases bounce range by 100%.
  
• Gravity Generator: Deals 2 damage per second to Axons within the affected area.
  
• Seeker Drone: Deals more damage the further it is from the base tower.
  
• Inertia Blaster: Ignores Shields.
  
• Orbital Cannon: Gains 5% damage bonus per adjacent tower that is not an Orbital Cannon.
  
• Network: Adjacent Astrosys towers have their upgrade costs reduced by 5.
  
• Temporal Mine: Un-upgraded Temporal Mines instead Teleport the Axons forward, applying a 30% Damage Amp for 5 seconds.
  
  
• Drilling Laser: Ignores Armor and Shields.
  
• Plasmathrower: Deals Triple damage to Armor.
  
• Artillery: Impact damage increased by 6
  
• Frag Hammer: Increases attack speed by 10% if no other towers are within a 3x3 area.
  
• Cryo Beam: Bounces to a secondary target. Slow reduced to 75%.
  
• Nuclear: Increases the range of adjacent New Frontier tower by 1.
  
• World Engine: Ignores Armor.
  
• Radiation Vent: If the debuff expires while the target is still alive, a 10% damage amp is applied for 3 seconds.
  

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Lastly, we'd like to mention that we are close to confirming a Release Date for Early Access! We'll also be announcing the Price as well. This announcement should happen sometime in Mid-July.

For more updates, join our Discord! We'll also be hosting a Dev Stream on Saturday, July 8th. Exact time will be posted in advance on the Discord.