Axon TD: Uprising News

At long last, Version 1.1 has arrived! Its major features include PvP Mode, Skins, & Stats Profile. And as per usual, it comes with a bevy of balance, fixes, and other updates. Check out our video overview for the quick rundown, and below is our full notes!

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• Added PvP Mode!
  • Is played in 1v1.
    
  • You start with 30 lives and 3 pre-selected Defenses and see who can survive the longest, or who has the most lives left when the game ends.
    
  • You can also play it with the same random loadout, or a completely random loadout for both of you.
    
  • You can send Axons at your opponent. This costs Credits. The quality of Axons you can send increases as you send more.
    
  • If your sent Axons are killed, your Credits are refunded during the wave. If they leak on the opposing side, those Credits are lost.
    
  • If you leak, you get free spawns. These do not contribute to upgrading your Axons.
    
  • This mode features 4 different maps and has 4 wave lists that it randomizes between.
    
  • Various Defenses have had their base costs adjusted for this mode to be more viable.
    -- Note: You can play this mode solo by starting a lobby with only one player. The opposing player will be replaced by a bot.
    
• Added 3 Skins for each Defense. You unlock them by completing achievements.
  
• Added a Profile page! This can be accessed from the top-right corner in any menu (click your name or portrait). You can view your stats, achievements, and equip tower skins from here.
  
• Added the ability to draw lines on the grid by holding down Ctrl + Left-click.
  

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[h2]EMP Rework[/h2]
EMP no longer completely shuts down Axon abilities. It instead reduces their effectiveness by 50%.

Affected Axons

• Repairer: Reduces healing amount to 16 + 0.75%.
  
• Spectre: Revives with 37.5% HP.
  
• Cloaker: Duration reduced to 1.5 seconds.
  
• Infector: Duration reduced to 2 seconds.
  
• Protector: Damage reduction reduced to 20%.
  
• Regenerator: Healing reduced to 2 + 0.25%.
  
• Adv. Reparier: Healing reduced to 50 + 0.75%.
  
• Replicator: Replicant HP is reduced to 50%.
  
• Teleporter: Tiles teleported reduced to 3.
  
• Architect: Duration reduced to 3 seconds.
  
• Carrier: Hover Jet HP is reduced to 50%.
  
• Colossus: Takes 50% damage from the front.
  
• Disruptor: Attack speed reduction reduced to 12.5%.
  
• Mass Cloaker: Duration reduced to 1.5 seconds.
  
• Mass Teleporter: Tiles teleported reduced to 1.5.
  
• Medivac: Reduces healing amount to 22.5 + 0.75%.
  
• Overcharge Tank: Boost reduced to 160%.
  
• Reverser: Temporal time reduced to 1.5 seconds.
  
• Scarab: Nano Scarabs spawn with 50% HP.
  
• Scarab Lord: Scarabs spawn with 50% HP.
  
• Linked Squadron: Reduces healing amount to 10 + 0.25%.
  
• Supply Tank: Reduces healing amount to 2.5 + 0.25%.
  
• Vanguard: Taunt duration reduced to 3.
  

Unaffected Axons

• Berserker
  
• Scout
  
• Sentinel
  
• Nano Scarab
  
• Squadron
  
• Transport
  
• Booster
  
• Hover Jet
  
• Juggernaut
  
• Replicant
  
• Skipper
  
• Avenger Squadron
  
• Adv. Transport
  
• Lifter
  
• Marauder
  
• Purger
  

[h2]Survival[/h2]

• Lowered HP multipliers across the board.
  
• Added the ability to remove a Defense from your loadout at wave 30.
  
• Adjusted waves 18 and 19 on Blank Canvas to stand out a little bit less in terms of difficulty.
  

[h2]Axons[/h2]

• Marauder base HP reduced from 210 to 200.
  
• Reverser base HP reduced from 160 to 150.
  
• Reverser ability cooldown increased from 10 to 12s.
  

[h2]Defenses[/h2]
Arc Reactor

• Global Upgrade no longer increases bounce range.
  
• U3 damage reduced from 18 to 16.
  
• U3 bounce damage multiplier reduced from 1.35 to 1.3.
  

Artillery

• Impact damage increased from 8 to 9.
  

Axon Factory

• Global Upgrade EMP duration increased from 5 to 6.
  

Catapult Mine

• Range increased by 1.
  

Cryo Beam

• Base damage increased from 9 to 10.
  
• U1 damage increased from 5 to 6.
  

Drilling Laser

• U3 upgrade cost increased from 25 to 30.
  
• U3 AoE damage increment per second increased from 4 to 4.5.
  

Duplicator

• Duration increased from 12 to 14s.
  
• U1 duration increased from 15 to 18s.
  

Electron Launcher

• U2 EMP duration increased from 1 to 2s.
  

EMP Gatling

• EMP Max duration increased from 4 to 6s.
  
• EMP duration applied per shot increased from 0.75 to 1.2s.
  

EMP Mine

• Now deals 20 damage when triggered.
  
• U2 damage increased from 30 to 40.
  

Energy Saw

• Base damage increased from 6 to 7.
  

Frag Hammer

• Base damage increased from 90 to 100.
  
• U3 damage increased from 45 to 55.
  

Inertia Blaster

• Base damage increased from 8 to 10.
  
• Range increased by 0.5.
  
• U3 Power cost increased from 25 to 30.
  
• U3 no longer loses damage per shot, it is now per kill.
  

Link Blaster

• Base damage increased from 10 to 12.
  
• U3 damage increased from 12 to 14.
  

Network

• U3 Credit Cap per wave reduced from 36 to 30.
  
• U3 Credit Cap increase per U3 Network tower reduced from 6 to 5.
  
• U3 no longer generates Credits from Squadron units.
  
• Global Upgrade reworked. Every 2 Network towers in the chain, up to 8, now increases the base damage by 1 and cap by 1.
  

Plasmathrower

• U2 and U3 damage increased from 14 to 15.
  
• Global Upgrade damage bonus against Armor reduced from 250% to 200%.
  

Plasma Cannon

• U2 EMP duration increased from 5 to 6s.
  

Plasma Vent

• U3 Power cost increased from 25 to 30.
  
• U3 now has a damage cap of 12 damage per second.
  

Reaper

• U3 upgrade cost increased from 25 to 30.
  
• U3 base damage increased from 20 to 24.
  
• Global Upgrade EMP duration increased from 3 to 4s.
  

Seeker Drone

• U2 stun duration reduced from 2 to 1.5s.
  

Target Marker

• Maximum damage cap reduced from 2000 to 1500.
  

[h2]Overloads[/h2]

• Boost Range now increases range by 1, but is active for the entire wave.
  
• Hypercharge duration increased from 6 to 8s.
  
• EMP Blast Duration increased from 6 to 7s.
  
• Nuke base damage increased from 60 to 70.
  
• Radiation Cloud DoT damage increased from 6 to 7.
  
• Zeus Cannon Damage ratio increased from 20% to 25%.
  
• Zeus Cannon Overload Tech bonus increased from 20% to 25%.
  

[h2]Techs[/h2]

• Scaling Economics reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: Placing down a Defense reduces the Credit cost of the next Defense of the same type, up to a cap of 6.
  -- New: When placing down a Defense, reduces the Credit cost of the next Defense of the same type within the same wave by 3. Up to a cap of 12 Costs reset every wave.
  
• Feedback Loop reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: Gain 1 Power for each upgraded Defense, up to a cap of 10 per wave.
  -- New: If you did not sell this wave, gain 3 power for each Defense you upgraded at the end of the wave. Up to a cap of 12.
  
• Cheaper Traps reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: Reduces the Credit cost of traps by 4.
  -- New: When placing down a Trap or Mine, each adjacent Trap or Mine of a different type reduces the Credit Cost by 3.
  
• Just a Scratch reworked and has been reenabeld in Survival:
  -- Old: Axons take 10 damage when they spawn in.
  -- New: Axons take 10% additional damage within 5 range of the entrance.
  
• Bonus Sell Charges reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: Gain 2 extra Sell Charges each wave.
  -- New: Gain an extra Sell Charge and 10 Credits when leaking.
  
• Trap Master reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: Reduce Trap and Mine upgrade costs by 5%.
  -- New: If a Trap or Mine has been active on the field for 5 waves, reduce its Upgrade Costs by 5 Power.
  
• Elite Killers reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: +1 Credits when an upgraded Tower gets a kill, up to a cap of 30 per wave.
  -- New: If you didn't Sell this wave, each Defense you upgrade gains +10% Damage for the duration of the wave.
  
• Blocker Exchange reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: +1 Blocker when you sell a Tower, Can only trigger once per wave.
  -- New: When a Blocker is consumed, gain +8 Power. Can only trigger once per wave.
  Note: Other Techs that consume Blockers are pre-requisites for this Tech showing up in Survival.
• Sentinel reworked and has been reenabled in Survival:
  -- Old: +2 Credits per unupgraded Tower kill. Up to a cap of 30 per wave.
  -- New: Every 5th kill from an unupgraded Tower gives +2 Credits, up to a cap of 20 per wave.
  • Note: This means that any one tower needs to score 5 kills individually to trigger the bonus once. Also, for Network, this doesn't count if ANY of the Network Towers in the chain are upgraded.

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[h2]Audio[/h2]

• Added a new music track to the game.
  
• Updated most of the music tracks in the game.
  
• Added a sound effect for the contextual ping in Multiplayer
  

[h2]Visuals[/h2]

• Each manufacturer now has a unique fade-in animation when built
  
• Improved Start/Exit Portal visuals
  
• Teleport Portals now show up as yellow and have a teleport visual
  
• On Leak visual updated
  
• Updated colorizations on several Defense upgrades, including Pulseray, EMP Gatling,
  
• Frag Hammer jet trail improved
  
• Link Blaster U2 now has a cable glow to connected Towers
  

• Fixed an issue where the Backtrack Overload would end prematurely if cast shortly after a path change took place.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Plasmathrower Global Upgrade wasn't working.
  
• Fixed an issue where Hypercharge only worked on the first attack on Frag Hammer.
  
• Fixed an issue where Portable Generator U1 was listing range instead of AoE.
  
• Fixed an issue in Co-op where some Techs weren't cleared properly and would persist into the next game session when pressing continue.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Sniper Global Upgrade ricochet could bounce to cloaked units.
  
• Electron Launcher's range can now be buffed past its Global Upgrade cap.
  
• Fixed an issue where Axons that couldn't be EMP'd triggered EMP Mines.
  
• Fixed an issue where the game could freeze if you had spawners/splitters on maps with a checkpoint or teleporter.
  
• Fixed an issue with the total damage graph.
  
• Fixed a tooltip error in regards to Portable Generator's Credit cost cap.
  
• Fixed an issue where the "Feedback Loop" Tech was granted as soon as it was picked up.
  
• Fixed an issue where Duplicator clones did not get affected by adjacency buffs.
  
• Fixed an issue where Scarabs, Replicators, Carriers and Transport units would not get the HP multiplier applied to them after being spawned.
  
• Fixed the Game Over stats overlapping the Multiplayer chat window.
  
• Fixed an issue where Astrosys' "create a tile under the placed Defense" Tech didn't allow for placing anything else on it after the tower that created it was sold.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Astrosys Tile Tech allowed you to place tiles outside of the available play area.
  
• Fixed an issue where some waves on Two Sides only spawned on one side.
  
• Fixed an issue where the localization string for the Two Sides map in Survival was incorrect after switching language.
  
• Fixed an issue where Nuclear U3's debuff indication didn't track past portals.
  
• Fixed the Zeus Cannon Overload Tech not affecting the HP percentage value.
  
• Fixed an issue where the Reverser warning message wouldn't pop up properly.
  
• Fixed Reverser not listing its "healing" mechanic in its description.
  

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Lastly, you can now buy the official soundtrack! It contains 20 tracks, by our composer Nick DeJohn. As noted in our patch notes, every track has received a mastering pass, making the music truly shine. Check it out!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/3431320/Axon_TD_Uprising_Soundtrack/

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That's it for Version 1.1! We hope you enjoy the PvP Mode, as well as the many other additions to the game. If you're looking for strategies and players, you can always join our Discord. Let us know what you think of it!

We're just under two weeks out from Version 1.1, which contains:

• PvP
  
• Profile
  
• Skins
  

Today, we're giving you a quick preview of the latter two!

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[h2]Profile[/h2]
Turns out the devs lack any stats! We're just ghosts.

Need more stats in your life? Behold, for we have all the stats! Your level is in the top-left corner, which is based on the number of Achievements you've completed.

On the bottom are three tabs. This one is the Game Stats tab. Next to it is your Achievements, which is the same menu as before, just bundled into the Profile. And the last tab is...

[h2]Skins[/h2]
Unlocking is done per Defense, as opposed to per skin.

Every Defense in the game now has 3 Skins! Don't want all-yellow MegaCorp Defenses? Now mix and match per Defense at will!

For every 2 Achievements you achieve, you get an Unlock Point. Select a Defense, and you'll have all the Skin options for that Defense! There is no pay-to-unlock for Skins.

Here's a couple examples:


[h2]Public Alpha[/h2]
Reminder, you can check out everything in 1.1 early, as soon as right now! We've updated the Alpha a considerable amount in the past weeks, refining PvP Mode, doing final balance tweaks, and more! To try it out:

• Right-click Axon TD: Uprising in your game library
  
• Select Properties
  
• Select Betas
  
• From the Beta Participation dropdown menu, select "alpha - Public testing"
  
• You'll then have access to the Version 1.1.alphas!

Let us know what you think of it on our Discord in the #axon-alpha channel.

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[h2]Release Date[/h2]
We're almost there! Version 1.1 releases on Friday, January 24th! Look forward to a video overview with our patch notes as well.

[h2]Version 1.1[/h2]
First up, release date is moving from December to January 24th. However, included in this update will be:

• PvP Mode
  
• Player Profile
  
• Skins
  • These will be unlocked through in-game means, not paid

It's got its own banner!

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[h2]How PvP Works[/h2]

[h3]Loadout[/h3]
The first thing you'll do in PvP is choose your Loadout. You choose 3 Starting Defenses and 2 Overloads. Note, you can't see what your opponent chooses.

• Also, your starting Defenses are Bans. Hypothetically, you and the other player can select the same Defenses, but if you don't, those Defenses will never show up for your opponent throughout the game.

The Lobby looks a little different...

[h3]Maps[/h3]
The mode currently has three map "layouts". That is, each layout has some degree of randomness:

Procedurally generated maps? In Axon TD?

[h3]Sending Axons[/h3]
Like Survival, you'll unlock Defenses over time, though it's a bit expedited, as you'll unlock Defense Upgrades at a faster rate. Maze your side, connect to Generators... and Send Axons. It's a new button on your UI.

It's a tech tree for Axons! Are those Bosses at the end?

How it works is, as you send Axons, two things will happen:

• Every two of the same Axon you send will Upgrade it. The cost is raised by 5 Credits, but it gains Armor, or Mk 2, and eventually even Shields.
  
• Send enough of one Axon in a tree, and you'll Unlock the next tier of Axons in that branch.
  

There's also a default wave order. If you don't send anything, this will spawn. But if you do Send Axons, it'll get mixed into the wave order.


[h3]Other Notes[/h3]
We're still working on improving the UI so it tells you these things, but some things to consider:

• End-of-wave Rewards are mostly identical.
  • The Defense Upgrades may be different, but you and the opponent are given the same New Defense choice, Tech choice, and same distribution of Credits/Adds/Power.
    
• You get Credits back for Axons you send when they're destroyed.
  • However, you don't get the Credits back when they leak.
    
• Each life you lose gives you a Free Send. These won't progress the Axon Tech Tree, but you can send something back without cost!
  
• Some Defenses cost less in PvP than other modes. This should help make most builds viable!
  

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[h2]PvP Alpha[/h2]
To try out the PvP Mode, follow these steps:

• Right-click Axon TD: Uprising in your game library
  
• Select Properties
  
• Select Betas
  
• From the Beta Participation dropdown menu, select "alpha - Public testing"
  
• You'll then have access to the Version 1.1.alphas!

Let us know what you think of it on our Discord in the #axon-alpha channel. We'll be posting up patch notes soon. You'll also be able to find people to play against in there, so hop on in!

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That's it for today's preview! As we get closer to Version 1.1's release, expect to see a couple more previews detailing other aspects of the patch. In the meantime, we hope you'll try out the alpha, and let us know what you think of the PvP Mode!

[h3]General[/h3]

• Made some tweaks to the camera in the Campaign overworld map.
  
• Increased the camera pan speed.
  

[h3]UI[/h3]

• The tower you currently have selected to build will now flash in the build bar at the bottom of your screen.
  
• Made the grid just slightly more visible.
  

[h3]Audio[/h3]

• Adjusted volume on Network towers and fixed their attenuation.
  

[h3]Fixes[/h3]

• Fixed an issue where Axons would stay cloaked for the duration of the EMP applied to them.
  
• Fixed an issue where loading a checkpoint in a solo co-op game would reset the game options.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Vex near Exit Tech that would cause it to reset on loading checkpoints.
  
• Fixed an issue where Axon Factory and Plasmathrower Damage-over-time fields were not being properly cleared due to an interaction with Purger.
  
• Fixed an issue with Reverser reversing again when updating the path after being lifted by Lifter.
  
• Fixed an issue where some achievements were not retroactively checking their conditions for completion.
  
• Fixed an issue with the "Non-optional" achievement not visually tracking progress properly in the achievements menu.
  
• Fixed an issue in the Map Editor where Traps and Mines could break the path upon loading the map.
  
• Fixed an issue where Purger would break Nanite Nest's functionality.
  
• Fixed an issue where Command Link wasn't applying its range bonus to Electron Launcher.
  
• Fixed an issue where Command Link U1 would count unconnected towers when applying its range buff.
  
• Fixed an issue with the Pulseray U1 calculation, resulting in an erroneous attack speed cap.
  
• Fixed an issue where Arc Reactor wasn't applying the bounce range increase from its global upgrade.
  
• Fixed an issue where Blockers were still counting towards Orbital Cannon's global upgrade.
  
• Fixed the Meta Tech "Conservative" not working at all.
  
• Fixed an issue where you could not place down Blockers if your Credits were below 0(shouldn't happen in the first place).
  
• Fixed the Radiation Cloud Tech missing an icon.
  
• Fixed an error when Axons are destroyed.
  
• Fixed an error when placing down Axon Factory on an invalid node.
  

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FYI, expect to see a post from us soon updating you on the state of PvP and its intended release date.

[h2]Fixes & Improvements[/h2]

• The Co-op Menu can now be used to access Co-op Campaign. Alternatively, you can still access it the original way through the Campaign menu.
  
• M36 in the Campaign no longer requires Hard Difficulty to achieve its optional objective.
  
• Added a SFX for Lobby Ready. This also triggers in-game in Co-op for the first person to hit Play.
  
• Added a SFX for Lobby Countdown Beep.
  
• Added a SFX for activating a Preplaced Tower.
  
• Added a subtle SFX for transitioning between screens.
  

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Also, we've become aware of an issue affecting our NA & EU servers, preventing some people from playing online. We're still trying to track down the actual issue and fix it; in the meantime, if you are one of these people, try switching to one of the other regions. We apologize for the inconvenience, and hopefully, we'll have it fixed soon!