Gem Miner TD News

[p]Oh man. The past few days have been some of the most anxious of my life. So many emotions I didn't think existed. This passion project that my brother and I have been working on for 4 years is finally out and I cannot believe it. What a crazy journey it has been![/p][p][/p][h2]1.0 Full Release content[/h2]

• [p]60+ Gems to experiment with[/p]
• [p]9 miners with unique unlockable starting augments[/p]
• [p]80+ Augments to customize your strategy[/p]
• [p]Vault feature to choose any augment from any miner when lv 10[/p]
• [p]4 Maps with 2 Game Modes and 40 Waves[/p]
• [p]50+ different Mobs to challenge your defenses[/p]
• [p]Endless mode if you literally want to break the game[/p]
• [p]Run Modifiers to farm Blue Dust for all the skins[/p]
• [p]21 Miner skins (might include your favorite creators!)[/p]
• [p]4 map themes to unlock (play maps on any map's visuals)[/p]
• [p]Leaderboards for each map and game mode, for difficulty and damage score[/p]
• [p]18 Steam achievements that challenge your playstyle[/p]
• [p]Run Save system (so you can farm endless to wave 999... actually don't do that)[/p]

[p]And more...[/p][h2][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]What makes Gem Miner TD unique[/h2]

• [p]Most TDs make you build around a path. In Gem Miner TD, you dig the path.[/p]
• [p]The Gems ARE the Towers: There are no generic turrets. You mine for 60+ different Gem Towers that can be merged and upgraded.[/p]
• [p]Insane Synergies: Stack buffs and combine 80+ Roguelike Augments to create wild power spikes. Break the game![/p]
• [p]Unique Lose Condition: Enemies attempt to grab your Miner and drag them into the lava.[/p]
• [p]Endless Replayability: 50+ mob types, 4 maps offering completely different tower defense experiences, and 9 different Miners (classes) keep every run fresh.[/p]

[p]The demo will stay available, so tell your friends to give it a try![/p][p]💎 PS. Go grab the Forehead Foreman Miner skin in-game for just 1 Blue Dust! (That’s the in-game currency you earn every run, no microtransactions here.) Inspired by my declining hairline… thanks, Gem Miner TD![/p][h3][/h3][h3]What's next[/h3][p]🎯 Tower Defense Fest on Steam: March 9–16!
We might be cooking up something special for it… so stay tuned![/p][p]“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”
Gem Miner TD will continue in active development! Got a fire idea for a gem, an augment, or even a map? Share it with us on Steam Discussions or in our Discord server! And please leave us feedback and a review, it means the world to us![/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]A huge thank you to all the supporters, playtesters, demo players, and content creators covering the game... every single one of you! Appreciate you being part of this journey ❤️
- iFeral (& Sakethur)[/p]

[p]Demo has received a huge update, packed with improvements, balancing tweaks, new visuals and new features like run saving system. Also includes a new Gem that buffs all starter Gems in the map and a few augments, like Slow Aura for your miner![/p][p]Plus, we’re kicking off the first leaderboard season: Pre-Season, available now on the demo. Leaderboards have been wiped.[/p][p]Go explore and see what’s new! Enough about the demo update, lets talk about the release.[/p][p][/p][h2]The release is packed with content![/h2]

• [p]60+ Gems to experiment with[/p]
• [p]80+ Augments to customize your strategy[/p]
• [p]9 Miners, each with unique starting Augments[/p]
• [p]Vault feature to choose any augment from any miner when lv 10[/p]
• [p]50+ different Mobs to challenge your defenses[/p]
• [p]4 Maps with 2 Game Modes and 40 Waves[/p]
• [p]Run Modifiers[/p]
• [p]Endless mode[/p]
• [p]Miner skins and map themes to unlock[/p]
• [p]Steam achievements[/p]

[p]Every map changes the gameplay drastically, offering endless replayability with all Gem and Augment combinations.[/p][p][/p][p]The game will launch at $12.99 USD (with dynamic pricing that make it cheaper in some regions) and will feature a 20% launch-week discount for the first seven days.[/p][p]Release doesn't mean the development will end, more features are planned. Thank you for this crazy journey and for all the support![/p][p]-iFeral[/p]

[p]Massive demo update is here! But first, an important announcement.[/p][p]The original release date was December 12, 2025.[/p][p]After a lot of thought (and reading tons of your amazing feedback), I’ve decided to postpone the release to January 20, 2026.[/p][p]🗓️ New Release Date: January 20, 2026
(Mark your calendars, or just hit that Wishlist button and let Steam do the work!)[/p][p]I’ll be honest, with all the recent coverage, excitement, and feedback, things have gotten a little overwhelming… in the best possible way. Reading, analyzing, and replying to all your feedback takes a lot of time (who would have known, right?).[/p][p]I might be a perfectionist, but this isn't just me tweaking pixels for another month. I want to make sure I'm actually listening to all of you and that the game you've been waiting for is worth the wait.[/p][p]So please, let me cook just a bit longer! 🍳[/p][p]And come throw your ingredients to the Discord channel! (or email, post to Steam discussion channel or comment here! I want to hear it!)[/p][p]Rest assured, there’ll be a big launch discount! And btw, this absolutely does NOT mean that there will be no free content updates after release![/p][p]Thank you all for your patience, feedback, and incredible support.[/p][p]Now, on to those patch notes… 👇[/p][p][/p][h2]🌟 New Features in Demo v0.320[/h2]

• [p]Starter Gem loadout customization - Change what starter Gems you can discover when mining and placing blocks and how that affects all the merges you can create![/p]
• [p]Leaderboards system - activated in a few days if there are no problems populating it! Collecting your highest difficulty and score runs already.[/p]
• [p]Encyclopedia added - browse all Gems and Augments in the main menu.[/p]
• [p]Core, Aid and Archetype Augment Selection - New specialized Augment Selections appear on specific waves! Core for utility abilties, Aid to heal your miner, recharge abilities or fill your starter Gem loadout, and Archetype to change how you discover Gems when you are done mazing![/p]
• [p]Roguelike Timeline Tracker - Visual "map" showing your run progression with upcoming waves and Augment Selections![/p]
• [p]3x Speed Option - Fast-forward through waves even faster.[/p][p][/p]

[h2]Gem & Ability Changes[/h2]

• [p]Aquamarine - Now buffs itself for 1% Fire Rate per adjacent water tile at wave end[/p]
• [p]Serpentine - Shoots 3 projectiles, damage reduced by 66%[/p]
• [p]Chalcedony - Buffs now apply on wave end[/p]
• [p]Iolite - Activates on first attack instead of wave start, added visual effect[/p]
• [p]Fluorite - Ability can only be placed directly on gems and follows the target if moved[/p]
• [p]Gems and Miners can now have up to 3 abilities simultaneously[/p]
• [p]Stealth detection separated from attack range with new indicator (Pearl, Nacre, Pyrite, Chalcedony, Moonstone, Fluorite, Iolite reveal stealth at 3 range)[/p]

[h2]New Augment[/h2]

• [p]Synthesizer - Starter Gems gain a Gem Ability to combine with another Gem of the same type and level. The combining Gem also gains a permanent buff (+0.25 Range)[/p]

[h2]Balance & Gameplay[/h2]

• [p]Crowd Control Diminishing Returns - CC effectiveness scales down after expected travel time, reaching zero at 3x duration[/p]
• [p]Damage check wave HP now properly scales with mob HP stat[/p]
• [p]Damage check supports values up to int64 (over 9 quintillion)[/p]
• [p]Final boss wave improvements to make leaderboards more fair[/p]

[h2]Quality of Life[/h2]

• [p]Reposition abilities now show transparent ghost image of the gem being moved[/p]
• [p]Copy Cat can't target Traps anymore and places copied gems randomly around the Miner[/p]
• [p]Abilities can now be used during augment selection[/p]
• [p]Merge button updates interactivity without reopening UI[/p]
• [p]Range indicators update correctly when checking merges[/p]
• [p]Tooltips and merge info panels now have opening animations[/p]
• [p]Better visibility for stealth detection and attack ranges in Frozen Trail[/p]

[h2]UI Improvements[/h2]

• [p]Tag icons added for detector, slow, stun, debuff, anti-air, and AoE[/p]
• [p]Icon backgrounds added to gem and miner ability buttons[/p]
• [p]Improved gem list sorting and navigation[/p]
• [p]Enhanced gamepad navigation throughout menus[/p]
• [p]Font fixes and improvements[/p]

[h2]Bug Fixes[/h2]

• [p]Fixed rare error where mobs at spawn point deal damage instantly[/p]
• [p]Selector correctly updates after repositioning gems[/p]
• [p]Copy Cat description clarified[/p]
• [p]Malachite and Serpentine bounce descriptions corrected (5 bounces, not 3)[/p]
• [p]Various tutorial fixes[/p]
• [p]General UI and tooltip improvements[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]As always, your feedback is very much appreciated![/p][p]From worrying no one would care about my game to seeing so many players enjoying the demo, and even content creators covering it, it’s honestly beyond words. Thank you all so much for understanding, the incredible support and for all the wishlists! 💎[/p][p]-iFeral[/p]

[p]The biggest demo update yet brings new systems, content, and visuals to Gem Miner TD just in time for Steam Next Fest and Finnish Games Week![/p][p]🚨 Release date locked in: December 12, 2025 January 20, 2026!
Mark your calendars (or save yourself the trouble and wishlist now!)[/p][p][/p][h3]🌟 New Content[/h3]

• [p]NEW Miner: Pathmaker
  Places blocks that stop flying enemies but let projectiles pass, opening new maze-building tactics.[/p]
• [p]NEW Meta-currency: Blue Dust
  Earned from bosses, waves, difficulty, and victories, used to unlock Miners and skins![/p]
• [p]NEW Augments:[/p]
  • [p]Venomcap – boosts poison damage.[/p]
  • [p]Extra Bite – +1 action per wave.[/p]
  • [p]Waterforge – turns water tiles unpassable for the flying mobs.[/p]
  • [p]Power Circle – increases AoE size.[/p]
  • [p]Egg-celerate – when a Gem gains a permanent buff, it has a 10% chance to gain an additional buff.[/p]
• [p]Procedural Map Generation:[/p]
  • [p]Lava Cave and Frozen Trail now feature slightly random layouts for more replayability.[/p]
• [p]New Synergy Visualization: Easily see which augments synergize with each other![/p]
• [p]New Map Backgrounds: No more black void! All maps now feature proper themed environments.[/p]

[p][/p][h3]⚙️ Gameplay & UI Improvements[/h3]

• [p]Aura towers and Hematite scale AoE visuals with AoE size.[/p]
• [p]Tutorial improvements.[/p]
• [p]Added logic to prevent drawing augments with no compatible gems.[/p]
• [p]Downgrader buff: downgraded gems gain +25% fire rate.[/p]
• [p]Spelunker’s starting augment is now Transposer (reposition starter gem).[/p]
• [p]Second starting augments unlock earlier (level 2 → was 3).[/p]
• [p]New gem chance level-up visualization.[/p]
• [p]Improved Victory/Defeat screens, tooltips, popups, and loading screen.[/p]
• [p]Enhanced merge animation with smoke effects and animated Start Wave button.[/p]
• [p]Scroll through the 6 upcoming Miners — exclusive to the full version! 👀[/p]

[hr][/hr][p]💎 Start mining, earn Blue Dust, and unlock the Pathmaker. Your next favorite Miner![/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for all the support and wishlists![/p][p]-iFeral[/p]

[p]Take it easy with a brand-new "Reforged" game mode, perfect for a more relaxed run to learn all Gems the game has to offer. Plus, meet Serpentine, the latest Tier 3 Gem, pushing the demo’s roster to 38 Gems![/p][h2]New Game Mode: Reforged[/h2][p]A more casual, laid-back way to play. Use coins to merge Gems. Get coins by taking down mobs, mining and placing blocks and from choosing Gems.[/p][p][/p][h2]New Tier 3 Gem: Serpentine[/h2][p]Poison, bounces between up to 3 mobs. Ability: Reposition (once per wave). On Wave End: Absorbs non-Enchant buffs from adjacent Gems.[/p][p]Bringing the total to 38 Gems in the demo. Imagine the release version of the game![/p][p][/p][h2]Customizable themes are coming![/h2][p]The same way you will unlock skins to your Miners, you will also unlock Themes so you can play any map with any tileset you want![/p][p]Stay tuned![/p][p]-iFeral[/p]