[h2]Hello fellow couch co-op enthusiasts and Toy Tank enjoyers, [/h2]
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[h3]We are exactly 1 week away from the full release of Toy Tanks on Steam, Wishlist the game now (It helps me out a ton)![/h3]
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[h3]For the special occasion I went ahead and updated the demo, Check it out if you got the chance![/h3]
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- The Current & Final state of the Demo (New Content Added!)
- The Full Release (Much More Content!)
- Upcoming Plans (Even More Content? - YES)
- A Massive Thank You - Personal note.
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The Toy Tanks demo has gone through a tone of changes over the years. Seriously, I posted the first version of this game back in June of 2020! Since then so much has happened - I am very grateful to have the opportunity to impact so many people. So where do we stand now at the start of Summer 2022?
The demo will now contain the entire first campaign, all 10 levels, including the first Boss! Be careful though - You may need to team up with some of your friends to take this one on! Solo player? Ohhh you'll be tested, but trust me, nothings impossible! Learn his patterns and find his opening!
The demo now contains 8 modifiers, some new, some old. For those that don't know - Modifiers are rule changes players can choose to activate for any Gamemode they like. One of my favorites so far is called Rainbow, this dastardly modifier swaps out all of the standard tanks in the level with completely random ones from all different parts of the three campaigns! And yes, Bosses can spawn too!
PvP has always been a large part of the couch gaming experience. I mean, c'mon now - Who hasn't wanted to whip their controller at a wall after playing super smash bros? Because this experience is such an important part of gaming, I really wanted to have some form of pvp in the demo so as many people as possible could give it a go!
Much like pvp a large portion of the custom level creator's content will be locked off for the demo. Yet it will still be available! Constraints breeds creativity - You can still make some really awesome levels! And for the tech savvy ones of you, you can actually edit level files directly in a text editor as I've went out of my way to make those files (That can be shared btw) as human understandable, and readable as possible!
There will be two tanks available to unlock for the demo. One you'll get by beating the first campaign's Boss(Level 1-10), the 2nd you'll have to figure out on your own - This one is a secret! Playable tanks (Both unlockable and otherwise) have their own unique quirks and abilities, try a few out and see which one works best for you :-)
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It's been a long few years but the game will finally come out on Steam for $11.99(USD) - around $9.99(USD) with the launch discount - On May 12th!
[b](30+ Levels, 15+ Types of Enemies, 3+ Bosses, Mini Bosses, 16 Modifiers, 8 Playable Tanks, 4+ Unlockable Tanks)
The campaign is absolutely packed with content, a majority of my development time was focused on handcrafted every nook, cranny, and detail of each of these levels. Each level contains unique Terrain, Hazards and of course enemies. The Terrain is suited to work well with the fluid movement(Physics) of the game - Verticality is a factor, although I do try to keep it's use reasonable haha. Hazards are also a big part of each levels design. We have nearly 10 hazards in the game! They will: Bounce, Burn, Slow, Throw, Shoot, Fling, Knockback, Damage, Disorient, and reorient you if your not careful!
(Cardboard, Black, Turquoise, Yellow, Orange, Steel, Pink, Light-Green, Crimson, Tracer, Nano, Commander... And More!)
Each standard enemy has a personality: Some are aggressive and will charge your position, some are calculated and careful attempting to keep a distance. Some try to complete some sort of side objective (Healing or Evolving), Some try to flank and surprise. No two tanks are alike, and they each interact with the players and one another differently.
(Unlockable Included: Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Quartz, Jade, Two-Shot, Gold, Amber, and *Secrets*)
I really wanted to make choosing a tank a core part of the gameplay experience. The goal was to design each tank in such a way that the strategies you used for one tank would necessarily transfer over to another - As in you'd have to relearn how each tank handles and adjust your playstyle accordingly. This allows different types of players to focus on different parts of the gameplay and incentivizes teamwork.
(3 Maps, Stocks, Timer, and additional Gamemode Modifiers - Launch Rate)
PVP will come with three different maps. A dense map with dangerous hazards, A floating island surrounded by lava, and a more open, many pathways, nothing too dangerous map. They each play very differently and require dynamic and varied strategies to remain the champion for long. Right now free for all is the only way to play, I intend on adding other sub-gamemodes to pvp in the future. One of the fun additional modifiers this gamemode makes available is Launch Rate. You can set this value to double or even triple what it is normally, greatly increasing the power of any pushing force!
(40+ Items total! Hazards, Tanks, Bosses, Blocks... etc)
The custom level creator enables to create millions of unique kinds of levels. The feature has two types of "Resolutions" that can be flipped back and forth between. You can go from making broad sweeping changes with one resolution, to really focusing on those finer details with the other resolution. An interesting quirk of the CLC is that it allows you to spawn enemy tanks that aren't on the same team as one another. This can allow for interesting multi-way fights between different teams. This can also be done for players as well, doing so actually allows players to make their own pvp/team gamemodes if they so desire!
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For the first few months or so post release I intend on supporting the game with free updates mostly revolving around adding polish, reinforcing stability, adding support for other platforms(Mac and Linux), input remapping, and other quality of life improvements. Along side this I will also be chipping away at the creation of an additional gamemode, as detailed below*
[b]Gauntlet (The semi-custom/semi-randomized rouge-like | Will be included in a free update post release)
Gauntlet was something I really wanted to make it into the game before release. But put simply, it just need a bit more time in the oven. The general idea behind gauntlet was to create something that lends itself to the chaos - Both for players and the opposition alike. Balance be dammed, this was more about players "breaking" the game as opposite to fitting inside of it. In the Gauntlet gamemode players will fight through a variety of levels featuring semi-handcrafted semi-randomized terrain, hazards, enemies, and configurations. Every so often, after completing one of these levels, the player would be taken to the shop where they could buy an upgrade or two. Improve one of your stats or take on a Gadget, kinda like a super power of sorts that changes how your tank plays. An example of a gadget would be Explosive Dashes or a Floating Jump. The tanks you'd fight against would be semi-randomly generated so they wouldn't look, feel, or fight like any of the tanks in the Standard Campaign.
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Hey again everyone, this moment is a special one for me. I've put every part of myself in this project over the past 3+ years. It's almost as if I am losing a part of myself that I've been growing and nurturing all this time. It's scary, very scary. A whirlwind of emotions, and I'm not exactly sure how I am supposed to process them.
But one thing I do know for certain is this - Thank you. Making it this far, following me along my journey, even if your just someone who played the demo for a few minutes a year ago. You are exactly what I am doing this all for, and to know I was able to generate a few extra smiles - That means more to me then words can describe. Again, Thank you. You've all given me a chance, that's not a favor I will never forget.
I started my game dev career because of a little game called Wii Play, A collection of mini games that came out in 2006 (A very hard couple of years). To keep things short and simple, my parents at the time were getting a divorce. Fights happened often, and my brother and I didn't really understand what was going on. All we saw was the outcomes, The screaming, yelling, sometimes things got physical. It was hard, it was just hard. One of the few things I looked forward too during those times was video games. One game we absolutely loved was a mini game in Wii Play, the tanks mini game to be exact. We played that game for hours, and were completely and utterly immersed in it's charm. We bonded, we healed. A core experience I share with my brother.
Since then, a lots changed - My mother passed away and My dad is still an ass-hat. But one thing that hasn't is my deep love for this medium. The desire to save someone like that game saved me. I'm only 22, and I cant say for certain, but making games may be something I want to do for the rest of my life. I'll still have to work my day job of course, but who knows. Maybe one day I truly could dedicate the time this hobby so viciously sucks away from you. But like I said, I love it. So I'll always keep trying :-)
Thanks one last time,
- Rodney
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