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Defend the Highlands - Released

Discussion in 'Works In Progress - Archive' started by Ronald_McScotland, Oct 20, 2014.

  1. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Now available on Steam - http://store.steampowered.com/app/374830/

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    Defend the highlands is a humorous strategy/tower defense game about a Scottish pub owner whose pub is invaded one day by a bunch of drunken Irish, English and Welshmen. He enlists the help of his patrons to fight off the invaders in a highland pub brawl where high-velocity bowls of porridge are the weapon of choice.

    After that, he goes on a tour of Scotland to kick the invaders out of several other iconic places, including Loch Ness, Stirling Castle and many more, using a variety of wacky and highly Scottish weapons, from haggis catapults to porridge cannons.



    The Combat System

    The core mechanic of the game is the strategic use of defensive positions. These come in two types. Firstly, cover positions, which simply provide protection against enemy projectiles. These are found around each level, and can also be built by the player. Enemy ranged units will also make use of these for protection.

    Secondly, there are emplacements, which as well as providing cover, also provide offensive capabilities. They aren't found in the levels, and must be built by the player. They are more expensive and have fewer hit points than cover positions, so need to be placed carefully and well guarded. Emplacements are only of use if they have a Scotsman manning them.

    The Recruitment System

    New Scotsmen will spawn on the edge of the map at a rate determined by how many men you have playing bagpipes. Any Scotsman can be ordered to play the bagpipes. However, Scotsmen can't fight or operate emplacements while playing the bagpipes, so bagpipe players need to be well defended.

    Each Scotsman uses up porridge at a fixed rate. The more Scotsmen you have, the faster you'll go through porridge. You can get more porridge by ordering Scotsmen to harvest oats. Oat fields are scattered throughout each map, and are important points to defend, to ensure a full porridge stockpile.

    If you run out of porridge, Scotsmen will gradually begin to desert, so it is important to balance the number of men playing bagpipes with the number of men harvesting oats.

    The Command System

    Scotsmen can be selected by clicking or dragging a box around them, and ordered to move, attack or take cover by right clicking on the target or destination.

    Newly spawned Scotsmen will automatically find an unoccupied cover position or emplacement and move there. They will fire on any enemies that come in range, and fight in melee with any that get too close.



    Any feedback or questions would be much appreciated:)
     
    Last edited: Dec 29, 2015
  2. primus88

    primus88

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    This looks really fun!
    Can;t wait to see more.
     
  3. ensiferum888

    ensiferum888

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    Man I wish I had this kind of creativity when thinking of a game concept. It seems I can only copy major genres.

    This is great I love the idea. Keep it up I want to play this!
     
  4. -Singularity-

    -Singularity-

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  5. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Thanks guys, I'll keep you updated. I'm aiming to have a demo available in December.
     
  6. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    I'm getting pretty close to having a playable demo ready. In the meantime, here's a spotlight on some of the defenses you can build in the game.

    The Porridge Cannon

    The porridge cannon fires a spray of hot porridge over a short distance. It therefore excels at defeating enemy melee units approaching your line. At the further end of its range, it is also a good way of whittling down the health of closely packed groups of enemies. It is less effective against enemies in cover, and has a narrow arc of fire, so is vulnerable to enemies approaching from the side.

    The Golf Tee

    The golf tee is very long ranged and accurate, perfect for sniping enemies long before they get close enough to attack. It excels at taking out long ranged enemies in cover, and can easily hit a moving target. It has a wide arc of fire, allowing it to target almost any enemies in range. However, it provides little defense against incoming projectiles, making it vulnerable to ranged enemies who get close enough.

    The Haggis Catapult

    The haggis catapult fires exploding haggis which do devastating area damage. They are long ranged, and their trajectory allows them to fire over buildings and other obstacles that no other weapon can. They are perfect for bombarding the enemy from a distance, especially when they are clustered together. However, it can't fire on enemies once they get too close, and its low accuracy makes it poor for defeating individual enemies.

    The Turnip Turret

    The turnip turret rapidly fires turnips at the enemy. Its mediocre accuracy makes it very much a spray and pray weapon, perfect for mowing down nearby enemies or large groups, but poor at hitting enemies in cover. It is very expensive and easily destroyed, so must be placed carefully and well protected. However, when used well, it can be the most devastating weapon in the game.

    The Cheese Wheel Station

    The cheese wheel station allows Scotsmen to roll giant cheese wheels downhill, which crush any enemies in their path. Their range is limited only by how far they can roll before being stopped by an obstacle or running out of momentum. When placed well, they can deal a heavy toll on enemies ascending a hill. When placed poorly, they can be useless, or worse, can even kill your own men if the lay of the terrain causes the cheese wheels to roll into your own positions.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2015
  7. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Now for an overview of the enemies.

    The Irish Potato Thrower

    The Irish potato thrower is the enemy's most basic missile unit, who as the name suggests, attack by throwing potatoes. They will also utilize cover if it is available, which makes them much more difficult to fight.

    The English Cricket Player

    Cricket players excel at taking out your defenses. They bowl a highly accurate cricket ball as they approach, to take out the Scotsman manning a defensive position, and then use their cricket bats to destroy it. Fortunately, they are expensive for the enemy to recruit and have less health than other enemy melee units.

    The Welsh Rugby Player

    To celebrate a recent victory, the Welsh rugby team have decided to invade Scotland. They are the most powerful enemy melee unit in both health and attack. However, they have no interest in destroying your defenses, only beating Scotsmen to a pulp.

    The Leprechaun

    Leprechauns are the only enemy that doesn't attack. Instead, they steal your gold, if allowed to reach one of your Scotsmen.

    The Ancient Briton Warrior

    Ancient Briton warriors are fast, cheap, and can attack Scotsmen and defenses alike. They have low health, but can still easily overwhelm you with numbers.

    The Posh Englishman

    Posh Englishmen are the slowest and lowest health enemy in the game. But don't be deceived, they can lob a teapot over a surprising distance, which can shower multiple Scotsmen with scalding tea when it smashes.

    The Welsh Sheep Rider

    Sheep riding is the second most popular sport in Wales, after rugby. Their woolly steeds allow these Welshmen to move very quickly around the battlefield. They will attempt to ride in behind your defenses, where they can hit your men from behind with cheese on toast.

    The Beefeater

    England's finest, and most slow moving soldiers, the beefeater's gun is slow firing and inaccurate, but packs a punch. The high damage makes them especially dangerous to your hero characters. They will have a hard time hitting Scotsmen in cover, but can easily one-shot-kill anyone in the open.

    I've also started a facebook page for the game, so check it out if you're interested - https://www.facebook.com/defendthehighlands

     
    renman3000 likes this.
  8. Chemaxmax

    Chemaxmax

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    It's so funny :D I need to play the demo!!!
     
  9. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Wait no longer folks, you can get the demo here - https://www.dropbox.com/s/rtant21l88fbin0/Defend The Highlands Demo.zip?dl=0

    Would love any feedback anyone's got. I've included a feedback form with some questions if you want to use that, but you don't have to, just let me know what you think here.

    It's still beta at the moment, so there might be some bugs or glitches. If you notice any, let me know.

    If you like the game, you can follow the facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/defendthehighlands
     
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2014
    Haseeb_BSAA and foomanchu1989 like this.
  10. renman3000

    renman3000

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    It wont open (in Unity) buddy!
     
  11. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    It shouldn't open in unity, it's a standalone. You should just have to run Defend the Highlands.exe to play it.
     
    ensiferum888 likes this.
  12. renman3000

    renman3000

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    I'm on a Mac.
    :(
    My Scottish blood is bummed.
     
  13. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Oh, I should have thought of that. I'll make a Mac build when I get back from work today.
     
  14. renman3000

    renman3000

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    Right oh mate!
     
  15. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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  16. Chemaxmax

    Chemaxmax

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    I played the demo and I like it ;) I'm working so I cannot spend so much time playing. I'll play it again this weekend or maybe earlier :D
     
  17. Philip-Rowlands

    Philip-Rowlands

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    I gave it a try last night, and while I only finished the tutorial, it's brilliant! That said, I think the camera should be able to rotate to the left/right, allowing more perspective of the battlefield.

    I also have a suggestion for the Potato Thrower: perhaps you could create a mini-boss version for the later levels which throws flaming bottles of poitín (AKA the Irish version of a Molotov cocktail).

    *Makes note to continue playing tonight*
     
  18. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Thanks guys. You actually can rotate the camera by holding the middle mouse button and moving the mouse. One of the things I will be changing in light of some other feedback I've gotten is to make the tutorial have a controls section where it only progresses once the user has used the control being explained. At the moment it does say it in the text box, but it doesn't check that the user has actually done it, so you probably just missed that instruction.

    I have toyed a little with the idea of boss characters, so I'll keep that in mind. At the moment I want to focus on getting the game finished and well polished by my deadline, but if I finish with time to spare that's certainly a feature I'd consider adding.
     
  19. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    The Levels

    I'm aiming for 20 levels in the finished game. Here's a preview of the 5 levels I've done so far.

    The Wee Bevvy Pub (Tutorial Level)

    The Wee Bevvy Pub is where the invasion first strikes. Alfredo has to rally his Scotsmen to defend against waves of Irishmen and Englishmen. It is a fairly simple level, but a wise Scotsman will make use of the raised balcony to hit the invaders from above.

    Skanky Sporran Village

    Skanky Sporran is a small village in Northern Scotland. The gaps between houses provide useful points to fortify, and the flat roof of the local deep fried Mars bar shop is a handy vantage point from which to attack approaching enemies.

    Highland Glen

    This tranquil glen is nestled among the rocky hills of the Scottish highlands. The player begins in a good defensive position, but in order to secure additional oat fields, will have to venture out into a low lying area where the enemy stationed on the ridge above will have a distinctive advantage.

    Porridge Farm

    There is plenty of porridge to be had here. Unfortunately, frequent cow stampedes charge across the recently plowed field, killing any Scotsman who gets in their way. On the upside, they will also trample down approaching enemies if the player hangs back.

    Stirling Bridge

    The bridge will funnel enemies into a narrow killing area which is easily defended. However, most of the oat fields are on the other side, so a wise Scotsman will venture out to stockpile resources, and only fall back to the safety of the bridge as a last resort.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2015
  20. gamadgames

    gamadgames

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    Nice, I hope that one day i can also make such great models.
    I am definately going to play this when it comes out.
    Do you work alone or have you/this game a team of developpers?
     
  21. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    It's just me working on this, for about 6 months now. At some point I'd like to find someone who's good at animation who could do some better animations (I really suck at animation). In return I'd be able to do some 3D modelling or scripting for their project - just throwing it out there in case anyone's interested :D
     
  22. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Sorry it's been so long since I posted. I haven't been able to do a lot over the summer because of work, but I can show you the current progress of another 3 levels.

    Bonnie Golf Course

    The level where the player unlocks the golf tee. The openness of the level means the player will need to defend a wide front, but also makes it easy for Scotsmen to pick enemies off from afar with golf balls.

    Loch Ness

    Nessy lurks beneath the water, ready to do her part for Scotland. If the player lures the enemy close enough to the water, Nessy will emerge to gobble them up.

    Hadrian's Wall

    Hadrian's wall may seem deceptively easy to defend. However, there are many breaks in the wall, and points where the enemy can climb up, and once the player loses control of the wall, they will have a very difficult time getting it back.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2015
  23. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Sorry it's been so long, but now that the holidays are over and I'm not working full time anymore, the updates should be more frequent again.

    I've been doing a lot of unit stat balancing lately, so not really much I can show. I have made some more levels as well though, so here's some previews.

    Stirling Castle

    A huge army of enemies are on their way. The player will have to venture out to stockpile porridge while the attacks are only light, and fortify the castle as heavily as they can. Once the main force arrives, they will have to fall back to the castle, and hold out against the onslaught with what they've stockpiled, and hope it will be enough.

    Sherwood Forest


    Robin hood joins the Scotsmen, to provide some much needed long range support. In this level, the enemies spawn on all edges of the map, instead of just one like in other levels. The player will need to be prepared to face an attack from any side.

    English Hamlet

    Alfredo and his Scotsmen take the fight to the enemy's lands. The old stone walls on the outskirts of the town provide ample cover, and the streets give plenty of tactical areas to fortify - if the Scotsmen can withstand the barrage of teapots that the Englishmen bring to bear against them.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2015
  24. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    A short video of the level Cheese Wheel Hill
     
  25. ensiferum888

    ensiferum888

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    You're making very good progress it's astounding! I love the English Hamlet level.

    What are your plans with distribution? Steam, GOG, free? I know I'd pay for that game you definitely have something!
     
  26. primus88

    primus88

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    I love the gameplay!
    One thing I would like to be changed is the map size.
    I think it will be much easier to manage the units since there is no minimap and shortcuts / army controls.
     
  27. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    What I'm thinking of doing is having a free and paid version of the game, with the only difference being that the paid version allows for more upgrades to your units. Players of the free version can upgrade at any time to unlock more upgrades. It's what I see as a good compromise between the free to play and premium models. This isn't set in stone though.

    I probably don't know as much as I should about publishing and marketing games yet, so that's something I'm still not fully decided on. I'd like to try my luck submitting it to some indie publishers, but failing that I'd self publish. As I said, I don't know a lot about this, so if anyone has any experience with publishing, I'd be very grateful for your wisdom.

    It's interesting that you say that, because I did consider having a minimap, but decided the maps probably weren't big enough to need it. Then again, I'm so familiar with the game now that I probably don't realize that the maps can be a bit unwieldy to other people, so it's good to get some outside feedback on that.

    I've done some experimenting with map sizes (and indeed the game contains some maps that are larger, and some that are smaller), and found that with the smaller maps, you can really only have 15 or so Scotsmen before it starts getting silly. If I place enough oat fields to allow for more than that, it basically turns into the player just sitting static while they mow down the horde of enemies. The larger maps require the player to spread themselves more thinly, and the battle lines become more dynamic. Also, this allows for a lot more Scotsmen, which makes the game feel more epic.

    So, I don't really want to decrease the map sizes, but I'd definitely consider introducing some additional elements to make it easier to manage the larger maps, such as a minimap, and perhaps some unit highlighting options. I have also gotten some feedback suggesting I should increase the maximum zoom level, so you can get a birds eye view of the battlefield, so that's another thing that would help the player to manage their forces.

    But yeah, thanks for your feedback guys, I really appreciate it :)
     
  28. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    A few more levels I've finished since the last update

    Ruined Chapel

    As the Scotsmen push further into the English countryside, they come across the ruins of a medieval chapel. While they are inside, the English forces surround them and launch an attack from all sides. The Scotsmen will have to use the cover provided by the ruins to their advantage if they are to survive the onslaught.

    Coal Mine

    The Scotsmen take a detour from their conquest of England to attack a Welsh coal mine. The echoed bleating of sheep from the depths of the mine announce the arrival of a new foe - the Welsh sheep rider, who charge into battle armed with deadly slices of cheese on toast.

    Canal

    The Scottish and English forces come to another standoff, their positions divided by one of England's many canals. The only way across is to clamber over the roofs of the constantly moving canal boats that pass by.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2015
  29. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Okay, I'm drawing into the last few months of the game's development. All the levels are done (although I haven't shown you all of them yet), and I've only got a few more features I'd like to implement.

    Testing is really valuable to me now, so please download the beta demo and give me some feedback (I'll gladly reciprocate if you have a game that needs testing by the way).

    Now, here's some shiny new pictures of some of the levels toward the end of the game

    Stonehenge

    The Scotsmen arrive at Stonehenge, with their enemies hot on their heels. Queen Boadicea of the Iceni tribe judges the Scotsmen to be worthy allies, and joins them to fight off their enemies, who descend upon them from all sides. Fortunately, the ancient standing stones provide a brilliant fortification, and the surrounding grassland provides no cover for the enemy. The British will need sheer numbers to succeed...

    Buckingham Palace

    The Queen wakes up one morning to find her palace besieged by an army of angry Scotsmen. She sends her loyal retainers out to do battle, and to be mown down by volleys of oat based projectiles. The Scotsmen will have to be careful of ranged enemies who will use the balconies to fire down upon them.

    White Cliffs of Dover

    The Scotsmen reach the Southern shore of England, victorious in their conquest... or so they thought, until they noticed the British Navy's flotilla of ships, ready to retake England. The British land on a patch of beach nestled among the famous White Cliffs of Dover. The Scotsmen are in for their biggest fight yet, as thousands of displaced Britons make a last ditch attack to reclaim their homeland.
     
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2015
  30. gamadgames

    gamadgames

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    very nice levels, good job. (maybe) it's better to make the texture of the palace out of stones or something. The texture is (in my opinion) much better if you make more details at the walls.

    ~Gamad

    ps: sorry for my bad english.
     
  31. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Thanks for the feedback Gamad. Now you mention it, the palace walls do look almost like a flat color from a distance. I'll try sharpening the texture, and if they still look to flat, I'll change the texture.

    ps: your English is actually pretty good :)
     
  32. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Time for y'all to get better acquainted with our hero, Alfredo.

    Alfredo: Portrait of a hero

    Alfredo is the owner of the Wee Bevvy Pub in Northern Scotland. He's lived all his life in Scotland, and is very patriotic.

    His peaceful life is shattered one day when he learns that a group of drunken Irish, English, and Welshmen are on their way to his pub. Drunken Scotsmen are perfectly okay, but nationalistic Alfredo won't suffer any other British folk vomiting on his floor. He enlists his local patrons to help defend the Wee Bevvy Pub from the invaders, and so his adventure begins.

    Alfredo fights by throwing bottles of Whiskey, and smashing them over the heads of anyone who gets too close. He is a balanced, all rounder, with good ranged and melee attack strength, and decent health.


    Alfredo, leading his Scotsmen into battle.

    Alfredo is an inspirational leader, and his determination is all that holds the mission together. As such, his life is of paramount importance. The player will have to ensure that Alfredo survives each level, or the Scotsmen will abandon their cause in despair. However, Alfredo possesses great fighting ability, and the player will need to use this in order to succeed.

    Alfredo is the first of four hero characters in the game. Over the next few updates, I'll be showing you some of the other hero characters and telling you of their abilities.
     
  33. -Singularity-

    -Singularity-

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    I played through the first level. I like it.

    The humour element is key I think, and tied in well to the core theme. Keep playing on that and you could have a winning formula!

    Did you record the voiceovers yourself? They're good. I expect you're already planning it, but I'd definitely try to rope in some friends for variety.

    Maybe a few beers and then get the mic out for authenticity :)
     
  34. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Yeah, I've done them all myself for now, but I've got a bunch of other people organized to re-record some of them. Got a guy who does a great Irish accent.

    Thanks for playing.
     
  35. Chemaxmax

    Chemaxmax

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    I've played it again after a long while and I completed the first level. It's awesome! :D But I can barely understand the voice played in the tutorial because I'm not an English speaker :( By the way, you should play the "Scotland the Brave" song once when scots play their bagpipes because of the overlaping.
     
  36. Sydious

    Sydious

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    Yes just want to chime in and say it's awesome to see a different take on tower defense. Something about the cheese rolling down the hill that makes this idea special to me! Keep up the good work! Keep that creativity flowing!
     
  37. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Thanks guys for the feedback. Hehe, the cheese wheels are one of my favourite parts too :D. I've got another two towers in the works at the moment which I'm really excited about, but I won't say any more until I've got some pictures to show.

    I've had a few people say this. I sort of intended for them to play out of sync to add the the whole "bunch of drunken Scotsmen" image. In fact, I randomize the play speed of each Scotsman deliberately to make them go out of sync. Do you find the out of sync music annoying? If people find it annoying I might add an option to synchronize the bagpipe music.

    Now, allow me to present William Wallace


    Alfredo's band encounters William Wallace attempting to hold off a force of Brits who are trying to cross Stirling Bridge (level 7). The Scotsmen join forces with William Wallace, and defeat their foes. William Wallace then takes them to Stirling Castle (level 8), where they defeat an even larger besieging force.

    William Wallace is the most powerful melee unit in the game. His sword attacks damage every enemy within range, unlike other units who only attack one enemy at a time. This makes him perfect for beating back hordes of enemy melee units. He can also attack at range by throwing rocks at enemies heads, although his range and fire rate isn't as good as the other hero characters.

    Unlike Alfredo, the player doesn't lose if William Wallace dies (and they get him back at the start of the next level anyway, as with all the other hero characters).
     
  38. Chemaxmax

    Chemaxmax

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    I find it annoying :( You could play a "Scotland the Brave" drunken version instead :D
     
  39. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Time for the next hero. This time it's Robin Hood.

    As an outlaw, wanted by the English authorities, Robin Hood makes a natural ally for the Scotsmen as they push their way into English territory. He joins them in the Sherwood Forest Level (11).

    He has the longest range and greatest accuracy of all the hero characters, but fairly low health, so should be kept away from danger. His range and accuracy is comparable to that of the golf tee. However, unlike the golf tee, he can move around at will, making him much more versatile.

    He is of greatest use to snipe long ranged enemies such as the teapot thrower, and to provide supporting fire for the Scotsmen on the front line.

    On an unrelated note, I've added a menu option to synchronize the bagpipe music for those that find the out of time music annoying.
     
    Last edited: Apr 25, 2015
  40. gamadgames

    gamadgames

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    Wow, great work!

    It's really fun to see that you can get special new heroes if you are by a special level.
    For the last hero, maybe are the hands a little to low poly.
    With the others it isn't annoying, but with Robin Hood you focus on his hands if you are shooting, just maybe just a little more detail (but thats just my opinion ;) )

    Keep up the great work!

    ~Gamad
     
  41. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Yeah, it does look a bit weird in that screenshot. These hero pictures are a lot more zoomed in than you'd be in actual gameplay, to illustrate the hero characters. During actual play you'd mostly be zoomed out like in the level pictures I posted earlier. This is why I went for the low-poly mitten style hands, since at that zoom level you wouldn't see the individual fingers anyway.

    Thanks for your comment, and for following my progress. I really value the feedback you (and everyone else) is giving me :D
     
  42. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

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    Queen Boadicea

    Queen Boadicea ruled the lands of South-Eastern England before the Romans invaded and displaced her people. Now, she has the opportunity to ally herself with the Scotsmen, and together reclaim her lands. Boadicea joins the Scotsmen on the Stonehenge level (17).

    Queen Boadicea is an expert at ranged combat, able to throw her spear accurately at a long distance. Her shield can deflect enemy projectiles, enabling her to engage in missile combat with enemies for much longer than the other hero characters. However, she isn't as strong in melee, so her ideal combat situation is one where she is in the thick of a ranged battle, but protected from enemies getting close, either by terrain or supporting units and towers.
     
  43. andrewjason

    andrewjason

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2013
    Posts:
    24
    Great work! looking forward to the finished result!, two things: possibly improve the textures on the palace, and since it's a cartoony/humor style, have you considered using toon shaders on some things?
     
  44. gamadgames

    gamadgames

    Joined:
    May 31, 2014
    Posts:
    141
    At first (still) good work! but maybe is the grass a bit to long. I dont know how it is in the scottisch higlands but in the netherlands the grass is maybe by our knees, but than is the grass already to long. So maybe you should fix that ;)

    Keep up the great work!

    ~Gamad
     
  45. LeftyRighty

    LeftyRighty

    Joined:
    Nov 2, 2012
    Posts:
    5,148
    Whisky => Scottish
    Whiskey => Irish
     
  46. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Posts:
    174
    So many replies... Let me respond one by one.

    andrewjason: Thanks for stopping by to look at my game, I really appreciate it. I agree that a toon style would work better for this game. I think I'd need to change a lot of the textures as well as shaders though, and I'm quite close to my deadline, so I'm going to leave it as is now. If I were starting this project today, I'd definitely go with more of a toon style (The main reason I didn't is laziness - much easier to get a photo texture off CGTextures than hand paint a toon one :p). I have updated the texture on the palace by the way, just haven't uploaded a new image yet.

    gamadgames: Yeah, the grass is certainly unrealistically long. The problem is the smaller each grass plane is, the more planes you need to achieve the same appearance of grass density, which can send performance downhill. I'll certainly have a go at adjusting the grass size and density and see if there's a better balance between size and number of grass planes than I have now. Thanks for keeping an eye on my game:)

    LeftyRighty: You're absolutely right. I didn't know that until now. Thanks for saving me from a dreadful mistake:oops:

    And while we're on the subject of whisky, let me present the newest defense:

    When a Scotsman mans the whisky bar, he constantly drinks whisky, and vomits. This gradually expands a poisoned area around the bar, which damages any enemies that pass through it. The longer the bar is manned, the larger the poison area gets, until it reaches its maximum size (which can be upgraded). When the bar is destroyed or the Scotsman manning it leaves or is killed, the poison area shrinks away.

    The whisky bar excels at defeating melee enemies, particularly those without the ability to destroy towers. However, it doesn't provide much protection from ranged enemies, so it needs support from other towers.
     
  47. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Posts:
    174

    The bagpipe artillery is the ultimate in targeted obliteration. The player can use it to call in a whisky Molotov cocktail airstrike anywhere on the map. It takes a while to charge, but can be devastating on grouped enemies, and very useful when there's a pesky enemy who's out of reach of your other defenses.

    Unrelated plug: I've updated the IndieDB page with some new, beautifully composed screenshots (like this one). Be sure to check out http://www.indiedb.com/games/defend-the-highlands
     
  48. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Posts:
    174
    A wondrous day indeed. The official trailer is here
     
  49. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Posts:
    174
    My company's website is now live :D (finally). If anyone whose actually any good at web design has any criticism, I'd love to hear it. Otherwise I'll be starting to submit my game to publishers next week :D

    The website is www.kiltedcamel.com
     
  50. Ronald_McScotland

    Ronald_McScotland

    Joined:
    Jul 30, 2014
    Posts:
    174
    Just another update since it's been a while. Been doing a lot of testing, tweaking etc. Not much to report... Oh, except that we've scored a publishing deal :D

    KISS Ltd from the UK have agreed to publish Defend the Highlands. We're aiming for 25th July release date, and yes, we'll be on Steam.

    (sorry if I sound smug, but I'm totally stoked about this:p)
     
    Mister-D and gamadgames like this.