I believe Splinterlands Tower Defense Game (SPLTD) was the first announced, even before Genesys League Soccer.
I am not going to compare them, they are completely different, from genre to audience targeted, from developers to expected impact, and the platform they will run on.
What I'm curious about is SPLTD, since we just had the presale, which was sold out.
I heard at least one Splinterlands whale declaring his intention to go big on the presale because he loves the genre. And he probably didn't miss the opportunity to do that.
I haven't played TD games... ever. But neither did I play collectible trade card games online involving battle strategies before Splinterlands (I did collect some physical cards as a kid). And here I am now, fully immersed in the SplinterVerse.
I did check out the TD games genre when it was first mentioned.
What is the basic gameplay in Tower Defense games?
There is a map with one or more roads. Enemies come in from one side of the map (or from multiple sides if roads allow it and the gameplay is designed that way), and they use the roads to reach your home base, which is usually on the other side.
They always use the same path, very predictable, from what I saw in the videos. The only issue is in numbers. The more time passes (or the higher the level, I'm not sure), the more they come, and the harder it is to stop them.
To stop them you have to place towers strategically.
What to Expect from SPLTD?
SPLTD may or may not be like the TD games I saw in various videos. Those are interactive, and players can keep interacting with the game as enemies come in on their path. Towers can be moved (or not), traps can be set and moved, and the hero can attack wherever you want. Of course, each TD game has its rules, and you won't have full liberty in any of them, probably.
From the initial presentations of SPLTD, I think it will be more like Splinterlands, in the sense that you make your strategy before the game starts, and then it's on autopilot.
The game will be more strategic on autopilot because you can't update your strategy once you see the weak points when the hordes come in. It would probably be more exciting if one would be able to interact during the game, but that would be very difficult to build on the blockchain.
With those different towers and spells and the possibility to have combined effects of the spells, advanced strategies should be possible. But we'll see.
Will I Play SPLTD?
My first impression is that I would like the genre. What I don't particularly like is that the game seems that will be VOUCHER-intensive, meaning to be competitive one has to spend many VOUCHERs in-game. So I am waiting for more details to see how hard should I go on the game. Should I play to be competitive or for fun (if that's a viable option)? Hard to respond at this point, without further details, in my case.
How About You?
What are your plans regarding SPLTD? Do you plan to play it? Have you already plunged in hard during the presale or are waiting for more details to see how hard you want to go in?