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Guest mrchak

Element TD - The Concept

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Guest mrchak

(Please read this and post comments and suggestions, ideas of what element combinations can mean - any feedback is appreciated!!! Bear in mind this post is irrespective of the actual tower ability, only the concept behind it. This way, if tower abilities are rearranged for balance, the actual towers will still make sense.)

Edit 1,2 jun23- tower ideas expanded

Edit 3, jun23 - expanded the ideas of the cycles of elements

Edit 4 jun26 - added ideas of opposite element combinations

Edit 5 jul 2 - added some more combo ideas

Element Tower Defense

I just want to take a step back, and lay out some of the concept that originated the map, so we don't lose sight of it. This represents the theory behind the map, in my opinion, and I think that it is because of this that the map has become popular. It represents, the beauty and symmetry of the elements and their combinations.

The Elements

First off, I'd like to explain the concept and themes behind each of the elements.

Earth

Color: Brown or Orange

Themes: Bludgeoning, smashing, impacting, hard, rough, soil, rock, mineral, underground & from the ground, solid, steady

Direction: Downward

Nature

Color: Green

Themes: Plants, Animals, natural, organic, growth, healing, life & living, cycles and seasons.

Direction: Upward

* Nature was chosen instead of air or wind, though in some ways, wind and air can be incorporated into the concept of "nature." As of right now, however, this is not the case.

Fire

Color: Red

Themes: Burning, spreading, fast moving, heat, ephemeral, destruction, anger, primary agent of change

Direction: Lateral, Upward

Water

Color: Blue

Themes: Wet, Cool, liquid, quenching, cleansing, pure, powerful, hydraulic pressure, ocean, underwater

Direction: Lateral, Downward

Darkness

Color: Black or Purple

Themes: Gravity, Evil, nothingness, emptiness, fear, night, outer space, mystical, mystery, entropy

Direction: Inward

Light

Color: White or Yellow

Themes: Good, Holy, speed, distance, shining, sparkly, blinding, stunning, knowledge and wisdom, creation

Direction: Outward

The Cycle of the Elements

And now a look at why different elements dominate others.

Light defeats Darkness because darkness can only exist in the absence of light. Indeed, darkness is simply the absence of light.

Darkness defeats Water because it pollutes it. The water becomes tainted and loses its powers of cleansing and purity, becomes unclean and useless.

Water defeats Fire because it extinguishes the fire. Fire can only burn in a dry environment.

Fire defeats Nature because organic things are carbon-based, and are flammable.

Nature defeats Earth because nature is patient and powerful, it can grow through the earth, break it up, or burrow through it.

Earth defeats Light because sandstorms, dust, soot and dirt tarnish the clarity of light or can block it out completely.

(Right now I'd like to give a thank you to Kalypso for the idea for this cyclical relationship between the elements. Before his suggestion, there were no elemental attack or defense types in the game)

There are other traditions and concepts of the elements overcoming each other. In Chinese Taoist philosophy (to my very basic understanding) there are 5 elements: Fire, Earth, Metal, Water, Wood. Their relationship can be described as thus: Fire creates earth (ash), Earth bears metal, metal collects water, water nourishes wood, wood feeds fire. Alternatively, the elements overcome one another: Water quenches fire, Fire melts metal, Metal cuts wood, wood parts earth, earth absorbs water. Here's a diagram from Wikipedia.

Another inspiration for the elements is the game Chrono Cross, where there are six elements that are diametrically opposed, and there is no cyclical relationship. The elements are really just colors, but are related closely to the elements of Element TD

Red (Fire, Lava, Strength) <----> Blue (Water,Ice, Evasion)

Yellow (Electricity, Earth, Defense) <-----> Green (Wood, Wind, Accuracy)

Black (evil, gravity, Intelligence) <-------> White (Good, loftiness, Wisdom)

Element Combinations - Duals

A central idea of this game is combining elements to create something new that shares some of the attributes of the two source elements. Now lets look at the element combinations. I'm going to propose a few different possibilities of what the element combinations could mean. If I hear other possibilities or if people suggest them, I'll edit this post to have one consolidated list.

Nature + Earth

This suggests the balance between the organic and inorganic that is the basis for all land-based life.

Tower Ideas: Roots, Worm, Mushroom/Fungus

Nature + Fire

*Fire is the stronger element

This suggests some natural fire - a constantly burning fire (the Sun) is the obvious choice, since it is a huge ball of fire that is the source of essentially all life (on this planet)

Tower Ideas: Sun

Other ideas: Warmth, growth, bloom, charcoal, embers, bonfire, wildfire

Nature + Water

This suggests a refreshing and healing source of life. Alternatively it could be aquatic life.

Tower Ideas: Well, Rainfall, stream, Fish, Whale, Frog, growth, plant life, slime

Nature + Light

The combination of goodness/holiness and Nature suggests the very essence of giving life

Tower Ideas: Life, Healing, soul, rebirth, growing

Nature + Darkness

Just as in nature there is growth there is decay - nature is full of cycles. Darkness has an element of finality to it, the end of the natural cycle.

Tower Ideas: Plague, Death, Disease, Sleep, Decay, decay, rotting

Earth + Fire

Fire and earth bring to mind the idea of volcanoes, lava, magma, an untamed primitive planet that is still in its chaotic stages of development.

Tower Ideas: Lava, flame gueyser, Smoke, glass

Earth + Water

Tower Ideas: Mud, Clay, Quicksand, slippery, flexible

Earth + Light

*Earth is the stronger element

Tower Ideas: Silver, Gold, Metal, Minerals, pure material, crafted elements, glass / quartz / mica

Earth + Darkness

Tower Ideas: Technology, Machine, Coal, Iron, Erosion, underground, cave, obsidian

Fire + Water

*Water is the stronger element

Contrasting elements conjure the image of extinguished fire or heated water, the obvious choice would be...

Tower Ideas: Steam

Other Ideas: boiling, tropical, misty

Fire + Light

Tower Ideas: electricity, energy, Energy, sun, force

Fire + Darkness

Mystical, evil, powerful, angry, mysterious, Chaos, energy, force, power

Tower Ideas: Magic, voodoo, witchcraft, Candles

Water + Light

Tower Ideas: Healing, Ice, Freezing, Clean, pure, holy

Water + Darkness

*Darkness is the stronger element

Tower Ideas: Poison, Sewage/Pollution, Unclean, slime

Light + Darkness

*Light is the stronger element

Light and darkness are naturally contrasting elements. The struggle between good and evil can be seen as an epic and eternal battle, or it can be seen as a balance like the image of Yin and Yang

Tower Ideas: Harmony, moon, balance, strobe light, night, Eclipse, Shade, twilight, dawn, ghost, ethereal, immaterial

Element Combinations - Triples

In some situations a combination of three elements can be very hard to imagine, other times it is obvious. For some of these triples there are many different ways to approach it, different perspectives. Often times it is not clear when element is more powerful, and sometimes the three elements form a balance.

Darkness + Earth + Fire

*These 3 elements are equally powerful; none overpowers another

Ideas: Flamethrower (technology that shoots fire)

Gunpowder, Dynamite, rocket

Darkness + Earth + Light

*Earth > Light > Darkness

Ideas: Laser (technology that shoots light)

Darkness + Earth + Nature

*Nature>Earth

Ideas: Crypt (death from the earth), Decomposition, Oil

Darkness + Earth + Water

*Darkness>Water

Ideas: Sludge

Darkness + Fire + Light

*Light>Darkness

Ideas: Enchantment ('good' magic)

Darkness + Fire + Nature

*Fire>Nature

Ideas: Summoning ('nature' magic, something alive)

Darkness + Fire + Water

*Darkness>Water>Fire

Ideas: Acid (burning poison)

Darkness + Light + Nature

*Light>Darkness

Ideas: Undead (death / Life)

Darkness + Light + Water

*Light>Darkness>Water

Ideas: The tides (Moons + Water)

Darkness + Nature + Water

*Darkness>Water

Ideas: Drowning (death + water, a watery grave)

Earth + Fire + Light

*Earth>Light

Ideas: Metal or Gold (shiny rock, refined by fire)

Earth + Fire + Nature

*Fire>Nature>Earth

Ideas: Dinosaur (I'll admit this one is more of a stretch, I'm thinking lave + nature brings to mind the idea of prehistoric life)

Earth + Fire + Water

*Water>Fire

Ideas: Infernal (a flaming clay tower)

Mudslide tower (earth with steam / warm water)

Earth + Light + Nature

*Nature>Earth>Light

Ideas: Gemstone (This one is also a bit of a strech... the idea is that the crystalization is a natural process, you have a shiny rock that is natural...)

Earth + Light + Water

*Earth>Light

Ideas: Glacier (rocky ice)

Earth + Nature + Water

*Nature>Earth

Ideas: Flesh Golem (an organic/living clay tower)

Oasis tower (trees and water inside of a desert)

land travelling waterlife (walrus, seals etc.)

Erosion

Fire + Light + Nature

*Fire>Nature

Ideas: Nova (A bright Solar explosion)

Star (sun + Light is an even bigger sun - this was in 2.0)

Fire + Light + Water

*Water>Fire

Ideas: Storm (Lightning, Ice, Steam...)

Fire + Nature + Water

*Water>Fire>Nature

Green, Blue and Red suggest a very colorful combination.

Ideas: Rainbow (a natural phenomenon that need the sun and water, or steam)

Tropical rainforest (hot, steamy, plants and animals)

Parrot, bird of paradise

Light + Nature + Water

*These elements are equally powerful

Ideas: Hail (a natural ball of ice)

Mammoth (An animal that lives in the ice. this was in 2.0)

Well (Pure, Refreshing, Life giving, Good, holy...)

There are many other ideas for these combinations. Please shout them out and I will add them to this list.

Triple-Element Opposite Towers

This is a concept that I'm just considering now. Basically, each triple tower theoretically has an opposite tower that shares no elements. The opposite towers may have similar abilities, but the nature of the two towers should be more or less diametrically opposed.

Some of these are not really true opposites, some are. Maybe thinking about the element combinations in terms of opposite triple towers can help encourage some additional brainstorming.

Here are the 10 opposite pairs:

DEF - Flamethrower, Gunpowder, Rocket, dynamite (Man-made, hot) / LNW - Hail, mammoth, well (Natural, Cold)

DEL - Laser (Man-made, white-light) / FWN - Rainbow, Tropical Rainforest, Birds of Paradise (natural, colorful)

DEN - Crypt, decomposition, oil (underground, passive, dark) / LFW - Storm (in the sky, active, bright)

DEW - Sludge / LFN - Nova, Star

DFL - Enchantment / ENW - Flesh Golem, Oasis Tower, Land-traveling waterlife, Erosion

DFN - Summoning / LWE - Glacier

DFW - Acid / ELN - Gemstone

DLN - Undead / EFW - Infernal, Mudslide

DLW - Tidal / FEN - Dinosaur

DNW - Drowning / FEL - Metal, Gold

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Guest MasterTenor

Light+Darkness: Eclipse Tower (can switch between light and dark damage -- the difference between a solar and lunar eclipse)

Earth+Water+Fire: Mudslide tower (earth with steam / warm water)

Earth+Nature+Water: Oasis tower (trees and water inside of a desert), or a form of land travelling waterlife (walrus, seals etc.)

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We don't have decided upon an exact tower distribution yet, so we need flexible sollutions. I'll try to provide my version of the themes that can be used for about any type of tower for the given elements.

(Unfinished)

(Edit 01, duals continued.)

Lists of all 2- and 3-element towers as of 3.0

   ldwfne
1 ++     ld Moon
2 + +    lw Ice
3 +  +   lf Electricity
4 +   +  ln Life
5 +    + le Gold
6  ++    dw Poison
7  + +   df Magic
8  +  +  dn Death
9  +   + de Tech
10   ++   wf Steam
11   + +  wn Well
12   +  + we Clay
13    ++  fn Sun
14    + + fe Lava
15     ++ ne Root

   ldwfne
1 +++    ldw Tidal
2 ++ +   ldf Enchantment
3 ++  +  ldn Undead
4 ++   + lde Laser
5 + ++   lwf Storm
6 + + +  lwn Hail
7 + +  + lwe Glacier
8 +  ++  lfn Nova
9 +  + + lfe Metal
10 +   ++ lne Gem
11  +++   dwf Acid
12  ++ +  dwn Drowning
13  ++  + dwe Sludge
14  + ++  dfn Summoning
15  + + + dfe Flamethrower
16  +  ++ dne Crypt
17   +++  wfn Rainbow
18   ++ + wfe Inferno
19   + ++ wne Flesh Golem
20    +++ fne Dino

Duals

For balancing reasons, no dual is allowed a mayor game winning effect.

dl - Shade, twillight, dawn, ghost, etheral, immaterial.

Damage: Weakening, ageing, fear, cripple.

Single target slow: Fear, distraction, illusion, weakening.

Special effect: Transform, ethereal form, weaken.

lw - Clean, pure, holy.

Damage: Holy strike, cleaning.

Single target slow: Command.

Special effect: Blessing, cleaning, strengthen.

lf - Energy, sun, force.

Damage: Lightning, magic, beam of light.

Single target slow: Shock, taser, blind.

Special effect: Power up, energize.

ln - Life, nature, rebirth, growing.

Damage: Overpower, choke, pain.

Single target slow: Spores, root, choke.

Special effect: Growth, strenghten.

le - Minerals, metal, pure material, crafted elements.

Damage: Cutting, sting, bash.

Single target slow: Blind, hook, chain.

Special effect: Improve, complicate, refine.

dw - Unclean, poison, slime.

Damage: Venom, mist, choke.

Single target slow: Poison, sticky.

Special effect: Cover, stick, befoul.

df - Chaos, energy, force, power.

Damage: Energy strike, ripple, blast.

Single target slow: Bend, force field.

Special effect: Magic, energize, enchant, dispell.

dn - Death, decay, rotting.

Damage: Rot, corrode.

Single target slow: Slime, ageing, fear.

Special effect: Age, terror.

de - Erosion, underground, cave,

Damage: Bite/strike like an underground creature, clobber.

Single target slow: Fear, pressure, blind.

Special effect: Hide, shade, protect, cover.

wf - Steam, boiling, tropical, misty.

Damage: Heat, steam, boil.

Single target slow: Weaken, feaver.

Special effect: Growth, blind.

wn - Rain, growth, plant life, slime.

Damage: Rain, vine strike.

Single target slow: Sticky, entangle.

Special effect: Growth, strengthen, refresh.

we - Muddy, slippery, flexible.

Damage: Splash, pressure, club.

Single target slow: Slide, quicksand, sticky.

Special effect: Cover, forming, adhere.

fn - Warmth, growth, bloom.

Damage: Heat, flame.

Single target slow: Feaver.

Special effect: Strenghten, growth.

-

Damage:

Single target slow:

Special effect:

More to come.

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Guest Ubernuber

Is the idea to redesign all towers, replace a couple specific towers, or just see if someone comes up with cooler ideas than what is currently there? The justifications for the current towers are largely convincing.

I was under the impression the next version only did some rebalancing of over/underpowered towers?

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Guest mrchak

Just wanted to come up with a bunch of ideas just in case any of the towers have to be replaced. I'd be surprised if more than 25% of the towers are changed significantly... but regardless, I think its a healthy exercise to take a step back once in a while.

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This could add some balancing and stuff, and it is youst an idea, so please any comments are god.

In order to stay some changes in all the towers, the fire could have a fast spreading attack (becuase the fire spreads.) using moon glaive.

One of the single target attack towers could hit several towers in one shoot, using barrage. ( single tower means light, nature, darkness)

Ideas for N+D is like cisz said have it change attack type, an extended idea for this is having the tower attack with darkness if it is night, and have i attack with light in the day.

In the midnight the tower could get double damage for a period and in the "mid"day it could get double speed.

W+D could be frost nova tower, But very short speed reduce and change nova to a more watery nova, my suggerstion is using Naga building death animation. and have the tower using darkness damage.

E+D could be another summoning tower (rock golems,)

More ideas coming soon. . .

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