Toy Tanks - Version: 12.30.21

Plans for the future

Thank you to everyone who make 2021 an incredible year for me. I finally graduated university, got my first real job, and somehow got my passion project Toy Tanks in front of all of you. I cannot understate how much this means to me, thank you - thank you - thank you!

Toy Tanks will officially launch on Steam(and Itch.io in some form) sometime between March & May 2022. Toy Tanks v1.0 will include 30+ campaign levels, 3+ boss battles, 5+ mini boss battles, 8+ playable tanks, 4-player local co-op support, 3 Player vs Player focused game modes, 1 co-op oriented survival game mode, 10+ game mode modifiers for the campaign, secret levels, secret unlockable tanks, a player tank progression prestige system, and a campaign completionist system. All of these things are guaranteed to be present in the 1.0 release of Toy Tanks.

Some nice-to-haves: Online Multiplayer, A Custom Level Creator, Custom Level Sharing, A Binding Of Isaac Inspired Game mode, A Fourth Campaign(10 additional levels). None of these features are guaranteed but would make a great addition to the experience I am trying to create. Some of which are actually being quietly worked on whenever I have a bit of in-between time. 

The Demo

Moving forward the demo will contain 14 levels from the final game. Extra features like secrets, unlockables, modifiers, Player vs Player content, and other appropriate content will be locked off for the final game. You will still be able to play a sizeable chunk of the campaign experience with up to 4-players completely for free. We may add some additional content to the demo here or there,  When we decide to do so I will announce it on a devlog. 

The Details

30+ campaign levels: The campaign experience is broken down into 3 campaigns(Cardboard Castles, Tabletop Towers, & Painted Piers). Each campaign will contain 10 levels. Also within each campaign will be secrets entrances that will bring you to hidden levels. These levels may offer the opportunity for the player to unlock some hidden content such as a playable tank, or just be a big fun boss for you to take down. Each campaign will also feature a boss battle, these levels will feature tanks with more complex behavior, terrain elements, and multiple phases. Mini boss battle will also be scattered throughout, these will be a bit less complex then the end-of-campaign boss battles but will still offer a significant challenge to the unprepared. 

8+ playable tanks: You will start the game with 4 playable tanks available to you(Sapphire, Emerald, Ruby & Quartz). The first three will represent your three basic playstyles: Tank, Warrior, and Rouge. Sapphire can take the most damage, Emerald can deal the most damage, and Ruby is the fastest of the bunch. Quartz offers a different kind of play style as it feature a new gadget for players to master. Each new tank the player unlocks will have different properties and unique abilities. 

3 Player vs Player focused game modes: The first game mode that focuses on PVP would be the classic Team Fight game mode. A group of players vs another group of players. Free for all include. The second game mode is capture the flag. Players will need to go from one side of the map to the other and back again to score points. Getting hit will drop the flag, you'll have to work with your teammates to successfully capture the enemies flag. The third is what I am calling "Sumo".  No shooting is allowed, your on a small platform surrounded by water, with the goal being to push the other player off the platform to their doom. Very fun and hectic. Each of these game modes will include a custom made maps to ensure fair and fun gameplay across the board. 

1 co-op oriented survival game mode: The specifics of this game mode are still being hashed out. But basically the idea we have right now is that you playing on a larger level, bigger then one screens space worth of room. And the game mode is broken down into rounds. Each round you'll be attacked by a wave of enemies, you need to destroy those enemies in order to complete the round. Once the round is completed players will be able to upgrade various aspects of their tank in order to keep strong against the ever-growing enemy hordes. I'll keep you updated on this as new information gets nailed down. 

Game mode modifiers: Game mode modifiers will be available in every game mode to varying degrees. They will modify the experience to add variety to whatever experience the player is looking to have. An example of a modifier for the campaign would be something like: Bouncy Tanks - All tanks get tossed around more easily; Or something like Elites Only - All tanks are replaced by their elite variants. These modifiers can be mixed and matched so players can craft the sort of experience they are looking to have. 

Player tank progression prestige system: As you play the tanks you play with will gain experience. Once a certain amount of exp is gained that tank will "Evolve" or "Prestige". The tank will reach it's final form unlocking a new property or ability to play around with. This progression will happen naturally as players play the game and can be ignored if needed. Some tanks may have special conditions that must be met in order to finalize this evolution. I'll leave that for the community to discover.

Campaign completionist system: As your playing each level the game will track your performance in the form of "Heat". You current "Heat" value will always be displayed in the top right hand corner of the game screen. Harder difficulties will be less forgiving with this value. At the end of the level this value will be used to determine the number of Stars the player will get for the level. 1, 2, or three. The game will also record and display the players time they received for their best run. To complete the game in full, players will have to beat every level on hard with three stars. And if that's not enough, players can always work to lower their time. This is no easy feat, Currently I cant say that three stars for every level is even possible as I have not achieved so myself. Email me a screenshot if your able to do this. 

In Closing 

This was an awesome year for me as a game developer but also as a person. I am going to do my very best to make this game something I'd want to play. Something that people can make memories with. Thank you all again for the support. I will continue to update everyone as things progress. Have a happy new year!

Join the discord: https://discord.gg/xnv5eKCb

Wishlist the game on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1345440/Toy_Tanks/

Email me: rodneyluckhurst@gmail.com

- Rodney