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14 July

Eagle Heights level now easier plus more optimizations (v1.09)

This v1.09 update for Keep Defending includes some changes to Eagle Heights to make this level easier for newcomers. There are also some extra optimizations that will make a difference to owners of both lower powered VR configurations (minimum spec) and higher powered configs (recommended spec+).

Eagle Heights Changes

After watching a number of playthroughs where players are trying to get to grips with Eagle Heights I've made a couple of small changes which I hope improves the level's accessibility for all:

1) The player now starts with 50 gold on this level which means they can immediately afford and purchase a Teleport for placing in one of the portals available around the level.
2) I've implemented an additional hint message which appears for a few seconds (and then disappears automatically) when the player's gold reaches 250. The hint message is a reminder to buy defenses to help against the enemies.

The playthroughs I watched involved new players skipping the Homestead tutorial level and going straight to Eagle Heights. They were then quickly overwhelmed due to the long distance shooting required to hit enemies (until you earn enough to buy a teleport). Because Homestead was skipped they were also unfamiliar with buying defenses to help out.

I originally designed Eagle Heights as an exercise for players to see the value of teleports and extra defenses (crossbows for this level) as it is impossible to complete by yourself from the start position, and much, much, easier when you can teleport around and have allies aiding you.

I hope these small adjustments change an initially daunting level into one where new players are able to complete it much more easily.

Optimizations

After watching another player with less than minimum spec hardware trying to play the game (which was painful as the player's bow aiming was lagging badly due to the inadequate CPU in his rig), I have taken another look at some of the mechanics in the game in a quest for further optimizations.

Fortunately I found a number of areas where improvements could be made (a couple of them significant) which I've implemented accordingly.

For lower end hardware the result is a much smoother experience versus previous versions as the overall performance requirements are now lower. I've also managed to smooth out some of the more taxing effects in the game so they have less of an impact on framerate when they occur (e.g. when an enemy transforms into a Soul Orb was a real framerate killer on lower-end hardware).

The optimizations obviously benefit everyone whatever your hardware, but the wins are much more obvious if your setup was at the minimum end of the hardware requirements. However, owners of recommended spec hardware (or higher) could try playing at Hard or even Insane difficulty levels which significantly increase the number of enemies you face!

Note that I'm not lowering the minimum spec required for playing the game as it is actually still very demanding on CPU and GPU power. When playing the later levels, you can find yourself battling with dozens and dozens of enemies in play at once. Factor that with up to 32 allies helping you, and all the resulting projectiles and pyrotechnics, and the minimum spec is unfortunately something that can't be compromised on.

However, if you do have low end hardware, then you can still play Keep Defending but I'd recommend looking at the in-game video settings and dropping the Sampling from the default 1.0 value to say 0.9 (or even lower). Disabling the "Additional FX" option would also help (as this limits the number of lights in a scene as well as the intensity of any Weather FX).

Thanks for reading and of course supporting and playing Keep Defending!

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30 June

More optimizing and alternate rotate option for Rift (v1.08)

The v1.08 update for Keep Defending features optimizations for the game as well as a new control option for rotating on the spot (Rift users only).

The exploding sheep now have a limited lifespan following detonation so the level is no longer overrun by them (which unfortunately tends to slow down gameplay on the larger levels).

Staying with the sheep, the explosion effects when they detonate are now much more efficient and no longer hitch/pause the gameplay briefly when multiple sheep (in close proximity) explode at once.

The bonfires seen on Eagle Heights, The (Small) Wall, and King's Ending are now more efficient so performance on those levels will have improved slightly.

For Oculus Rift (+ Touch) users I've introduced a new setting in the options menu named "Use Thumbstick To Rotate". When this option is enabled you must press the thumbstick (on either controller) left or right to rotate your view left or right (in 90 degree steps). This is instead of using the grip buttons which some players may press accidentally. Note that you must release the thumbstick and then move it again to rotate again, it doesn't rotate additional steps if you hold the thumbstick in position.

New (Rift) players will have this option enabled by default, whereas existing players must set it themselves (to avoid confusion for players who don't see this announcement).

If you experience any bugs or problems with this latest version, or with the game in general, please report them in the group discussions (or comment on this post) and I'll try and address them as quickly as possible!

Thanks for supporting and playing Keep Defending!

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Reviews

“This is definitely one of the better tower defense games that I've played. It takes strategy!”
Recommended – PhilanthroPwn

“One of the few SteamVR games that's proven worth looking at again, Keep Defending (it's a pun!) is a VR Tower Defense done really really well. Use your NPC Soldiers to shore up your defenses, and take out hundreds of enemies. One of our Top Picks.”
Recommended – CryMor Gaming

“a solid title to add to your VR library and a tonne of fun!”
7/10 – theVRgrid