DTD Pro Release!

Big news, DTDers. A Pro version of DTD has been released. Check it out at the regular place at handdrawgames.com: (A little odd, since the game is no longer hand-drawn).

Time can only tell--will this be like the switch from Windows XP to Vista? Like the switch from the ancien régime to a constitutional republic? Or is the new version an improvement on the old?

In the words of Anton Ego:

In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations, the new needs friends.

Well, as for the discovery of the new, I have to credit M with casually mentioning the new version while waiting in line at Charbux. As for defense of the new, I'm not sure I am up to taking on that most difficult of a critics' tasks. Rather, in the spirit of casual gaming, I will casually sum up my thoughts on DTD, the Pro Version.

Before I launch into my first impressions, let me point out that some have panicked about the lack of scoreboards in the Pro version. Here's what the official blog states:

27 April 09Pro Version Released!. A totally new way to play DTD. Sandbox mode, Sprints, Multiplayer - its all there =) Scores will be integrated soon.

So, it sounds like the scoreboards will be back up with the old scores soon enough. I'm not sure if they will be relevant anymore, as the Pro version goes far beyond the old Easy, Medium, Hard levels.

Here are my first impressions.

Graphics: Definitely a sleeker, modernized look. Will miss the handdrawn feel of the game that lent it a real "desktop" (as in top of a desk, not computer) feel. Nice to have three levels of graphics quality, in case the game is running hurky-jerky during an antivirus scan or something.

The new towers icons are a little hard to recognize, so here's a side by side 1.5/Pro comparison:


Levels: There are now several options of levels.

• Scenarios: 24 different scenarios, including a tutorial, which I would have appreciated in my very early DTD days. A nice feature is that you can mouseover a certain scenario, and it will show you your best score in that particular scenario. Still, as an old-style DTDer, I didn't like how the scenarios came with set mazes locked in--most of the fun for me is making my own mazes.
  
• Sandbox: This is where you can get your classic, 1.5 DTD experience, but there is also so much more to explore here. You tinker with different factors to get a unique experience, as you can see below. Notice that in the lower lefthand corner, your customized game has a unique MODE ID, which you can send around to friends to make sure you are all playing the same game (and would be easier than constantly having to enter in your preferences every time you play). One irking issue is that you cannot change the starting amount of gold unless you join the casual collective community. No thanks, DTD. Notable is that you can get rid of juggling by making it impossible to sell towers once the game has started, giving the player a 5% score multiplier. However, this doesn't seem to be enough of a score boost, considering how much juggling can increase one's score--and most other options can lead to at least a 10% increase.

Here's the mode I usually play in, though I will definitely be playing with other options (like Boss only!):

• Sprint Modes: Waves only come once you've killed the last wave entirely. Six different options with different entrances, creeps, etc.
• Multiplayer: Have not been able to connect to the multiplayer server yet, but very excited to try this out. Apparently you have to be invited? Hopefully this will not be the case in the future, but apparently if you PM someone on this thread you can get an invite.
  

Scoring: Scoring is similar, as you still have 20 lives for which bonuses are available and get a certain amount of points for killing creeps depending on the level.

Keyboard Shortcuts: I'm a big fan of keyboard shortcuts, and so I am a little disappointed that the the "n" shortcut for sending the next waves of creeps is not available in the Scenarios modes. Other shortcuts ("u" for upgrading, spacebar for pausing) remain, and all are still available in the Sandbox mode.

Casual Collective options: It is a little irking that you have to join the casual collective community to get certain options. But, I may end up joining; as mentioned above, this will allow you to change the amount of starting gold in the Sandbox mode. You can also save old mazes to be reloaded into Sandbox mode if you join. Has anyone else tried these options?

Other options: If you hit Menu while playing, notice that under Quit and Resume, there is an "Overlay" option, which allows you to toggle the outer walls of the playing space on/off.

Bugs: None so far, of course.

Please do share your thoughts in the comments.