[New Game]
[about]
Compared to the flashy main interface on consoles...
Due to configuration limitations and bandwidth controls, browser games tend to be very restrained in their UI design.
However, with the help of vector graphics, the overall design is still quite aesthetically pleasing.
Luo Nan dragged the mouse closer to the [New Game] button.
A dart immediately flew from the right side of the screen, popping the balloon with a "bang".
"Why?"
This wasn't the effect of his clicking; it was triggered purely by his cursor hovering over the screen.
Luo Nan stopped clicking and moved the cursor away.
A new balloon was quickly inflated from the spot where the balloon had been punctured.
"Bang!" "Bang!"
"Bang!"
Luo Nan frantically swiped back and forth between the two options, dragging the mouse.
I didn't click on anything, or do anything else, I just swiped back and forth for several minutes.
The combination of the satisfying sound of balloons being popped is actually quite addictive.
Luo Nan didn't know why he did it.
But... it's so much fun!
It's purely for fun, without any other messy stuff involved.
A reaction that stems entirely from instinct.
It's like when a boy sees a pretty tree branch on the street, he always inexplicably wants to pick it up and play with it a couple of times.
Pop the balloons! He kept swinging them until Luo Nan's wrists were a little sore, then he slowly stopped, grinning with satisfaction.
"That's fun!"
This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
I played around with the title screen for quite a while before even starting the game.
This simple yet fun interactive design is really interesting.
However, staying here indefinitely is not a good idea.
I still haven't figured out what the game is about.
"Then... let's begin!"
"Click"
While he was engrossed in popping balloons, the game was secretly using his precious bandwidth to fetch the first level's game map from the server.
The entire loading process was surprisingly smooth. After the map for the first level was loaded, the game had already cached it and started loading the second level at the same time.
This is a standard lazy loading pattern combined with local caching.
In theory, the game will become smoother and smoother as players continue playing.
Because more and more data has been cached, there is no need to specifically pull down the data every time.
This not only saves loading time but also significantly reduces bandwidth costs.
For users, this can save a lot of data.
Traffic from the first generation of ADSL still had some value.
For Nexus, or rather Gamenova as a whole, this solution saves a lot of money.
Welcome to Bloons Tower Defense!
[Prevent balloons from escaping the maze by deploying defensive towers]
[Once you have enough money]
[You can build more towers or upgrade existing ones.] The game tutorial is displayed at the bottom and fades away after a few seconds.
As a game with an extremely simple core loop and gameplay, it certainly doesn't need any sophisticated tutorial design.
Things that can be explained in a few words might backfire if you go to great lengths to design overly complex weak leads.
On the right side of the screen, a dedicated UI is displayed.
From top to bottom, it displays [number of rounds], [money], [number of lives], and the towers that can be built.
The interface layout is somewhat reminiscent of Command & Conquer.
However, being a combination of vector and bitmap images, the overall style is very rudimentary.
"Wow, there are five towers to choose from."
Luo Nan's eyes lit up.
This gameplay might be a bit novel for video games.
But for children, it's definitely not a new concept.
In their spare time, it was perfectly normal for groups of friends to grab notebooks, paper, or stationery and play simple board games.
This is a very simple "defense" gameplay.
It's just that it's been turned into a video game and made a bit more fancy.
But it must be admitted.
The simpler something seems, the more attractive it is to them.
"Darts, thumbtacks, ice, bombs, and... Super Monkey?"
Luo Nan grinned as he looked at the last icon, which resembled a Superman badge.
This so-called [Supermonkey] looks exactly like the DC Comics Superman.
That makes sense, since DC is, in a sense, an asset of Gamenova.
It's quite normal for related IPs to make cameo appearances in games.
Just by looking at its price tag of 4000, Luo Nan knew that this thing was definitely the strongest unit in the game.
Unfortunately, I only have a little money left, probably enough to buy two Dart Monkey or two Tack Tower. Click
Without hesitation, Luo Nan decisively chose the first one, the most classic Dart Monkey.
As his cursor moved, the cartoon monkey followed its position closely.
This means he can just choose any place to put it down.
I did a quick scan, and apart from the location of the road on the map, all the places that look like grass can be placed anywhere.
Compared to the completely tiled maps in Command & Conquer.
In some ways, the game's building system is even more flexible.
The path design for the first level is very ingenious.
Enter from the middle left side, the path winds and twists around the entire map, and finally exits from the top of the screen.
The entire road is winding, with obvious curves in many places.
This means that you can place it anywhere and it will cover a large area of effective paths.
It can be considered a kind of indirect beginner's tutorial. As long as it's not a real scam, 99% of ordinary people can manage to get through the first wave safely, even if they only build one Dart Tower.
You should learn from the designer's clever touches.
This part wasn't even handled by Lin Lixin himself.
After all, it would be too much of a hassle for him to handle such trivial tasks.
These developers at Activision were the backbone of Atari back in the day; even within their comfort zone, their fighting spirit is exceptionally strong.
Two Dart Monkey were placed on a small strip of green space in the center of the map, just big enough to accommodate a tower.
Luo Nan then clicked to start the round.
As expected, red balloons appeared from the left side of the screen, lined up in a long row, and slowly walked into the map along the road.
The map wasn't large, and in just a few seconds, they had already moved to near the center.
This also means they entered the range of the Dart Monkey.
"Bang! Bang!"
Two sounds of balloons being popped rang out quickly, one after the other.
These are naturally the darts thrown by the two monkeys.
In that instant, Luo Nan suddenly felt a sense of... satisfaction.
It stems from obsessive-compulsive disorder, from the sound of a balloon popping, from this pure destructive urge...
The most ingenious part is that even if the dart misses its target balloon, it will continue to fly forward until it goes out of range.
This means that these darts always hit their target.
Because of the clever path design, these darts can often hit multiple balloons at a single angle.
Even without the two monkeys sharing the firepower, they can still destroy a large number of balloons as efficiently as possible.
Especially... after the upgrade.
"Upgraded puncture technique? What does that do?"
Luo Nan suddenly noticed that when his Dart Monkey was selected, two different upgrades would appear in the information panel on the right.
One offers a longer range, the other an upgraded piercing capability. "210 yuan, that's almost enough to buy a new Dart Monkey."
He glanced at his bank account in the upper right corner.
This wave of attacks, combined with the remaining savings, should be just enough for one upgrade.
Of course, you can also choose to upgrade the firing range.
As the saying goes, there's a reason why things are expensive.
After hesitating for a moment, he still chose to upgrade the piercing ability on one of them.
And this upgrade... did not disappoint him at all.
"Bang bang bang--"
It was the same dart.
This time, however, it pierced the first balloon easily, like a real dart, and then the one behind it before disappearing.
puncture!
Just like its name suggests!...
As the game progresses...
The difficulty also gradually increased.
The blue balloon turns red after being popped, meaning it needs to be popped twice to kill.
The green layer has thickened again, and later there will be yellow, and even more colors.
They are faster, meatier, and harder to deal with.
But Luo Nan's funds also increased as the number of balloons grew.
The more balloons he has, the more money he can have to build stronger and more towers.
The more towers he has, the more efficient he becomes at destroying balloons.
For a time, the entire game actually formed a perfect virtuous cycle.
It's true that the balloons are getting stronger and more numerous, but far from bringing any unpleasant negative feedback, they haven't caused any problems.
This only fueled Luo Nan's excitement, especially as he gradually revealed the true nature of those towers he had previously been unable to afford, and their distinct upgrade paths.
The feeling of exhilaration was absolutely explosive.
"Set up Tack Tower at this loop; each attack will hit a whole circle, allowing you to chip away at a layer first, making it easier for the Dart Monkey to finish them off..."
"While the Tack Tower has an area-of-effect attack, it's too slow. This Ice Tower might be able to complement it..."
"I've saved up a thousand yuan without even realizing it. If I hold on for these few rounds, maybe I'll have a chance to deploy a Super Monkey directly?"
Frankly speaking, this game is really too insignificant within the entire Gamenova lineup.
It is rudimentary and simple, lacking the necessary depth.
Compared to the cataclysmic masterpiece that was recently released, Mirror's Edge, it's like a comical Joker.
He painstakingly showed off his meager skills, trying to amuse everyone.
But it did.
It's really fun. This game will probably never appear at any major gaming awards ceremony.
But so what?
A game is successful if it makes players happy and enjoyable.