109 replies to this topic

[athanatos]

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This is a new version

• Tower Defense Game Tutorial
• A full tutorial for basic TD games
• Can be GM 6 or 7
• Lite is okay, but pro is better
• The file is a .zip file
• text link
• 0.64 MB
• To use this tutorial, you need some experience with GML, particularly about instances. The file is a zipped file containing a Word document and four editable example files.

Some time ago, I made the TD game Interceptor. After that, I got some questions about how I made it. That inspired me to make a tutorial about TD games. And this is it: I'll explain you how to make the key components for a well-working TD game. There are also some codes you can copy to your own GM file. If you have finished the tutorial, you have a game consisting of two towers, enemies following a path, a tower building system and a wave system, which could be a very nice TD game if it was a little better. Don't expect a full Onslaught clone , but it can still lead to great results.


Good luck!

Edited by athanatos, 10 October 2008 - 07:25 AM.

[Baily]

Wow! Clearly you know how to make a tutorial! The Word Document is always a nice touch, and the system is awesome! 10/10! But one problem though, is that it's pretty hard to put into another game.

[athanatos]

Has anyone read the lightning tutorial yet? I have, and it looks pretty good. Maybe you can use it in your TD game for your own towers.

[@Alex@]

good tut, the varibles could be set in code as it seems alot was D&D, i may just use this.

[smartgenius]

Good tutorial! The word document is great. You should probably start commenting where all the codes go though, I kept accidentally putting codes that were supposed to go into the draw event into the step event.

[athanatos]

ATTENTION:
The Word-document and the fourth file have been changed. I changed the wave system; now it uses arrays in the system. That will make the game probably better for players in higher levels.

[joshuarobillos]

Well using your click and place turret skills, i can put that and use it into my rts game! ty

[da man7]

Great tutorial! this is one of the best I have ever seen! 10/10!!

[Supertramp]

you could add an upgrade system to this to make it even better.
one thing- it doesnt say the price of the tower before you buy it

[LimmingKenny]

The way the game is right now, it gets impossible to win around wave 68:

[ssbtoday]

make it so when you press space that it will set the wave time zero 0 and send the next round

[2936hm]

May you tell me how to set the 'just created' instance to follow the path and set a specific health??
I don't want to have a game crowded with different same object.
But anyway, your tutorial is great. It tells amost all things you need in a td. Well Done. 10/10

[dark waffle]

is it posibble to make an enemy that will randomly spwan with the red enemys but no as much?

i want a enemy that will shoot at the turrets but only 2 or 3 appear in 1 wave

[abecedariandude]

I'm making a TD game right now. Awesome. This is just what I need. And with an easy and readable word doc! Gud job!

Could you make it have a number of rounds? Like levels? That would be awesome. This is just wat i need by the way. Good Job!

[athanatos]

is it posibble to make an enemy that will randomly spwan with the red enemys but no as much?

i want a enemy that will shoot at the turrets but only 2 or 3 appear in 1 wave

Well you could try to add this to the code of the wave system. Erase the part from the comment:
//Check the wave time and calculate how many enemies should be created
//Create the arrays for the next wave.
until the line
wave_enemies[e] -= 1; }}}}
The brackets are not like that, remember!
But first make a second enemy (that will shoot at the turrets) called ob_enemy2.

//Check the wave time and calculate how many enemies should be created
	//Create the arrays for the next wave
	globalvar ee,extra;
	if wave_time[wave] = 600
	{
		wave += 1;
		wave_time[wave] = 0;
		wave_enemies[wave] = 5+floor(wave*0.4);
		ee[wave] = wave_enemies[wave];
		extra[wave] = round(random(2))+1;
	}
	//Create enemies if needed for every array
	for (e = 0; e < wave+1; e += 1)
	{
		if wave_time[e] < 600 wave_time[e] += 1;
		if wave_enemies[e] > 0
		{
			if wave_time[e] = (ee[e]-wave_enemies[e])*15+15
			{
				if extra[wave] > 0
				{
					instance_create(-32,0,ob_enemy2);
					extra[wave] -= 1;
				}
				else
				instance_create(-32,0,ob_enemy);
				wave_enemies[e] -= 1;
			}
		}   
	}
}

It may not seem very different, but there are a few things different here: there is a new variable extra (which also works with arrays), and this works nearly the same as the variable wave_enemies, but it indicates the amount of ob_enemy2 that has to be created.
If you've added this, the system will randomly create 1,2 or 3 new enemies, using the variable extra, without making the total amount of created enemies different.
I hope this solves your problem. Else, tell me

[giggdaw]

Yeah, this is probably the best tutorial ever seen xD
A few things mentioned before would be good, like the upgrade system and showing the price of towers when mouse hovers over it. And there should be more towers.
But to everyone... This is a tutorial, not a full game. He shows the basics, you figure out the rest.

[rude guss]

This is an awesome tutorial!! Just one thing, is is possible to cancel building a tower. eg i press the button to build tower 1 but then i change my mind and dont want to build that tower. Is there a cancel button?

by the way I got to lvl 70

[SONIC_LUIGI15]

I am having trouble adding new towers and there buttons.

Great tutorial! 10/10. I love Tower defense!

[frog]

i got to wave 70 too



and very nice tutorial just a shame it isnt completly in gml

[fergyvivapinata]

very nice one i also edited the game but gonna give credit, i added these things
rocket tower
freeze tower
sound tower
light tower
two player towers
music

thats it so far