Info about DG2: Defense Grid 2: Official game description: Special Edition =============== Speical Edition purchasers will receive the digital book, The Art of Defense Grid 2, plus the ebook, The Making of Defense Grid 2: The Complete Story Behind the Game by Russ Pitts, the original soundtrack, and "A Matter of Endurance" audiobook written by Hugo award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal and performed by the English cast. THE ART OF DEFENSE GRID 2 digital art book celebrates the talents and efforts of the people responsible for creating the visuals of the game. It is an insight of the concepts and variable directions that the team explored during the game's creation. The journey in visual exploration is a winding and strange path at times. This book revisits that journey, come along and enjoy it. **THE MAKING OF DEFENSE GRID 2 brings you behind-the-scenes of the creation of a modern video game.** ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over nearly two years and hundreds of hours of interviews, veteran video game journalist Russ Pitts (Polygon, The Escapist) has been given total access to every stage of development, and dives deep into the technological innovation, creative artistry and hard-nosed business that combine over weeks, months and years to make a game. From moments of startling inspiration to times of crushing stress, the author has been present for every aspect of production — major milestones, critical beta tests and sometimes contentious design meetings. **THE MAKING OF DEFENSE GRID 2** is based on the article series written by Pitts for Polygon, with expanded interviews and never-before-seen material. The result is a look unlike any other into the hidden world of game development and the high stakes gamble of making games. **A MATTER OF ENDURANCE:** Written by two-time Hugo award winning author Mary Robinette Kowal and performed by the English cast, A Matter of Endurance is an audio play staring the characters from Defense Grid: Containment (AI General Fletcher, AI General Cai, and Commander Simon Ritter) and introduces Maralon’s Governor Teydell as you (the Commander) and your AI companions journey from the destruction on Maralon to the destination of the Outer Colonies where the events of DG2 take place. **THE DEFENSE GRID 2 ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK** is both Individually available but is Included in the Steam Special Edition and the Special Edition Upgrade.  It is  the official soundtrack from Defense Grid 2 created and composed by Duane Decker. All 12 files are available in both MP3 and WAV formats. About the Game ============== **Features** ------------ * New five-mission story chapter with **Aftermath DLC** * A full story-driven campaign with 21 dynamic maps * Online co-op and player-versus-player multiplayer * Hundreds of replayable challenge mode variants * Large, open-ended levels with multiple strategic solutions * Steam Workshop support and powerful level creation tools * Full voice localisation in Chinese, Korean, Spanish, English, French, and German * Improved widescreen support, stability, and performance. **Timeless Tactics. New Battles.** ---------------------------------- Defense Grid 2 remains one of the most refined and rewarding tower defence games ever made. With deep strategy, dynamic maps, and endless replayability, it is a true classic. Whether you’re discovering it for the first time or returning to the grid, there has never been a better time to deploy your defences. **Planning, Placement and Perfect Timing** ------------------------------------------ A full story-driven campaign across 21 dynamic maps that shift as you play, forcing constant adaptation. This is tower defence with real depth that rewards planning, experimentation, and mastery. Every tower placement matters, and every choice carries weight. **New Aftermath DLC** --------------------- _Aftermath_ adds five large, open-ended story missions that continue the conflict with Fletcher and Governor Tydell. On a distant world where enemies can mind-control their attackers, your mission is to stop future invasions at the source.  This chapter also opens with a fully voiced cinematic that sets the stage for what’s to come. This isn’t just more maps — it’s the next chapter in the Defense Grid universe.= **Solo, Co-op, and Competitive Play** ------------------------------------- Play the campaign solo, defend together in online co-op, or challenge other players in competitive multiplayer. With hundreds of challenge mode variations and shifting rules, no two battles play the same. The grid always has a new test waiting. **A Classic, Refined** ---------------------- DG2 now features full voice localisation in Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Spanish, alongside English, French, and German. Text support has been fully updated for the new DLC, widescreen support has been improved, and the launcher has also been upgraded with better news and content access. **Upgrade and Go Behind the Grid** ---------------------------------- The _Defense Grid 2 Complete Edition (coming soon!)_ includes **A Matter of Endurance**, a fully voiced 30-minute audio drama by Hugo Award-winning author Mary Robinette Kowal. You’ll also receive a 300+ page behind-the-scenes development book and two full digital art books from DG1 and DG2. Jump deeper into the Defense Grid universe. **Why Jump into the Grid?** --------------------------- With its timeless, deep tactical gameplay, competitive and co-op modes, powerful level creation tools, modern updates, and the all-new _Aftermath_ DLC, _Defense Grid 2_ is more complete, more playable, and more exciting than ever. **If you’ve been waiting for the perfect time to jump in — this is it.** Release date: Sep 23, 2014 Categories: Tower Defense, Cooperative Multiplayer, Competitive Multiplayer, Strategy, Resource Management, Custom Map Support, Mod Support, Endgame Content Feature scans: - MTX: score 10; verdict: Fair; summary: Reviews explicitly mention no microtransactions. - Hardware Profile: No data Feature extractions: - Community Price: - Community fair range: $3.79 - $6.69 - Reasoning: The evidence suggests that users find the game worth purchasing at a discounted price, typically around 33% off or more, which would bring the price down from $9.99 to approximately $6.69 or lower. One user specifically mentions that $3.79 is a fair price, indicating a strong preference for lower price points. Additionally, the Japanese review suggests that the full price is considered high but acceptable, which aligns with the upper end of the price range. The overall sentiment is that the game is worth buying at a discounted price, typically in the range of $3.79 to $6.69. - Playtime Metrics: - Game completion: 50.0h - Story completion: 10.0h - Session length: 0.8h - Endgame: 50.0h - Reasoning: The evidence provides insights into various playtime metrics. The first quote indicates that the main story can be completed in less than 10 hours. The second quote suggests that session lengths can vary, with some sessions being long enough to take a shower. The third quote mentions a player expecting to spend around 50 hours on challenges and harder levels, indicating extensive endgame content. The fourth quote shows that a dedicated player can spend over 125 hours on the game, supporting the idea of long-term engagement and endgame content. - Time-to-fun: - Summary: Defense Grid 2 is generally fun and addictive from the start, especially in co-op mode, but the enjoyment may drop due to repetitive gameplay. - Stance: Fun then drops - Anchor: Co-op mode - Time to anchor: 0h 10m - Friction: Repetitive gameplay; Lack of server browser for multiplayer - Unlock drivers: Playing with friends; Engaging multiplayer modes - Conditions: Co-op mode; Multiplayer; Playing with friends - Player Archetypes: - Veteran Strategist (sale) - Motivation: Challenge and depth of gameplay - Playstyle: Strategic and completionist, aiming for high ranks and elite difficulties. - Experience: veteran - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: franchise fan; skilled player - Reference games: Defense Grid: The Awakening - Social Multiplayer (buy) - Motivation: Social interaction and cooperative/competitive play - Playstyle: Cooperative and competitive multiplayer-focused. - Experience: mixed - Purchase stance: buy - Labels: multiplayer enthusiast; co-op player - Reference games: Other cooperative tower defense games - Genre Enthusiast (sale) - Motivation: Enjoyment of tower defense gameplay - Playstyle: Casual and genre-focused, enjoying the core mechanics. - Experience: familiar - Purchase stance: sale - Labels: tower defense fan; genre enthusiast - Reference games: Other tower defense games Below are summaries of things people say about the game per category. Each point is assigned a weight that represents how often it is mentioned across all reviews. What players like: - Best Tower Defense Game (weight 0.63): This game is highly praised as one of the best tower defense games available. It offers classic tower defense gameplay with a modern twist, making it enjoyable for both new and experienced players. - Interesting and Fun Gameplay (weight 0.32): The game is described as interesting and fun, with convincing gameplay and good map design. Players report having a good time playing it. - Multiplayer Modes (weight 0.31): The game features a multiplayer component with various modes, including cooperative play, adding to its versatility and enjoyment. - Improved Graphics (weight 0.27): The game features improved graphics, with graphical improvements and detailed graphics that enhance the overall experience. - Fun and Addictive (weight 0.27): Players find the game fun and addictive, with strategic and addictive elements that keep them engaged. - Enjoyable Story Mode (weight 0.23): The story mode is enjoyable and straightforward, with players appreciating the campaign and the overall enjoyable gameplay. - High Replayability (weight 0.21): Players note that the game has excellent replayability, with lots of replay value and fun gameplay that keeps them coming back. - New Content and Maps (weight 0.2): The game introduces new content, including 5 new maps and 21 beautiful maps, as well as new multiplayer modes and enemies. - Excellent Sequel (weight 0.18): The game is praised as an excellent sequel and successor to the original Defense Grid, with some players considering it the best tower defense game of all time. - Strategic and Challenging Gameplay (weight 0.18): The game offers strategic and challenging gameplay that is dynamic and thought-provoking, with well-balanced mechanics. - Innovative Boost Tower (weight 0.16): The introduction of the Boost Tower is highlighted as an innovative feature that adds depth to the gameplay. Common complaints: - Monetization of Steam Workshop (weight 0.43): Players are unhappy with the monetization of the Steam Workshop, especially the selling of community-made maps. - Sequel lacks original's charm (weight 0.38): The sequel is criticized for not being as good or fun as the original game. It lacks the charm and engagement that the first game had. - Tower issues and lack of variety (weight 0.31): Towers are criticized for being a mixed bag and not well balanced. There is also a lack of new types of towers and diversity in enemy waves. - Story quality issues (weight 0.31): The story is widely criticized for being less engaging, confusing, and not as good as expected. Many players find it uninteresting and poorly executed. - Poor UI and design (weight 0.3): The user interface and menu system are considered poor and clunky. Players also note poor design choices and localization issues. - Difficulty finding co-op games (weight 0.27): Players have difficulty finding co-op matches online, and the cooperative mode is considered underwhelming and not exciting. - Short and easy campaign (weight 0.26): The campaign is criticized for being too short and too easy. Players feel it lacks depth and surprises. - Poor voice acting and script (weight 0.2): The voice acting and script are criticized for being bad and annoying. Players find the dialogue and voice acting to be of low quality. - New scoring system criticized (weight 0.13): The new scoring system is not well-received. Players miss the tactile response of the old system and find the changes disappointing. - Fewer and simpler levels (weight 0.13): The game has fewer levels, making the play-through shorter. The level design is also considered smaller and simpler compared to the predecessor. - Lack of flying enemies (weight 0.12): Players note the absence of flying enemies, which affects the gameplay experience. - Tower upgrade system issues (weight 0.09): The tower upgrade system is poorly implemented and considered shoddy by players. - Less complexity than original (weight 0.09): The game is less complicated and requires less thinking compared to the original, simplifying the gameplay experience. - Color-coded tower issues (weight 0.09): Color-coded tower levels are problematic for color-blind players, making towers hard to distinguish visually. - Tower placement impact minimal (weight 0.09): Tower placement has minimal impact on gameplay, making each placement feel less significant. - Limited path building options (weight 0.09): There are limited options for path building, with forced fixed paths that restrict player creativity. - Annoying map design (weight 0.08): The map design is criticized for being annoying and poorly executed. - Occasional game crashes (weight 0.08): The game experiences occasional crashes, which can disrupt the gameplay experience. - Unmemorable AI characters (weight 0.08): The new AI characters are not memorable and do not add much to the gameplay experience. - PvP lacks depth (weight 0.08): The PvP mode lacks strategic depth, making it less engaging and competitive. Gameplay feedback: - Extensive tower customization (weight 0.56): Players can modify and customize towers with a variety of types and upgrade systems. This includes different tower mechanics and placement strategies. - Multiple game modes (weight 0.54): The game offers various modes, including multiplayer options for both competition and cooperation. There are also custom modes and competitive modes available. - Diverse tower defense mechanics (weight 0.48): The game features a variety of tower defense mechanics, including upgradeable towers, route planning, and resource management. Players appreciate the detailed visuals and dynamic maps. - New maps and enemies (weight 0.34): The game introduces new maps with different layouts and new enemy types, keeping the gameplay fresh and exciting. - Cooperative gameplay options (weight 0.3): Cooperative modes offer different gameplay options, including mission-based and cooperative gameplay with unique mission designs. - Varying difficulty levels (weight 0.3): The game includes multiple difficulty settings and campaign modes with varying difficulty levels, providing a challenge for all types of players. - Map and level editing (weight 0.23): Players have access to map-building tools and a level editor, allowing for custom level creation and editing. This enhances replayability and community engagement. - Single-player campaign (weight 0.2): A comprehensive single-player campaign with many modes and a main campaign featuring 20 maps. - Strategic and puzzle gameplay (weight 0.19): The game emphasizes strategic gameplay, including puzzle elements and various strategy options for players to explore. - Scoring and tracking systems (weight 0.14): Real-time score tracking and a scoring system based on time, wave killing bonuses, and efficiency. - Enemy pathfinding and visibility (weight 0.13): The game includes a pathfinding system for enemies and visibility of enemy paths, enhancing strategic planning. - Special abilities and weapons (weight 0.12): Players can utilize various types of special abilities and weapons, adding depth to the gameplay mechanics. - Story elements (weight 0.08): The game includes story elements and changes, providing context and depth to the gameplay. - Balanced gameplay mechanics (weight 0.08): The game features balanced gameplay with mechanics designed to ensure fairness and challenge. - Randomized elements (weight 0.08): Randomized unlocks and power-ups add an element of surprise and replayability to the game. - Resource management (weight 0.08): Players must manage resources effectively, adding a layer of strategy to the gameplay. Performance notes: - Frequent game crashes reported (weight 0.22): Multiple users have reported that the game crashes frequently, including occasional crashes and issues specifically noted during the beta phase. - Graphical and video issues (weight 0.18): Players have experienced various graphical and video issues, affecting the visual quality and performance of the game. - Game runs well on most computers (weight 0.14): The game is reported to run smoothly on many PCs, indicating good overall performance and optimization for a wide range of hardware. - Optimization needs improvement (weight 0.1): There are reports indicating that the game's optimization needs improvement, particularly with performance issues when multiple towers are involved. - Visual and sound design improvements (weight 0.06): Players have noted improvements in the visual and sound design, enhancing the overall gaming experience. - Bugs and matchmaking issues (weight 0.06): There are reports of various bugs and matchmaking issues, impacting the overall gameplay experience. - Fluid gameplay experience (weight 0.05): The gameplay is described as fluid, providing a smooth and enjoyable experience for players. - Compatibility issues with Windows 11 (weight 0.05): Some users have reported compatibility issues specifically with Windows 11, which may affect the game's performance and stability. - Window positioning issues (weight 0.05): Some users have encountered problems with window positioning, which can affect the gameplay experience. - Higher hardware requirements (weight 0.05): The game has higher hardware requirements, which may limit its accessibility to players with lower-end systems. - Lacks anti-aliasing options (weight 0.05): Players have noted the absence of anti-aliasing options, which can affect the visual quality of the game. Recommendations: - Highly recommended tower defense game (weight 0.48): This game is frequently praised as a must-have for fans of the tower defense genre. It is described as highly polished, enjoyable, and worth trying, especially if you like this type of game. - Recommended for fans of the series (weight 0.18): Fans of the original Defense Grid game are particularly encouraged to try this sequel. It is seen as a massive improvement and a great follow-up to the previous game. - Good value for money (weight 0.14): The game is considered a good purchase, particularly when bought on sale or for under 10 euros. It offers solid gameplay and is worth the investment for fans of the genre. - Community maps and mods (weight 0.12): There is interest in community-created maps and mods, with players looking forward to trying them out. However, there are mixed feelings about the Steam Workshop. - Appeals to both veterans and newcomers (weight 0.06): The game is designed to be enjoyable for both experienced players and those new to the tower defense genre, making it accessible and engaging for a wide audience. - More content requested (weight 0.06): Players are expressing a desire for more DLC and a potential third installment in the series, indicating a strong interest in additional content. - Must buy for strategy fans (weight 0.06): The game is highly recommended for fans of strategy games, indicating that it offers a compelling experience for those who enjoy strategic gameplay. - Achievement hunting can be tedious (weight 0.05): Players are advised to skip achievement hunting unless they enjoy dealing with tedious tasks, indicating that the achievements may not be particularly enjoyable to pursue. - Consider the original game (weight 0.05): Some players recommend buying the original game for better value, suggesting that it might offer a more satisfying experience compared to the sequel. Other player notes: - VR version mentioned (weight 0.05): There were mentions of a VR version of the game, indicating interest or availability of VR support. - Pirated versions before purchase (weight 0.05): Some players mentioned that they played a pirated version of the game before deciding to purchase it. - Suggestion for 5-star rating (weight 0.05): A suggestion was made for Steam to switch to a 5-star rating system, reflecting player preferences for rating methods. Emotions: - Disappointment (weight 0.19): Players feel disappointed due to the game's lack of significant improvements over its predecessor, with criticisms directed at the inferior gameplay, graphics, and story compared to the original. Additional frustrations stem from the monetization of community maps, changes in tower design, and the overall lack of innovation and additional content. - Frustration (weight 0.16): Players are frustrated with various technical issues, game mechanics, and design choices. This includes game crashes, balance issues, repetitive gameplay, and the lack of diversity in towers and enemy waves. The monetization of Steam Workshop and the lack of anti-aliasing options also contribute to this frustration. - Satisfaction (weight 0.14): Players are satisfied with the game's quality, variety, and improvements over the previous version. They appreciate the polished presentation, solid gameplay foundation, and the variety of modes and tower types. The enjoyable graphics, sound effects, and balanced tower mechanics also contribute to their satisfaction. - Enjoyment (weight 0.1): Players enjoy the game for its fun and challenging gameplay, despite its flaws. They find the game enjoyable and straightforward, with positive experiences stemming from the story, voice acting, and varied gameplay elements. The diverse maps, cool voice acting, and variety of enemies and towers add to the enjoyment. - Excitement (weight 0.1): Players are excited about the game's new features, improvements, and the addition of new modes. The innovative gameplay, variety of strategies, and beautiful graphics contribute to their excitement. The anticipation of new DLC and the potential for a third installment also add to this feeling. - Nostalgia (weight 0.06): Players feel nostalgic due to the game's classic tower defense elements and memories associated with playing the original game. The comparison to the first Defense Grid game and playing it with family members over many years evoke a sense of nostalgia. - Love (weight 0.03): Players express love for the game due to its various features and enjoyable gameplay. The high tower customization, enjoyable art, and long-term enjoyment of the game series contribute to this emotion. - Appreciation (weight 0.03): Players appreciate the continuous updates and additions to the game. They value the well-balanced and challenging gameplay, good value with pre-order offers, and the well-mastered and fun gameplay. - Joy (weight 0.02): Players express happiness and satisfaction with the game, enjoying the campaign and tower combinations. Teaching family members how to play the game and seeing their improvement also brings joy. - Enthusiasm (weight 0.02): Players are enthusiastic about the game's improvements and depth. They enjoy the long-term engagement, additional content, and personal goals associated with the game. - Anticipation (weight 0.02): Players are anticipating the release of a third installment and looking forward to the fully-polished version of the game. The desire for new content and updates contributes to this feeling. - Anger (weight 0.01): Players are angry about the monetization of player-made maps and the Steam Workshop. This monetization strategy is seen as a betrayal of the community's trust and a negative aspect of the game. - Hopeful (weight 0.01): Players are hopeful about the potential development of Defense Grid 3. They look forward to future improvements and new content in the series. - Conflict (weight 0.01): Players experience conflict because they like the game but acknowledge that the first Defense Grid is stronger. This mixed feeling arises from the comparison between the two games. - Betrayal (weight 0.01): Players feel betrayed after making a purchase, possibly due to unmet expectations or misleading information about the game's features or content.}