UPDATES GALORE!!!!As some of you are aware, we wrote an open love letter to our PC fans, stating that we would not be making Origins for PC. We really didn't want to write that letter. After all, who wants to tell their playerbase they won't be receiving the game they anticipate and hope for?
So in addition to the backlash and support we received from the community, something else happened that radically changed our perceptions about game development. What we have to say is quite lengthy, but it's important for us to give you the back story for what happened as it serves as the launch point for upcoming changes in the Kingdom Rush series.
In our community forums, we have member by the name of Kevin32. His avatar has always been our battle standard, the flags you see on the world map in Kingdom Rush. Now Kevin has been with us since the beginning, offering both praise and criticism along the way, and bombarding us with so many wonderful suggestions for Kingdom Rush the community is wondering if we'll ever hire him.
Well, as we were exiting our 2016 Maseratis in the parking lot of our 100-story highrise headquarters in Uruguay, we saw something unusual, yet strangely familiar. There, standing next to the 15-foot glass doors of our building, was a large battle standard. And to our astonishment, it moved and talked and told us its name. We could hardly believe our eyes; Kevin32 isn't human at all. He really IS a battle standard.
Upon recognizing him, we felt moved to hire him as our conceptual artist, on the spot. After all, we knew his potential, he was already in the area, and he smelled of donkey and carrots and really needed a shower. And part of being our conceptual artist meant he wouldn't have to look at a single line of code. We'd just send him to the ancient temples in nearby Machu Picchu, and there, in deep meditation, he would seek communion with the gods of tower defense, and divine unto us how we should best proceed.
But believe it or not, he turned down our offer, and in a state of schizophrenic behavior, kept repeating the same words over and over:
As he was talking, the local police showed up to arrest Kevin on suspicion of loitering and solicitation, despite our protests. But before they could grab him, Kevin took off the golden fur he was wearing, and tossed it at us. And as the police took him away, he looked at us and uttered something we will never forget:
Baffled at what just happened, we quietly walked into our building, crossed the large and immaculate reception area, pass our two incredibly attractive French receptionists who secretly lusted for us, pass the six-foot platinum shell that makes up our logo, and into the elevator for VIPs. "Main deck," one of us said, as the overhead computer lifted us to our destination.
None of us spoke in that elevator. Instead, we just stood quietly in our Armani suits and Gucci watches that made us look impeccable as usual. And in that long ride up to the 100th floor, we reflected:
Players already had a PC version of the first Kingdom Rush on Flash. So when they gave us the Greenlight to put the game on Steam, we knew they did it because they assumed it meant all Kingdom Rush games would be coming to PC, and we genuinely wanted that for them, for supporting us.
We also understood that no matter how much we wanted to do our own thing, we couldn't make it without the support and feedback of those who play our games, and key to that support was tailoring the game to meet their needs. There was already opposition to the differences in content we put into the games across the platforms. And now to tell them we wouldn't be making Origins for PC only showed that the only thing consistent in our development methods was inconsistency, and it was potentially setting the stage for a series of disappointments in our playerbase, which would ultimately impact our growth as a developer and business. How many more times would we give our players the backseat?
So it is with our deepest apologies to clarify that when we said, "We won't be able to make Kingdom Rush Origins for PC. Period." Out of respect and courtesy to you the player, who gave us our big break on Armorgames, who bought the premium content, who helped put us on Steam, we rephrase our statement by saying, "We have no plans at the moment to make Kingdom Rush Origins for PC."
What's the difference between those two statements, you ask? Well, our first statement seems to suggest that we will never make Origins for PC, no matter what. That's not what we're saying. The tools and methods we were using were counterproductive to our aim of developing quality games in a timely manner. So we needed to take a time out, regroup, and form a strategy that would allow us to create games for both PC and mobile in a way that would be cost efficient for us, and convenient for you, and given the challenges we've faced creating the first two games, we'd highly appreciate your patience in this endeavor.
At the same time, we needed to be open to the idea that technology is constantly changing, with improvements being made in so many areas, with the prospect of people and resources coming from unexpected places to give us a hand, that we just might find a way to bring Origins to PC without having to code from scratch.
And by rephrasing our decision in this way, we feel it's more beneficial to leave a crack in the door of possibilities and maintain some level of confidence and support in our growing playerbase, than to completely seal that door and lose even one customer. So while we stand firm that we have no plans to make Origins for PC at this time, we didn't mean to sound as if we were blowing off those who made us a success, and again we apologize for that. But here's what happened that's shifting Kingdom Rush in a new freakin' direction!
When those elevator doors opened, we rushed down the halls to our executive boardroom as fast as our Ferragamo Oxford shoes could carry us, Kevin's fur in tow. There, we pushed all the millions of dollars we were counting off the round table, stashed all the weed, cleared out all the call girls, and got down to business. With the room cleared, quiet, and the lights turned low, we lay the golden fur, skin-side up on the round table.
And there, etched into the skins, were blueprints for upcoming features to the Kingdom Rush series. There were also strange symbols and cryptic text, glowing in the dimly-lit room, and the sounds of eerie whispers surrounding us.
We slowly sat down, took a deep breath, and quietly processed all that unfolded in recent events; the backlash from our fans, developer fatigue, Kevin's appearance, the blueprints, the delicious pizza we had flown in from New York, and the strange yellow eyeball we received in the mail. And in those moments of silence, we contemplated:
Kingdom Rush is the leading tower defense game on the market. Many people are saying it's the best game on their phone. Others say it's their favorite game of all time, and all sorts of awards and cover stories that made us feel on top of the world. We made something really unique with the creation of Kingdom Rush, and we're proud of that.
But already there were several tower defense games on the market that were emulating Kingdom Rush; the four tower-types, heroes, rain of fire, gem shop. With the competition close on our heels, the last thing we wanted to be was old news; for gamers to talk about how Kingdom Rush "used to be" the top tower defense game. So we had a very real need to release a brand new game, to stay ahead of the competition and remain #1.
But Kevin's obsession with our game revealed something to us: People are still playing the original Kingdom Rush. And they are still playing Frontiers. And even after collecting all the stars, maxing all the heroes, and earning all the achievements, they are *still* playing the games. And even after playing and beating Origins, they are *still* playing the first two games. Heck, even we're still doing it.
And then it dawned on us: We struck gold when we made Kingdom Rush, and momma always told us when you strike gold, you don't go digging elsewhere, but you keep mining that spot until you get all the gold there is. Maybe one of the keys to our success wasn't all about creating more games. Maybe it would be more profitable in the long run, not to mention cost efficient, to take one or two games and continually update them with new features over time. And not just new campaigns and heroes, but different ways of playing the game with existing content. After all, players weren't asking, "When's the next game?" Far too often they were asking, "When's the next update?" This told us our games still had plenty of potential worth exploring.
And this plea from players to give them more of what was already there was yet another sign for us to sit down with them and hear what they had to say, to be considerate of their needs while maintaining some measure of integrity to our own vision, and to give them the opportunity to help shape the game that they would be paying for:
Because to continually do only what we wanted without being mindful of the needs of the playerbase would ultimately leave us with a pyrrhic victory (meaning that we can succeed, but at too much of a cost).
So after careful consideration, we made a decision:
If people are going to be playing our games, long after we've made them, then we will offer those players expanded forms of gameplay in response to their continuing support.
Maybe with this one move, we might restore a relationship with those we lost to our last announcement, while boosting the confidence in those who remain loyal. Besides, Kevin literally gave the clothes off his back for us to come to such a decision, poor guy. So we should throw him a bone. We should throw all of you a bone.
Therefore, in addition to making new games, we will be revisiting all versions of Kingdom Rush and updating them with several new features that promote long term value for those wish to support them. Here's what's in store:
NEW CHALLENGE MODES
Max Tower Upgrades for Earlier Levels
No more "Level 2" tower limitations. We're breaking the rules and changing the code. After beating the game, you can now play those earlier stages in the form of a challenge with max tower upgrades. But be warned, the enemy has come prepared:
Fully Maxed Tower Challenges
We've lengthened these challenges a little so you can enjoy fully maxing all towers on all points on the stage, with a final massive wave to test the integrity of your setup:
Reversal Challenges
We've done a complete 180 with this challenge. Here, you must battle the horde as they attempt to go back the way they came in. Go get 'em tiger:
Max Gold Challenges
Instead of earning gold over time, here we give you all the gold needed to complete the stage, up front. So go ahead, build and upgrade till your heart's content. Oh by the way, there's just one condition: You cannot earn any gold from killing enemies. So build carefully. Upgrade wisely. Those last few waves might make you second-guess your strategy:
Minimum Tower Challenges
Here, we challenge you to complete the stages using only a handful of towers. Usually three or four towers at the most. Sometimes two. Sometimes one. Sometimes <gasp>...none:
Super 8 Challenges
There are 8 advanced towers in Kingdom Rush. Your mission: Complete the challenge with one of each advanced tower, so that no two towers are alike. Can you do it?
Dual Hero Challenges
Every stage now has a challenge where you can use two heroes. And given all the creeps we dumped into these challenges, you'll need all the help you can get:
Star Upgrade Challenges
One of the challenging (and fun) aspects of starting a new game from scratch is allocating those few stars you earn for your tower upgrades. We thought, wouldn't it be cool to make a challenge like that for all stages? Well, we did it. The way it works is, after you select a stage, you're taken to the Star Upgrades screen, where you can assign only a limited number of stars to your upgrades. We've even toyed with the option of allowing you to select any skill on the tree without having to progress towards it. So you might select the archer's piercing shots, but without the increased range. Or Level 5 Rain of Fire, but without the scorched effect. Your choice will determine whether you emerge victorious, or cry little sister:
Puzzle Challenges
Here, we programmed the creep patterns in such a way that the stage can only be completed with a specific tower setup that you are challenged to figure out. So the strategy isn't necessarily to build a balanced set of towers, but to build specific towers at specific locations that use specific skills. Can you solve the puzzles?
Hardcore Challenges
For the elitists among you (those who play Kingdom Rush with their eyes closed and think the game is "too easy"), we offer a series of challenges in which the creeps are like Daft Punk - Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. We assure you, you may need to use a few Gnome Shop items to complete these challenges, but the rewards are worth it:
Dungeons
And for the perfectionists out there (those who attempt to do everything Kingdom Rush has to offer), we give you Dungeons. Dungeons contain a series of stages to play, based on how much you've accomplished in the game as a whole. So here we challenge you to actually do most of the things that are possible when playing Kingdom Rush. To play the game on Easy, then replay it on Normal. To level up heroes. To do Heroic and Iron Challenges. To strive for more achievements. You are then awarded with additional stages to play for going the extra mile to do everything. There are so many levels in the dungeon, even *we* don't know how deep this rabbit hole goes:
BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!
ENDLESS MODE UPDATES
We're pleased to announce that we've expanded Endless Mode in a number of ways:
Multiple Endless Locations
For starters, we made an endless mode for every major region of the map. You can now play in the grass, in the snow, or wherever kids play these days:
Continuous Upgrading of Towers
For those who want a buff on Endless Mode, we've now tripled the capacity for upgrading, making your preferred tower one big powerhouse:
Endless Passage of Time
To add a feeling of progression to Endless Mode, we've implemented a day/night cycle, so that time passes while you're playing. This change in time also dictates which types of enemies you'll see coming down on the path:
Hero Switching
Instead of playing the same hero for over an hour, we've configured Endless so that you can change heroes in-game. Now you can play as a brute hero to deal with magic-resistant creeps, then switch to a mage hero to deal with armored creeps, or simply enjoy leveling up as many heroes as you want in one endless session:
Balance Build Challenge
Introducing Kingdom Rush's first Endless Mode challenge: The Balance Build. In this challenge, you can only build an equal number of towers representing the four tower types. So once you build say, an archer tower, that tower is then locked until you build the other three tower types. Then all tower types are unlocked again so you can repeat the process. So the challenge here is knowing in advance where you want to put which tower type, and then building them at the right place and time to achieve that end, all the while being mindful of where the creeps are coming from. Piece of cake:
Theme-Based Stages
We're also in the process of designing stages based on popular movies and games. We've got one for Portal, one for Games of Thrones, one for Star Wars, and here's Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings. Trust us, this is an actual screen shot from our studio computers, and not Kevin's shameless attempt to show off his artwork:
BUT WAIT THERE'S STILL MORE!
KINGDOM RUSH SANDBOX
We recently discovered that once you play any given stage exactly 255 times, you've broken through the ignorance barrier and now know everything there is to know about that stage, which makes gameplay quite predictable because you know what to expect. So we've decided to create an environment where unpredictability is the name of the game.
The Kingdom Rush Sandbox is a mod of the original game designed to create an environment of unpredictability and surprise. Anytime you play a given stage, the game will randomly select new features and dynamics for that stage that's not available in the original version. There's an separate discussion about the Sandbox going on now, but here are a few features you'll find in it:
Mini-Boss Battles
Anytime you play a stage, there is a chance you'll face off with a powerful brute on the last wave. We created several of these baddies, and they tend to show up when you least expect it:
Random Creep Patterns
Anytime you play a stage, there's a chance that some creeps will come from different directions or in different waves. Hey, even bosses can join the fun!
Treasure Gnomes
And for the hoarders out there who like to collect things and stock up, we give you Treasure Gnomes. Anytime you play a stage, there's a chance you'll see one of these little rascals scurrying across the map. They cannot be targeted by your towers, but if you poke them, they'll drop goodies for you. Blue gnomes drop gems, Yellow gnomes drop gold, and Red gnomes drop a random Gnome Shop item. Some gnomes will even do wicked things to nearby creeps if you bother them:
Did we mention there's an on-going discussion about the Sandbox? If not, here's a link to the thread right here. Now get in there and put in your two cents.
OMG WE'RE STILL NOT DONE!
ALL NEW FEATURES!
Hero Classes and Extended Levels
We've also made some enhancements to the Hero system. First, we've increased the level cap to 30, so now you can keep using your heroes and enjoy watching that little white experience bar go across the screen. Second, each hero now has three classes you can choose from, with each class having its own set of skills. How would you like to play Gerald wielding dual-blades? Or Alleria shooting rapid-fire arrows from her wrists? Or Nivus the White?
Achievements and Milestones
In this feature, achievements now have a progressive structure, designed in two ways. First, some achievements have an accumulative, tier-based setup, meaning that once you've killed say, 100 enemies, you earn some gems, and that achievement moves up a level so that now you're challenged to kill 500 enemies, and so on. And second, everytime you earn an achievement, it gets added to the total number of achievements you've earned towards a milestone. Once you reach a milestone, you get something cool, like a Scooby snack. Not really, but it's something we think you'll find useful:
Star Upgrade Slots
Take those unused stars and boost your upgrades. They won't make you overpowered, but you'll at least have a bit of a buff on Endless and hard mode challenges:
This is just a small list of a variety of features we intend to offer players who love playing our games, with a few other surprises in store as well.
And if you've read this far, then you should know that this entire story was completely fabricated and in no way represents the views or intentions of Ironhide Games Studio. However, they are aware of its existence and they're curious to see how the community responds. So which of these features or others would you like to see? Now is the time to let your voice be heard.
Awesome stone golem made by FastAndBlast. (Thank you! 
