I recently came across a new Flash-based game called Desktop Tower Defense. This is quite a fun game, and it requires some strategy to get high scores. The basic premise is that you build towers to keep the “creeps” (aliens/robots/ships/whatever they are) from getting across the screen. Actually, that’s the whole premise. But there are 6 different types of towers, each with unique strengths and weaknesses, and there are variances among the “enemy”.
If you’ve ever played Age of Empires (AoE) or Empire Earth, you should be familiar with building towers for defense. If you’re like us, you’ve tried to build a “Path o’ Death” that the enemy could not get through, so you wouldn’t have to do any work while your defenses protect you. In this game, all you do is build a path of death. It may sound simple, and the concept is, but making it work on the advanced levels isn’t quite so easy.
A little trivia on this game : it was developed by a Visual Basic programmer who had no professional experience with game development, yet now he’s making, by his estimate, high four figures per month for this fun, little game, all from ad revenue. (Perhaps this is what I should be doing!) This shows that you don’t need fancy graphics and high-dollar budgets to develop a fun, profitable game.
Feel free to post your high scores (along with what difficulty you were on) in the comments section. Instead of having to create a screenshot if you get an outrageously ridiculous high score, you can submit it to the online scoreboard (except on the Easy setting). It’ll prompt you to enter your name, and when you get a chance to enter a group, put : Buffet_o_Blog. (If it doesn’t prompt you, then your score wasn’t high enough to be considered and you will just have to practice more.)
Have fun!
Buffet o' Blog 
Beppo
I’ve played a couple of times now, and so far my highs are 2444 on Easy and 971 on Normal. (The scoreboard wasn’t setup yet when I got that on Normal, but I have a screenshot to prove it.)
These are just preliminary scores, though. I’m sure they will be upgraded… I’m just setting the first bar to aim for… 🙂
Thomas Wayne
I played it, but didn’t score quite that high this time… but that’s okay. I was hindered by all the people talking around me, and I hadn’t had breakfast yet, and I was thirsty, and my mouse is old, and I was out of tea, and I had gas, and it was time for lunch, and so forth and so on. But don’t worry about me, I’ll be okay. After getting started on it, I could almost taste the high score (which is why I was thirsty). After I get some sweet tea, I’ll do better.
Your Friendly HR Dept
I heard a rumor that some Famous Artist scored over 4200, but only posted on the site’s main board. Again only a rumor.
Beppo
No worries… because I just posted 5382 on our board (which isn’t a rumor).
The bar has been raised…
ACLU Head Council
This game is discriminatory against creeps! I am the Head Council for the ACLU (American Creeps’ League United) and I am filing a federal lawsuit against the creator and the sponsors of this game because not only does it encourage violence against creeps, but it also unfairly prevents creeps from moving from one side of the tracks to the other. If creeps don’t get a fair shake on where they move, then we as a nation are in serious danger. Stop the madness before it’s too late!
Thomas Wayne
Your lawsuit is discriminating against having fun! Plus it’s just plain stupid. Creeps are just illuminated pixels. Besides, they’re trespassing. Whose towers are they running into? In this case, the penalty for trespassing is death. Those creeps need to respect my rights! If they’d just stay off the screen where they belong (and give me the high score out of fear and respect), then we could all get along. They’re the ones that are invading my personal space. I’m gonna keep blowing ’em up until they quit coming.
ACLU Head Council
Your “personal space” is a violation of the creeps’ civil rights and we won’t stand for your hate crimes or your inflammatory hate speech! Speaking of inflammatory, my roids itch.
Thomas Wayne
There’s creams to clear that up…
But there may be no cure for your stupidity. You talk about “hate crimes” and such, but there is no prejudice here. I fill the space on MY monitor with towers, to protect MY real estate, and anything that wanders onto it without my permission gets blown up. That’s civil justice for ya, right there! There’s no prejudiceness here… I don’t care who ya are…
charles
Beppo and the sleep cheap crusader (holiday inn express) will have a short reign of power!!!
Beppo
It’s easy to talk smack, but we’ll let the scores speak for themselves.
Besides, I don’t consider you a threat when you haven’t topped my scores yet… 😮
charles
Well you can start talking smack…because I just took position 5 with 5062 🙂
Thomas Wayne
FYI, you can view the scoreboard online without having to play the game. Here’s the link. Use Buffet_o_Blog for the group name.
Here’s some statistics from the website that show how popular the game is. In the last hour, there were :
* 11,198 games played
* 936 scores submitted
* 460,000 towers built
* 5,300,000 creeps killed
I wonder what that ACLU Head Council guy thinks about those numbers…
Does this game remind anyone else of Lemmings? Some of the sound effects, and the fact that these creeps keep walking to their death. Although, when I play, they just give up when they see my maze, because they know they can’t get through. That’s why I don’t have the high score…
Thomas Wayne
Apparently the high scores for our group are gone. I looked on the news page, and someone hacked the database in December and deleted all group scores.
Beppo
Since I was the last one listed with the high score, I guess I won that round. 🙂
Plus, I now have the new (and only) high score…
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Holiday Inn Express
In an effort to not leave you stuck with the burden of the high score, I have claimed that for myself.