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As I’m writing this, I’m wrapped up in a blanket cocoon with a bag of cough drops and a 32 oz. Gatorade at the ready. Nature couldn’t have picked a worst time to smite me with the sick bug. But there’s no time for rest when there’s so much to talk about! (Also, I can’t sleep when I’m sick, but that’s beside the point.)
New Faces
Before we jump in to the DunDef-specific news, we’d like to welcome a familiar face to the Trendy family. You may have seen him kindly helping strangers out in the PC Tech Support forum. It gives us great pleasure to welcome IceArrow to the Trendy team! Ice will be our new tech support guru and all around bad mamba-jamba.
Also, a few of our forum moderators are stepping down and passing the torch to fresh blood. We’d like to give a very special thanks to Naed.draagur, Jetah and KanibalKittN for all of their hard work. Taking up the mantle of forum defenders are Alhanalem, Immortal D and Dredd, who have already shown tact and kindness in their new roles. Keep up the great work!
Love is in the Air
For all of you love-struck Defenders, the Etherian Festival of Love is now available to download! Play matchmaker for the appropriate “boy” and “girl” goblins, and then rise up to defeat Mega Cupid!
Of course, we wouldn’t leave your matchmaking efforts unrewarded. The V-Day DLC brings new skins and a lovable new pet to the mix. My personal favorite? The Squire’s new skin — a full suit of armor. No more running around like the King of No Pants!
The Etherian Festival of Love will be free for another two weeks. If you’re having trouble beating the map, head on over to the Sky O’ Love thread, where our best and brightest have gathered to share their tips and strategies.
V-Day Card Contest Winners
Last week, we asked you to create an awesome Valentine’s Day card. The first-place winner of our V-Day Card contest is … Thomas Mortensen! Thomas went above and beyond the call to make an animated V-Day card using the DDDK!
For your effort, we’ll be sending you a signed Dungeon Defenders art print, a Steam copy of the game and all of the DLC to date!
And now for our second- to fifth-place runners-up! These fine men and women will receive the game and all DLC to date!
Artemis251
Marián Opial
Tina Neill
Hardband1
Congratulations! And thanks to everyone who submitted an entry.
Eternia Shards Part I is out now for EU PSN
You read that right. The first part of the Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards is finally out on EU PSN! And because of the delay, we’ve partnered with Sony Computer Entertainment Europe to bring it to you for the low, low price of free! Woohoo!
A Word from the Beta Team
Starting this week, we’re going to designate a part of our Digest to the beta team. You’ll get to hear straight from the horse’s mouth on beta progress and help contribute by participating in weekly discussions!
Take it away, gang!
“There’s been a lot of talk recently about the beta team, and Trendy thought it might be nice to give us a small spot of this digest each week to speak a little to the public!
The beta team is still growing, we’ve gotten our PC team pretty much filled out, and are still open for Mac applicants. (If you didn’t know, we’ve added a post to the forums for recruiting and suggestions on specific topics.)
Our new suggestion topic will be posted each week within the digest. If you’ve got constructive suggestions you’d like to share, you can PM our “Official Beta Test Group” account, we’ll read it, post it on our beta forums, and send you a quick reply. (Sometimes, we’ll even ask for additional feedback.)
This week’s topic is, “How would you adjust challenges to better fit the game’s progression?”
We wanted to share some insight into the beta team’s workings. With that thought in mind, here are some conversations overheard among the beta team over the last week. Sorry some details had to be !
***************
Lead: Here’s the upcoming schedule:
Member: Wow, that’s a lot of stuff! And I had no idea about the
Lead: Yes, it’s awesome and unexpected. Trendy loves their customers.
***************
Lead: V-day challenge is a new map. Get male and female mobs to get jiggy in the center of the map
Lead: you lure them, get them to pair off
Member: Wow, that’s different… (who uses the word jiggy anymore?)
Lead: I hate you…..
******************
This is why we can’t have nice things.
******************
Lead: President’s Day… is a event.
Lead: With… -… so the two
Member: That’s… crazy.”
Dead Prez
I can’t wait until you see what the beta team was talking about with President’s Day. It might be the single craziest thing we’ve ever done. We’re not going to ruin the surprise — you’ll just have to see for yourself on Monday.
Fear the VAC
A new wave of delicious VAC bans are about to be delivered. If you see a flood of tears and blood on the forums, you know why.
The Battle is Near
If you saw the Digest from Jan. 18, you’ll know I’m kind of a Lord of the Rings nut, which is why I’ve been hawking Cr4zy’s thread waiting for updates. Yesterday, he posted these beautiful, work-in-progress images of Helms Deep. WANT.
Keep up the great work!
Screenshots of the Week
Of course, we couldn’t end this week’s Digest without some community-flavored eye candy.
Courtesy of Black Mamba
Courtesy of deathsythe
Courtesy of GeniusBug
Have a cool photo you’d like to share? Send it cool to contest[at]trendyent.com with the subject “DunDef Screenshot”! Be sure to include your forum username or Steam username in the email. Our favorites will appear in future Digests!
One million paid downloads. It’s a milestone that most indie companies dare not dream. And yet, through some cosmic force of chance, luck and loyal fans, here we are.
Contrary to popular belief (i.e. that one dude who said something), we didn’t host a Social Network-esque million download party. It was life as usual for most of us here at the office — Nerf gun fights, office trolling, hard work, the usual.
But as big as that news was, nothing compared to finally sharing some good news with our console fans.
Console Patch Notes (plus Q&A)
The patch notes to our first console patch went live yesterday! Here’s the rundown:
PS3 and Xbox 360:
- Tower Attack Rate scaling improved to PC specifications
- Pet Attack Rate scaling improved to PC specifications
- Giraffes are now awarded at Wave 25 and survival stability is also correspondingly improved
- Mistymire weapons now have their appropriate artwork and will save on your hero. (Which means Mistymire reward weapons should not disappear!) Added DLC 2 (Desert Town) weapons/pet as well for that upcoming release. (There’s a technical issue with the Mistymire pet, so we’re unable to bring that to you. Sorry about that!)
- Raised Level Cap to 78 and added higher-quality items as a result
- Fixed last-minute hero-swapping bug
- Fixed Treasure Hunt skipping issue
- Fixed a potential save corruption case (We never reproduced it here in the office, so this potential fix is mostly guesswork.)
- Fixed bandwidth issue with projectile towers that will also resolve various online latency issues (weapons not appearing, invisible enemies, etc.)
- Squire Towers are a bit less damaging
- You can now have spaces in hero names from the initial Create Hero UI
- Fixed Obedience Training accomplishment to include certain extra Pet variants
- Made Achievements/Trophies attempt to unlock at regular intervals when the Accomplishments are checked (catches any cases where the Achievement or Trophy was not awarded at the time)
- Non-DLC players should no longer have trouble joining DLC Taverns
- Increased the Hero Cap value of all Stats (except for Run Speed) from 70 to 120
* Plus one additional note found in the Q&A below [Hint: It’s in the first question asked.]
Xbox 360:
- Fixed tavern unlock glitch
PS3:
- Left Analog stick fix
- Added French, Italian, German, Spanish localization for DLCs
- Fixed case where owners of PS Plus exclusive DLC (Monkey & other Pets) may not have been able to connect sometimes online with other players
Note from Jeremy: Sorry about the not-earning-Trophies-on-secondary accounts. We wanted to do this for the original game and originally had it like that, but it was a Sony Technical Requirement for Certification that such functionality be disabled.
Some of you guys had very pertinent questions. Others had ridiculous, outrageous questions. (You know who you are.) Our commander in chief, Jeremy Stieglitz, has graciously taken the time to answer a few of your questions:
—————————————-
“Any plans to raise the forge limit past 10 pages or to increase the mana cap past 15 Million?” – Jaws_420
I’ve just increased the Mana Limit to 200 million and added four more forge pages, since you asked nicely.
“What exactly do you mean by higher-quality loot?” – trobos
Loot at the high-levels can have more potential level-ups and better stats. It’s not exactly super-loot by PC standards, but it’s a step in that direction. This loot has higher level requirements, such as Level 74 or Level 78 depending on how good it is.
“Can you define ‘a bit less damaging’ for Squire towers?” – Gashen-Sai
They will have the same ramp as the PC version, which is about a 30% reduction from the console version give or take (depends on the level).
“Will we be getting ALL of the new weapon skins from the PC version?” – AnyaMirskii
All of the skins from DLC 1 and DLC 2.
“Will Survival drops get better?” – AnyaMirskii
Yes, in accordance with the higher-quality loot noted above.
“What about the cheaters/hackers/modders on console? Is there anything about them?” – XEQU
We’re adding in protection to try to identify and delete hacked save data, but it’s unknown how much of a widespread positive effect this will have.
“When will you guys submit the patch to Sony/Microsoft or release the patch for PS3/360?” – Zero_BladeZ
We’ll submit it this week, and it will release simultaneously with the DLC 2, the release date of which should be announced soon.
“Any word on whether there will be auto attack on the consoles?” – echo98
“What about the “Step to attack” function?” – Iyashii
Those functionalities have to stay as they are, but potentially for future TU.
“Will survival/pure strategy stop at wave 25 or will it continue till wave 30?” – Cladun
It’ll stop at Wave 25.
“What about the trading system for the 360?” – Ricky Reb
It’s too complex to integrate in the time we have for this Update, but potentially for the next TU after this one.
—————————————-
Be Our Valentine
Continuing the spirit of being gracious and kind, it’s almost time for the Etherian Festival of Love. Started by two major candy factories in Etheria, this annual festival features more than just chocolate and cuddles. In fact, you’ll have to play matchmaker for Etheria’s goblins and orcs, making sure they find their mates this holiday!
Valentine’s Day Contest
But that’s not all. We’re giving away a signed Dungeon Defenders art panel! Interested? All you have to do is make your own Dungeon Defenders Valentine’s Day card. Our favorite card will win the signed art print, a Steam copy of Dungeon Defenders and every DLC available to date, and four runners-up will receive a Steam copy of Dungeon Defenders and every DLC available to date. To enter, send your entries to [email]contest@trendyent.com[/email] with the subject “V-Day Card Contest.” All entries must be sent to us by Monday at 11:59 p.m. EST to be eligible to win.
If the only picture-editing software you have on computer is MS Paint, fear not! You can use Gimp, a free photo-editing software, to open the layered art file and have at it!
PvP Console Event
You didn’t think it was all hugs and love from us now, did you? This week, it’s a no-holds-barred free-for-all featuring our console fans and our community team, including Triple S, The Cowy Llama, Matt Power, Alex the Kid and, yours truly, The Boss.
This Thursday (PS3) and Friday (360), from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, experience the excitement as all of these powerhouses compete for the grand prize, the Krayt Junior pet. (And by compete, we mean we’ll give you the pet whether you win or lose.)
The match will take place on Lifestream Hollow, so you must have the Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards Part I in order to participate. Send a message to TrendyEnt1, TrendyEnt2 and TrendyEnt3 for your chance to enter!
PS3 Community-Hosted Events
Of course, we mustn’t forget our community-hosted events. While our 360 fans have Dredd and WarpedReality’s Winter Olympics events, two fine members of the PS3 community have stepped up host two separate events of their own: TheDarkCrucible with his Defenders of Eternia PSN Events and CaptBoxershorts with his own Winter Olympic events. Go check ‘em out!
Desert Heat
Beyond the scope of the immediate lies a desert. This barren land has been wrathed by foul heat and little water for eons. But in this forsaken land, tucked far away from prying eyes, is the city of Moraggo. Within its clay walls, fresh water flows and a fair breeze blows. This once-great desert oasis for travelers has long since turned into a nest for creeps and monsters. Unfortunately for our heroes, it’s also the resting place of the next Eternia Shard.
Before you can get your hands on the prize, we need to sift through the sand for bugs and other unspeakable things. We’ll keep you posted on when you can expect to search for the next Eternia Shard.
A Serious Evolution
The Barbarian is a man of many talents, but sometimes, the situation calls for a more tactical approach. Enter Series EV.
In addition to some awesome hero and weapon capabilities, Series EV brings a completely unique defense type to the table, opening up a whole new paradigm of strategic gameplay.
What’s that, you say? What is this new defense type? Soon, young padawans. Soon.
Screenshots of the Week
I had so many pictures to choose from this week, but somehow, I narrowed it down to three. Keep it up, gang!
Courtesy of David Vlasoff
Courtesy of sykl0ps
Courtesy of Kurt Kn1sp3l
Have a cool photo you’d like to share? Send it cool to contest[at]trendyent.com with the subject “DunDef Screenshot”! Be sure to include your forum username or Steam username in the email. Our favorites will appear in future Digests!
Thank you to everyone who has supported us. You are the sole reason for our success. <3
Last night was our first content release since I’ve stepped into Trendy’s community manager shoes, and I am exhausted. I have an IV drip of crangrape juice injected straight into my veins, so hopefully that heavenly combo of bitter cran and ripe grape will have me in full form again tomorrow. Thankfully, Pmasher has graciously offered to step in and help me tag team this week’s Digest. (Which means you should give him all of the credit for the really cool and giddy parts.)
Ninja Nerf
Before we explain why this happened, we want to explain that this is NOT a justification of it happening. There is no justification. Events like these only hurt us, Trendy Entertainment, and more importantly you, our player base. Anyone who says or speculates otherwise is patently wrong.
These nerfs (and buffs) were made to the game before Christmas break. Over the course of the break, moving offices, and life-in-general the exact changes were misplaced and thus mistakenly left off of the patch notes. Last night was the first us, the employees, or the beta testers began discovering about these undocumented changes. We were not sitting here stroking our cats, waiting until you were mad enough at us to post about our secret changes to the patch notes that we kept in our secret lair with (secret) swimming pools of money. We were getting to the bottom of what happened and what those changes were. As we were clarifying things internally, we began posting the revised Patch Notes to the Patch Notes section.
Yes this has happened before, and we will be working hard to make sure it does not happen again. We will try our hardest to ensure that the patch notes are transparent, both for you in final release and for our Beta Testers so they can accurately test and balance the content.
Furthermore, we’d like everyone to remember that Nightmare mode is currently in pre-release. That means the goalposts and balancing of it will change, perhaps dramatically. There’s still 3 upcoming QftLES, all of which will incorporate an entirely new enemy into that campaign before it’s finished, and more that will affect it on their way. We understand how frustrating it feels to turn on the game and feel like everything you just worked toward undid itself. But it’s important to keep in mind that Nightmare Mode is not the current end-game; it’s a piece of the future end-game. When it does reach that point, we hope all of you are satisfied with it and enjoy the challenges it presents and chance to play it while it’s evolving.
They’re Here
Patch 7.16, the Barbarian, and the AMP all released this week. It was a little hectic, and we’re already one hotfix in, but we hope you’re enjoying the new content. Also, we want to state with absolute certainty that the Arnold Rave video on YouTube is not why the Barbarian is using lightsabers in this video. There’s just something intrinsically awesome about a barbarian with glowsticks.
EU PSN Eternia Shards
Finally, a date! Wait no longer EU PSN players, Dungeon Defenders Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards Part I is finally coming to Europe on Feb. 15. We are truly sorry for the delay (for both this, and the EU version of Dungeon Defenders), so to make it up to you… Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards Part I will be releasing for free in the EU.
Console Patch Details Coming this Week
For our eager console fans scouring this Digest for patch details, we have good news for you! This week, we’ll be revealing the patch details for our first console patch. Hallelujah! Keep your eyes peeled on the Console Discussion forums, which is where we’ll be dropping this information. (And we’ll post those details again here next week.)
PvP Console Event — Feb. 9 and 10
Next week, on Feb. 9 (360) and Feb. 10 (PS3), we’ll be hosting a PvP console event on Lifestream Hollow! If you would like to participate, you must have the Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards Part I. The fragging and fun will go from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST. each day. We’ll let you guys know more about the event in next week’s Digest.
The Defenders Store is getting BIGGER and BETTER
We can’t thank Maydie enough for his work on the Defenders Store. If you haven’t noticed, the latest PC patch added the support to Sync All Items from your AFK shop to the site, but that’s just the beginning. There’s now Grid View to help you find better items for your hero and so much more. Here’s the full list of changes:
New Features:
All items are sync’ed from the game with a single button click now, without logging in to the websiteEquip item: equip an item on your site, and it can then be compared with other items from the same slot
View-as-Class: will change the stats icons according to the class you have selected
Wish list
Report abuse: Report a potential hacked item / user
Grid view: minimalist listing with numbers only
Comfortable view: easy to read listing, good for small screens + show total stats for tower / resist / hero
Tweaks:
Merged shop / item box
Updated home page with cool look
Updated the look of the shop and item pages
Major database tweaks & optimizations
Anyone who uses Dungeon Defenders Shop feature should definitely check this site out.
The Banhammer is in Full Swing
Hackers on Steam, beware: Our banhammer is armed and swinging. If anyone sees any suspicious activity, please use the Report a Player sub-forum. And be sure to use the new Report Abuse function in the Defenders Store. For more information on reporting hackers, please refer to this handy-dandy reporting guide.
To our legitimate players, our intent is not to frighten you. We’re here to make your playing experience better. If you feel that you have been unfairly banned, send an email to feedback[at]trendyent.com.
Internal Mac Beta this February
Good news for all our Mac Dungeon Defenders fans… the Mac version is entering internal beta this month! We’ve taken some extra time with it, but it sports all the features of the PC version, allows you access to your TrendyNet characters, and has cross-play with its PC brother (or sister, depending on how you see it).
Squire Racing
Dredd and WarpedReality continued their proud tradition of making outside-the-box events with Squire Racing, a kart-racer-inspired take on Dungeon Defenders. The event was the first of the updated Winter Olympics event for the 360. Head on over to their thread to see the rest of the events they have planned!
Our Modders Being Awesome
Do you like the color purple? Well we do, and “Twisted Garden” by TitanSloth has plenty of it. It’s also an awesome co-operative experience that all of you should check out when you have the chance.
Screenshots of the Week
Steam user [SEA]GodsPlague emailed us this awesome photo of him and a friend prepared to do battle on the Barbarian’s launch day:
And we don’t want to go all modern-video-game journalism on you and give you all your news straight from Reddit, but Volkamar posted this awesome screenshot of the new reward for Mythical Defender and we just couldn’t resist:
Now that we’ve added our new vanity options, keep sending us your cool photos to contest[at]trendyent.com! Be sure to include your forum username or Steam username in the email. Our favorites will appear in future Digests!
Before we leave, all of us here at Trendy would like to give a shout out to Senior Airman Nathan Blackmer. Thanks for everything you do.
Yesterday, we posted the news that the PC-only content — the new heroes, the Holiday DLC, and yes, even Nightmare Mode — will be staying PC-only. We’re really sorry that we can’t get this content to consoles, and you can read more about that decision in yesterday’s post.
Of course, I know you guys are hungry for console patch details, and while I don’t have the whole list yet, I do have one. It appears the issue with the Mistymire reward weapons disappearing has been fixed! Full patch details should be coming soon, and we’re still aiming at a January submission to quality assurance.
Console Event Details
Speaking of Mistymire, this week heralds the return of our console events. In this Trendy-versus-the-console-world-flavored event, it’s up to you to defend the crystal while our team of community griefers fling creeps over your well-placed blockades. Outlast the onslaught on Insane for five waves, and you’ll win the reward weapon, the Bound for Earth. (And yes, you need to survive for five waves to win the weapon. Dem’s the rules!)
To ensure the event would produce the right amount of succulent tears to fill my ego goblet, I’ve been subjecting the community team to tortuous testing. I think we’ve achieved the perfect ratio of winning to QQing.
Some of you have been curious about the little, insignificant details: dates, times, how to enter. The event takes place Jan. 26 and 27. (That’s tomorrow and Friday!) Thursday will be the PS3 event, and Friday will be the 360 event. Each day, we will be hosting the events from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST.
To clarify:
Thursday: PS3, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
Friday: 360, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST
For your chance to enter, send a message to TrendyEnt1, TrendyEnt2 and TrendyEnt3. We’ll be pulling in people at random, and any messages sent before the designated start time will be deleted.
Countdown
We’ve talked at length about the Barbarian and the Assault Map Pack. We can finally announce that the Barbarian and the AMP will make their way to the Steam marketplace on — drumroll please — Jan. 30! That’s five days away. To help ease the pain of waiting for so long, here’s some more screenshots of the Etherian Mines.
The honeymoon suite.
Don’t go chasing waterfalls.
Just as a reminder, the Assault Map Pack will be free if you’ve purchased the Eternia Shards Complete on Steam. Otherwise, the AMP will be $.99 (on sale from $1.99), while the Barbarian will be $1.99 (on sale from $2.99).
I haven’t had too much of a chance to get my hands on the new goods yet, but I’m going to sneak into the office this weekend and give them a go. (And while I’m in the office, I might drop by Immortal-D’s PC giveaway.
Patch in Action
For our PC fans, it’s been more than a month since the last patch (7.15) hit Dungeon Defenders. Patch 7.15 brought the respawn-less Hardcore Mode and several much-needed tweaks to Nightmare Mode. Patch 7.16 will bring support for the aforementioned Barbarian class and the Assault Map Pack DLCs, as well the three new Steam achievements hinted at last week, and some additional functionality, such as:
Item folders for both your Item Box and Hero Shop! These can be sub-foldered (with viewable paths), and they support new item and folder mouse drag-&-drop interaction (as do the buttons).
Hardcore completion stat recording! You now get special icons indicating your hardcore mode completions (per-difficulty), and there’s a corresponding Achievement for beating all Nightmare Campaign missions in Hardcore. What future rewards will this unlock?
On-the-fly full-frontal viewing and no HUD display! You can activate this AT ANY TIME during gameplay for some action-packed shots! (Which means you guys better be sending some awesome screenshots to [email]contest@trendyent.com[/email] for future digests! No excuses!)
Patch 7.16 is set to hit Steam on Jan. 30. For the rest of the tentative patch notes for 7.16, head on over to the Upcoming Patch Notes thread.
To our console fans, we’ll see you tomorrow. To everyone else, see you next time.
The pieces are falling into place in our swank new office. Our misfit artists are laying the first brushstrokes on distant projects. Our testers are putting the new DLC through its paces. And our newly formed community supergroup, Trendy Entertainment Community Support (T.E.C.S.), has tapped into the power of the One Ring, backhanding hackers off the ranked servers like Sauron at the slopes of Mount Doom.
Sadly, the One Ring does not grant me additional wordsmith power, so you’ll just have to make do with these weak mortal sentences.
Enter the Barbarian
The Barbarian has no need for your rings of power. In fact, he has no need for towers. Wielding a weapon in each hand, he handles the mobs of Eternia with ease. But the Barbarian is no flailing fool. This rugged man has trained extensively for years to perfect various fighting styles.
Which stance will you choose: Siphon, Turtle, Lightning, Hawk or Tornado? You’ll have plenty of time to choose until the Barbarian drops into the PC battleground for $2.99. (On sale around launch for $1.99.)
Speak Friend and Enter
Do not fear to go into the Mines of Etheria, for it is here in the sacred realm of your heritage that you must assault the enemies that lurk within the shadows. By might, magic or mysticism, you must succeed, or all shall perish.
The Fellowship Loses a Member
Last week, we said farewell to a brave soul who has left the company for other adventures. Yesterday, our 360 console community gathered to give thanks to the man, the myth, the JDanford.
We’d like to give a very special thanks to Dredd and WarpedReality for making all of this possible.
Trendy vs. the Console World (Mistymire Console Event)
The overwhelming community response with console events has inspired us to make another of our own. But this time, there’s a twist.
It’s our ragtag team of community comrades against the console world in Homerun Derby. Your job will be to protect the crystals while we run around like mad people knocking creeps over your blockades and past your towers. Defensive units will be low, so place your defenses wisely. Survive the onslaught, and you’ll walk away with a rare weapon.
The event will be on Jan. 26 and 27. We’ll have more details next week.
12 for ‘12 PSN Sale
PSN fans, you can grab Dungeon Defenders for 30 percent off until next Monday. If you have PSN+, you’ll get an additional 20 percent off. (That’s 50 percent off the retail price!)
Head on over to Sony’s blog to read more about it. And while you’re there, be sure to check out the other discounted games.
Mac Dropping in February (for now)
In the spirit of keeping everyone up to date, the current ETA for the Mac release of Dungeon Defenders is sometime this February. We’re taking a little extra time to ensure everything’s up to par and that the PC and Mac versions play nice with each other. We’ll keep everyone updated as this date range narrows down (and possible shifts a bit).
Modder’s Paradise
As part of the new community focus of the website, we’re going to be looking for amazing maps and mods created by our fans to showcase. Here’s a few of the latest work-in-progress maps and mods that have caught our eye.
Tonight at 10:30 p.m. EST/7:30 p.m. PST, our very own Philip Asher will be a guest on Moonhawk Studios Presents, a live podcast hosted by Michael “Mac Paladin” Prokop with Adam Dayton. Hear why all the ladies get hot and bothered by his sexy dulcet voice, and maybe get a drop or two of DunDef news.
Leave Your Website Suggestions Here
Have an awesome idea for our website update? Be sure to drop by the Suggestions forum and let us know!
And for you PC folk:
Want even more of a challenge?
Before we leave, we’d like to draw your attention to the SOPA and PIPA blackouts happening all over the web this week. The implications of these bills go beyond piracy. They threaten the vitality of indie game studios by snuffing out YouTube videos, fan art, mods, maps and other creations crafted by our fans, which help spread awareness throughout the gaming community.
If you’d like to learn more about these bills, head on over to Google’s landing page. And while you’re there, we urge you to sign the petition.
Before we get started, I’d like to take this moment to thank Trendy Entertainment for allowing me the opportunity to be your new community manager. If you haven’t already seen Danford’s farewell thread, head on over there and tell him goodbye. I know that all of us here at Trendy will miss him.
This year marks a renewed push to not only provide you with bigger and better in-game content, but we’re going to give you guys the best customer support and community experience yet.
Now settle in. It’s time for this week’s digest. (Which, for future reference, will release each Wednesday.)
Float Like a Butterfly
Earning Mythical Defender is no small task. One must brave the treacherous perils of Nightmare mode on every Campaign map — a feat only .2 percent of our defenders have completed so far. For some, the sweet taste of victory is reward enough, but we recognize others may require a slightly more tangible prize. Behold! The Outlander Hunter skin has landed (or should we say arose, *hint* *hint*)!
Assault Mission Pack
Of course, even if you are a Mythical Defender you still need more content to play, right? Well, if you’ve purchased the Eternia Shards Complete DLC, or are going to in the future, we’ll be throwing in some additional content (Edit: by the end of this month): the Assault Mission Pack. This pack will let your heroes break through the enemies’ defenses across Mistymire Forest, Tree of Life and one brand new map, The Etherian Mines. Of course, to do this, you may need some new brand new weapons… and maybe if you succeed you’ll find a new friend:
Those who just want the Assault Mission Pack will be able to purchase for $1.99 and grab it on sale for one dollar less at launch.
Website Facelift
Our forums are a marvelous place of whimsy and wonder. Within these walls, our fans show off their talents using videos, photos, mods and maps. Yet more often than not, their brilliance gets buried under the rising tide of topics and their hard work goes unnoticed. Well, I say no more!
In the next two months, the Dungeon Defenders website will be getting a facelift. Sure some of it will just be cosmetic (and some of it just be making it actually load), but the rest will be focused on better serving you; bringing your work and voice to the forefront of the site as well as making support from us more accessible and organized. It’s in the earliest of early stages now, but as we make progress on it, we’ll keep you updated right here.
Hidden deep in that rising tide of posts is the Dungeon Defenders Winter Olympics, a set of events hosted and run entirely by the goodwill of our 360 community members Dredd and WarpedReality. These six events will challenge your brain and as well as your balance. I got the chance to try out the first event, the Hot Lava Obstacle Course, and I was blown away by the amount of planning, time and outside-the-box resourcefulness that Dredd and Warped put into this. It’s simply phenomenal.
They’re giving away some wicked beam swords named after famous Star Wars sith and jedis. And if you needed more incentive besides fun and beam weapons, we’ve given them a stack of Chi Blasts to give out. Now you can go all Gandalf on creeps while your buddies do the Obi-Wan/Darth Vader thing.
The first event started this morning, but it picks back up tonight from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. EST.
Here’s the schedule for the rest of their events:
1/17: Quicksand — Summit on insane. Towers will randomly disappear after the first wave
1/25: Man’s Best Friend — No Towers Allowed on Hard. Pets only
TBD: DXC “Defenders Xtreme Challenge” — PvP life stream, work in progress
TBD: Aura’s R Us — Aura towers only, work in progress
TBD: Last Man Standing — PvP, last challenge of the event and the winner will receive 1600 Microsoft points. Huntress and event weapons are excluded from this challenge
If you’d like to learn more, head on over to their forum thread.
Members of our PSN community, where are you??? We’d love to help get some community-run events on PSN as well!
Arcade Fire Sale
This week’s Xbox Deal of the Week is tower-defense flavored, which means you can pick up Dungeon Defenders for 800 MS Points! Head on over to the [URL="http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/Promotion/dealoftheweek"]Xbox Marketplace[/URL] and pick up a copy. While you’re there, you should check out the other amazing tower defense games on sale as well.
Back on Mac
If you’ve paid attention to our Twitter feed this past week, you may have noticed our super-subtle hint about Dungeon Defenders on a certain platform.
It’s OK if you didn’t quite get what we were trying to say. Next time, we’ll be sure to use bright neon lights, sparkles, rainbows, and maybe a unicorn. Oh wait, we are in the Assault Mission Pack. Anyways…
Dungeon Defenders for the Mac is coming to you Soon®, and for a lucky few, the wait will be much shorter. We’re looking for beta testers to help iron out the kinks. If you’re interested in helping us out, shoot an email to betatesters[at]trendyent.com. Be sure to include your Steam username, location and the kind of Mac you have. (MacBook, iMac, etc.)
Tatt’d Up
Sometimes when we love something, we put the needle to our skin and ink an ever-lasting tribute. That’s what Jeremy Orley did. Check out this sweet Huntress tattoo adorning his body from Daniel Watkins at Art Bomb Tattoo.
Nice work! Seeing someone dedicate a part of their canvas to our game is both humbling and validating.
We end this week’s digest with an in-house bombshell: Our head honcho, Jeremy, got engaged in New York over the break! (Is that the reason we all had time off, Jeremy? Tell the truth!) Check out the Huntress cupcakes from his bride-to-be, Susan:
A quick sidenote: Susan owns this fantastic sweets shop downtown called Sarkara Sweets. It’s so good, if you’re local, check it out (but don’t ask for the Huntress Cupcake, that’s just for us).
Congratulations to Jeremy and Susan!
That’s it for this week. I can’t wait to really sink my teeth in. This is going to be a good year.
Edit 1/13/2012: Something urgent has arose, and a few members of our dev team have to take a trip next week. This means that the Assault Map Pack will no longer be ready for launch next week, however it will still be released before the end of the month.
Welcome to the year 2012! We hope everyone had a spectacular holiday and a stellar New Years! We hope you spent all that time playing DunDef and anticipating future DLC. I mean, thats exactly what we did… ish
We spent a portion of our holiday moving into a NEW OFFICE! That means no more elbow to elbow and shoulder to shoulder high impact coding/programming/testing/PRing/etc-ing for us! We now live the sweet sweet life of individual chairs, desks, and PC’s (I guess a few folks use Mac but they basically aren’t real people). So we put a little bit of blood and a lot of sweat into moving everything ourselves and getting the office set up for upcoming interns and a couple employees to help Trendy step into the great blue yonder on stronger and more learned legs.
Don’t worry though! Sore legs and strained backs didn’t stop us from planning more Holidays to coincide with Events! Events to coincide with dates! Dates to correlate with Holidays! And holidays to be formed for Events! Prepare those anxious ears for ultra Trendestic goodness… just not today.
Speaking of Events! The Amazing Hitmonchan (#107) will be running our final Console Event from 12 noon to 10:00pm EST this Thursday and Friday. What a sweetheart! We should have clarified info on console updates and the likes in coming Digests.
One jump ahead of the breadline?
Gotta eat to live, gotta DLC to eat
As the old adage goes, “All men were born with two hands, and thus all men shall carry one sword”. But us Trendians hate adages… especially old ones. Prepare to yield to no foe during any duel as you dual wield against all foes who pray to yield!
As a kid, I used to dream of a rich, curly beard that would drape from my face and make a Greek god envious. Now, I’d settle for even the patchiest and most haggard of face fur. It’s a sad life.
So while I wish upon a holiday star for my masculinity, here’s today’s Digest.
Console DLC Drops Tomorrow
Good news, console fans! Our first gift to you, The Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards: Part One, will be available tomorrow! You can explore new maps, fight new enemies and wield new loot on XBLA for 320 MSP and PSN for $3.99. Just as a reminder to you, our first console patch is still aimed for a January submission. You can expect to see bug fixes, an increased level cap, new items for the forest DLC and more. We’ll have more details to share once things begin to congeal after the new year.
Get Into the Holiday Spirit
It’s time for the Etherian Holiday Extravaganza! Bells are ringing, carolers are singing and snow is drifting in the land of Etheria, but all is not well. While parents light the menorahs and prepare the feasts, the fire-eye’d Mega Snowman is waging a war against Santa. It’s up to our heroes to save the gifts from the clutches of the devious snowman and deliver them to the eager children.
Our multimedia maestro, Rodrigo Lizarraga, whipped up a gorgeous trailer for the event. Grab a mug of hot chocolate and check it out:
If you’ve been on the fence about past DLC, or if you’re looking for the perfect gift for that special someone, Dungeon Defenders and all DLC before The Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards: Part One are 50 percent off during Steam’s Holiday Sale! This festive sale ends Jan. 2, so you better hurry!
There Can Be Only One
Four heroes enter, one hero leaves. Fight against friends, enemies and Trendy developers in this week’s Console Community Event, Dome of Thunder. Leave your best gear at home — your untimely demise will scatter your loot like a feast for vultures. Fend them away, and you may leave the arena with heavier pockets.
The Final Countdown
We end today’s Digest with a special surprise for our European fans. Dungeon Defenders is coming to PSN EU really, really soon. How soon? Let me give you a few hints. Its release coincides with the release day of a famous R&B song, which later became the namesake of a 1991 movie starring Dan Aykroyd and Jamie Lee Curtis. It’s also the birthday of an American actor famous for his on-screen battles with snakes, sharks and Sith.
It’s been a big week here in the office. We put the finishing touches on our first campaign DLC, The Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards: Part One. We cheered as our console fans took arms against waves of ogres. And as you drove to the forums to voice your opinions, we were reminded once again how lucky we are to have passionate fans like you.
OK, enough of the mushy stuff. Let’s get down to business.
Deck the Halls with Creeps and Minions
Our first campaign DLC might be getting the spotlight, but the Etherian Holiday Extravaganza! is just around the corner. In preparation of the event, our heroes have been donning thy festive apparel. The Apprentice, too slow to get his first choice in outfit, is ready to spread the holiday cheer as the man-in-red himself, Mr. Claus.
DunDef Creation Winners
JDanford and I wanted to see your most creative Dungeon Defenders creations. Sifting through the submissions, these two works of art struck the same nostalgic chord.
For making us dream of simpler times, you’ll both receive a free copy of our New Heroes DLC! Winners, keep an eye on your email.
Patch Me Up, Buddy
We have an early holiday present for our Impulse and Direct2Drive dungeon lovers. If you haven’t peeked yet, we’ve released patch 7.12 for your enjoyment. This patch includes everything from 7.12 and before. We still await word on when Gamersgate will make the post, but rest assured we will shout it from the mountains when the day comes.
Champion(s) of the Sun
This week’s console event — All Brawn, No Brain — left grown men and women feeling DPS-inadequate. As groups of drained defenders lined the armory walls, one team defied the odds. To Dobneyj, GnaVirus and Sefjwn on PSN, we salute you.
Dungeon Snapshot: A Boss Approaches
Some people shake when the ferocious end-level boss lumbers onto the battlefield. Several of our readers thought it was the perfect time to strike a pose — those brave, brave souls.
Have an epic screenshot to share? Send it to contest@trendyent.com with the subject header “Dungeon Snapshot.” Our favorites will appear in future Digests!
As the team heads out for our annual holiday office party, we want to wish everyone a safe weekend.
There are many jokes and puns I could use to bring you into this feature of the DunDef Digest but the extent to which your mind may or may not be blown may be influential enough to probably guarantee (60%… ish) that this digest just might induce increasing amounts of serotonin in your system caused by the the release of that very neurotransmitter at the synapse followed by multiple re-uptake inhibitors that may or may not be caused by the jokes and puns that I have or have not put into this feature of the DunDef Digest. Though I’m guessing you just want the content.
You’ve been asking, guessing, theorycrafting, raging, begging, and sacrificing small animals all in the hopes of snagging a little piece of what our new difficulty mode entails. Well allow me to kind of answer that statement I just made prior to this one and invite you up front in this limo of words to let Argyle drive you to the thrill that is Nightmare Mode.
Nightmare has a musk about it. If I were to describe that musk (and I were) I’d compare it to a whole lot of John McClane. Thats right kids and kiddettes. Before you climb to the top of the Nakatomi Plaza you must remember that no shoes are aloud at this party. While you battle in the realm of Nightmare you may feel that we have nerfed you a bit… because we did. But true Heroes walk on broken glass.
Nightmare: Nightmarer. Not as impressive as what was before or what’s to come, but you best understand that these creeps will be more difficult, and they’ll show up with more friends than the original.
Nightmare with a Vengeance. Thats right cowboys, Yippie-ki-yay, this mode evolves with DLC. As our Heroes fight on to save the world and taunt creeps with their O-A’s, we will be incorporating the new enemies. Prepare to replay the campaign like it was never planned. It’s time to partner up an prep some new strats. Don’t worry though, Zeus is a smart dude.
Live Free or Nightmare we always say here at TE. And by that I don’t know what I mean. We have not finalized how the mode will be distributed. Our plan is that PC users that own the Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards will be able to host the mode, while others will be able to join on them (just like we’ve done with most of our DLC). I will note as plainly as possible, this mode is currently PC only.
Not to be overshadowed is The Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards themselves. I just don’t wanna spoil that fun quite yet. Well…
Can you deal with THAT. The Controller Online has crowned us Downloadable Game of the Year! In their article they mention that we “All Sorts” and “of Fun”. They also seemed to be very impressed with “14.99″. Thank you Controller Online team!
Now don’t forget about our Original Dungeon Defenders Creations Contest! You can win a free copy of our New Heroes DLC! The deadline is December 9th… but we will say December 9th at close… and we don’t really close at normal business hours. You basically have another 24 hours to send your entry to Contest@TrendyEnt.com.
We know how you guys love a little candy on your holidays. Invite this little lady over to sweeten up your December with hot cocoa and oodles of jingle!
Hello Mrs Santa Squire, my name I JDan, how you doin?
Sometimes, the professionals look to unconventional sources to fill a gap. Sports teams have used water boys and towel boys to varying degrees of success. At Trendy, Pmasher and JDanford have graced a small-time intern with the enviable task of writing today’s DunDef Digest.
Let’s do this.
We’re No. 1 (Again!)
Because of you, we’re perched at the top of the Steam charts again. Thanks to everyone who bought a copy and supported our team of lovable misfits.
If this is your first time on our forums, we’d like to welcome you to our humble community. You’ll find help for any issues you may encounter in our Tech Support forums (Console | Mobile | Modding | PC). Be sure to read our forum rules before posting. If you’ve got the mana, head on over to our Trading Post forums (PC Ranked | PC Unranked | Console | Mobile ) and pick up a fine weapon from our wide assortment of community vendors. Check out our Guides forum if you need a spot of help.
And help us eradicate trolls by using the Report a Post function. You can find it in the brown bar underneath every post. Along with your help, our valiant team of forum moderators will be handing out infractions. One infraction point will be given for violating a forum rule. Five points and yer outta here (i.e. permaban)!
It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like… the Holidays
It’s down to 50 degrees here in Gainesville. While we Florida boys are pulling out our hoodies and Cosby Sweaters, our heroes have taken the opportunity to be a bit more festive with their wardrobe.
For example, let’s look at the Monk. Inspired by his favorite underdog story, the crafty Monk stitched together the perfect reindeer outfit.
They Don’t Love You Like I Love You
A few people still have not been invited to our console community events. Your sorrowful words have speared me through my fragile heart.
So for this week’s challenge, I’m getting a full night’s rest, grabbing a pack of Monster and starting the events early. From 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. EST, on both Thursday and Friday, I will be manning the helm (unlike Peyton*) and inviting people to kill ALL the enemies. That’s eight extra hours of community co-op action, and it’s all because of my love for you.
I would like to make a couple of things clear before we do this week’s community challenge:
Please do not play music through the headsets. Since this is going to be early in the morning (yes, 10 a.m. is early for me), I’ll have chill music of my own emanating from my laptop. I’m sure your music is beautiful, but there will be no Trendy dubstep/folk mashups happening while I’m around. I’m doing this out of love. I reserve my right to revoke that love.
The extended hours applies to this week’s event only.
I will not be handing out weapons from previous events.
If you wish to do the event as a group, please include your friends’ gamertags/PSN IDs in the message. Unannounced guests are a no-no.
I Heard You Like Free Stuff
As JDanford mentioned in the last Digest, we want to see your ingenious and original Dungeon Defenders creations. If you have a song in your heart, a talent in the kitchen or an eye for detail, use it to crack the blockades to our crystallized hearts. Our favorite entries will win a free copy of our New Heroes DLC!
If you’re like me, you need a little inspiration to get going. I whipped up a beautiful work of art for your desktop to lift you up when the brain-well runs dry.
Send your entries to contest@trendyent.com by Dec. 9. Please include “DunDef Creation” in the subject header to make our lives easier.
He Likes Us!
In this month’s “Best (and Worst) Downloadable Games,” Daemon Hatfield of IGN gave Dungeon Defenders a shout-out. Check it out! (Also, Hatfield gave praise to one of my all-time favorite games, Kirby’s Adventure. So for that and more, we salute you, Mr. Appraiser of the Downloadable Domain.)
Mac Attack
Fear not, Apple fans. Our team is hard at work to bring Dungeon Defenders to the Mac. If you’ve been playing on PC, you will be able to automatically copy over all of your Ranked and Open data via TrendyNet and Steam Cloud, respectively.
Of course, nothing is set in stone at this point. We’ll have more news as the development mold cools off.
Dungeon Snapshot
We’ll end today’s Digest on a high note. In life, there are epic fails and epic wins. Just ask ceemeeir.
Fail:
Win:
Have an epic screenshot to share? Send it to contest@trendyent.com with the subject header “Dungeon Snapshot.” Our favorites will appear in future Digests!
Thanks for staying with me. Hopefully I didn’t disappoint you too much.
JDanford back from the World of Tomorrow! And I’ve got some goodness equivalent to 40 megafonzies.
How about another Multi-Lingual Fansite! DDHeaven is a clean/crisp site growing rapidly! Thanks to all the guys involved and to Kampfschaf for pointing it out.
Whimmy Wham Wham Wozzle check out them Mods! Here we have a lovely trailer depicting the brilliant induction of Banjo to Dungeon. Thank you, TillOilenspiegel:
If all you fans of Etheria ever want to submit your Trailer to us we just might throw some logoish logos on it and reveal it to the world! I’ll tell you what, send us your blessed creations (fan-art, music, food, etc) and we would be proud to show it off right here on the DunDef Digest!
Don’t forget to check all the other mods and WIP’s in our Mod Section.
Party On, Contest Winners! Console Events are still going strong, and it appears we have hit one of the toughest challenges yet! No one has been walking on sunshine with these events, but so far PS3 users have shown that they have the slight edge over our 360 fans with more frequents victories… Is this because they get to analyze the 360 strats the night before? Or do they truly have greater skill? We will find out next week when we Swap the Nights! Make sure you look at your schedule. PS3 will be on Thursday and 360 on Friday.
Good News, Everyone!!!! Holidays approach… and you know how we feel about holidays… especially when they get grouped together into one small section of the calender.
I know he’s no Robot Santa… but he still retains the joy of Xmas!
If I don’t survive, tell my wife, “Hello.”
JDanford
It’s time for another DunDef Digest. This has been a pretty big week for Dungeon Defenders, so…
First, we’ve updated the New Heroes DLC to include Uber Monster Fest, an 8-player version of the Monster Fest Challenge Mission.
We’ve also furthered improved integration between the new in-game stores on PC and defendersstore.com. Soon to come is 16-players allowed in a shop at a time.
And wait… there’s stuff for console players this week too??? We’ve submitted the first part of The Quest for the Lost Eternia Shards to consoles and anticipate a release for it this year across console and PC! We’ve also made some progress on the PS3 trophy issue, and while we still don’t have an ETA for a fix, are discussing it actively with Sony.
And… if you hop online now and message TrendyEnt1, TrendyEnt2, or TrendyEnt3 on XBLA you can join into the Beefcake Festival community event and have your chance to win the Chi Blast for the Apprentice!
P.S. Since everyone is so interested in what we have for lunch, this pretty delicious burrito place called Willy’s just opened up in Gainesville and that’s where we ate lunch.
So this time it’s actually Pmasher talking. JDanford is off eating delicious food… or preparing delicious food. Something of the sort. Regardless, hopefully you all are enjoying our Thanksgiving treats:
1. Another free holiday DLC! Personally, the Native Princess outfit is my favorite yet and we hope you all are enjoying the mission… even if you can’t beat it yet.
2. More Warping Core maps, this time with multiple warping crystals!
3. The Hunter, The Lady Knight, The Sorceress, and the Monktr…. oh wait. I mean The Ranger, The Countess, The Adept, and the Initiate.
Unfortunately, we don’t have anything to give our consoles players for Thanksgiving except this: we have submitted some DLC for you guys! So please know it’s coming and be patient. In the meantime feel free to join us for our community events which will be resuming next week!
Anyways, before our awesome 50% off Steam Sale (tell your friends!) starts to skew the data, let me give you three fun facts about Dungeon Defenders PC:
Over 800 years of Dungeon Defenders has been played to date (not counting developers).
The Average Time Played for Dungeon Defenders is 36 hours 43 minutes.
The top 8% of players have played for over 100 hours.
And finally, some more Banjo Mod pictures courtesy of TillOilenspiegel:
The way I remember it, albatross was a ship’s good luck, ’til some idiot killed it. Yes, I’ve read a poem. Try not to faint.
-Pmasher
So I was about to walk out the door and I thought…. Hmmmmmmmmm
Let’s Unveil the Countess
“A proud Etherian warrior of noble descent, the Countess can more than hold her own against the great warriors of the realm. Though she favors brute force melee combat, she still has increased mobility over her male counterpart. Though she can be stubborn at times, her distinct combat abilities ensure that she’ll never back down from a fight!”
The Ranger, Adept, Countess and Initiate will be joining you in the realm of Etheria next week!!!
And then I got distracted by all these Uber Modtastic Fantastic Righteous Exclamation Marktastic WiP’s!
Something incredible is happening and it is ALL thanks to you, our fans! We knew this community would do great things, but never realized how rapidly you guys would take action.
- I first want to bring your attention the Defenders Store, a web interface to post your Items for for sale (Mana). Novus… Wow! We can not even begin to tell you how impressed we are (and a little jealous we didn’t do it first). You have won the official support of Trendy. I want to make it clear to all you guys out there that this site is not created, developed, or maintained by Trendy. This is 100% fanpower and has great potential. Just take a look at these incoming Features:
DunDefCalc: Will join Oolius and his team to work on something bigger!
Upgradable items: See how good are your items fully upgraded!
Item compendium: A reference to the best possible stats for each items
Item comparator: Compare 2 items to help you choose the best one
Talent calculator: Create talent trees templates and see how it affects your hero and defenses DPS!
If you ever want quick access to the store just look UP! To help bring you the Quan we put a pleasant button to the Defenders Store for your convenience.
- We also wanted to thank IndieGames.com for the nice shout out about the DDDK!
- Now to continue our YOU appreciation: USER MADE MAPS!
Hall of Deathmatch! Well a very squarish hall.. But square halls are proven to be the best for a good Deathmatch! It’s simple science.
And for PvE fans, check out this lava lake of a map called 4 Ways.
- If you guys are looking for information on How To Mod, remember to check out the DunDef Dev Kit Master Tutorial List. We added on the AMAZING guides by Cr4zy and can’t wait to add more!
- 7.10 is coming up! We hope you are enjoying the new First Person View added in 7.09, because 7.10 improves it! Here’s a quick few notes about 7.10:
PvE: Big overhaul to the item generation system: item drops (chests and mobs) are now scaled differently based on difficulty and wave number, capable of exceeding their previous limits, so that on the highest waves on the toughest difficulties, you’re going to get items that can even beat out the challenge/boss rewards! (rarity of course still comes into play)
All: Raised Mana Bank to 50,000,000 to better suit the higher-quality items which can now be acquired
All: Enabled “Valve Anti Cheat” system, finally finally finally! Took a while to work through how to move to a Game-server driven system. This also enables the “Steam Users Played With” functionality! Do Not Cheat! Do Not Use External Software to Cheat! We fully support modding but do not promote straight cheating. Even if you are cheating in our Open mode, it is still cheating and you can still be banned.
All: Retroactive Chicken Upgrade — Chickens now have a minimum of 45 Upgrade Levels and a Minimum Damage
- I know what your thinking: You had me at O-A… But of course, we have to give you a little more goodness to digest, a little preview of one of the four new Hero variants:
“The Ranger hails from the wood elfs’ traditional home near the great forest of Mistymire. Unlike his nimble female counterpart, the Ranger’s hardier constitution enable him to take more of a bruising, at a trade-off in movement speed. Additionally, his unique Hero Abilities make him a powerful ally to have in your travelling party!”
Now get back on those Mod Tools and show me the mana!
JDanford
It’s a big week for Free stuff and highly anticipated Patching!
- But before we get to that. How about the GamePro review! It seems your comments were heard and another member of their permanent staff loves DunDef. GamePro has officially released a NEW REVIEW… and what do you know: 4.5/5.
- 7.08 will arrive this Thursday! You guys have shown your excitement and we are glad to deliver. Not only have we addressed issues like the feared low roll Chicken and the horrid Return to Tavern issues along with continued balance (based on your suggestions), but we are also proud to include two more exciting features ( and I get to use bullet points for the first time!)
Dungeon Defenders Development Kit: We know you have been itching to see what the modding community can bring. Everyone will now have the golden ticket to enjoy Open mode’s pure imagination and innovation. It’s full access to nearly whatever you wanna do! I know many have already made plans and some are just waiting to see what they can learn, but we anticipate this to be one of the best modding communities out there. You can even completely create a new game from its source code up if you’re so inclined.
CTF PvP Pre-Alpha Pass: That’s right! Gather your Heroes and join your allies in helping create a true 16-player DunDef PvP experience! We are stoked to hear your thoughts and suggestions so we can evolve this into a beast of it’s own.
- Console Lovers! Don’t forget about this weeks PS3 and Xbox 360 Event! Many will enter, few will succeed.
- Wait a spec… There’s a Holiday in November? We freakin’ LOVE Holidays!
Prepare yourselves… for the Great Turkey Hunt! (Boss included)
And if I don’t see ya: good afternoon, good evening, and good night!
JDanford
- PSNStores did a Podcast with guest stars from the Trendy family: Phillip Asher and Tsuda (Marc Singer).
- We also noticed a very… interesting build for summit. Fridge, your build is awful, but with Magic Blockades at 4k health I’m sure you did great!
- To all our mobile users: Dungeon Defenders Second Wave is live for iOS! It’s the App of the Week!
- We had a GREAT showing for tonight’s Console Event on 360. Can’t wait to see you guys on PSN tomorrow! We are also stoked to see you guys on some of the future challenges… I’m quite proud of my weapon rewards. You know their good because they have the TeamSODA mark.
- PC Modding Tools are coming SOON! Don’t worry, It’s Soda Soon.
- The only thing better than a Rick Roll is Phillip J Fry. Your trickster title had me afraid. Fool me once Captain! Never again!
- We also had this beautiful illustration of the Dark Elf Warrior. Thank you Cilione.
- You may or my not have noticed but we finally got our review from IGN. We appreciate all the great comments you guys have been leaving on there for us! I think you may have even convinced a few other commentors on joining you in Etheria!
- Helloooo Wiki! Two of our most popular spots on the net are the Wiki’s. If you guys ever want to jump in there and add some tips and tricks to benefit the masses, it is always encouraged. As our Mobile fans know (shout out to Finally, LtEarth, Jetah, Junbao, Classic, and others who I can’t remember off the top of my head) the wiki can be a brilliant place with more knowledge than any noop can ever fathom. And it gives everyone a simple place to point to when all those noopster questions flood in. Check em out: Wikia and IGN Wiki
We are also willing to add in some player unique weapons to the game designed after those that help the most with these wiki’s!
- New Patch! 7.07 is up. We have done a few alterations based on your suggestions and think we have a solid build. We love hearing back from you guys (especially when it’s well written) so never feel like you can’t jump in our Suggestions Section and let us know what you think. We may not be able to respond to everyone, but we do listen… read.
- Halloween DLC is now available on Open!
- Console Events! Well console fans, we kept saying we had something in store for you as well. We of course have the upcoming DLC for you to enjoy, but in the mean time check out our incredibly interesting Events with you’ve-never-seen-the-likes-of-this-in-game rewards!
On the Wallpaper side of things… It looks like a certain Community Manager never posted our Squire Wallpaper on the forums… But have no fear! I have punished myself and now present to you:
This is another amazing creation from the mind of Danny Araya.
Thanks for all the Patience, Support, and Enjoyment guys!
Take a look at our second Dev Diary with Marc Singer (Producer), Joshua Javaheri (Lead Technical Artist), & Rodrigo Lizarraga (Multimedia Designer) for a quick look at the Build Phase!
We are proud to announce that we finally have an official release date for Dungeon Defenders: October 19, 2011! It has been a while since we first announced the game back in early 2010, but we are really glad that we can finally give all our fans who have been waiting patiently the last year what they have been asking for… We thank all our fans for their support and we look forward to playing Dungeon Defenders online with ALL of you at release!
Today we’ve checked off a major milestone for Dungeon Defenders, the XBLA version of the game has finally been submitted to Microsoft. Our Xbox publisher finished their final QA on the Xbox build of the game and submitted it. This is a huge step forward in getting the console/PC version of the game in your hands. In celebration of this milestone we’d like to share this awesome wallpaper with all of you:
It appears Gizmodo has finally recognized Dungeon Defenders: First Wave as one of their Apps of the Week! If you check out their weekly list of top apps, you can see Dungeon Defenders: FW Deluxe as one of their Apps of the Week! According to them: “It’s sorta like an Action-RPG and sorta like a Tower Defense game but really, it’s just all fun.” Check out the full article here.
Dungeon Defenders: First Wave Deluxe, our highly popular tower defense action-RPG, has now gone FREE to play for Android devices. Also, courtesy of Google, it now supports in-app purchasing! We hope everyone with the capable device will enjoy destroying goblins, orcs, and dragons with us online! And look forward to some packed-online games this week!
As many of you know, we spent a good chunk of this past week at GDC showing off Dungeon Defenders cross-platform play at GameSpy’s booth. Well, during that time we had the chance to catch up with the awesome folks at IGN! We sat down and talked about the game’s delay, our XBLA publisher issues, all the new content we’ve added recently and more! Check out their awesome article/preview of Dungeon Defenders here.
Our good friends at GameTrailers stopped by our GDC booth to give you guys an extended preview of the console/PC version of Dungeon Defenders. Check out our very own Jeremy Stieglitz describing the game and it’s cross-platform capabilities here:
The newest version of Dungeon Defenders is now available! In it, you’ll fine new features like familiars/pet updates as well as extended campaign, new challenge missions, and even new weapons and equipments for high level players! Here’s a brief change log:
New Familiars/Pets/Animii to aid you!
New Campaign & Challenge missions!
New Weapons & Equipments!
Special surprises for high-level Heroes!
Major performance and memory improvements
Raised item level caps
Tweaks, Balances, Fixes
We are proud to announce that we’ll be showing off Cross-Platform play between the PS3, PC, Android & iOS versions of Dungeon Defenders at GameSpy’s GDC booth (914). Be sure to stop by, say hi and check out the console versions of the game! Philip and Adrian will be manning the booth, and if you’re lucky you may even run into Jeremy Stieglitz (our development director). If you get the chance, be sure to check out Jeremy and Dave Sleeper’s cross-platform gaming talk too! Check out the full press-release here.
If any of you were planning to run out to Best Buy today to pick up a Motorola Xoom tablet today, we are pleased to announce that you now have an even greater reason to grab it. The special Tegra 2 version of the game, Dungeon Defenders: First Wave Deluxe HD, is pre-installed on all devices.
If you caught Sony Ericsson’s Xperia PLAY announcement last night you probably noticed that Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave has heavily featured! It was a little surreal to hear them talking about our game and then watch Kaz Hirai walk up and give a speech right after.
If you didn’t check out the announcement, you can see it below:
You can also check out a behind the scenes look at Dungeon Defenders: Second Wave, the PvP sequel to DD:FW, from the same event here:
Dungeon Defender’s 2.0 has just released for the iOS and Android! Here’s the HUGE changelist:
*A brand new Campaign level & Challenge mission created specifically for high-level hero teams… because we appreciate the support of you hardcore defenders
*Raised Max Item level to 15, and Max Hero Level to 70
*Eliminated low cap on Speed stat and changed how the results of this stat are calculated
*INSANE Difficulty is much, much harder (and so is HARD)… good luck
*Rebalanced item drops to make super items harder to get
*Fixed some leveling & item farming exploits
*Adding GameSpy for multi-platform iOS-Android gameplay! And PC gameplay with Dungeon Defenders when that product launches. GameSpy supports Private Matches, Game Naming, Game Browsing, and an array of search filters.
*GameCenter support for private matches, and fixes for Inviting
*Better voice chat stability
*Many GameCenter & iOS crashes eliminated
*iOS 3.2 support
*Various new item drop types
*Big performance boost due to media optimization, and some code optimization
*Various gameplay tweaks for a better balance
*New Tutorial video explains the game in a minute, by default replacing the former interactive tutorial (though that’s left in as an option)
*Performance scaling option for iOS, user can now reduce resolution and detail to further increase performance even more as they see fit
*Replaced on-screen Pause button with Character button which allows fast-healing, moved Pause button into character sub menu
*Rebalanced item value ramp so that super-items don’t sell for ridiculous amounts
* Lots of minor bug fixes and game tweaks too numerous to list here… (among the many, Targeting Dummies now print DPS as you’re attacking them haha )
* Familiars re-added to iOS version
* Items now have a level requirement based on their quality, and also tell you which class is necessary to use them in the popup overlay
* CHASE CAMERA! HELL YEAH!
* New Mission/Challenge: Oakvale Crossing
* Gamespy Session Browser now indicates whether each match is in Build or Combat phase
* Searching by Gamespy username no longer requires the game to have a password
* Fixed cross-platform leaderboards
* Fix for exceeding maximum clip size in weapon upgrade (don’t do it in 1.0 or else…) and exceeding maximum allowed item drops on tavern floor (same)
* iOS background music support
* Next holiday surprise…
Jeremy Stieglitz, our lead development director and co-founder, got the chance to show off Dungeon Defenders: First Wave at Nvidia’s CES Press Conference! In the video below you can see him on stage, playing Dungeon Defenders cross-platform, not just between the PS3 and PC, but with a Tegra 2 Android device (the LG Optimus 2x) too! Oh, and we can’t give enough compliments to that phone: it runs Dungeon Defenders: First Wave amazingly!
Hey guys, check out SlideToPlay’s 4 star review of Dungeon Defenders: First Wave!
“Dungeon Defenders: First Wave successfully melds several different styles. While it feels a bit too crowded at times and the pace can get crazy, this is a sharp, colorful game with plenty to do. It’s one of the most ambitious iOS titles we’ve played in a while. Dungeon Defenders: First Wave is an excellent mash-up of several genres, with impressive technology and fun gameplay.”
Hey guys! Dungeon Defenders: First Wave is now available on Apple’s App Store! It works on the 3rd generation and above iTouch & iPhone and the iPad. You can check out the mobile announcement trailer and then buy the game now with the link below:
“At just US$2.99 for the universal app, it’s a really excellent title. For the right gamer who’s ready to conquer the heady mix of various game genres, Dungeon Defenders: First Wave could be extremely rewarding. It’s a great game, and for the right player, it might be one of the best games on iOS of the year.”
She’s nimble. She’s lithe. She’s building a RAY GUN.
She’s the Huntress, the ranger class in Dungeon Defenders, and she comes packing quite the ranged punch. Traps, cross-bows and Gatling guns are among her approved weapons and tactics of choice. Just look at the new video to see!
Being a trapper and an expert in ranged weaponry, the Huntress always has an exacting plan of attack up her sleeve. Consider her masterfully organized letter to the Dungeon Armorer detailing a new ray gun she wants built, along with her plan to scour the depths of the dungeons to find the materials needed for such a task. We expect that you’ll publish this act of bravery for the whole world to see!
As a token of goodwill, the Huntress has talked the Trendy team into promising to give the game away to at least 10 fans of their Facebook page, though it could be more if the fans demand it (hint, hint). All you have to do is ‘Like’ the page…that’s it…and you could win.
Check out Kotaku’s (video) preview of Dungeon Defenders: First Wave:
“”A whole lot of World of Warcraft aesthetics, plus stats. Lots of stats. Loot. Leveling. Money. Mana. Getting the picture? I kinda love Dungeon Defenders and it’s blending of role-playing game with tower defense.” ”
‘Dungeon Defenders: First Wave’ — the portable precursor to Dungeon Defenders — is coming December 2010 to more mobile platforms than you can shake a stick at! Here’s a preview trailer recorded directly from the mobile version, powered by Unreal Engine 3. Yes, you will be playing this on your various cell phones & tablets soon!
And yup, your Hero characters are cross-compatible with the upcoming PC version, and there will be cross-platform online play upon the PC verions debut next year.
See you all in the mobile realm of Etheria next month! …[More]
One warrior alone won’t be able to protect Etheria from hordes of monsters when Trendy Entertainment’s Xbox Live Arcade, PlayStation Network, and PC title Dungeon Defenders hits this fall. It’ll take a team of up to four players (online and off), and key to that team will be the eager Apprentice…[More]
The premise of Dungeon Defenders is an amusing one: young kids still within their respective apprenticeships of wizards or warriors are left alone to take care of their castle while the parents are away. What kind of parents leave children without adult supervision in a giant castle for extended periods of time? Apparently smart and stupid ones, because although the kids accidentally unleash an evil sleeping dormant in the castle basement, they are also incredibly capable at holding off entire armies of full-grown monsters. Hmm, maybe the whole thing is a test secretly conducted by the parents?…[More]
Immediately, indications show that Dungeon Defenders has a cute little story. Four heroes have sealed away some major evil in a gigantic crystal. One day, they leave their castle to go address some problem, and they leave behind their kids. Of course, kids being kids, they screw around, break a chunk of the crystal, and unleash an evil hoard of orcs and trolls hell bent on breaking into their castle and unleashing the bigger baddie…[More]
After a recent preview session with the game, I’ll say this: It’s complicated. Dungeon Defenders doesn’t just mix pieces of a few genres, it totally combines them. There is a full tower defense game here, and a full action-RPG game, and even a little bit of real-time strategy resource management. There’s a lot going on, but just like recent genre-mixer Monday Night Combat, players who can juggle a few genres at a time will find a lot to like…[More]
Dungeon Defenders is a tower defense game that drops players into the action, rather than asking them to play god from above like many efforts in the genre. We played a few rounds today and are happy to report it’s looking good…[More]
Dungeon Defenders formally announced for PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade, and PC! Dungeon Defenders, Trendy’s original title blending Tower Defense and online cooperative Action Role-Playing-Game, has been formally announced for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade, and PC via Steam, Impulse, Direct2Drive, and GamersGate. Read the full press release here, and visit the game website here. You can currently pre-order the (PC) game via Impulse or GamersGate at a discount and gaining exclusive DLC items, so go for it now!
