posted by sbrevolution5,
So you're wanting to play DotA but not vanilla DotA? Then look no further. This week we take a look at 3 of the best Tower Defense custom games created by the Dota 2 community. GreenTD Reborn, Spin TD and Gem TD. We don't expect you to agree with each other, but we hope to crown the one TD to rule them all.


Custom Games are receiving more and more spotlight over the last few months, especially with Valve's game of the day feature on the landing page in the client. Tower Defense is an ancient tradition in the custom game world and recently three have risen to great acclaim; Green TD Reborn, Spin TD and Gem TD. I decided to compare them side by side and give my opinion on which is worth the time.



Option 1: GreenTD Reborn



GreenTD Reborn was one of the first custom games on the reborn client, and is the most basic tower defense game. You build towers to protect the throne, from creeps that move through the maze. The maze is preset and there are 4 types of towers that you can build, which can be upgraded to deal more damage.

GreenTD


Criteria


Learning curve: The learning curve is not steep, but to survive a long time you will need to form a specific strategy, and the map is very freeform, which offers little guidance about what you're supposed to do. However, the system in place is quite simple, so learning the game is the least of your issues.
Fun Factor: at first the game is very fun, placing your towers and watching them stop creeps, but i found the game to get boring after a while, offering nothing else to use to strategize except for more towers.
Bugginess: Seems pretty bug free, although I did not reach the higher levels.
Replay Value: The lack of depth could give us little incentive to replay the game, although it was fun the first few times, and would be more fun with a group of friends.
Production Value: Audiowise the game feels quiet, but visually it is rewarding, with the towers looking like heroes, or Warlock's golem in one case, they get more cosmetics as they upgrade, which is a nice touch.
Uniqueness: I see very little difference from this and BloonsTD5 (the most popular TD flash game online.) other than the 3D graphics provided by the Source 2 Engine. It just doesn't have its own X factor.

The Verdict


While fun for a while, GreenTD lacks the depth that made me want more from custom games, and was too bland to enjoy for long periods of time.



Option 2: SpinTD



Tower defense, but with Ogre Magi's unique brand of RNG, SpinTD is a square map with a slot machine ogre in the center. You build towers on your side of the square, which are based on heroes and can be upgraded, but you may also use your money to "SPIN," where the rewards can be great or mediocre. Most rewards are money or items, which you can use to buy more towers/upgrades, or equip on your towers.

Classic combos from vanilla DotA are possible as well, with Ember Spirit + Battlefury making a major lategame impact. You can still experiment with whatever you want, and try different tower compositions. If you make it through all the waves, you have the option to start over in "New Game+" keeping all your towers, but all the creeps are stronger this time around.

SpinTD



Criteria


Learning curve: Very easy to learn, almost no introduction is needed and your first game can actually be successful.
Fun Factor: If you like gambling and watching creeps get killed this will be a blast for you.
Bugginess: Had zero issues with crashing. It can be frustrating to transfer items between towers if they are more than one square apart, but no game breaking bugs were encountered.
Replay Value: A decent amount of replay value although it can get monotonous after a while. If you don't go for the highest difficulty level the game may be extremely easy, which can cheapen the experience as a whole.
Production Value: There's a giant Ogre Magi in the middle that responds to the slot machine of couriers. Need I say more?
Uniqueness: The addition of the slot machine is a welcome twist on what has become a stale genre of Tower defense.

The Verdict


Where GreenTD seemed too plain, SpinTD adds just enough variation to be interesting, while not becoming too complex for the average player, and can be a lot of fun. Definitely the kind of game to play with a few friends casually!



Option 3: GemTD



GemTD is the pinacle of tower defense in dota 2. Each wave has 2 phases, the build phase and the defense phase. You have to build your own maze in this mode unlike the previous two examples, but this adds to the depth of gameplay that is lacking in our other examples.

In the build phase you place 5 towers, but you only get to keep one, the rest become walls to build your maze with. These gems can combine into more powerful towers as the game goes on, making your selections of each one extremely important. As the game goes on each wave gets much more challenging, eventually with abilities like Enchantress' Untouchable, High HP regen, or Abbadon's Borrowed Time

GemTD


Criteria


Learning curve:Very steep. The game is not hand holding at all and that makes it very challenging to learn. Hopping into a public game you will be lost. However learning the game is very rewarding so in the end it is worth it.
Fun Factor: At first the game seems boring and confusing, but once you get past the learning curve, it becomes quite fun. Much like spin td the randomness factor influences the game a lot, but you can make your own luck by making smart decisions about which gem to keep.
Bugginess: I personally found no bugs in this version, and the game never crashed for me.
Replay Value: Replaying makes the game new even when building the same exact maze, due to the randomness of the gem spawns, This makes the replay value extremely good for the game, and promotes multiple tries. After that there are of course other maze types to try, and leaderboards to track the best in the world. They've seriously put work into the replay value of the game and it shows.
Production Value: Upgrading towers is accompanied by interesting visuals, and the game is a showcase for custom couriers and wards. Sounds are not anything special, but are fitting for the game and work nicely.
Uniqueness: There is no other game I've played thats anything like the experience of GemTD, in DotA 2, or in flash games on the internet. This game is extremely unique.

The Verdict


My personal favorite of the 3 games I played, and definitley the one with the most replay value, as well as a good use of RNG elements, GemTD is a solid tower defense game that can be played solo or with friends.



Which TD rules them all? What do you think?

We'd love to hear which TD stands out as the best in your mind. We picked three of the most popular at the moment, but why not give us your recommendation?



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