Introduction
In a world of too many lame defense maps, it is necessary for maps such as this one to emerge. There seems to be a problem in the realm of defense maps: Many are too easy, and bore you to death. Many are unbalanced, and don't allow replay value with various strategies. HaXoR is not like this.
Gameplay
HaXoR begins by throwing the player into the game to struggle to find out what is going on. A brief message indicates that enemies are coming in just a few seconds, and the only information given is the locations that the enemies will be coming from. The objective is to kill these enemies without letting them reach the turret located toward the center of the map. Players must use the gas-trading system to acquire minerals or units to make a strong defense. [This makes it important to harvest gas, while gas from kill bonuses will not be enough to develop an adequate defense.] Players can use the stacking feature to build many photon cannons without taking up a lot of space in their hectic base. If the players together are unable to stop enemies from reaching the turrets, the enemies will proceed to destroy the turrets one by one. If your turret is destroyed, you will lose your ability to defend, and you will be put into an observing state. The players become victorious when the final level is defeated with at least one of the player's turrets left standing.
The average time to complete this game is ~36 minutes. This allows people to develop a worthwhile and unique defense, but at the same time is short enough to prevent boredom and add replay value. Also, DO NOT play HaXoR expecting to find a very easy game that can be picked up in one round. It can take many rounds to learn techniques and strategies. Don't be afraid to try new things and remake a few times if you have to.
Story and Purpose
While playing, you take on the role of a HaXoR. You might be asking yourself, "Why should i bother defending against these enemies? Why should I care?" Well, imagine this: Let's say you have a date coming over at 7:30, and you plan on snuggling on the couch. Maybe you want to watch a movie and see how many bases you can run. Now, imagine that your annoying friends drop by at about 6:30. They are messy and fat and start ruining your house, and that same couch that u had such high expectations on later that night... This would be a situation that I would personally want to prevent.
Much is the same in HaXoR. It is a very symbolic game: You, as a HaXoR, must defend your dignity, (Your Couch, if you will) from people who try to ruin you. For the sake of Humor, and since it IS the internet, the enemies are noobs in this case, but they don't have to be noobs. It is all symbolic. The layout of HaXoR symbolizes that HaXoRs must work together and help each other out to defend their values and goals. The players work together as a team (up to six players) and they work to ultimately have their 'couch' standing when it's all over.
Features
What the game offers, why it is unique...
Below are some examples of what this game features and how the mechanics are thought out.
Gas Exchange System: The Gas Exchange System is nothing revolutionary by any means, but I think it is the best way to purchase units in a defense game. For those of you who do not know, the way this system works is that the player must accumulate gas and then use a Terran Civilian [Activator] to move to a trading beacon where the gas is exchanged for something else. This game allows you to get not only minerals to build more photon cannons, but 6(7) different units who are balanced to the best of my ability.
Stacker [Lights on/off]: We've seen it before, a very handy tool to build a lot in a little space. This feature is essential to allow the players to have sufficient cannons to defend with, while still having plenty of room to place units. The game does NOT feature a tutorial to learn how to stack though: I figured that it has been around for enough years for most people to know how it is done.
Varied, Balanced Units: In HaXoR, you can choose from a nice selection of units who are [although not perfectly] quite balanced. Whether you want to get cheap units or save for the expensive ones, there are strategies to compliment your choice. Of course, players are able to upgrade their units up to 250, but the game generally won't last long enough to get that high.
Unique Trophy System: Trophies ended up being a reason to play HaXoR in itself. When certain conditions are met, players are awarded with Trophies. These trophies are strictly for show and are placed in a 'trophy showcase.' Players are also given a bonus [usually gas] for each trophy they obtain. Most trophies can only be given to one players per game [generally the player who fulfills the requirements first.] This allows for friendly competition among more experienced players, and it keeps the game fairly interesting by encouraging the player to develop strategies that will earn him/her trophies before a rival player, while still being able to fend off the enemies.
Couch Repairs: Here's the thing, your 'couch' is very fragile. Players can lose when an enemy arrives at the Couches and can either attack them, lowering the couch's HP to zero. Or an enemy can sacrifice itself to kill off the remaining enemies, but also one of the couches. When a non-attacking enemy reaches the middle, there is a 1/6 chance that you will suffer from loss of a couch. The best way to avoid this is to not allow enemies to reach the area where the couches are.
If for any reason your couch is damage, [be it one flame, or in the red zone] you can repair it for a fee of 7minerals and 40gas. Be careful as to not repair the couch too frequently, because this may cause a lack of funds toward the strengthening of your defense.
Map Details
Map Size: Smallish - Medium
Map Duration: ~36-38 Minutes
Number of Levels: 35
Difficulty: Hard [Ultimate], Very Hard [Expert]
Possible?: Yes, this map has been completed by various people.
Thank you for your interest in my map: HaXoR D 1339. Any comments or questions? Feel free to ask/post here. If you are playing on USWest, I am always up for a game of HaXoR, just /m Norm[aK].
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