Tanks: The Crusades
Coming Soon - Tanks: Arcade Mode!
I'd like to announce that I've been working on a new gamemode for Tanks: The Crusades - Arcade Mode! In arcade mode, you have unlimited lives, and enemies drop from the sky in waves, but you have a time limit of 2 minutes. After the time runs out, frenzy mode begins - a bunch of tanks drop into the arena, and you fight to the end!
Arcade mode has a new mechanic: the rampage. Destroying enemy tanks within 5 seconds of each other grants a kill chain, which, upon hitting a multiple of 3, gives a rampage. Rampages give points and speed EVERYTHING up - you will move and shoot faster, but so will your enemies. Things can get crazy really fast.
You can check out the current state of Arcade Mode in this video here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=en-m1SqBVEI
You can also beta-test it by running the jar you can download here:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AnwBrt306BrJgfZQT2PiqBrTebM8LQ?e=c0EFg5
If you want to give feedback or talk about arcade mode, feel free to comment below or join the Discord: https://discord.gg/aWPaJD3. Arcade Mode is still under development, and there is still more I want to add, such as power-ups and bonuses.
Until next time!
Tanks v1.4.1 is now out!
Several of you have reported issues with Tanks version 1.4 - namely the game freezing up when working with custom tanks, and the game desynchronizing when playing multiplayer with spawner tanks. I have released a minor update which fixes both of these bugs.
I apologize for these bugs being out for so long, I've been quite busy lately with other things. But don't worry - there will be more updates for Tanks in the future! I have a bunch of things planned that I want to get out eventually.
Tanks v1.4.0 is now out!
What's new in Tanks v1.4.0:
New features:
- Added tank editor and custom tanks
- Added air bullet which pushes things
- Added homing bullet which moves towards targets
- Added light blue tank which uses air bullets
- Added salmon tank which uses homing bullets
- Added beginner crusade
Tank behavior:
- Tanks now try to avoid walls
- Tanks now see through destructible blocks
- Tanks now avoid explosive blocks
Balancing:
- Boss tank now only spawns 5 tank types
- Cooldowns are now per item
- Made random level teleporters rarer
- Increased player tank acceleration
- Nerfed castle crusade level 'Castle artillery'
Graphics:
- New tank textures and models
- Updated crusade info and stats screen background
- Updated item icons
- Made UI icons more colorful
- Updated 3D explosion particle effect
- Added indicator when new shop items are available
- Added bullet cooldown indicator to hotbar
More:
- New editor music
- Shop is now available in versus mode
- Increased some textbox character limits
- IP address can now be hidden in parties
- Bug fixes and other minor improvements
Thank you for playing Tanks: The Crusades and for getting this game to 100,000 downloads!
See you in the next one!
Celebrating 100,000 downloads on Steam!
It is my pleasure to announce that as of today, July 20, 2022, Tanks: The Crusades has reached 100,000 lifetime total units! I would like to thank all of you - everyone who has played this game - for bringing the game to where it is right now.
Some stats:
- Development on Tanks began on March 23, 2018
- Released to the public (on PC and mobile) first December 29, 2020
- Released on Steam June 24, 2021
- 75,600+ lines of Java, split over about 500 classes (but this number keeps going up!)
- 416 Discord members (Join the Discord to chat with them!)
- 1 developer (me!) and 10 contributors on GitHub
- 191 daily active users (average for the last week)
- 15 minutes median time played
- 96 minutes average time played
Thank you once again for playing Tanks! It's been incredibly fun developing this game and hearing your feedback. But before I go, I'd like to leave a bit of information about the next update, Tanks v1.4.
Tanks v1.4 is scheduled to come out pretty soon, in the next few weeks. However, you can test out preview builds of 1.4 NOW! Check out the Tanks Archive to find preview builds, along with past versions of Tanks. You can run these builds with a Java JRE, or replace the Tanks.jar in the Steam local files with the respective JAR. Do note that preview versions are likely to contain bugs. If you need any help, you can join the Discord.
Finally, since the last update about 1.4, I've been working on some redesigns for the tank models to help distinguish the different tank types better (instead of only relying on colors, which some people may have trouble distinguishing between):
You'll be able to mix and match these parts in your custom tanks to make more interesting designs. Also, if you prefer the flat, simpler look of the tanks, you'll be able to revert these changes with an option.
See you soon!
Tanks v1.4, the tank editor update - developer progress video
So it's been a while since the last update, and I didn't want to leave you all in the dark about the future of the game. I'm still alive and working on the game! The next update, Tanks v1.4, is coming soon, and will bring the highly anticipated ability to make custom tanks with an all-new tank editor. You'll be able to change over 50 options for each tank to create your own tanks, and use these tanks in your levels and crusades! I'm also adding some new other features, like the light blue tank which blows wind, and the salmon tank which launches homing bullets. If you want to see all of these in action and get more information, go check out the video below!
And version 1.4 is not where the fun ends. There are more planned features on the list for after 1.4, like first person view, Steam Workshop support, collaborative level editing, and better custom bullets.
Until the next one,
-aehmttw
Steam Networking Performance Bugfix
I have received reports over the last few weeks of Tanks performing rather poorly in multiplayer while over Steam peer-to-peer. Upon further investigation, I discovered a bug with the packet buffering which was causing packets to not be sent when they should have been sent, and instead waiting a bit longer. This bug was first introduced somewhere around v1.3.1, in an attempt to improve network performance. I've hopefully fixed the bug, and uploaded a new version of the game to Steam. If you still have issues with playing multiplayer, please let me know.
I'm sorry it took so long to get this fix out, I have been quite busy lately. But my summer is coming soon, so I'll have more time to develop the game! Update 1.4 is in development right now, and I hope you will like the new editor features and tanks it will bring :)
Tanks v1.3.3 is now out!
What's new in Tanks v1.3.3:
- Minor updates to shaders
- Minor improvements to the renderer
- Sound engine updated
PS. One of the devs might have had a bit too much to drink last night.
Hopefully it doesn't affect the game experience :)
Tanks v1.3.2 is now out!
What's new in Tanks v1.3.2:
- Changed appearance of electric bullets
- Arc bullets can now be set to bounce
- Bug fixes and other minor improvements
Tanks: The Crusades turns 4!
One fateful Friday afternoon - March 23rd, 2018, exactly 4 years ago - I had an extra long lunch break and decided I had enough free time to get started on an idea I had been wanting to pursue for a long time: a remake of the Tanks mini-game from Wii Play! So I got to work. I didn't know how much was ahead of me - over the next few years this game pushed me to learn a lot of stuff. Along the way, I converted my game from Java Swing to LWJGL OpenGL - learning an entirely new graphics library, ported the game to mobile devices, brought the game to use 3d graphics, learned GLSL to write shaders, learned how to use Vertex Buffer Objects as opposed to immediate mode rendering, launched the game on Steam, and more!
The little Java Swing game I started off with grew to over 70,000 lines of code over 4 years, and it's been a fun journey. I'd like to thank my code contributors, Discord members, and friends for helping! This wouldn't have gotten to where it is without their ideas and support. If you want, you can join in too - by checking out the Discord and GitHub!
As a little bonus, I've put together this little video that shows exactly how far this game has come. Hope you enjoy it!
[previewyoutube="cYvCY9R2iQQ;leftthumb"]
Here's to another few years of Tanks! (And don't worry, there are more updates coming).
Tanks v1.3.1 is now out!
What's new in Tanks v1.3.1:
- Added maximum framerate option
- Scroll while holding the zoom key for manual zoom
- Added keybinds to manually zoom in and out
- Added automatic zoom mode with keybind
- Improved keybindings screen
- Bug fixes and other minor improvements
Thank you for playing Tanks!