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Building Tower Defense Games

Codeless Game Construction using Construct2 & Construct3

Stephen Gose

This mega-workbook is a student's collection of five (5) innovative Tower Defense (TD) and ANTI-Tower Defense games complemented by a dozen imaginative designs for both single-player and Multi-Player experiences. Part 1 guides you through the process of constructing, testing, and developing a "Minimum Viable Product" (MVP) of a classic tower defense game with a bonus FREE "Ultimate TD" (version 2) template to jumpstart your creativity. These sequential lessons feature examples of "Historical" and "Fantasy" TD battles and several ANTI-Tower Defense games perfect for solitary play or collaborative enjoyment. Each template example includes Construct 3 or Construct 2 source code and a general license. This huge workbook is ideal for after-school semester (or year-long!) computer club activities for novice or experienced web developers and anyone looking to create custom games, artwork, and features.

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About

About

About the Book

Learn how to create Tower Defense (TD) online games using the techniques covered in this "Building Tower Defense" workshop. This comprehensive workbook guides you through the development of five TD games, along with a dozen additional ideas. The workbook includes source code for both Construct v3 and v2. It caters to both budding developers and seasoned pros eager to craft custom TD games, stunning artwork, and innovative features. 

Upon completing the sequential lessons in this workbook, you will have a complete production pipeline to create as many "Tower Defense" games as your imagination allows!

This workshop's goal is to guide you in developing various styles of Tower Defense (TD) and "Anti-TD" game mechanics. We will explore these game mechanics, innovations, display features, and development methods to develop your own unique game(s). By the end of this workbook, you will have several fully functional TD games — not just replicas of my games, but your very own original creations using your customized gaming assets.

Additionally, a supporting website is available where you can download all the example content, instructor guides, and PowerPoint slides included with your chosen workbook edition.

The bonus content, downloadable examples, and source code references included in this workbook show you how to implement everything, allowing you to copy and paste any example into your projects and modify the artwork resources to suit your needs. General game licenses are provided with this book, enabling you to publish my Tower Defense game versions if you wish.

This comprehensive guide will teach you how to: 

  • Use Construct, whether it's version 2 or version 3.
  • Integrate Tower Defense (TD) game mechanics into other genres, including RPGs, first-person shooters, educational content, and simulation development.
  • Utilize your game as a Progressive Web Application (PWA) or Single Page Application (SPA) for any device.
  • Analyze the current market demand for this genre of game and determine where to deploy it.
  • Automatically generate a variety of Tower Defense game maps featuring different terrain elements.

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    • Gingerbread Man Maze Design
      Suggested maze design concept.

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    Author

    About the Author

    Stephen Gose

    Avatar is an adorable cartoon sketch of my wife. My 48th anniversary is this coming Sept 1, 2026!

    Stephen Gose, Ph.D. Information Systems (honorary) (and second-generation German) is a retired Professor Emeritus with a 41-year career as a certified network engineer, and "Certified Cisco Academy Instructor" (CCAI) since 2002. He is listed in the Who's Who for Information Technology for his directly related work for the Internet backbones in the Caribbean, Netherlands, Israel, and Russia. He was awarded "Letters of Appreciation" from AT&T, and the German, Israeli, Dutch, and Russian Governments. Steve has nearly three decades of international "teaching and conference lecturing" in both Local-Area and Wide-Area Networks, network security, Internet backbones, software engineering, and program/project management. He is a retired US Army Signal Corps Officer. He earned, in 2014, the ITT Technical Institute's "Instructor of the Year" out of 8,000 instructors across 144 campuses throughout the USA. 

    He graduated from Grand Canyon University with his first B.A. in Religions and Music Education, then a B.S. in Business Admin. from the University of Maryland, and an M.B.A. in International Management from Liberty University.

    He is currently pursuing his Th.D. He has been a licensed minister since 1972 and a missionary to Okinawa, Japan. He earned the US Army Chaplain Outstanding Service Award in 1983. 

    In his spare time(?), Steve enjoys creating online casual games, software engineering, and managing his online gaming businesses. 

    My driving theme: "Always stay humble and kind"

    His website is: https://www.Stephen-Gose.com/

    His game showcase is: http://www.renown-games.com

    His theology website: http://kingdomofgodprinciples.com/

    Game Support Site: http://makingbrowsergames.com/

    Review my profile on LinkedIn.com: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-gose/

    Contents

    Table of Contents

    Preface

    1. Distribution Permission
    2. Forewords
    3. Disclosures
    4. Disclaimer
    5. Workbook Content
    6. > For Patrons from Amazon and other Book Distributors
    7. > About this Workbook
    8. > How to Read & Use this workbook:
    9. > Viewing the eBook:
    10. > External Links
    11. > References Used
    12. Your newly obtained skills …
    13. Programming Courses
    14. IMaking “Innovative” TD Games

    1Introduction to Game Design

    1. 1.1Approaching Game Development
    2. 1.2Focusing Your Game
    3. 1.3Developing Storylines & Gamer’s Avatar
    4. 1.4Designing The “User Interface” (UI)
    5. 1.5Formulating “Good” Gameplay
    6. 1.6Developing The Logic
    7. 1.7Writing The Source Code
    8. 1.8Checking For Errors
    9. 1.9Preparing For Distribution

    2“Tower Defense” Concepts & Design

    1. 2.1Our Goal
    2. 2.2Typical TD Gaming Features
    3. 2.3TD Historical Evolution
    4. Com2US listed on KOSDAQ
    5. Atari’s Rampart (circa 1990) — See Appendix —
    6. 2.4TD Artwork & Development Kits
    7. > FREE “Ultimate Tower Defense” v2.0 Template
    8. 2.5Reviewing the TD Gaming Market
    9. > Top TD Competitors’ Games
    10. 2.6Game Mechanics (GM) — Logic & Rules
    11. “Looking for any tower defense that allows free “mazing” (sic. map editor!).
    12. > Participation Modes
    13. > Perspective Modes
    14. > Gameboard Development
    15. 2.7Game Mechanics (GM) — Data Structure
    16. 2.8Game Framework Display Mechanisms
    17. 2.9Innovative Feature Recommendations
    18. 2.10Conclusion: “What & How”
    19. IIPart II: Starting a C2 Project
    20. “ACTUALLY START THE DAMN GAME” …

    3Lesson 1: C2 “TD” Project

    1. 3.1About Your Project
    2. 3.2Project Settings:
    3. 3.3Configuration Settings
    4. 3.4Design Considerations: CMS, PWA, or SWPA?!
    5. > Creating a C2 SWPA Game Version?
    6. > Creating a C2 CMS or PWA Game Version?
    7. > CMS edition
    8. 3.5Season to Taste …
    9. 3.6Comparing your code
    10. IIIPart III: Starting a C3 Project
    11. “ACTUALLY START THE DAMN GAME” …

    4Lesson 1: C3 “TD” Project

    1. 4.1About Your Project
    2. 4.2Project Settings: Color Theme, Start-up & Display
    3. 4.3Configuration Settings
    4. 4.4Design Considerations: CMS, PWA, or SWPA?!
    5. > Creating a C3 SWPA Game Version?
    6. > Creating a C3 CMS or PWA Game Version?
    7. > CMS edition
    8. 4.5Season to Taste …
    9. 4.6Comparing your code
    10. IVPart IV: Production

    5Tower Defense (TD) Gaming Series

    1. 5.1Game Descriptions
    2. 5.2TD Gaming Series — “Elevator Speech”

    6A “Typical” TD Game Mechanics

    1. 6.1Required TD Foundation
    2. 6.2Gameplay Layout
    3. > User Interface (UI)
    4. > Background Theme
    5. > Deeper Dive: “Tiled Background” Design Consideration
    6. 6.3Gameplay Event Sheet
    7. > Global Variables
    8. > Event #1 “On start of layout”
    9. > Events #2 To #9 — AIBot controller
    10. > Events #10 To #14 — AI turret control
    11. 6.4Comparing your code

    7Adding “Innovative” TD Features

    1. 7.1(Optional) Configuration Layout
    2. 7.2Generating Dynamic Paths & “Mazes”
    3. > Using “Tilemaps”
    4. > Generating Random Mazes
    5. > Multiple Entrances with Single Destination
    6. > Multiple Entrances & Destinations
    7. > Advanced “A*” Open Pathfinding
    8. 7.3TD Map Editor!
    9. 7.4Elite & “Boss” Units Group
    10. 7.5Power Up Management Group
    11. 7.6Elite Defensive Turrets Group
    12. 7.7“Bi-directional” — Multi-Player Gameplay Group!
    13. 7.8Changing Game Perspectives Group
    14. VPart V: TD Templates
    15. Historical:
    16. Fantasy:
    17. Innovative:

    8US Civil War — “Battle of the Crater™”

    1. 8.1Design Considerations
    2. > Historical References
    3. 8.2Gameplay Layout
    4. > User Interface (UI)
    5. > Background Theme
    6. IX CORPS • Army of the Potomac (“flags”)
    7. 8.3Gameplay Event Sheet
    8. > Global Variables
    9. > Event #1 “On start of layout”
    10. > Events #3 To #23 AIBot Controller
    11. > Event #25 To #37 AI CSA Fire Control
    12. > Event #41 To #51 User Interface (Taps & Clicks)
    13. > Event #52 To #60 User Interface (roll-overs)
    14. > Event #61 To #76 Supporting Functions
    15. 8.4Comparing your code

    9“Maginot Line Defense™”

    1. 9.1Design Considerations — “Bi-directional” TD
    2. > Prohibited Gaming Symbols & Icons
    3. > Historical References
    4. > Published “Wargame” References
    5. 9.2Game Flow Sequence & Layouts
    6. > User Interface (UI)
    7. > Background Theme
    8. 9.3Gameplay Event Sheet
    9. > Global Variables
    10. > Event #1 “On start of layout”
    11. > Event #2 “Game Exit” (Quit!)
    12. > Events #3 to #77 — Game Mechanics (GM) Groups
    13. Refactoring vs. Rewriting:
    14. > Events #3 to #22 — AIBot Controller
    15. > Optional Behavior Design for German Regiments!
    16. > Events #23 to #29 — AIBot Fire Control
    17. > Events #40 to #42 — AIBot Panzer Combat Control
    18. > Events #43 to #53 — UI Taps & Clicks
    19. > Events #54 to #62 — UI Touch & Roll-over
    20. > Events #63 to #77 — Supporting Functions
    21. 9.4Comparing your code

    10“Helm’s Deep” — Lord of the Rings!

    1. 10.1Design Considerations
    2. ”Battle of the Hornburg” Summary
    3. > Published References
    4. > Published Games
    5. > Terrain Features and Battle’s Timeline
    6. > Additional Innovations …
    7. 10.2Gameplay Layout
    8. > User Interface (UI)
    9. > Background Theme
    10. 10.3Gameplay Event Sheet
    11. > Global Variables
    12. Refactoring vs. Rewriting:
    13. > Overview of “Game Mechanics” (GM) Groups
    14. > Event #1 to #3 — “On start of layout”
    15. > Events #4 to #8 — Saruman’s Berserk Bomber
    16. > Events #9 to #16 — King Théoden’s Sortie
    17. > Events #17 to #23 — Gandalf & Rohirrim Cavalry
    18. > Events #25 to #35 — (Optional) Dunlendings Regiments
    19. > Events #36 to #38 — Saruman’s Regiments Generation
    20. > Events #39 to #42 — AI Missile Fire Control
    21. > Events #58 to #68 — UI Taps & Clicks
    22. > Events #69 to #77 — UI Touch & Roll-over
    23. 10.4Comparing your code

    11“ANTI” Tower Defense

    1. 11.1Design Considerations
    2. > Target Audience
    3. ”How to choose video games for children”
    4. > Basic Foundation Structure
    5. > Game Perspectives
    6. > Gameboard “Maze”
    7. Where did Gingerbread come from?
    8. > Artwork & Animation
    9. 11.2Gameplay Sequence & Layouts
    10. 11.3Game Mechanics (GM) Data Structure
    11. > Deeper Dive: How “MT” works …
    12. > Design Option — Reducing Memory Footprint
    13. Refactoring vs. Rewriting:
    14. 11.4Layout “Encounters” — Prototype Combat Engines
    15. 11.5User Interface (UI)
    16. 11.6Background Theme
    17. 11.7Event Sheets
    18. ”Dynamic Mini-Quests”
    19. > Main Menu — “CMS > es_MainMenu“
    20. > Play — “es_Play“
    21. > Travel Corridor — “es_travelCorridors“
    22. ”Adventurers of Renown Quests Editor™” (ARQE)
    23. > Licensed Maze IGM — “es_dynaSQGrid“
    24. > Final Encounter — “es_finalEnc“
    25. 11.8Comparing your code
    26. VIStarting Your Game Studio!

    12One “GM” to Rule them all!

    13Capstone “Practicum”

    1. D.R.Y. Speed Limit — 5 GPH (Games Per Hour)!
    2. 13.1Reality Themes!
    3. 13.2Historical Themes!
    4. > “Battle of Little Big Horn” — aka “Custer’s Last Stand”
    5. > “Luftwaffe” Raids
    6. > Battle of the Bulge
    7. > Napoleon at “Borodino”
    8. > Napoleon at “Waterloo”
    9. > Battle of Agincourt
    10. > Battle of the Alamo
    11. 13.3Fantasy Themes
    12. > Chronicles of Narnia — The Last Battle
    13. > Battle of the Five Armies (Lord of the Rings)
    14. Gameplay
    15. 13.4ANTI-Tower Defense Themes
    16. > Death Star (Star Wars)
    17. Pre-existence Death Star Game Editions

    14What’s next?

    1. “How to publish a game on the web??”
    2. 14.1Game Distribution & Marketing
    3. 14.2Introduction: 8-Step Deployment Method.
    4. 14.3Port to a Console
    5. 14.4Selling Directly — The Advantages
    6. Shareably (SBLY) looking to rent your games
    7. 14.5Book Review Protocol
    8. 14.6Tell the world about your game!

    15Conclusion

    1. Appendix — Reviving Former TD Games
    2. Refactoring vs. Rewriting:

    Atari’s Ramparts (circa. 1990)

    1. My Construct Version …

    Desktop Tower Defense

    1. My Construct Version …

    Flash Elements TD

    1. Construct’s “Elements TD” Version

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