Ok, here is what’s going to change with patch 15 I’m working on at the moment.

• New unit system

Note: It’s clearly obvious that the current unit system is kind of the same as the one of Marine Arena. This is no good. In addition to that, I found it to be too complex, and therefore too difficult for new players to understand. The current system has 8 different attributes, and some units have weaknesses against some of them and are particularily strong against some others. It’s very hard to keep in mind which unit is actually strong vs. which.

The new system will only comprehend 4 attributes and make it easier for everyone to understand the counter mechanics. I’m going to introduce two more mercenary classes, so there will be 16 in total. Beside these changes to the units itself, the unit management will also experience a makeover. More on that later.

• New intuitive tutorial

Note: The most important thing for a newcomer map is to convert newbies into lovers. In fact, this can be difficult, if the newbies don’t actually understand what they are supposed to do and how they get the game going. All new players will be offered a tutorial (not simply a text, like now) that makes it absolutely clear how to have success from the first minute onwards. Important buttons, locations, menus will be made visible and explained concerning their purpose and mechanics.

• New defense system

Note: Defending your base in Temple Arena is fairly simple now. You either activate the nova or equip your headquarter with weapons. I found this to be too limiting. First, there have to be more weapons available for the HQ. Second, there has to be another way to defend your base besides the previously mentioned. I felt it was a good idea to change something with the terrain around your base to give your units an advantage. Additionally, there will be some extra supporting units purchasable in your headquarter, which might help you out building a proper defense. Please note that it’s not intended for TA players to be able to defend too well, because most of the games will end up lasting too long because of some people turteling (only focussing on defenses).

• Artificial intelligence and singleplayer mode

Note: I already explained some parts of the upcoming AI system in this post. Please have a look for more information on all questions about artifical intelligence.

The singleplayer mode will have experience and multiplayer achievement gain disabled. The reason why you can collect achievements in singleplayer mode right now is simply because the new systems have to be tested thoroughly. This shouldn’t be the norm. In the future singleplayer mode, you will be able to collect special singleplayer achievements and have certain features enabled that aren’t available in multiplayer. These features won’t be part of patch 15 though.

Info on patch 15 and 16:
These two content patches will represent the biggest ones in the history of Temple Arena. They are both necessary to lead TA on the right track it has to go towards release. While patch 15 is mainly focusing on the units in Temple Arena and their connections, strenghts, weaknesses, and purposes, patch 16 is all about the heroes and individualization, meaning an enrichment of TA’s repertoir of possibilities to enable players creating their very unique styles and strategies. In summary, patch 15 includes the new unit system, the artificial intelligence, and improvements of smaller systems like defending, management options, voting options, etc. Patch 16 includes a new hero system, MANY more upgrades (especially re-equips), a talent system, an item system, more events, and of course, dozen of improvements to all other parts of the game.

When there are news and more details about this, I’m going to post an entry of course. Thanks for supporting Temple Arena, the upcoming fanciest and most challenging arena mod for SCII!