I'm conducting a survey for school, and I would just like to gather a little bit of information with regards to tower defense games: 1.) Do you like them? 2.) What are your reasons for liking them/disliking them? 3.) If you could guesstimate, how many hours at a time do you spend playing a TD game? 4.) What improvements would you make to current TD games? 5.) Do you see a future in the mainstream market for them? If not, what market do you feel they fit into? Thanks to anybody who answers the questions. I would be very grateful.

1) Yes.
2) Easy to get straight into. Simple gameplay, but usually quite challenging.
3) 3hrs at a time. I don't play them very often though.
4) More tower varieties, and RPG-like elements, like upgrading towers, purchasing new technology etc, which persists between levels.
5) They are kinda mainstream already i thought.. definately a casual gamers market due to the easy learning curve and instant action.

Great response supamike; I have recorded it. Thanks for taking the time out to post up some answers!

I don't really like TD games, they're just boring to me.

Quote: Original post by Butabee
I don't really like TD games, they're just boring to me.

If you could respond to the questions posed, Butabee, that would be great. Otherwise, I can not accept your response.

Pretty generalized, considering I haven't played a tower defense game in some time.

1.) They're okay, I've never gotten into them, though. (that's not saying much, I play very few games).
2.) They seem pretty straightforward, easy to jump into but hard to master. Addictiveness of gameplay is pretty high, too.
3.) 2? It's been years...
4.) N/A see "It's been years..." Maybe a shift in style to appeal to more mainstream audiences? Like, shedding all the RTS baggage- Plants vs. Zombies strikes me as an example that appeals to large audiences that more games could emulate.
5.) I think they could become more mainstream- but a successful mainstream game is going to have to diverge from what the niche market the genre has now expects of it. Most people are going to enjoy somewhat different designs than the people who frequent www.uber1337twrdefense.org or whatever.

Don't worry about how long it has been Prinz Eugn, ha. Great responses though, I have complied those into my study now as well.

Quote: Original post by Halifax2
I'm conducting a survey for school, and I would just like to gather a little bit of information with regards to tower defense games:
1.) Do you like them?
2.) What are your reasons for liking them/disliking them?
3.) If you could guesstimate, how many hours at a time do you spend playing a TD game?
4.) What improvements would you make to current TD games?
5.) Do you see a future in the mainstream market for them? If not, what market do you feel they fit into?

Thanks to anybody who answers the questions. I would be very grateful.

1. Yes
2. No micro management. You build and let it run.
3. 1 hour? That's typically how long a TD game lasts.
4. there are tons of TD variations out there and they are all unique. It's hard to come up with a suggestion that applies to all.
5. There's already a mainstream market.

1.) No
2.) Usually very boring, not much to do except watch towers shoot creatures walking down a path
3.) 30 Minutes
4.) Variations between levels; More upgrades
5.) I think they hit the mainstream a while ago, and now I think they are falling down the market due to more advanced games

Quote: Original post by Matthew Shockley
1.) No
2.) Usually very boring, not much to do except watch towers shoot creatures walking down a path

If you get good at them it gets very very difficult and the strategy can be pretty immense. Different towers affecting different creeps differently, or just a huge amount of creeps can make even a perfectly designed map fail if you don't pay attention. Most good TD games have some way for the user to affect the current wave like droppable bombs or traps etc.

1. Sure
2. They are simple, and the good ones have a good balance of difficulty with that as you move on.
3. I usually play once till I lose and I'm too frustrated to spend an hour getting back to where I was, so 1-3 hours
4. I would find a way to be able to skip all the pointless starter levels.
5. Sure. They just made a UDK tower defense game that actually looks like a lot of fun to do multiplayer. Can't see why it couldn't be mainstream