Rise of the Zombies



Rise of the Zombies was a tower defense game made available for the 2019 Halloween event.

"The undead are stirring. Will your dragons be able to protect you from the hordes?"

Badge
Participating in the Rise of the Zombies event awarded users the 2019 Halloween Event badge.

Instructions


Via the Halloween 2019 event page:

''Place towers on the board to form your line of defense. Each breed has its own unique effect. Once you click “Survive”, you will be subjected to unending waves of zombies. A new round happens every five minutes.''

''Though it is not possible to win outright, try to make it through as many rounds as you can. You will gain XP based on how long you survived. As you level up, you will unlock new towers and be able to build bigger and more involved defenses.''

Zombie behavior
Zombies move one tile per turn in a straight line until they reach the player's side of the board, after which they begin to move left or right towards the keep. They can move and attack in the same turn they spawn. Because they can move immediately, the results board often displays them 1 tile ahead of their actual spawn point. They can attack any tile directly in front of or next to them. It appears that if they move before attacking, they will attack at the end of a turn, but if they are already in range they will attack at the start of a turn. This effectively means they can attack twice in a row before the player's dragons activate.

If a zombie is stalled (stunned by a Bolt, entangled by a Dark Green, etc.) the zombies behind it will also stop and won't move around it. If zombies manage to fill up the zombie board, the game will still continue but no more zombies will spawn until space appears on the board.

As the game progresses, zombies spawn more often and closer to the keep, and eventually deal more damage. The maximum difficulty is 4 zombies spawning per turn anywhere on the zombie field and dealing 2 damage per attack.
 * Rounds 1-5: One zombie spawns per round. They deal 1 damage each.
 * Rounds 6-30: Two zombies spawn per round.
 * Rounds 31-60: Three zombies spawn per round.
 * Rounds 61+: Four zombies spawn per round.
 * Round 101+: Zombies begin dealing 2 damage.

General information
XP farming: At game over, players gain 1 experience for every round, while Shallow Waters give 5 experience per Shallow Water tower (equivalent to 25 minutes of playing). Once the Shallow Water Dragon is unlocked, place several of them on the sides and add damaging dragons in front of the Shallow Waters to protect them, while leaving a wide path open to the keep. This will lead to quick game overs and experience due to the Shallow Waters' bonus.

The far left and right corners on the player's side of the board are always safe from zombie attacks due to their movement towards the keep.

Dragons may have an activation range that is smaller than their damaging or effect range. The queue for most dragons' actions are determined in order of tower placement, going from zombie side to the keep, then northeast to southwest. Dragons can activate every turn if fully rejuvenated by purples.

Clicking "Start Over" will not reset the game until the player clicks "Survive" to begin a new game. Players can use this to experiment with tower placement, plan their next games, or reread tower abilities.

Tower categories
There are several major types of dragon towers which can overlap. The main types are attackers, which damage and destroy zombies; tanks, which have more than 4 health; stallers, which prevent zombies from advancing; and supports, which don't affect zombies but increase the health or activation rate of other dragons.


 * Attackers
 * Green Dragon
 * Red Dragon
 * Dark Green Dragon
 * Pink Dragon
 * Vampire Dragon
 * Sophrosyne Dragon
 * Magma Dragon
 * Thunder Dragon
 * Guardian of Nature


 * Tanks
 * Green Dragon
 * Dark Green Dragon
 * Ice Dragon
 * Magma Dragon
 * Guardian of Nature


 * Stallers
 * Dark Green Dragon
 * Magi Dragon
 * Bolt Dragon
 * Ice Dragon


 * Supports
 * White Dragon
 * Purple Dragon
 * Aeon Dragon

Attackers are required in any long-lasting game. Zombies will hit extremely hard after round 100 and White Dragons cannot heal a constant stream of damage, so attackers are needed to space them out. Attackers are generally too short-range to prevent zombies from damaging them, and require supports or stallers to stay alive.

Tanks are best placed on the front line in front of more fragile dragons and backed up by at least one support. Due to their high health, they can take at least two strong zombie attacks in a row, but will still be overwhelmed without other surrounding attackers or supports.

Stallers aren't required for any games, though they can help a game last longer by slowing the advance of zombies. There are strategies with only supports and stallers that theoretically can hold back zombies indefinitely, but due to various issues they are not as reliable as strategies with attackers.

Supports are required in any long-lasting game. Other dragons cannot survive without at least one support keeping them healed or helping them activate faster. However, supports cannot affect zombies and will not last long on their own.

Species-specific information
Green Dragon attacks can damage all sides and diagonally, though they may not attack if a zombie is only diagonal to them. They are good tanks due to their high health and low cost.

Red Dragons can be placed behind front line dragons to help kill zombies between cooldowns, though support dragons such as Purples or Whites often synergize better. Because they only attack in front of them, any gaps that aren't protected by another dragon will eventually let zombies slip in.

Dark Green Dragons can ensnare multiple zombies when lashing out with vines, preventing them from moving or attacking for one turn. Dark Greens can also attack nearby zombies currently ensnared by another Dark Green. It is uncertain whether they are invincible while ensnaring a zombie, but they are vulnerable once said zombie dies. They are good tanks due to their high health, low cost, and ability to prevent zombies from moving attacking.

Pink Dragons are rarely useful after better towers are unlocked, as their low health, high cost, short range, and two-turn damage is outclassed by other damaging towers or additional supports. Their charm also fails to kill if they die before it activates.

Shallow Water Dragons are best avoided unless using an XP farming build.

Purple Dragons can rejuvenate nearby dragons that are on cooldown, lowering their cooldown by 1 turn. Adjacent Purples will also rejuvenate each other, causing a chain reaction if multiple are adjacent. A 2x2 square of Purples in sync will activate every round and lower the cooldown of any dragons next to the square by 2 per turn. When in sync, each Purple will be seen lowering the cooldown of 3 other Purples. Any Purples "resting" means they are currently out of sync and the square's effectiveness is lowered, which can happen if they glitch and activate out of order.

White Dragons can heal dragons diagonal to them, and can heal multiple dragons in one action. Unless zombies are prevented from hitting dragons entirely, Whites are required for any long games. They will be one-shot by strong zombies, so should not be put in front. Having multiple White Dragons in range of each front line dragon is recommended to survive the high damage of 2-damage zombies.

Vampire Dragons do not seem to automatically attack every zombie next to them despite the lack of a cooldown. They will often advance towards the front end of the player's board unless their movement is blocked off, though they can only move 1 square left or right from the column they were placed. While placed Vampires cannot move into the zombie area, turned ones can spawn inside it. Although the stated health of placed vampires is 3 HP, turned Vampires spawn with only 1 HP. However, turned Vampires can be healed by whites to increase their HP up to 3 like placed Vampires.

Bolt Dragons will stun zombies for 2 turns, preventing them from advancing. Zombies can cannot attack while stunned, but can attack early in the round after stun wears off. If a Bolt Dragon is constantly rejuvenated, it can stall zombies for many turns in a row. If one zombie is in range of multiple Bolts, they will all attempt to stun it even if it is already stunned or chilled.

Aeon Dragons only activate when there are more than 10 zombies on the board, similar to Sophrosynes. Their exact effects and duration have not yet been determined, but as they are often placed behind frontliners and thus activate later, their usefulness is debatable.

Sophrosyne Dragons will entirely clear the board of zombies when it activates. If a strategy relies on it to clear the board regularly, it may be best to avoid using trios, which will summon the Guardian of Nature and often kill enough zombies to prevent it from activating. Based on the highest zombie spawn rate, 4 Sophrosynes is the maximum that should be placed.

Ice Dragons chill zombies in a diamond-shaped range, which prevents them from advancing for one turn. Zombies can still attack while chilled. If an Ice Dragon is constantly rejuvenated, it can stall zombies for many turns in a row. If a zombie is in range of multiple Ices, they will all attempt to chill it even if it is already chilled or stunned. For maximum effectiveness, Ice towers should be spread out.

It is uncertain what the activation criteria for Thunder Dragons is, but they do not automatically activate if there are zombies on the board. A board that relies on Thunders may find them failing to activate even when zombies are approaching the keep.

Magma Dragons are the most powerful attacker due to their wide range, high health, and ability to summon the Guardian of Nature. The longest lasting games usually have multiple Magmas partnered with Whites. However, because they only attack in front of them, any gaps that aren't protected by another dragon will eventually let zombies slip in.

Summoning a Guardian of Nature requires at least one Magma, Ice, or Thunder Dragon, though it does not need a full set. It randomly appears in the zombie spawning area during the game and leaves after 10 rounds or once it runs out of health. It can also be summoned multiple times per game, usually 5-10 turns after it last left. When attacking, it releases a wave of energy that deals 2 damage to zombies in a 2-3 tile radius. It may need a certain amount of empty space on the zombie board to be summoned, as a very successful vampire run can temporarily prevent it from appearing. Due to its placement, it is usually the first tower to activate each round.

Glitches
Dragons may fail to react to zombies and spend several turns doing nothing despite one being in range. They can also activate earlier or later in the round than they normally do.

Dragon actions

 * Green Dragon
 * Green Dragon slams the ground.


 * Red Dragon
 * Red Dragon breathes fire.


 * Dark Green Dragon
 * Dark Green Dragon lashes out with vines.
 * Dark Green Dragon attacks Zombie!


 * Pink Dragon
 * Pink Dragon charms zombies, causing delayed damage.
 * Pink Dragon's charm deals delayed damage.


 * Shallow Water Dragon


 * White Dragon
 * White Dragon releases a wave of healing energy.


 * Magi Dragon
 * Magi Dragon teleports away nearby zombies.


 * Purple Dragon
 * Purple Dragon releases a wave of rejuvenating energy.


 * Vampire Dragon
 * Vampire Dragon attacks Zombie!


 * Bolt Dragon
 * Bolt Dragon releases a bolt of electrical energy.


 * Aeon Dragon
 * Aeon Dragon predicts the future.


 * Sophrosyne Dragon
 * Sophrosyne Dragon casts "Remove Curse" on all zombies.


 * Ice Dragon
 * Ice Dragon chills the area.


 * Magma Dragon
 * Magma Dragon breathes fire.


 * Thunder Dragon
 * Thunder Dragon calls down a bolt of lightning.


 * Guardian of Nature
 * Guardian of Nature releases a wave of bright energy.
 * Guardian of Nature leaves to maintain the balance.


 * Zombie
 * Zombie attacks Dragon!

Other messages:
 * Dragon is resting.
 * Dragon regains 1 HP.
 * Dragon's cooldown reduced by 1.
 * The power of your Ice, Magma, and Thunder dragons summons a Guardian of Nature.
 * X new zombies rise from the earth.
 * Zombie is stunned.
 * Zombie is slowed.
 * Zombie cannot move.
 * A new vampire appears where the zombie once was
 * X damage dealt to Zombie/Dragon/Base
 * Zombie/Dragon is defeated!
 * You are defeated!

Flavor text

 * Before adding defenses
 * Prepare your defenses; the night is long, and the hordes of zombies are relentless.


 * Round 0
 * The winds howl and the moons are full; it will be a long night, but you trust your dragons to protect you.


 * Rounds 1-29
 * The undead rise from the earth, targeting your stronghold. But you hold steady in your keep.
 * The undead rise from the earth, targeting your stronghold. You remain, unwavering, in your keep.


 * Rounds 30-59
 * The swarms continue unceasingly. Your defenses hold, but for how long?


 * Rounds 60+
 * You have persevered through countless waves of risen undead, yet they keep coming. This is truly a war of attrition that is not in your favor.


 * Game over
 * You fought valiantly, but in the end the zombies proved inexorable.
 * You have been overrun. Though you had wits on your side, the undead came in endless numbers.
 * In a never-ending game of chess, you did not prevail. Perhaps another strategy will work better?
 * The undead have taken your keep, but all is not lost. It is time to rebuild and regroup.

Trivia

 * The Bolt Dragon tower originally had a stated cooldown of 1, though it always required 2 points.
 * The Sophrosyne Dragon tower was originally named the Soulpeace Dragon tower, with the former action Expunge.
 * Rounds 31-60 were originally bugged to spawn 2 zombies instead of the stated 3.
 * The Guardian of Nature is the only tower that causes 2 damage to zombies.
 * The grass on the board dies gradually as more zombies spawn or dragons are defeated.
 * A pair of eyes is visible in the intact keep, and a shadowy limb appears to reach out from the wooden door. Another eye appears in the destroyed keep peering out from the now-broken door.
 * The in-game species name for Aeons is Aeon Wyvern.
 * The Purple Dragon tower is a female.