WeatherFarmer - manual review 4
Round 4 is the whole new game from the re-plan: a 21-lesson tutorial, tower-defense on a bigger map, walls on the grid lines, production chains, gems and three side modes. Start A is a fresh install (play it to the first spell, about 30 minutes). Starts B, C and D are farms Claude puts on the phone for you (wave 29, wave 128, wave 448). Boss art and the Pixel speed check are not done yet.
passed 0failed 0untested 0
The test · what it should do
How it should look
How to get there
Result · comments
T01 · TUT-11, RP-38
Start A: first launch
The title scene
The whole map, far out: a small farm in the middle, forest around it, the word WeatherFarmer and 'Tap anywhere to start'. One tap zooms in on the farmer. This title shows on every launch.
- CLAUDE INSTALLS: a fresh install of the latest build, no seed
- Open WeatherFarmer from the app drawer
- Look, then tap anywhere
T02 · RP-50, RP-49
Start A: first launch
Lesson 1: plant and harvest wheat
One plot is lit with 'Tap a plot to plant wheat.' The text only moves on when you tap. When it is ripe: 'It's ripe. Tap it to harvest.' A Skip button (two arrows) sits at the top right, left of the minimap.
- Continue from T01
- Do what the lines say: plant, wait, harvest
- Plant the rest of the field
T03 · RP-55, RP-100, HUD-04
Start A: first launch
The screen layout
Top left: small wooden plates for coins and gems (plus at most 3 others, such as spell points or planks; no honey jar). Top right: a gear for settings and the minimap, out of the farmer's way. A hammer button opens the menu. Spell buttons stay on screen.
- Continue from T02
- Look at the four corners of the screen
T04 · TUT-12, RP-03
Start A: first launch
The first wave waits for you
No bugs until the field is planted. Then a horn sounds and wave 1 comes (5 aphids). After that a wave comes every 3 minutes; the Next wave timer counts down.
- Continue from T03
- Watch the Next wave timer after wave 1
T05 · RP-50, RP-11, RP-56
Start A: first launch
Lesson 2: the stomp
'Bugs! Walk onto them to squash them.' Walking onto a small bug squashes it at once, with a squish sound and a small burst. Standing on a bug hits it twice a second, not every frame.
- Continue from T04
- Walk the farmer onto the bugs with the joystick
T06 · RP-50, RP-12
Start A: first launch
Lesson 3: the tap
At wave 2: 'Tap a bug to squash it.' One tap kills a small bug (until wave 10). Taps recharge in 1 second: a ring under the farmer fills; a tap before it fills does nothing.
- Continue from T05
- Tap bugs during wave 2, then try tapping very fast
T07 · RP-53, HUD-04
Start A: first launch
The card when a wave ends
When a wave ends, a card at the top shows coins earned, goods carried off, the wave's time and the next goal. No buy button, no gem price. It goes away by itself after about 4 seconds (or on a tap).
- Continue from T06
- Watch the top of the screen when the last bug of a wave dies
T08 · RP-50, RP-09, RP-85, HUD-06
Start A: first launch
Lesson 4: sell wheat, buy the sawmill
After wave 2: 'Sell your wheat at the silo.' Then the menu opens by itself with the sawmill row lit: 'A sawmill makes planks for fences.' The sawmill costs 130 coins; it should be your first buy, around minute 4-6.
- Continue from T07
- Follow the lines: tap the silo, sell, then buy and place the sawmill
T09 · RP-50, RP-89, RP-90, RP-14
Start A: first launch
Fences go on the lines between squares
Rose gives 4 free fences: 'Drag a fence across their path.' Fences sit on the grid lines between squares, with posts at the corners, and join into one line. 'Watch. They walk around it.' Free fences sell for 0.
- Continue from T08
- Drag a fence line across the bugs' path
- Watch the next wave walk around it
T10 · RP-50, RP-85, BUG-06, WORKER-05
Start A: first launch
Lesson 5: the mill
'Build a mill to grind wheat.' (350 coins). One builder hammers on the right of the site, with a spark at the hammer. The finished windmill's sails turn as one wheel. Tap the mill: FILL turns 3 wheat into 1 flour in 2 minutes; COLLECT, then sell.
re-test of T21 (round 3, FAIL: windmill)
- Continue from T09
- Buy and place the mill, watch it being built
- Tap it: FILL, wait, COLLECT, sell the flour
T11 · RP-06, RP-84
Start A: first launch
New seeds: carrot, then watermelon
From wave 2 the seed button has a NEW flag for carrot (wave 4: watermelon). Each crop says what it is for. One tap moves the whole field, and the auto-farm, to the new crop.
- Continue from T10
- Tap the seed button when it shows the flag
T12 · RP-50, RP-16, RP-80
Start A: first launch
Lesson 6: the frog pond
At wave 4 the frog says 'Put my pond by the path. I wait for a bigger bug.' Tapping the frog walks the farmer over first. The menu shows the frog pond lit (260 coins). The pond ignores aphids and swallows bigger bugs whole (8 s per swallow).
- Continue from T11
- Buy the frog pond and put it by the bugs' path
T13 · RP-22, RP-50
Start A: first launch
Lesson 7: the new-bug warning
Before wave 5: 'New wave approaching' flashes twice, then a short clip of the new bug (the beetle) next to what beats it (the frog pond). The wave waits until you press OK. The clip does not show again after a restart.
- Continue from T12
- Wait for wave 5's warning; press OK
T14 · RP-78, RP-77, BUILD-04, DEF-05
Start A: first launch
Hold to move; SELL and PICK; the reach circle
Hold any placed piece: it lifts at once and follows your finger. SELL and PICK float above it. SELL shows what you get back: the full price in the first minute, then 70% for towers and 50% for the rest; gifts 0. A plain tap on a tower shows its reach as a red circle.
re-test of T03 (round 3, FAIL: MOVE and REMOVE)
- Continue from T13
- Tap the frog pond once, then hold it and drag it one square
- Look at SELL's price, then put it back
T15 · BUG-05
Start A: first launch
Wave 7: the grasshopper leaps your fence
The first grasshopper comes on wave 7. It jumps over a fence in an arc (it is safe from the stomp while in the air) instead of walking through a gap.
re-test of T31 (round 3, FAIL: grasshopper)
- Continue from T14
- Keep playing to wave 7 and watch the grasshopper at your fence line
T16 · RP-51, RP-16
Start A: first launch
Lesson 8: the beehive gift
After wave 6 Rose (pink hair) gives a free beehive: 'A gift. Bees sting bugs that pass by.' One square by the bugs' path is lit; put the hive there.
- Continue from T15 (lesson 8 starts when wave 6 ends)
- Place the hive on the lit square
T17 · RP-51, RP-18, DEF-05
Start A: first launch
Lesson 9: honey
At wave 8: 'Bees need honey. The apiary makes it.' then 'It feeds the 3 nearest towers.' Each sting or frog snap uses one honey. Tap the apiary: a red circle shows how far it reaches.
re-test of T20 (round 3, FAIL: apiary)
- Continue from T16
- Place the apiary, tap it, look at the circle
T18 · RP-51, RP-37, RP-80, RP-82
Start A: first launch
Lesson 10: the Rain Dance
After wave 9 the frog and the wizard walk to the rain circle and take their places; everyone on screen dances. The first song is your first pick. A red X pauses and lets you quit; miss too many and the dance fails. Stars become spell points; you get Lightning: 'It strikes bugs near you.'
re-test of T36 (round 3, FAIL: rain circle)
- Continue from T17 (lesson 10 starts when wave 9 ends)
- Tap the frog's rain circle and dance
T19 · RP-51, RP-34, RP-35, RP-97
Start A: first launch
Lesson 11: buy a spell
The spell page opens with Hail lit: 'Tap a spell to see it work.' A tap opens a window with a short looping clip. 'Buy it with a spell point.' There are no either-or forks: every spell can be owned.
re-test of T26 (round 3, UNTESTED)
- Continue from T18
- Tap Hail, watch the clip, buy it
T20 · HUD-05, RP-55
Start B: wave 29
The hammer menu
Tap the hammer: BUILD, SHOP and MODES fan out downward, and the spell buttons fade while it is open. A tap outside closes it.
- CLAUDE SEEDS: bash .claude/ticket_specific_contexts/RP-61/evidence/seed-30.sh (wave 29, 4,000 coins, a small defended farm, lessons 1-16 and 18 done)
- Open WeatherFarmer, tap the title
- Tap the hammer, then tap outside it
T21 · RP-19, DESC-01
Start B: wave 29
BUILD rows say what unlocks them
Every row shows its price. A locked row says what opens it, e.g. 'Unlocks at wave 31' or 'Needs: the quarry'. The (i) on a row opens a short description.
- Continue from T20
- Hammer > BUILD; scroll each tab; tap a few (i)
T22 · RP-95, RP-96
Start B: wave 29
The eye button plays a clip
Every tower, trap and upgrade row has an eye button. It opens a window with a short looping clip of the thing doing its job.
re-test of T19 (round 3, FAIL: towers show what they do)
- Continue from T21
- In BUILD > Defences, tap the eye on 3 rows
T23 · RP-20, RP-51
Start B: wave 29
The tech tree
Tapping a locked item opens a flowchart (like Civilization): building to building to product, centred on the next thing you do not own yet. Drag to pan.
- Continue from T22
- Tap a locked row in BUILD (e.g. the market stall)
T24 · RP-65, DECOR-02, BUG-11
Start B: wave 29
Corner pieces and the glue trap
Scarecrows and sprinklers stand on the grid corners (where fence posts go), not in the middle of a square. The sticky trap looks like a glue trap lying on the ground. If you make the bugs' way round more than 3 times longer than straight, they chew the nearest wood fence.
re-test of T22 (round 3, FAIL: sprinkler and friends)
- Continue from T23
- Place a scarecrow, a sprinkler and a sticky trap
T25 · RP-85, RP-07, RP-86
Start B: wave 29
Production buildings and storage
The juice press, bakery and popcorn machine each have a panel: FILL, a queue that keeps running while the game is closed (up to 8 hours), COLLECT. Raw crops go to the silo, products to the barn; each shows how full it is.
- Continue from T24
- Build the juice press (990) or bakery (1,300); FILL it
- Tap the silo and the barn
T26 · RP-39, RP-40, RP-70
Start B: wave 29
New land and logs
BUILD > Land: buy the next 5 x 5 block (1,800 coins). The builders till its rows for you. Idle builders chop trees at the forest edge; logs become planks at the sawmill.
- Continue from T25
- Buy one land block; watch the builders
T27 · RP-44, WORKER-05
Start B: wave 29
Decor
BUILD > Decor: flower bed, path stone, bench. Each extra copy costs 25% more; all decor bonuses together stop at +5%. Idle builders sit on benches.
re-test of T23 (round 3, FAIL: Decor tab)
- Continue from T26
- Buy a bench and a second flower bed; compare the prices
T28 · RP-10, RP-64
Start B: wave 29
Raids on the silo
A bug that reaches the silo or barn carries off 1 good (a boss carries 10). Tap the silo: the panel lists what was taken. Kills drop a few coins; a cleared wave pays a bonus.
- Continue from T27
- Let one bug reach the silo, then tap the silo
T29 · RP-23, RP-76, RP-11, RP-46
Start B: wave 29
Wave 30's boss, then a quiet wave
Wave 30 is a boss wave: the Weevil Queen and 9 locusts. Each stomp takes only 1% of a boss. Beating her gives 3 gems. Wave 31 is a quiet wave with fewer bugs.
- Continue from T28
- Play wave 30 and wave 31
T30 · RP-52, RP-36, RP-80
Start B: wave 29
Lesson 17: the wizard's spellbooks
At wave 31: 'A spellbook is one big spell for a hard wave.' Tapping the wizard walks the farmer over first. His shelf shows the early books (2,100 coins each) with the same eye clips.
re-test of T30 (round 3, FAIL: the wizard's books)
- Continue from T29
- Tap the wizard; look at the books
T31 · RP-68, RP-33, RP-34
Start B: wave 29
Spells: the finale and the wet combo
Each school's big finale fills up as you cast its small spell (no cooldown). Hail makes bugs wet; Lightning on a wet bug does double damage for 3 seconds.
re-test of T27-T29 (round 3, UNTESTED: spell schools)
- Continue from T30
- Cast Hail on a group, let Lightning strike them
- Cast a small spell until its finale is full, then use it
T32 · RP-58, BUG-09, BUG-10
Start B: wave 29
The Zen Garden
MODES: the Zen Garden opens at wave 21; BUY it for 1,100 coins and visit. When you come back, the windmill has no extra moving peg and lightning does not keep striking it.
re-test of T37 (round 3, FAIL: Zen Garden)
- Continue from T31
- Hammer > MODES > Zen Garden: buy, visit, come back
- Look at the windmill for 30 seconds
T33 · RP-13, RP-87, RP-88, RP-43
Start C: wave 128
Cobblestone walls and 'Upgrade all fences'
Walls come in three tiers: wood (sawmill), cobblestone (quarry, wave 72), brick (kiln, wave 312). Each piece costs coins plus 2 of its material. Upgrades > 'Upgrade all fences' turns as many wood pieces into cobblestone as you can pay for, nearest the farmer first.
re-test of T16 (round 3, FAIL: walls)
- CLAUDE SEEDS: bash .claude/ticket_specific_contexts/RP-62/evidence/seed-128.sh (wave 128, 40,000 coins, a mid-game farm with a swarm horn)
- Open WeatherFarmer, tap the title
- Hammer > BUILD > Upgrades: tap 'Upgrade all fences'
T34 · RP-15, RP-27
Start C: wave 128
Rubble and REPAIR ALL
A broken wall piece turns into rubble. The REPAIR ALL chip sends idle builders to fix every piece (2 / 3 / 4 hammer swings by tier), 2 coins a piece. Bombardier beetles blow holes in cobblestone.
re-test of T33 (round 3, UNTESTED: REPAIR ALL)
- Continue from T33
- Play a wave until a piece breaks; tap REPAIR ALL
T35 · RP-79
Start C: wave 128
The swarm horn calls the next wave
Tap the horn (or the Next wave timer): the next wave's warning starts at once. At most 2 waves on the field; within 45 seconds of a wave's start the call is refused.
re-test of T35 (round 3, UNTESTED: swarm horn)
- Continue from T34
- Between waves, tap the Next wave timer
- Right after the wave starts, tap the horn and try CALL again
T36 · RP-31, RP-26, RP-46, RP-74
Start C: wave 128
Wave 130: the Locust King; wasps
Wave 130 brings the Locust King, a new boss who calls locust swarms. Her final art is NOT done yet, so a placeholder look is expected; judge the fight. Wasps fly at your beehives and eat bees; a hive inside Smoke is hidden from them.
- Continue from T35
- Call waves with the horn until wave 130
T37 · RP-99, RP-96
Start C: wave 128
Tier II towers
Beehive II bees chase a bug that leaves their reach; Dog II barks to stop walkers; Magic plant II pulls flyers down; Scarecrow II sends a flyer back where it came from. Each has an eye clip.
re-test of T24 (round 3, UNTESTED: upgrades)
- Continue from T36
- Watch the upgraded towers in a wave
- BUILD > Upgrades: tap the eye on 2 tier II rows
T38 · RP-41, RP-71, RP-72, BUG-11
Start C: wave 128
Mid-game buildings: cannery, tool shed, market stall, rain shrine
The cannery turns 3 tomatoes into 1 tomato sauce in 5 minutes. The tool shed adds a builder. The market stall and rain shrine are in BUILD with their prices and art (no grey boxes).
- Continue from T37
- Tap the cannery; open BUILD > Buildings and scroll
T39 · RP-24, RP-25, RP-94
Start C: wave 128
Weather waves (if one comes)
Some waves come with weather, named in the warning: night (dark, lanterns glow), fog, heat, thunderstorm; later rainstorm, frost, windstorm, eclipse, drought. Mark UNTESTED if none came.
- Continue from T38
- Watch the next few warnings
T40 · RP-58, CHEF-09, CHEF-10, RP-83
Start C: wave 128
The Harvest Kitchen
MODES: the Kitchen opened at wave 102 (15,000 coins). Power-ups explode with their own sound when tapped; a dead board reshuffles; after 14 s without a move a glove hints; two power-ups swapped together make a big combo; Tornado reshuffles your board. The end screen has a small chart.
re-test of T39-T41 (round 3, UNTESTED/FAIL: Kitchen)
- Continue from T39
- Hammer > MODES > Harvest Kitchen: buy, play one level
T41 · RP-13, RP-28, RP-29, RP-73
Start D: wave 448
Brick walls and the late bugs
The wall line is red brick. Mole crickets dig under any wall and come up inside; stag beetles break brick; bombardier beetles blow holes in cobblestone. Each new bug got its warning clip when it first came.
- CLAUDE SEEDS: bash .claude/ticket_specific_contexts/RP-63/evidence/seed-448.sh (wave 448, 500 gems, 200,000 coins, a late-game farm)
- Open WeatherFarmer, tap the title
- Play wave 448 and watch the walls
T42 · RP-32, RP-74
Start D: wave 448
Wave 450: the Moth Empress
Wave 450 is the Moth Empress, a late boss. Her final art is NOT done yet, so a placeholder look is expected; judge how the fight feels.
- Continue from T41
- Call waves with the horn until wave 450
T43 · RP-66
Start D: wave 448
Tier III towers and the queen bee
Beehive III sends more bees out of every hive. BUILD > Upgrades lists frog pond III (wave 371, 100,000 coins) and the queen bee (wave 498).
- Continue from T42
- BUILD > Upgrades: buy frog pond III; watch a wave
T44 · RP-47, RP-92, RP-76, ECON-03
Start D: wave 448
The SHOP and gems
SHOP > Specials: 100 gems = 1,220 coins. Nothing that touches a wave costs gems (no gem fertilizer, no machine oil). Free gems: 3 per boss, 2 for each new special wave's first clear.
re-test of T25 (round 3, UNTESTED: SHOP)
- Continue from T43
- Hammer > SHOP: look at every tab; exchange 100 gems once
T45 · RP-91, RP-75, RP-93
Start D: wave 448
Finish now with gems; buy back raided goods
A building under construction or a running recipe shows 'Finish: N gems' (1 gem per 2 minutes left). Tap a growing plot: finish the whole crop for 1 gem per 10 minutes. The silo panel lets you buy back goods raided in the last 60 minutes (1 gem per 10 coins of goods).
- Continue from T44
- Start a building, tap Finish, CONFIRM
- Tap a growing plot
- Tap the silo after a raid
T46 · RP-42, RP-70, RP-45
Start D: wave 448
Late chains and far land
Sunflowers (wave 412) feed the oil press: 4 sunflowers make 1 oil in 6 minutes. The farm kitchen bakes pumpkin pie. BUILD > Land offers the far corner blocks (from 140,000 coins).
- Continue from T45
- Plant sunflowers; tap the oil press; look at BUILD > Land
T47 · RP-58, CHEF-09
Start D: wave 448
The Chili Cook-off
MODES: the Cook-off opens at wave 322 (70,500 coins) and starts on the first tap. Its first win pays 15 gems.
re-test of T42 (round 3, FAIL: Cook-off)
- Continue from T46
- Hammer > MODES > Chili Cook-off: buy, play once
T48 · RP-49, RP-54, RP-52
Settings and restart
Settings: lessons and accessibility
The gear opens settings: 'Lessons' on/off and a list of the 21 lessons (Farming, The stomp, The tap...); tap one to replay it. Shake and flash switches; nothing flashes more than 3 times a second.
re-test of T43 (round 3, FAIL: settings)
- Continue from T47
- Tap the gear
- Replay 'The swarm horn' and 'Special waves' from the list
- Turn shake off, then on
T49 · RP-38, RP-57
Settings and restart
Restart: title, then your farm
Close the app fully and reopen: the title scene shows again; one tap puts you back on your farm exactly as you left it. No text anywhere used a long dash.
- Continue from T48
- Swipe the app away, reopen it, tap the title
T50 · SPEC
Verdict
Would you keep playing?
Your overall verdict on the new game: the tutorial, the tower-defense loop, the economy. Write what you would change first.
no screenshot yet
- After everything above
Game design review
The tools and the design choices
What each tool is for, in the AI's words. Mark each one keep, change or cut.
D01
Main move
The stomp
The farmer squashes every bug he walks on: it clears waves 1-10 alone, then wounds and the towers and spells finish.
best against: aphid, beetle
Kept: it is the main move. The balance sim says it fails from wave 5 when 40% of the bugs take the side routes, earlier than the design's wave 14.
D02
Main move
The tap-squash
A tap kills a small bug outright to wave 10, then deals 10 damage once a second (0.6 s with Quick Fingers).
best against: aphid, beetle, grasshopper, locust
Kept: the only answer the farmer has to a hopper or a flyer before the towers.
D03
Walls
Wood fences
Reroute walkers into the alley where the farmer and the towers wait; drag a line to change their path.
best against: aphid
Kept: the routing tool. Termites chew wood at 6 a second, so Repair all matters from wave 22.
D04
Towers
The frog pond
Swallows a bug bigger than an aphid and up to twice its size whole, then rests 8 s.
best against: beetle, grasshopper, splitter, cockroach, stinkbug
The size limit is the round-1 critic's: aphid-sized bugs are beneath it. A player may read 'it ignores aphids' as broken.
D05
Traps
The sticky trap
A glue trap on the ground: walkers and hoppers that step in stick a few seconds; it wears out after a few catches.
best against: grasshopper
Took over the cut water trench's job. Does the player see the catch, or does it look like nothing happens?
D06
Towers
The beehive and the apiary
Bees sting any bug in reach, flyers too; the apiary makes honey for its 3 nearest towers (one honey = one sting, snap or catch).
best against: aphid, beetle, grasshopper
The boss lesson's tower. Honey is the logistics the vision forbids babysitting: watch whether the player ever looks at the honey.
D07
Towers
The scarecrow
Stands on the corner between four plots and scares moths and locusts away from the crops around it.
best against: moth
The first answer to a flyer; it deals no damage, so a player may not see it work.
D08
Towers
The dog
Runs down walking bugs by the fences, big ones too: almost half their health a bite (a boss takes 30 + 2%).
best against: aphid, beetle, splitter, cockroach, termite, stinkbug
Near-dominant in the design check (strong on six early bugs); the balance sim says it does not hold the early bar alone (fails 50 of 50 waves).
D09
Towers
The magic plant
Puffs a slowing cloud on a group of walkers and hoppers (0.4x speed), so the other towers land more hits.
best against: splitter
Kept in the tool audit as the only tool that slows a group; its combo is 'slow and sting' with the beehive.
D10
Towers
The bird house
A bird carries off a small bug or a flyer every 3 s.
best against: aphid, grasshopper, moth, termite, locust
Near-dominant in the design check; the balance sim says it does not hold the early bar alone (fails 45 of 45 waves).
D11
Spells
Lightning
Strikes a bug in reach every second by itself (automatic), the frog's gift after the first Rain Dance.
best against: aphid, beetle, grasshopper, splitter, weevil queen, moth, termite, locust
Strong on 8 of the 10 early bugs: the most dominant tool on paper. The sim: alone it fails 60 of 60 early waves.
D12
Spells
Hail
A placed storm that hits every walker and hopper inside it twice a second; with Lightning it makes bugs wet (double Lightning damage).
best against: aphid, beetle, grasshopper, splitter, weevil queen, termite, stinkbug
Moved to wave 9 so the first Queen has a strong answer (your call, 10-12); the spell lesson lights it.
D13
Spells
Fire Stream
An aimed flame: hits every second, 6 s of flame then it cools at half speed; with the stomp it holds an alley.
best against: aphid, beetle
The heat gauge is the limiter the review asked for. Is the gauge read, or does the flame just stop?
D14
Spells
Thunderclap (the interrupt)
Every bug within 2.5 cells of the farmer stops for 3 s and every timer it runs restarts (a boss's lay, a breaker's chew).
best against: weevil queen (ok)
No damage now; its job was your call (10-12). Early it beats nothing outright, so a player may call it useless.
D15
Spells
Smoke
A placed cloud that turns flyers back and, from wave 71, hides the hives from wasps.
best against: none early (the wasp, wave 71)
In the early game it has no strong answer: a candidate to unlock later.
D16
Spells
Moat
A placed ring of water that walkers and hoppers will not cross easily.
best against: grasshopper
The sim does not model it (no barrier rule in the code). Watch whether a player finds a use.
D17
Spells
Static Fence
Shocks every bug chewing a fence twice a second; the shock ignores armour.
best against: weevil queen, termite
The design says it reaches 3 squares; the code shocks every chewing bug on the farm. Alone it fails every early wave in the balance sim.
D18
Spells
Fire Wall (the barrier)
A line of fire 2.5 cells long for 8 s that walkers will not cross: they re-path around it.
best against: termite
No damage now; its job was your call (10-12).
D19
Spells
Tornado (the gather)
Every bug but a boss within 3 cells is pulled into one knot and held 2 s, so a placed spell or a tower hits the whole group.
best against: locust
No damage now; flagged by the round-2 balance critic, kept for the gather.
D20
Spells
Storm Cloud
A cloud that hits flyers four times a second (wave 38).
best against: moth, locust
The flyer killer; Smoke used to share the job.
D21
Pace
The bug attractor
Waves come twice as often and drops pay 1.5x: the player's own pace dial, offered after the first boss.
best against: -
Offered, not gifted, 880 coins at wave 12. Does a casual player ever switch it on?
D22
Side modes
The Rain Dance
A rhythm song at the frog's rain circle: its stars become spell points; the first one gives Lightning and 3 points.
best against: -
The only source of spell points. Is the fail point fair, and does the player come back to it?
D23
Land
Land blocks
Buy a 5 x 5 block next to the farm (the first at wave 22, 1,800 coins); the auto-farm tills its plot rows.
best against: -
A bigger farm draws bigger waves (the core loop). Only 10 plots per block: does it feel worth it?
D24
Spells
The early spellbooks (Scarecrows, Sweet Bait, Second Harvest)
Bought with coins at the wizard from wave 31; each adds a new way to play (more scarecrows, a bait, a second harvest).
best against: -
All three are 2,100 coins, a guess from the economy table.
D25
AI's choice
Lesson 11 lights Hail
The spell lesson points at Hail (the answer to the wave-10 Queen); any spell bought finishes the step.
best against: weevil queen
Claude's choice: the spell lesson points at Hail (the answer to the wave-10 Queen); buying any spell ends the lesson.
D26
Walls
The cobblestone wall
4x a wood fence's health; termites cannot chew it; 290 coins and 2 stone a piece; 'Upgrade all fences' turns a line over (wave 72).
best against: termite, beetle, cockroach
The mid wall tier. Breakers that CAN break it: the bombardier (108) and the bosses. Does the player see why it is worth the stone?
D27
Buildings
The quarry
Digs 1 stone a minute for cobblestone walls (12,500 coins, wave 71).
best against: -
The first material the player must wait for; ECONOMY tags its price .
D28
Pace
The swarm horn
A placed call button: the next wave comes now, for a bigger drop (wave 76, 17,500 coins).
best against: -
The competitive player's pace dial. Does a casual player ever press it?
D29
Decor
The lantern
Sits on a fence or wall; at night bugs within 2 cells walk 5% slower and are visible (wave 81).
best against: night waves
Its job only shows at night, and no checkpoint plays a night wave.
D30
Upgrades
Beehive II (the chase)
Bees chase a bug that leaves their reach instead of turning back (wave 73).
best against: grasshopper, locust
The economy table's words; the balance sim does not model the chase.
D31
Upgrades
Dog II (the bark)
A harder bite and a longer leash; the bark stops a walker for a moment (wave 83).
best against: termite, beetle, cockroach
The bark is the economy table's word; check the eye clip shows it.
D32
Upgrades
Magic plant II (grounding)
A deeper slow and a wider puff; flyers in the cloud are pulled down to the ground (wave 113).
best against: locust, wasp, moth
Does the player see flyers come down?
D33
Buildings
The tool shed
One more builder (wave 92, 19,000 coins).
best against: -
Builders are the wait the player feels most; is one more worth 19,000?
D34
Land
Forest blocks
Three 5 x 5 blocks beside the farm from wave 74 (21,500 coins, each 1.5x the last); two plot columns or rows each.
best against: -
A bigger farm draws bigger waves. Only 10 plots a block.
D35
Buildings
The rain shrine
Rain Dance scores are worth more (wave 142); three levels.
best against: -
The only reason to dance again in the mid game. Does the player go back to the frog?
D36
Buildings
The farm kitchen
Bakes pumpkin pie, the mid game's dearest product (wave 199, 43,500 coins).
best against: -
Was the pie worth the wait?
D37
Spells
The mid spellbooks (Mirrors, Portals, Long Night)
Bought with coins at the wizard from wave 118 (23,500 each); two are carried. Mirrors: three farmers for 15 s; Portals: bugs walk into the lake; Long Night: time stops for the bugs for 5 s.
best against: -
Which book would you carry?
D38
Side modes
The Harvest Kitchen
The match-3 side mode (wave 102, 15,000 coins): match food, win real recipes.
best against: -
Does it pull the player away from a wave they should be watching?
D39
AI's choice
Mirrors' copies hit at half strength
The book triples the farmer's hand spells for 15 s at most 2x their damage, once every 7 minutes.
best against: -
A guess: the copies hit at half strength.
D40
Walls
The brick wall
8x a wood fence's health (twice cobblestone); only the stag beetle and the bosses break it; 1,800 coins and 2 bricks a piece; 'Upgrade all fences' turns a line over (wave 312).
best against: termite, bombardier beetle, beetle
The last wall tier. The mole cricket goes under it. Does the player see why it is worth the bricks?
D41
Buildings
The brick kiln
Fires clay into bricks (92,000 coins; needs the clay pit).
best against: -
Two buildings in a row before one brick. Too long a chain, or a goal?
D42
Upgrades
Beehive III
More bees swarm out of every hive (wave 328, 95,000 coins and 10 royal jelly).
best against: grasshopper, locust
Seeded at 448 onward. Does the player see the extra bees?
D43
Upgrades
Frog pond III (a snap every 6 s)
The frog snaps again after 6 s (wave 371, 100,000 coins).
best against: beetle, splitter, cockroach
Built this round (it was only an idea at the late-game playtest).
D44
Upgrades
The queen bee (the focus)
On a boss wave every hive within 6 cells of the queen's hive stings only the boss (wave 498, 100,000 coins and 20 royal jelly).
best against: bosses
Built this round: on a boss wave the nearby hives sting only the boss.
D45
Spells
The late spellbooks (Golem, Winter, Reversal)
Bought with coins at the wizard from wave 388 (105,000 each).
best against: -
Which book would you carry?
D46
Land
Far blocks
The four corner blocks from wave 314 (140,000 coins, each 1.5x the last); three plot rows each.
best against: -
A bigger farm draws bigger waves. Three plot rows each.
D47
Side modes
The Chili Cook-off
The late side mode (wave 322, 70,500 coins); its first win pays 15 gems.
best against: -
Does it pull you away from a wave you should be watching?
D48
Decor
The late decor (fountain, weather vane, topiary, golden scarecrow)
Garden pieces from waves 346, 452, 702 and 923; each a tiny bonus, never more than the decor cap.
best against: -
Does a late player buy decor, or only defence?
D49
Gems
The time skip (1 gem per 2 minutes)
'Finish: N gems' on a building under construction or a running recipe.
best against: -
Also on a growing crop: 1 gem per 10 minutes. A gem is worth 12.2 coins. Is 1 gem per 2 minutes cheap, fair or dear?
D50
Gems
The coin exchange (100 gems for 1,220 coins)
SHOP > Specials: gems into coins at the gem value.
best against: -
The only gem row in the SHOP. A $5 pack is about 6,100 coins against a 140,000 far block.
D51
Gems
The buy-back (1 gem per 10 coins of goods)
Raided goods bought back in the silo panel within 60 minutes.
best against: -
Does it soften a loss you should feel, or rescue a bad wave fairly?
D52
Gems
No gem touches a wave
No gem skips, slows or softens a wave (VISION anti-pillar 1, RP-92): gems buy time and coins only.
best against: -
Your rule: gems buy time and coins only.
D53
Enemies
The mole cricket tunnels under every wall
From wave 411 it digs under any wall tier and comes up inside.
best against: -
Fair surprise or unfair?
D54
Enemies
The late bosses (Moth Empress 450, Beetle Tyrant 700, Swarm Mother 1000)
A new boss every 2-3 hours of play (DIFFICULTY late), each with its own trick.
best against: -
Their final art is not done yet. Which one felt like a fight, which like a wall of health?
D55
Buildings
The late chains (oil press 413, grape press 613)
Sunflower oil and grape juice, the late game's dearest products.
best against: -
Does a player plant for them?
D56
AI's choice
Upgrades stay instant on purchase
A tier III upgrade works the moment it is bought (no 10-20 minute build).
best against: -
A guess: a tier III upgrade works the moment it is bought (no 10-20 minute build), so it cannot be skipped with gems.
D57
Decor
The early decor (flower bed, path stone, bench)
Garden pieces from waves 7, 11 and 23; each copy 25% dearer; all decor bonuses together at most +5%. Idle builders sit on benches.
best against: -
Small bonuses on purpose. Is +5% in total worth buying at all?
D58
AI's choice
The round-end card shows for 4 seconds
Coins earned, goods carried off, the wave's time, the next goal; a tap closes it sooner.
best against: -
A guess: 4 s then a half-second fade. Long enough to read?
D59
AI's choice
A tap inside the 1-second recharge does nothing
The early tap is spent on nothing (no damage, no walk); a ring under the farmer fills as it recharges.
best against: -
A guess: the other choice (walking the farmer) moves him off his alley by accident.