It's been a long time since I wrote, today I'm doing it because I've been playing for a few months to **[Soulkeep](https://soulkeep.splinterlands.com/?ref=tehox)**, a **Tower Defense** game that I'm really enjoying, but... there are a lot of problems and balances that need to be done.
This post is meant to be a series of suggestions, which **I hope can be useful** to the team that is developing it and to the community of players.
UNPREDICTABILITY
This is currently the main issue affecting gameplay.
Enemy waves on maps are always the same, and while rulesets add a bit of variety, their impact is minimal. As it stands, the game feels repetitive and favors players with multiple accounts, who can study the maps, or long-time players who have memorized data to optimize their scores. This happens regardless of individual skill or ability to adapt to unexpected situations.
Suggestion: Introduce daily-changing enemy waves so that every day, players have to earn and study their scores afresh.
Of course, the waves must remain the same for all players on a given day.
BLOCKED TOWERS AND SPELLS
I understand they can be frustrating, but they are a strategic element that forces players to make choices. For this reason, I believe they should remain in the game.
The real problem arises when blocked towers/spells are combined with blocked slots. Playing with only 2 usable slots (e.g., 2 unusable slots and 1 blocked slot, as sometimes happens) makes the game nearly unplayable.
Suggestion: Blocked towers/spells are fine, but these rulesets should only appear when all 5 slots are active.
FREE ATTEMPTS
If unpredictability changes, as described above, the free attempt would naturally become more meaningful. However, I have an additional idea.
Suggestion A: Make the first attempt paid, but reduce the cost for the first two attempts. For example, in League 2, the first attempt is currently free, and the second costs 6 tickets. Instead, both the first and second attempts could cost 3 tickets each.
Suggestion B: Keep the first attempt free, but it won't count towards the leaderboard. It would serve as a scouting attempt to study the map. Players would need to pay for a second attempt to compete for leaderboard rankings.
RESET
Resets should be seen as "game seasons," similar to other games. However, resetting all players to League 1 feels overly punishing for those who have invested significantly to reach higher leagues. While higher leagues provide better rewards, games of this type should reward both skill and investment. Players who reach top leagues have invested in SPS, cards, tickets, and soulboxes.
Suggestion: At the reset, players lose leagues based on their final position from the previous season. For example, their league would be halved and rounded up:
L2/L1 → L1
L3/L4 → L2
L5/L6 → L3
L7/L8 → L4
L9/L10 → L5
Players would restart without souls.
TICKET PURCHASE DISCOUNTS
Splinterlands often offers discounts for bulk purchases. Why not implement the same in SK? This would encourage more gameplay, as players tend to use more tickets when they have a larger supply.
Suggestion (example):
5% discount for purchases of at least 1,000 tickets.
10% discount for purchases of at least 5,000 tickets.
Idea for a new game mode: GRAND CHALLENGE
This is a weekly tournament open to all players, regardless of league, requiring a fixed ticket cost (e.g., 500) for a single attempt.
Each game consists of 10 rounds with increasing difficulty. For example:
Round 1: a League 1 map with its respective caps.
Round 2: a League 2 map with those caps.
...
Round 10: a map where maxed-out towers and spells can be used.
If players lose all lives in a round, the game continues with fewer points awarded, and they progress to the next round.
All players will play all 10 rounds.
At the end of the week, a single leaderboard is generated with descending rewards, potentially proportional to the number of participants, because the high number of tickets used (like Poker buy-in)
Additional attempts can be purchased at progressively higher costs (e.g., 1000, 2000, 4000 tickets).
OTHER IMPORTANT FEATURES
- Easily Check NFT Usage: Allow players to see how many uses remain for their NFTs without entering a tournament (spending tickets) or starting battle mode (which may be locked if already completed).
- Complete the "My Defenses" Page: Add detailed information on upgrades and tower/spell stats for each level.
These are my ideas and suggestions for what I think is a great game, with a lot of potential, but in need of some work and balancing.
