Tower defence lane planning, explained without the jargon

Most people lose tower defence maps for the same reason: they build for the wave in front of them instead of the map as a whole. Let's fix that.

Start by finding the longest path on the map. That's where your slow effects and area damage earn the most, because enemies spend the most time inside your range there. Everything else is secondary.

Next, separate your jobs. Have towers that slow, towers that deal single-target damage for tanks, and towers that hit crowds. Trying to make one tower do everything is how runs fall apart on mixed waves.

Finally, leave yourself money. It's tempting to spend everything immediately, but a small reserve lets you react to a wave you didn't expect. I keep a rough rule of holding back enough for one emergency tower at all times.

None of this is complicated, but doing it consistently is what separates a clean win from a frustrating loss.