Custom Map: Nice Job 25: The Developer

[UpperKEES]

Thanks dbit! This is one of my own favourites as well....

[Bacteriophage]

Wow...  This is one of the most carefully constructed maps I have played.  I especially enjoyed the puzzles in the first sector.

[UpperKEES]

Thanks! I will release my last CW1 map soon.... It will be a puzzle map, so stay tuned!

[White_Cat]

IS this map actually solve-able, or has the game had some parameters changed since this map was created, making this map impossible?

One thing I see a distinct lack of is You-tube video's of solved custom maps.

There are  2 minute solutions in the "high scores" for many maps,  when I can not even build 2 collectors in that time.

If I can not even build 2 collectors that quick, how does someone build all the way to all the totems?

[Karsten75]

No parameters have changed. Of the top 11 scores, at least 7 are well-known players with a good reputation here, so I don't suspect cheating. Ask a few questions of specific maps and you may get help.

I have not looked through the 10 pages discussion for this map, but there should be some hints in the discussion.

As for videos, sometimes they are hard to make since many of these maps include an awful lot of pausing to position units, etc, making the elapsed time of the video very long, or the amount of work to edit nearly impossible.

[UpperKEES]

I have not looked through the 10 pages discussion for this map, but there should be some hints in the discussion.

Everything you need to know to solve this map indeed is discussed in the comments. And as Grauniad says no parameters have changed. In fact it has become a little easier after the introduction of the packet control, because you can save on totem packets during the start of the map.

The reason I don't put CW-video's on YouTube, is because I don't believe people will become better players just from watching. It will only give away a strategy or solution that players should be thinking of themselves, because that's what makes a hard map fun. Retrying is the only way to become a better player.

[Anonymeus]

Wow - the legendary UpperKEES returns to the CW1 forums.

I started playing CW1 just over a year ago, well after you left CW1, and I am just now beginning to be able to beat your maps.

I salute you sir!

 

(and please, please, please make moar CW1 maps....)

[UpperKEES]

Yeah, my last CW1 map dates back more than 1 year (The CERN Concern), but after creating them for about 2 years that really is my last one.

As you may have read in Virgil's blogs, CW3 will be a lot more like CW1 than CW2 was, but with many more features. You can count on some interesting custom maps from my hands.

Thanks for the compliments and enjoy the remainder of my series.

[Anonymeus]

Sir UpperKEES,

I hope you will change your mind. When it comes to creeper game features (and I've watched all the Knuckle Cracker cw3 blog videos), I fear that less is more... (who needs extra features in chess?).

I hope I'm wrong - and I definitely hope that Virgil will prove me wrong.

Just please know that if you were to make another CW1 map, there would be plenty of appreciative players...

Thanks for the maps again! (& I have cursed you often while struggling with them  ;-)

[UpperKEES]

You're absolutely right; very often less is more. That's definitely one of the strengths of CW1. But believe me, Virgil is very aware of that. The basics of the game remain the same and in fact anybody would be able to create a CW1 map without using any of the new features. It would just look nicer.

That said I'm sure you'll love fighting the Digitalis. It offers map makers an additional option to make a map interesting right from the start without using insane emitters. The game is being tested thoroughly to ensure new units are not overpowered. I find myself beating maps the old fashioned way most of the time, just with some aid of the new units.

Besides that the programmable units will offer map makers the option to become even more creative. Some may go overboard with that, but it's a learning curve, so their next map will be better. I know I have made some maps too hard for the average player....

If you are still looking for nice CW1 maps, I can recommend you some great map makers. Try a few maps made by:
- Sauffaus (he created my all time favorite: Alien Alter Ruin. Graphics are great as well.)
- Fisherck (many very good maps that are interesting and never become a slog, especially the harder ones)
- Kapoios (creator of the best puzzle map ever: The Temple of Moloch.)
- MadMag (definitely the best looking maps around.)
- Sqaz (nice historical and geographical maps. Also inventor of the Multitask map.)
- Bort (just a few, but all of them very much worth playing. I'm sure you'll curse him too!)
- ItsFunToLose (one of the very good early map makers.)
- F0R (if you like natural looking terrain maps.)
- Vexsin (did a very nice hard series.)

There probably are many more, because I stopped playing after playing more than 1000 of them (hundreds before scores even could be submitted; that feature was added later).

Enjoy and keep struggling, that's what makes it so much fun. Cursing is fine too, as long as you hit the restart button.