This topic is for discussion of map #690: map 97 PARTICLE BURST
(http://knucklecracker.com/particlefleet/queryMaps.php?query=thumbnailid&id=690)
Author: yum234
Size: 500x216
Desc:
Easy only start. #GoodLuck
I interested how Terra get the best score time and played this map again.
Now I find out "know how" and exceed this excellent result! :)
P.S. By the way, what was difficult (as I can see from many rates "1") with this map? Easy start, enough ships and helpful "blue particles"...
I think the way the particles follow you around is a big problem for many players.
Quote from: yum-forum on March 08, 2017, 04:33:57 AM
P.S. By the way, what was difficult (as I can see from many rates "1") with this map? Easy start, enough ships and helpful "blue particles"...
It was not "difficult", it was "luck-dependent"
On my first playthrough, RANDOM ship spawners spawned few lathes. By the time I figured out that left side has small strip of safe space where I could build my ships, enemy lathe converted one of the bursts and it, well, bursted. My puny fleet couldn't protect itself from the mass of hard particles and all the ships I tried to build just disappeared. And after that I've still got a massive cloud of hard particles in my previously "safe zone" that I couldn't clear out and had to wait for them to die out. And then I noticed that other particle burst was converted. And I ragequited.
Second playthrough was smother, because no RANDOM lathes spawned. Aside from some energy starvation and questionable ship balance - only one major flaw(in my opinion). On ship balance - you get four ships early - lathe (good and effective), supply and two "late game" carrier type ships that starve your economy and are slow to build. And I had to use these energy hungry ships because I had nothing to else to fend off particles. That starved my economy and slowed the building of other ships that would be more useful at that stage of the game, like "cannon". I would rather have two "cannons" that two "carriers".
And a major flaw(in my opinion) is RANDOM ship spawner. They are just bad as they create VASTLY unreliable results that can give different users vastly different experiences. For example, you decide to make a small defensive outpost with three random ship spawners. On a test playthrough, say, they spawn WOLF, MARAUDER and CRUISER, while you gave player two BIG NOSES and three MARAUDERS, so everything works. But some very unlucky player might get three enemy VARROS and would have no chance of victory, and that would be map maker's fault, because map maker decided to use the most unreliable tool for a map in a game with very little randomness in it's core game mechanics.
Thank You for comments! :)
You are right. Random enemies can make You lucky or not lucky. But this is as in our life - not predictable! :)
But in game also exist possibility to prevent such non-lucky events (as very strong ships, lathe-converted Busters etc.):
Spoiler
Possible to start not from the left, but in center/right mine and then move HQ at right/down region and after Blue P.Burst activate mines in "non good energy region" (but it is not so easy!), or destroy HQ and after 20sec. build at the left. GEMs using (defence structure and mine cannon) also will be helpful.
I don't understand how you can consider 1400 particles in the first 10 secs that chase you as an easy start. using a gem on mine cannons at the start doesn't really make sense since the amount of particles will overwhelm the cannon. Having to micromanage the HQ so you have an effective ship to take out emitters is tiring not fun. Yes you can park the HQ out of range of the emitters but not out of range of the derelicts with their persistent particles. And if you park it you lose it as an offensive ship that some might need until they can
Thank You for comments! :)
First of all "easy start" was written about safety zone at the left.
Most left part of the map particles can not reach at the beginning of game.
How to play in other way You can see in screenshots: very good position in 3 min.
Sorry if explanation not good enough...
P.S. Making this screenshots I get more better time score! :)
Starting where yum recommended, 8 minutes...
... I'm feeling so dirty...
... but it was so non-fun trying to start at the left so I looked at the solution anyway...