This topic is for discussion of map #5445: Thinking!
(http://knucklecracker.com/creeperworld3/queryMaps.php?query=thumbnailid&id=5445)
Author: BilboGCL
Size: 227x256
Desc:
Credits for the pic: GooGroker ******************
Loved it!!! Really had to think before finding a way to victory. Very well done.
I'm curious if you found the same way I did, or if there's another way:
Spoiler
Land one CN right next to the gem and the others nearby. Rush to nullify the four nearby spore towers that aren't on Digitalis, in order to put beams on the PZs in time for the first spore wave. I needed 8 or so more covering the back line until I could nullify the towers there. Pretty standard play after that—those PZ beams had me covered until I really started pushing out.
There's indeed another strategy:
Spoiler
Ignore the energy (it was meant as a bait!), build only nullifiers as spores won't target them and power these with CN only - one good point to start is the left eyebrow, there you can nullify the 20 amt emmy right at the start, move the CNs, destroy the sporetowers... the rest is a piece of cake
Greetings from The Shire
P.s. the cake is a lie!
Iiiiinteresting. Also interesting that our times are so similar (I'm "Daniel" on the score board) despite completely different approaches... I'd be interested to hear from D0m0nik or diesel as to which approach they took.
Spoiler
I didn't know that spores don't target Nullifiers—is that documented anywhere? A little testing indicates they also don't target Sprayers, Beams, Snipers, Shields, or Siphons. This means that if you can't get to one spore tower because of creeper (I couldn't in my brief test, though better planning would probably have allowed me to), you can prebuild a PZ beam, then fly over to the energy crystal, build the siphon, spam collectors while paused, and the spores will only fire when the first one finishes.
Hi Daniel, yes I did the same as you.
Spoiler
All 3CNs just above the gem and had extra beams hovering over the PZs to be switched for the first wave or two. Then just pure aggresive expansion after tha!
D0m0nik,
Spoiler
I didn't find it necessary to have extra beams to switch out on the PZs—as long as I kept my energy in the green, they recharged just fast enough on their own. Did you perhaps get away with only those four PZ beams plus "hot spares"? I built another six or eight in the back to defend against the spore towers that are right there, out of range of the PZs. After that,
yes, aggressive expansion FTW. I was a bit lazy and hung back building reactors and waiting for Aether before pushing out past the range of those initial beams and having to build more, though I doubt I could even approach your time even if I had pushed immediately.
Quote from: BilboGCL on March 19, 2018, 05:50:56 PM
There's indeed another strategy:
Spoiler
Ignore the energy (it was meant as a bait!), build only nullifiers as spores won't target them and power these with CN only - one good point to start is the left eyebrow, there you can nullify the 20 amt emmy right at the start, move the CNs, destroy the sporetowers... the rest is a piece of cake
Greetings from The Shire
P.s. the cake is a lie!
Disagree:
Spoiler
The energy is very useful--once the towers are dead the digitalis dies and you need to build up quickly to keep it off your base.