This topic is for discussion of map #9435: Inhibitor Central (Hard)
(https://knucklecracker.com/creeperworld3/queryMaps.php?query=thumbnailid&id=9435)
Author: Jason Stevens
Size: 256x256
Desc:
This is a very difficult map - few will be able to conqueor it and you may want to play the standard difficulty map instead, which is still pretty hard. This is NOT a sleeper map. #Heavy-Creep #Sleeper-AA #Sleeper-Strafer #Spore #Runner #Digitalis #Expensive-Reactors #Expensive-Collectors #Pump #Toggle-Pump Good luck!!
round one: by 40min i was still trying to get the square 9 emiters then 200 ships cruised over my base
i guess i have to be more agressive
Spoiler
also i could have rushed for the artifacts but didnt, will do on next time
Quoteround one: by 40min i was still trying to get the square 9 emiters then 200 ships cruised over my base
LOL! Same here. I can't remember the last map I played where I lost a foothold 40 minutes into a game :P
Second try was better. You don't have to rush the artifacts, btw... I think it took me nearly 90 minutes of game time to get there. But I did feel like I was about to lose about 6 times, right before a new PZ reactor finished building. Once you take those 9 emitters, you've pretty much secured the game (although it might not FEEL like it), but it'll still take a slog before you finish it.
Also,
Spoiler
You can destroy the pumps and get some very helpful power zones.
This is indeed a fantastic but very intense map and requires constant calculation and making use of every opportunity to improve your power grid as efficiently as possible. If thinking really hard is not your cup of tea, just rate this map 1/15 of your IQ and move along... ;)
Thanks for the map! ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Johnny Haywire on April 11, 2021, 01:39:10 AM
If thinking really hard is not your cup of tea, just rate this map 1/15 of your IQ and move along... ;)
Thanks for the map! ;D ;D ;D
LOL!
Opening author comment is "This is a very difficult map...", yet someone out there ignores that and does a rage quit with a "1" score when he finds it "very difficult".
:)
I'm feeling particularly ignorant today, since I noticed that most of Jason's recent maps say NOT A SLEEPER MAP.
My lying eyes had been telling me they were a SLEEPER MAP, and I've been skipping them.
Reading is FUNdamental there, Skippy.
Now I have to go back in for several hours of getting my butt kicked..
Here we go...
H
Quote from: Johnny Haywire on April 11, 2021, 01:39:10 AM... just rate this map 1/15 of your IQ and move along... ;)
Where's the 11 button? ;-)
Actually, I'm doing only moderately horrible on this map.
Minute 36, conquered the 9. About to link to my left airdefense island. Still building 9*reactors on that new crop of PZ's.
But yes, it is a teensy bit distracting to see the whole combined RAF, RLM, USAAF and IJAAS approaching from the north.
Ok.
MInute 52.
I have taken the whole of the southern region, plus the two islands.
Am suppressing the creeper-pump-feedback-loop in the West which obliterated me last time.
The northern half of the start island is under 1500+ creep, and unassailable.
I cannot research at all anymore, as *any* aether forge will immediately cause the Western creep setup to blossom with Death.Next time, pump it out *before* it wets space, that seems to accelerate creep movement to the amplifying pumps :(
No Bertha, and an absolute tsunami of creeper (with air cover) defending the enemy... It's looking grim
those ships got me so annoyed i decided on going on them first this time
edit. i never remember how to flag spoiler on an attachment :P
Nice strat, Riskbreaker! I'd thought about trying that if my second attempt failed... might've actually been better that way.
Also, I realized that asking people to rate the map 1/15 of their IQ might have been confusing, since those who rate this map a "1" might be trying to get the answer by taking the square root of a negative number and then dividing by unicorns. Sorry for hitting anyone with some stones of math.
QuoteNext time, pump it out *before* it wets space, that seems to accelerate creep movement to the amplifying pumps
I just used the 100-creep-per-aether buildings, and then surrounded the spot where the creeper exits with mortars & blasters. I think I used one or two mortars on the nine PZ's to keep it at bay. Maybe that'll be helpful for someone, I dunno. ;)
Quote from: Johnny Haywire on April 12, 2021, 04:23:45 PM
Also, I realized that asking people to rate the map 1/15 of their IQ might have been confusing, since those who rate this map a "1" might be trying to get the answer by taking the square root of a negative number and then dividing by unicorns. Sorry for hitting anyone with some stones of math.
Hahaha! Now that was a good laugh ;)
Quote from: Riskbreaker on April 12, 2021, 09:21:28 AM
those ships got me so annoyed i decided on going on them first this time
edit. i never remember how to flag spoiler on an attachment :P
for spoilage, just wrap the whole segment including images in a Squarebracket Spoiler othersquarebracket , and end with the same plus a "/" before spoiler.
As for that approach of yours.
Sheer genius!
Or utter insanity. It's hard to tell the difference.
Either way, I will be trying it.
That cluster of 5 turncoat emitters without digi has *got* to be an easier kill than the 9-block at the bottom, embedded in digi.
I thought I'd played the hard one but played the easy by mistake. This one is tough!! Riskbreakers strategy is an example of the thin line between brilliance and insanity :P ;)
Simple way to handle the strafers, AND the superspores
Spoiler
Just drop one mass driver on them.
SImultaneously, suicide 10-12 full AC sprayers on the location.
The mass driver makes a nice high-walled divot around the target, to contain the AC, while simultaneously wiping out any depth of creep.
The sprayers leave a deep enough layer of AC to persist for abou 20-30 seconds, which is *ample* to kil the strafer growers, and...may... be enough to take out a superspore tower.
Additional hint:
See those Aether factories, sunk deep in the creep and digi.
Useless until rescued?
NO!
You can activate them, and have them churn out a mountain of Aether just waiting for you siphon to be built on it.
As soon as you conquer, you get many hundreds of stored up aether immediately.
And at only 100, they do not make *that* much contamination.
Not won yet, but only because my potato periodically overheats on these maps.
At minute 45, am about to conquer the lower 9-emitter-bock, and .... all the strafers and superspores on that middle bar island have been killed, permanently!
Completed, at 1:22:05
Of course, my potato stopped being able to save at the 50m mark, and cannot save highscores. That happens with big maps. Yay.
Once you have Berthas and MassDrivers, it's just a matter of making enough power, and pounding away at one enemy.
Dear Jason.
I hate you.
I *love* your maps. But you, personally? You have taken so many hours, days even, out of my life. ARGH!
Keep up the good work!
AH, and yes.
Mind absolutely boggling how someone managed a 21-minutes victory on this monster!
Got round to this one at last. This is a great map but I still find it a little frustrating that it is not clear what connects to what. The ore factorys all clearly create creeper either from a few locations but even with experimentation I could never figure out exactly what they were doing. The only thing for certain is do not activate the far right factory!! I do like the idea of having to pay for your aether, would just be better if it was clear what the cost was!
Quote from: D0m0nik on April 15, 2021, 08:01:30 AM
Got round to this one at last. This is a great map but I still find it a little frustrating that it is not clear what connects to what. .... would just be better if it was clear what the cost was!
The cost is clearly shown when hovering over the factory. In this map, all are 100 except for the rightmost, which is 800.
What is *much* more tricky is tracking where that creeper gets dumped.
For the 800 one, it is dumped directly on the righthand strafer base, just to the left of the factory. If you use this factory, you need to have a good setup of mortars to handle the consequences.
For all the other factories on this map, they all dump on that teensyweensy little island against the left wall.
And if that island should overflow, there are two 10x amplifying pumps to take the spillage and really ruin your day.
OR, you can just activate the pumps on that teensyweensy island. The pump 1-to-1 to the two bottom strafer bases.
SO:. When starting bottom right, you kinda have to use the 800 factory, or else you don't get any aether, so no forge upgrade, so ewwww.
But it does make the territory defense a bit more.. urgent.
As for the 3 activatable pumps at either side, near your landing spots.. those feed directly to the two circular islands.
A handy way to get rid of unwanted creep, but not a good idea as those islands are much more useful as forward Beam bases (having 4 * power zone each)
Yeah pretty uch figured that out in the end. I decided not to use the far right factory, in the end I just used one factory but it made me very slow! The advantage was there was little threat down the bottom. It is a balancing act.
QuoteMind absolutely boggling how someone managed a 21-minutes victory on this monster!
Yeah, foxhunter posted an even less-believable 10-minute time on the compound interest (impossible) map. I suspect it's another "The Korean" using a mod to beat the game. Pretty awful score for using a mod, tbh.
You'd think someone who'd feel embarrassed about admitting their failure at playing the game would be even MORE embarrassed to admit their inability to use a decent mod smartly. Then again, I suppose there are people who have to think hard about which way to put the Pop Tarts in the toaster... ::)
Quote from: marvinitfox on April 14, 2021, 05:40:45 AM
Dear Jason.
I hate you.
I *love* your maps. But you, personally? You have taken so many hours, days even, out of my life. ARGH!
Keep up the good work!
Haha, your welcome ;) And if you loved this, you may love Compound Interest even more 8)
Quote from: Johnny Haywire on April 16, 2021, 02:04:27 AM
QuoteMind absolutely boggling how someone managed a 21-minutes victory on this monster!
Yeah, foxhunter posted an even less-believable 10-minute time on the compound interest (impossible) map. I suspect it's another "The Korean" using a mod to beat the game. Pretty awful score for using a mod, tbh.
You'd think someone who'd feel embarrassed about admitting their failure at playing the game would be even MORE embarrassed to admit their inability to use a decent mod smartly. Then again, I suppose there are people who have to think hard about which way to put the Pop Tarts in the toaster... ::)
Your pop tart comment reminds me of a survey question I once saw... "Do you commute regularly on a train or light rail?" Allowed responses were "Yes", "No", and "Unsure"
LOL
Well yanno, there might be people out there who just aren't sure how they got to work that morning... I've worked with a few of those. They're the kind of people who lead you to strongly consider the possibility of alien abductions. ;D