Noob question about dark beam

[Nephthys]

So, I created the Dark Beam & get a thin blue line. A comment on a YT vid said you had "select it & toggle it to an active state." I have selected it & so now what? "Q" deactivates it. Why isn't it already active?

I should add that when the blue line 1st appeared, there was still one block of terrain between it & creeper. When the terrain was gone, it stayed a thin blue line. There is no "activate" when I select it, only "deactivate". Help please!

[asmussen]

Q toggles the active/inactive state of a unit, but what you are looking to do in this case is toggle the armed/unarmed state of the unit, which can be done by using the A hotkey. There are 3 separate states that can be toggled, and any of them can be done with either the buttons in the lower left when the unit is selected, or with the hotkeys. Q for active/inactive, A for armed/unarmed, and C for connected/disconnected.

[Nephthys]

TYVM to yet another poster kind enough to help! That did the trick. So I guess everyone else figured this out on their own? Man, I feel brain dead! 

[Zaggy]

The 3 states (Active vs Inactive, Armed vs Unarmed, Connected vs Disconnected) do different things depending on whether the unit is being built, or has completed being built.

For a unit that's being built:

- It won't demand build packets if it's Inactive.
- The Armed / Unarmed state is ignored.
- I'm not sure about the Connected / Disconnected state, but I think it works just like the Active / Inactive state.

For a built unit that needs ammo packets:

- It won't demand ammo packets if it's Inactive.
- The Armed / Unarmed state is ignored.
- It won't demand ammo packets if it's Disconnected.

For a unit that has ammo packets, will it fire?

- It won't fire if it's Inactive.
- It won't fire if it's Unarmed.
- The Connected / Disconnected state is ignored.


Unlike other units, the Dark Beam starts 'Unarmed' (meaning it won't fire automatically when it has ammo packets).

[Marley]

Also, knowing that the dark beam will not hurt the liberation ship will affect the way you play some maps - like my map Uh-oh.

http://knucklecracker.com/creeperworld2/viewmaps.php?embedded=false&gameVer=&mapid=1061

Yow, I'd never played that one.  Excellent way to learn how the dark beam works.  Also a good lesson on beacons.

[Cavemaniac]

Also, knowing that the dark beam will not hurt the liberation ship will affect the way you play some maps - like my map Uh-oh.

http://knucklecracker.com/creeperworld2/viewmaps.php?embedded=false&gameVer=&mapid=1061

Yow, I'd never played that one.  Excellent way to learn how the dark beam works.  Also a good lesson on beacons.

And, ahem, would you believe that I made that map without realizing that the ship could fly through the beam?

My times improved dramatically after mpete pointed that out!

[Marley]

And, ahem, would you believe that I made that map without realizing that the ship could fly through the beam?

Aha, so what you're saying is that you deliberately made a map that was a serious pain in the gluteus maximus, and then later you discovered it wasn't quite so frustrating.   ;)

[Cavemaniac]

And, ahem, would you believe that I made that map without realizing that the ship could fly through the beam?

Aha, so what you're saying is that you deliberately made a map that was a serious pain in the gluteus maximus, and then later you discovered it wasn't quite so frustrating.   ;)

Actually, yes!

Although to put it in a way that doesn't make me sound like such a plonker, players discovered a way to play my map in a way that I didn't expect - and in this case it didn't ruin the map, but it certainly sped up the end-game.

I love unexpected consequences!