Custom Map #2987: Island hopping. By: Menashem

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This topic is for discussion of map #2987: Island hopping


Author: Menashem
Size: 256x256

Desc:
Shattered system, island hop your way to victory. Various nodes to capture on the island, will make the trip easier, but take longer.

[GameGibu]

WOW.

I mean WOW.

Awesome job!

Spoiler

Gems:

• Some of the islands had great terrain for fun play :)
• Air exclusion towers were well-placed
• Large map
• Ample Power Zones
• Overall really nice.

Things you could fix:

• Maybe make less flat area
• some dialogue at the beginning for anything special
• Map textures could be made a little more exciting
• A *little* bit more development in the southwest and northeast corner islands
• maybe a heavily guarded but high-value set of resource packs on a special island in the big open area

[close]

These are just Ideas, meant to help you become an even better mapmaker, so don't take offense. :D

Again, great map! I gave it 10/10. ;D
-GameGibu

[Jerdog]

My favorite type of map as well.  Not hard but how can you minimize time?   Build build, fast fast.

Remember when you put an inhibitor on the map you are telling me not to do the whole map - just what I need to to get to the inhibitor.
So many islands I never got to (even though the aether was otherwise inviting.)

[D0m0nik]

Has to be said but Alter Old, wow, i mean really wow! I have just tried to emulate this score for an hour, even with two loaded berthas and 3 CNs I can't get there. Normally a 1.41 time would represent a 'hole' in the map, not this time, incredible play.

[Johnny Haywire]

Is Alter Old's time legit? Kinda hard to imagine that time without cheating. I almost had the map beat in 7 minutes (no cheats) but messed up and didn't feel like restarting. And to Jerdog's point, I completely agree... putting an inhibitor in the map tells me to not even bother with the other islands. This wasn't "Island-hopping" as much as "Just drop in on the inhibitor and say "   ... But I didn't feel like this was such a bad "backdoor" as other inhibitor maps. I would have rather been forced to do most - if not all - of the map, though.

Spoiler

Land all 3 CN's to the NE (upper right) of the inhibitor. Build 2 collectors for a little power, then 2 cannons and a nullifier. This will hold back the creep long enough to get 2 power zones. Oh, and you can also land the guppy now so grab some extra power real fast. And your Berthas are already powered up so you can hit twice with no power needed. You should be able to figure out the rest from here. You might need to cycle CN's landing & taking off...

[close]

I'm 98% sure an "all-natural" solution of under 7 minutes is quite feasible. I really appreciate all you map-makers and my only main request is that if you put an inhibitor on the map please drench it with so much creeper that we can't make a direct attack on it early-game. It kinda kills all the work you put into making the rest of the map. Thanks!

[D0m0nik]

I am certain Alters times are all genuine, no cheats, he shares videos of them on you tube if you ever ask him to. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCosAJbyvhTnUaescuswIp3g

you do start with two fully loaded berthas and a PZ and you can take out a few units to reveal PZs to the north east of the big inhibitor. It does seem pretty impossible though!

[Johnny Haywire]

Hmmm... it *might* be possible I suppose. I revised my previous post because it's really more of a question, not an accusation. I've tried a few different combos and couldn't quite figure it out. And using Cheat Engine (I tried it on this map - actually the revision of the map) gives about a 1 minute time so maybe that is a legit time indeed. It takes 47 seconds to land and activate a nullifier then 44 seconds for the second one.

Yeah, I would love to see a video of this map finished that fast... I'm stumped, lol.  :P

[D0m0nik]

I have been playing a game called 'work out what on earth Alter did' on a number of maps and, even as a fast player, I usually get nowhere. I once beat one of his times on a PH map and gloated about it, it was a sub 4 min time. Alter then replayed for a 3min and then a 2min 30 time thoroughly teaching me who's boss! It is the PH one on you tube.

I'm still playing with this one, have a look at the attached image. With correctly timed berthas and perhaps a mortar a sub 2 min time should be possible. I just don't have the skill to do it yet!

[D0m0nik]

Overkill on building units this time but remembered the guppy, once the air exclusion whatchmacallit is gone it can land.

Instead of extra units a cheeky terp could take the PZ up a level or two. The fight goes on!

[D0m0nik]

Sorry for post overkill but when I get obsessed I really go for it! Just posted a 2.32 on the new version, terpped the bottom PZ up to 4. Does not explain the 1.32 (the nullifiers would have to be built one straight after the other) but getting closer!

[Johnny Haywire]

Yeah, that's pretty much what I did my first time, although you've done a better job of it. I also built some reactors and was a bit further back but your solution is faster for sure. I was playing on 4x speed though and wasn't watching the CN's health and almost got overrun. Didn't feel like restarting but I did save the game at that point and managed to recover. I did some research on Alter Old and found out that he's an alien from a distant planet where everyone is simply amazing at CW3. He was just an average player on his planet but decided to move to Earth where his skill far exceeded any human.

I had thought about trying to compete with his time but after reading a few posts and seeing other maps and people's times he's beaten (especially on 2418 where every Planck Length of movement matters), I decided I'd have better luck working on my other project: I'm trying to graft various coins into an old oak tree in my backyard so that it will (hopefully) grow money. I think I'll have success with that before beating Alter Old's times without cheating.

[Johnny Haywire]

Hate that it won't let you post a longer time... I did 3:06.5 without Cheat Engine but when I went to post the time it just posted my faster time instead  >:(

[D0m0nik]

Hate that it won't let you post a longer time... I did 3:06.5 without Cheat Engine but when I went to post the time it just posted my faster time instead  >:(

Yeah that does look odd! Good luck with the money tree, try ground up Franklins for fertilizer?

[Johnny Haywire]

Yanno, why not? Once I get money to grow on my tree, I'll get back to working on my time machine and then once I finish THAT, I figure maybe I'll be able work on beating some of Alter Old's scores!