Custom Map #50: Racquet

Freakmeout85 · May 08, 2015, 03:07:07 AM

thank you for the riddle, although it doesn't really help with my dilemma.
as I said, I can't get a TERP up fast enough to be able to either build a wall or a trench for that matter, I had considered both options beforehand, but the paddle is already drowned in creeper by the time a TERP is up and the main platform has the limited area of being able to sustain only the CC.
here's some printscreens to show what I mean:
- land the CC, get a mortar up, wait for full energy stocked on the mortar, 25 energy on the CC
- move the mortar next to the emitter ( no other place to move it to anyway), start building a TERP, resupply the mortar twice to ensure it keeps firing up until it dies
- TERP is at 43/60 built when the mortar dies
- TERP is at 59/60 or built but with no energy when the SE side of the paddle is already covered by creeper
- as said at the beginning, cant wall anything on the main platform or create a trench at that point since once the creeper gets up on the main platform, the 1st thing it hits is the CC
- ? what to do

edit 1: just considered trenching the S + E platforms around the CC, seems that slows the creeper down a bit in that direction, no idea if it will help with the paddle to the SE aswell

Tyler21 · May 08, 2015, 03:37:42 AM

It's really difficult to give more hints without telling the exact solution.

Quote from: Freakmeout85 on May 08, 2015, 03:07:07 AM
edit 1: just considered trenching the S + E platforms around the CC, seems that slows the creeper down a bit in that direction, no idea if it will help with the paddle to the SE aswell

That's the right way to start! Deeper and wider trench = slower creeper. Try to make them as deep and as wide as possible. Obviously you can't finish them with your first terp. And creeper flooding the trenches is a problem too but you can solve it by digging treches in a clever way.

The paddle is irrelevant (at least I didn't do anything to it except for landing units on it).

Freakmeout85 · May 08, 2015, 03:57:08 AM

I wasn't considering being able to finish the trenches with the 1st TERP anyway, can pretty much say it's impossible.

deep trenches, sure, but wide? just, how....... can't TERP the zone where the CC is landed on and there's no other zones to trench to, since the rest is just space, only if I let the CC go back up in orbit, which would mean either resending it manually or having creeper on the main platform, which sounds bad either way ( no energy supply for the 1st case) AND even if I do, there's no constant energy supply afterwards, if I were to trench the main platform there'd be no place to land the CC -> no energy -> derp.

edit: have considered using a guppy at SOME point, can't do it at the start though since there's no place left to build stuff on.

Tyler21 · May 08, 2015, 04:03:00 AM

Quote from: Freakmeout85 on May 08, 2015, 03:57:08 AM
I wasn't considering being able to finish the trenches with the 1st TERP anyway, can pretty much say it's impossible.

deep trenches, sure, but wide? just, how....... can't TERP the zone where the CC is landed on and there's no other zones to trench to, since the rest is just space, only if I let the CC go back up in orbit, which would mean either resending it manually or having creeper on the main platform, which sounds bad either way ( no energy supply for the 1st case) AND even if I do, there's no constant energy supply afterwards, if I were to trench the main platform there'd be no place to land the CC -> no energy -> derp.

edit: have considered using a guppy at SOME point, can't do it at the start though since there's no place left to build stuff on.

By width I meant the number of cells in a trench. Obviously this can't be more than 4. But it can be less than 4...

Freakmeout85 · May 08, 2015, 05:37:21 AM

you meant length of the trench then :)

I don't see what shorter trench would achieve, even built as a staircase, but that's just me, since others have figured it out I guess there IS a viable solution...somewhere...out there, gonna keep trying then.

Hubs · July 27, 2015, 06:53:14 PM

I tried this months ago and couldn't do it. It's been bothering me ever since. Finally managed to beat it. Hands down the hardest puzzle map I've played. The tips here really helped.

applemachome · September 23, 2015, 07:15:29 PM

Took me a bit to figure it out - definitely helps to keep the steps in order and save every bit of the way to try different things.

GREAT challenge. Thank you.

The hints were definitely a great help.

cornucanis · December 24, 2017, 09:00:51 AM

I tried this map a long time ago and gave up on it and forgot about it for a while... Finally came back to it today and solved it thanks to the hints here. Really fun map to figure out, now I have to go try and figure out more of the 3P maps I gave up on :)

Martin Gronsdal · January 29, 2019, 04:46:51 PM

there are 90 votes for this map, yet only 39 names on the board? and the rating is very, very average?

Well, I gave my 10 points today, after beating this excellent map.

I don't think one should downvote a map, simply for failing to beat it.

Johnny Haywire · January 09, 2020, 01:24:55 AM

Thanks for the hints, guys.

The only thing I terped was the "paddle" as suggested above. And then one of the other hints turned on a light bulb for me.

As Tyler said, the hints are enough. Especially the one about

Spoiler

returning the guppy.

[close]

I actually didn't realize how that worked. Always glad to learn something ;D