Custom Map #10415: Ore map, no tricks - harder - 4. By: Martin Gronsdal

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This topic is for discussion of map #10415: Ore map, no tricks - harder - 4


Author: Martin Gronsdal
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[SanchesS80]

I clreared the islands, but the one with tech, but don't understand how to win

[Martin Gronsdal]

Thank you for playing!

Use all your arsenal!

[rennervate]

define: no tricks

[Martin Gronsdal]

that there are no tricks in the map. Just a traditional and hard fight.


EDIT: there is one trick in the map, but it's so obvious, that it's not really a trick. That is, of course, the core unit that beams want to attack that makes you wish Noah's Ark was available. Other than that, no tricks.

[toolforger]

Tiny mistake, a single spore gets through, and you have to restart... the other map was already near the border, but this has taken out the fun for me.

[Weasee]

There are definitely tricks on this map!!!!

Maybe you don't need to use them... but

Spoiler

hidden forge and massive aether siphons sure do make the start easier!

[close]

[toolforger]

What. The. Fu*k.
Hidden f****.
No. Just no.
I'm done with this.

I gave a 9 on the last map, but this one is a solid 1.

[Martin Gronsdal]

there's no other hidden unit in this map than in the other one you commented on 2 hours ago

[Weasee]

there's no other hidden unit in this map than in the other one you commented on 2 hours ago

Not true.
At the start of the level, you can select the "Forge" button in the control panel - and that shows there is an already-built forge somewhere on the map, but not visible.
Press the Destroy button to delete it, and rebuild it on the lower 5x5 pad.
(If you don't destroy it, you can't build another forge. And that existing forge on the map is not powered, so you can't use any of the aether siphons...)
Then you see a ton of aether magically arrive from below, presumably from a bunch of hidden siphons.

[Weasee]

Don't get me wrong - I like these challenging levels - but when you say
"no tricks" - people will expect "no tricks"!

[Martin Gronsdal]

I stand corrected on this one - I was thinking of a different map, actually.

[toolforger]

There's barely enough time to build a flimsy defense on comb island (fork island would just take too long to clear enough creeper to land anything, and you need comb island anyway to power beams there).

I'm not sure but I am sceptical that the defenses on comb island will work.
The range is woefully inadequate initially, so you have to build everything at the bottom and hope no spore is targetted on that flimsy, flimsy relay chain going down from the CN.

You won't have any wiggle room there:

• Whenever there's a relay ready to be built, the CN needs to have that one energy stored; if the CN is out of energy at that point, the relay chain will be slower to build and the beams on comb island will be too late.
• You need to build multiple reactors to keep your beams powered. You have to be ultra-careful not to deplete CN energy while doing so, otherwise the relay change will be delayed and it's game over.
• You'll also need ore mires and sprayers. To keep the creeper on comb island in check while you scramble to defend against the spore barrage, which will ramp up quickly and require that you build reactors.
• Beam range is woefully inadequate initially; if any tower targets the top relay, the spore will stay just outside range unless it's one of the two bottom towers. (Spores fly in an arc.) You can try rebuilding the forge or killing and clearing the creeper; guess wrong -> game over.

The prebuilt forge is indeed visible. You have to zoom out to see it.
The initial inrush of mana is likely from the three totem locations; I guess the totems are precharged (there's absolutely no way to recharge them, so be careful what you use the mana for).

[toolforger]

Aaand... no approach to getting at the collector.
Except if I destroy the forge to make space for the other unit.
I can't regain the technology though, and don't know if I can survive that.
Argh. Frustrating.

UPDATE: Yeah it was an instakill.

UPDATE 2: Nah, a single one won't cut it. Emitters at 450 per 0.03 just don't allow draining the swamp, you never get below 300 at the normal fire rate, and there's no PZ. Bombers don't help either.
I did notice I can land a CN there, but I still have to build a collector or relay to get the tech, and that won't work if it's swamped in 300+ creeper.
I do know a trick that uses singularity, and the singularity weapon IS present with the "Fire!" button and all, but it keeps pretending it does not have enough energy. Not even with 1000 energy.

I'm running out of ideas, except flooding it with AC (which should work unless this map has a secret emitter somewhere, but it's sloooow).

Well, tried AC bombing with

Spoiler

8 sprayers filled with 50 AC each

[close]

.
This sort-of worked, I got it down to 300 creep in a 3x3 area. I'd need 9x450=1350 AC to

Spoiler

insta-build the relay

[close]

, accurately deliverd to that 3x3 area I need, so that would be 41 units filled

Spoiler

to 100 AC via collector field

[close]

and coordinated to fly at an intersecting pattern, all of them arriving at the same time, so I can

Spoiler

detonate

[close]

them at the 3x3 area. If I want to allow for inaccuracies, I'll need somewhere between 50% and 100% more.
Oh, and

Spoiler

not having a terp so there's no place where I can let some sprayer flood the island for collector field

[close]

means I have to

Spoiler

create as many sprayers as I want to let fly, let them fill, and detonate them

[close]

, then create them again.
And all this for a plan that may not work the first time.

Oh, and not having a terp makes it essentially impossible (or at least ridiculously awkward) to set up a protective AC layer on the islands.

I'll really go the dumb route, let the game run with AC flooding for a few hours, then nullify and be done with it.
(Yeah. Almost five hours game time. Which seems to be median. No idea how those with a 1-hour score did it.)

[Martin Gronsdal]

Most of what you've written is correct and a good idea.

However,

Spoiler

there's a place you can build more berthas....

[close]

and pound the 450 deep creeper....