Custom Map #1112: TAC Shaper Adaptation. By: UberWaffe

[superbrias]

I think the erns themselves had limited use in this level, especially with the heavy need for creeper to begin with and lack of suitable targets for a lone spore/skimmer/blob, not to mention how using the flood to setup makes it a little hard to push a creeper front in favor of the blober/skimmer/sporer/whathaveyou that can utilize the creeper at the source to attack (which for all but the cleanup (and blobs) the extra creeper technically isn't wasted because no matter the payload it wouldn't drop if it gets intercepted anyway)

I would play around with other uses for the erns or adjusting the power of the ern-ed structures (if part of the point of the shaper is it is an alternative to ern-eater to make up for the lack of erns, I would think it reasonable that the erns would be Powerful in comparison to the shaper stuff) something like maybe being able to ern a shaper structure to quadruple its creeper modifier (gets 4 times the progress per unit of creeper, 8 times? 16?) or maybe have any "free" ern power contribute to the efficiency of your shaping (for each unused ern power all shaper structures need 10% less creeper, that sorta thing)

This all as someone who won't touch the map making stuff and thus don't know how much of a nightmare it might be to code, but I can see great potential in this shaper system meshing very well with the "Autopilot" (smart* AI base to fight as creeper instead of a static preset field) what with the egg system plus being able to tone down the shaper units for high-pace use

I'm getting a bit giddy just thinking of the possibilities

[UberWaffe]

I think the erns themselves had limited use in this level, ...
...
I would play around with other uses for the erns or adjusting the power of the ern-ed structures (if part of the point of the shaper is it is an alternative to ern-eater to make up for the lack of erns, I would think it reasonable that the erns would be Powerful in comparison to the shaper stuff) something like maybe being able to ern a shaper structure to quadruple its creeper modifier (gets 4 times the progress per unit of creeper, 8 times? 16?) or maybe have any "free" ern power contribute to the efficiency of your shaping (for each unused ern power all shaper structures need 10% less creeper, that sorta thing)
....
I'm getting a bit giddy just thinking of the possibilities

Thanks for the feedback.
I had similar thoughts. Initially I wanted to keep the shaper completely separate from the normal PAC, and distinct in that it doesn't use ERNs, but that seems to have been a poor design choice.

An idea I am currently toying with (still busy working on it, haven't even gotten to testing yet), is an Shaper structure that called "Caretaker", as an effective alternative for Floods.
Instead of generating creep, it would suck up creep and then with a multiplier boost the maturity of nearby shaper units. Think of a stash that multiplies growth instead of creep.

Following your suggestion, I could make this ERN-able, to increase its multiplier as well as progress growth even when no creep is available.

[stebuu]

I was having some trouble with the upper left fortress spot so I just ended up slowly building up lots of the flood units and overwhelmed the fortress with creeper. Pro tip: build the flood units next to each other and use emitters to "feed" them quickly.

[stebuu]

And just to see what would happen, I replayed this building ONLY emitters and flood generators, and ONLY within the initial valley.

I beat the game in just about 61 minutes.

[CyberDyneSystems]

I really should have been paying attention to the new units. They are amazing! I will need to go back and try again now that I understand the mechanics.

Fantastic! Thank you!