Weekly 5-Map Tournament - Gravity - closing 25 Nov 2012

deety42 · November 26, 2012, 05:24:58 PM

Gee, looks like I chose a bad week to be out of town. Seems like a great competition. Looking forward to the next one...

Helper · November 26, 2012, 06:07:40 PM

It was a barn burner all the way.

Can't wait to see what Wheatmidge comes up with (but wish he would hurry).
:)

Wheatmidge · November 26, 2012, 07:22:59 PM

Sorry was at work all day. I'll post the new challenge right away. Sorry for the delay.

deety42 · November 26, 2012, 07:28:08 PM

Thanks! The withdrawal pains are coming closer together :)

Wheatmidge · November 26, 2012, 07:33:33 PM

And I don't have my save files for No gravity so I can't post more pictures. I did take one picture from up gravity though.

In general drone evasion allows you to save energy by not having to build blasters or spend energy shooting the drones, but it's very labour intensive to keep up for a long period of time.

rob3k · November 26, 2012, 07:40:13 PM

Interesting. Fascinating to see the various levels this game is played on.

I gave No Gravity another try, but looking at Helper's screen again I had my blasters too far to the left when the ground crumbled and I was toast. I also am likely too laid back with my build up. I do a bit of pausing, but then some seconds will run by and I'll realize I was watching a blaster or something and I could have built a reactor.

SmileyCoder · November 27, 2012, 05:07:33 AM

I agree. Its impressive that what is essentially a simple game, has a very large degree of replay-ability and variety.

Personally I don't like doing the drone evasion thing, unless the map absolutely requires it (can't be done without) although it can be a very energy-saving technique, especially if the drones have high health. For maps with low health (normal) drones shields can be quite effective if the path of the drones can be somewhat controlled. Maybe I will find the time to do a video of the map showing how I played it.

ctuna · November 27, 2012, 02:52:03 PM

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 27, 2012, 05:07:33 AM
Maybe I will find the time to do a video of the map showing how I played it.

Many of us would benefit from that, SC. You've helped me quite a bit with some previous videos.

SmileyCoder · November 28, 2012, 07:10:20 AM

As promised, a video of how to use shields against drones in No Gravity 16:

Helper · November 28, 2012, 07:49:21 AM

*sits here shaking his head*

That whole activating/deactivating Mirrors trick is some good stuff!
I was able to get the DB running at the same time (2:09) but slogged through the rest of the game building one Mirror at a time.

Great play!

rob3k · November 28, 2012, 08:54:18 AM

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 28, 2012, 07:10:20 AM
As promised, a video of how to use shields against drones in No Gravity 16:

Wow! Even after watching I'm not sure I can reproduce that build up and advanced DB juggling. Also great to see a clean strategy for building reactors when all 4 build directions are allowed. I sometimes flounder around with weird digs, but I think doing double rows looks like it keeps things simple, minimizes wasted digs, and allows for a good density of reactors.

Why did you push the LS into the underground as you cleared creeper away? I would think the DB would be the most packet intensive unit so staying proximal to it would be ideal. This is certainly no criticism of your play, just curious on the thought process.

SmileyCoder · November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM

@Rob3K there are no stupid questions. If we don't ask questions (or react to constructive criticism) we can never move forward. Asking questions shows interest.

The reason for taking the LS into the hole was to reach the bottom left, which couldn't be reached by just using beacons. I needed to get to the bottom left ore deposit for the points. When I first did that map I believe I ended up finished the map just before getting the ore, thus loosing out on 100 points.

There is a layout that allows you to pack reactors even closer, but it takes alot of time to implement. Keeping it to double width rows keeps it simple. An important focus is to not dig when it doesn't give you space for a reactor.

rob3k · November 28, 2012, 10:03:10 AM

Quote from: SmileyCoder on November 28, 2012, 09:00:57 AM
@Rob3K there are no stupid questions. If we don't ask questions (or react to constructive criticism) we can never move forward. Asking questions shows interest.

The reason for taking the LS into the hole was to reach the bottom left, which couldn't be reached by just using beacons. I needed to get to the bottom left ore deposit for the points. When I first did that map I believe I ended up finished the map just before getting the ore, thus loosing out on 100 points.

There is a layout that allows you to pack reactors even closer, but it takes alot of time to implement. Keeping it to double width rows keeps it simple. An important focus is to not dig when it doesn't give you space for a reactor.

Ah!

Yeah, I penciled out a crude grid on a slip of paper and worked out what (I think) would be the ideal dig for reactor placement with all 4 directions allowed, but it gets tricky when you are on an actual map with some infinite grids and higher value grids to also factor into the equation.

Helper · November 28, 2012, 11:34:15 AM

Concur with what SC said. There are always members around who are glad to share their techniques.

Regardless of your level, there are some you can help learn and some from whom you can learn. Getting the higher level players to post screen shots/videos is always great.

Quote from: rob3k on November 26, 2012, 07:40:13 PM
..., but then some seconds will run by and I'll realize I was watching a blaster or something and I could have built a reactor.

I can't begin to count the number of times I've done the same thing. Sit there watching Drones get chewed up and not realize I'm not building/deploying pieces :-[

lurkily · November 28, 2012, 12:26:36 PM

Quote from: Helper on November 28, 2012, 11:34:15 AMI can't begin to count the number of times I've done the same thing. Sit there watching Drones get chewed up and not realize I'm not building/deploying pieces :-[

Don't be disheartened - all it means is you picked the right game to play. So engrossing you can forget why you started. :)