Custom Map #2075: Viscous Games

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This topic is for discussion of map #2075: Viscous Games


Author: WiseSage

Desc:
Help Aliana Abraxis to investigate how Loki corrupt "training" creeper and destroy entire planets. Wars in microcosm. Unusual physics.

[DRider]

Had to do LOTS of running around in circles before I had enough blasters/energy to kill that #@#%#$ drone and fend off the creeper he dumped.  Probably waited too long, but I tend to be a chronic over-builder.  After that it was easy sailing.  Interesting map.  Enjoyed it!

8)

[J]

I don't kill the drone until everything else was killed. Filled 3 colums with shields and let the drone run through it. After that I realised the room with the digging gateway was actually a lot harder. After I build reactor farms with blasters the game was a lot easier, that was at about 20:00

[yum-forum]

Fantastically cool game! Got a lot of pleasure!

[Angel]

Still haven't beaten it. I realize how to, it's just...my LB  kept running into the drone and i finally gave up yesterday. Try again today!  ;D :D 8)

[WiseSage]

I don't kill the drone until everything else was killed. Filled 3 colums with shields and let the drone run through it. After that I realised the room with the digging gateway was actually a lot harder. After I build reactor farms with blasters the game was a lot easier, that was at about 20:00

I did almost the same while testing my map - but why blasters? They are needed to finish off some shallow creeper in the start, but the thick one is better destroyed by launchers, as usual.

The main problem that drone has 1/9 probability to target Liberation ship instead of mirror. This may increase time abit, but become clear in the first minute. If a player wants highest score, xe may just reload :)

[J]

To kill the drone+creeper, I used a mix of blasters and launchers, I built blasters everywhere to kill the creeper coming out of the spores. If the drone targets the LS, you know that it won't target anything else anymore!

[WiseSage]

Well, I tell what battle plan I developed myself.

Spoiler

Dark mirrors are the fastest units in the game - that's why they were chosen as a "fetch" for that slow and dangerous drone.

Group mirrors and Liberation ship on the left side of the map. Get crystals. Start to dig to the reactor tech and to the drone. First phantom wave will be unleashed in the shortened period of 30 seconds.

As phantoms fly, move all units to the right. Phantoms go to their previous locations, expel the creeper, but... unusial physics go into play: liquid forms pools in space instead of free flooding. Not a drop will reach even a half of free space.

Free the drone from its cage, if you haven't done it yet. The drone chooses one unit randomly and start to hunt it. Disperse units to check which unit is chosen, then move "the lure" from top to bottom, and back, when the hunter changes direction to it. That's right: you don't need even to wait when it's close, because it goes to the last position of unit that was spotted, not the real position... For the sake of all Gods - don't run into the drone with your Liberation ship. Also don't fire at the drone. It will retaliate with awesome amounts of creeper.

Next wave of phantoms will be in some minutes. This time is not enough to get phantom coil. You need to build some reactors, get blasters, make 4-6 of them, and... prepare to rebuild your base from ashes. Also, it's strongly recommended to get the shield tech. Also, you should destroy or cope two "surface" emitters, otherwise their creeper will creep to your building site.

Restore your reactors, free the way to the both diggable walls. It's useful to move Liberation ship above the drone gate to shorten the packets path. Now open the creeper pool, stopping the flooding with a preliminary-built shield. Enemy packets will start blasting the walls. Now get blueprints of phantom coil and block that hellish gate with 3-4 of them. Beware - if your shield is too close to the gate, some phantoms may reach it. So you better enforce shield with spare ones.

Build many reactors - for there's no phantom threat anymore. But don't become addictive - the creeper will gnaw your sheilds one by one. Build 5-8 launchers. While they blast creeper away, you may destroy drone gate - it has health 10, so you need lots of energy. Also, don't forget about emitters in free space - it takes long time for them to fight surface tension, but they slowly succeed, eating more and more space off your "hunting field".

If you have free energy... did you see that "dome" tech? You got the idea. Also, check the map for all pixel-size droplets of creeper. If you miss even one - the mission won't stop.

After creeper is gone, destroy the phantom gate. And then, at last, you can fire off the dro... oh, no, don't do it! Be clever - lure it to the closed space (you may create it with shields or use some natural walls), block the exit with shields and have your last fun. There will be not so much creeper than in the pool, so it will take less time.

PROFIT, Aliana! May go on with your science.

[close]

[WiseSage]

Oh. My. God.

It's ENOUGH time to get phantom coil. If you get shields first and don't bother blasters.