Custom Map #3636: Thats Too Easy 2. By: Sorrontis

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This topic is for discussion of map #3636: Thats Too Easy 2


Author: Sorrontis
Size: 128x84

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Yep, it's that easy too. #Sorrontis #CRPL #SpecialEmittersGalore #HelpInGame #SeeForumForHints

[Sorrontis]

So, I promised that I would remake this darn map. Last time, it wasn't fair; the puzzle was near impossible to figure without more hints. So, here is the masterpiece. I've had to code like I've never coded. It's great. I think.

So, some hints:

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Don't build a centralized base, spread out - as per all my maps.

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Destroy the spore towers asap. Definitely before tackling the real work.

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AC!!! EVERYWHERE!!!

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Ok, so you have a good base, you've removed all the towers and the flood gate is surrounded. It's counter should be somewhere between 10 and 20. If you're higher than 20, that might be a problem.

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You can now destroy the lower left emitter with snipers. It'll make a cross. of emitters, and the counter on the floodgate will drop by 1.

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Notice that every emitter after that you destroy spawns 2 more, and can spawn a cross emitter (hidden to be like the others) and a ramping spore. The more you need to destroy, the more you'll spawn.

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So, you've destroyed the flood gate, 3 special emitters (a cannon, a spore tower, a vortex) spawn, as well as three cross emitters. Which one do you take on first? Well, that's up to you.

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I'd advise that you prepare for lots of spores from the spore tower. I named it firecracker for a reason. It goes out with a bang... by itself.

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The vortex isn't too bad, but it can be a pain. It flies around once damaged. You'll figure it out when you deal with it.

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The Cannon is the pièce-de-résistance. Its tough, very tough, and makes a mess. Just be happy it fires rarely.

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[kalek]

I ve tried this 3 times today (instead of trying to make some money for living !)... Oh boy ! this is insane  ;D
I've been slaughtered the third time too ... (but I am not a good player). You deserve a 20exp20 for this one, but i didn't find the 20exp20 button to rate it... (and  the one raters from outer space have already striked...)

I have also discovered that English use this nice expression  "pièce-de-résistance" ... It should be ancient french (as 60% of english) or it comes from Canada ? or Lousiana ? we don't use this here (anymore ?). We still have "plat de résistance " :  meaning main dish  in a dinner...

Thanks for this cool map and the "pièce-de-résistance" for my linguistic studies.

be seeing you

[Sorrontis]

I'm not sure where "Piece de resistance" comes from. Quebecois like me don't actually use it either. I've only ever heard English use it.

[kalek]

So your maps : ça fesse dans l'dash !   ;)

[Sorrontis]

Well, the next one will be just as nice :D

[GoodMorning]

The phrase is from French, and is not used often (here, at least).

I am fairly sure that the floodgate counter is not meant to reach -37 at any point. However, there's a reason I'm bringing it up.

(Why Skars can't supercharge the ship as he did the Nexus is another point... ...as is why the Loki can build cheap Emitters, but AC ones are not buildable...)

[Sorrontis]

...I am fairly sure that the floodgate counter is not meant to reach -37 at any point. However, there's a reason I'm bringing it up...

Wait, how did that happen? I tested it with multiple events... I have a feeling I know where the code went wrong. I may have used "eq0" rather than "lte 0 if" . I will fix it for the next time I use something like that.


EDIT: It's confirmed, I made that mistake. What was the result? It started spawning AC instead of C every minute? Did the timer still end up growing back to zero? You must of somehow killed two emitters in the exact same frame. Congrats on doing that.

[GoodMorning]

I did it by accident:

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Having been forewarned by the first attempt, I armed up with Sniper batteries.
Then, when the cross came up, (spawning in the same frame), their equal refire times (not reload, they started off fully stocked, so packet delays didn't make it asynchronous) meant that the spawn were killed at the same time.

I didn't notice the AC out of the floodgate, I was more concerned with the Creeper floods (figuring that the floodgate pulse was constant). The fact that I triggered another cross over the new base while trying to fight off Runners that were stunning the weapons didn't help. At that point, I abandoned the run, and put the post up here.

One question: how many hits does one minion take? That way I can calibrate armaments based on the floodgate counter, to avoid this, while still keeping the sniping time to a minimum... Or I could run frame-by-frame ( :( ).

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I have used the words "curse the name Sorrontis" before, but you didn't mean this one.

Thought:

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Perhaps borrow a bit more from the myth of the Hydra, and allow the locations of the severed heads to be cauterised by fire (In this case, a tactical high-energy laser)? Note: Because it's you, the "stump" would gush blood in the interim, and cauterising would throw gobbets all over the place. Oh, and the beast would be able to concentrate more, progressively spit venom, and wake other horrors as it tried to survive.

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[Sorrontis]

....One question: how many hits does one minion take? That way I can calibrate armaments based on the floodgate counter, to avoid this, while still keeping the sniping time to a minimum...

If I remember correctly, the minions are 60 and the cross spawners are 100.

[Sorrontis]

Warning warning warning, the cannon destroys PZs... I didn't realize that the damage crpl would destroy  them.

[Sorrontis]

I've reproduced the error. And it'll slowly go back to 0 and then die. So it's not a map ending failure, but still an annoying bug

[GoodMorning]

Sorry, having given this a half-dozen attempts, the fact that even if I prepare everything, my Sniper cloud can't stop the flood gate removes the fun.

At this point I would like to request a step-by-step. So far, I have taken 10-15min, and can get almost anything done with the map, terrain and all, but for upgrades. However, I'm stumped about how to beat the combination of Creeper flood, firecracker, and then the OP Runners. (I think that if I can contain that, your "piece of resistance" (to take a common pun) will be manageable.)

So far, I have individually managed to contain Runners, Creeper, and power production.
Power: So many Reactors and Guppies that some survive the spore storm.
Runners: Digi-targeting PCs and Sprayers around the vortex.
Creeper: Snipers on almost every flat surface (plus Terping). (Works in about one fifth of attempts, others the flood gate goes negative, and the Snipers need a quick deletion/disarmament, and the Crosses take out anything useful...)

[Sorrontis]

Of course!

• First, destroy the spore towers. That's easy.
• Spread your base everywhere, control all aspects of the map. Don't worry about losing what's on digitalis, you need it for the start. Start filling with AC. Be sure to have lots of standby Beams
• Terp two lines (3 wide) from the single emitter to the top edge of the map, and the left edge.
• Surround that line with cannons and on the far left of the map, place a bunch of snipers
• Destroy the emitter with a single sniper
• Upgrade unit move speed
• Destroy as many emitters at the left end of the map to destroy the floodgate

• Remember that line of terped land? Now destroy all those emitters and built more energy so that you completely control the right side of the map.
• If you have enough AC, don't worry too much about the first firecracker wave, it's pretty much harmless, the pattern is set and avoidable.
• The second wave, you won't be able to beam it all, so when it fires, try to determine the targets and send some cannons there to reduce the creeper impact.
• While your thor builds, attack the lower left corner, destroy all those emitters. You'll need to take control of that end so you can retake the top left island for AC
• Upgrade packet speed to 20 if possible. Move your CN as close to the EvilCannon as possible without it getting itself stunned. Place your thor above the CN. And continually assault the EvilCannon. I would advise to start the assault once your thor is fully loaded. Don't let the thor use it's regular weapons, let you Beams and Cannons do that.
• Make sure you have a good spread of snipers on your map. Now start moving towards vortex. Do not touch the vortex with snipers until the cannon is destroyed.
• Enough snipers will keep the runners at bay. They don't have large loads, so combines with mortars/sprayers, you'll be fine

And that's how I did it. The vortex is a breeze, just put snipers all over the map and it'll eventually die after causing a buttload of damage.
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[GoodMorning]

Thanks. It sounds like everything I was doing was right, except putting my base around the Gate, and not having enough Beams. Once a Forge is lost, you do not have a good time.

I would recommend editing in future so that crosses don't spawn after the gate is destroyed, on the grounds that it makes it much harder to figure out that the Emitters stop spawning at that point. Instead, one kills the gate, then triggers a cross, and thinks that there must be some other method.

Note: Why is it that the Thor can't kill normal Emitters with the main cannons?