Custom Map #3908: map 154 BERTHA FORTRESS. By: yum234

[AutoPost]

This topic is for discussion of map #3908: map 154 BERTHA FORTRESS


Author: yum234
Size: 140x140

Desc:
#PlayAsCreeper #GoodLuck

[Grimeripe]

If I get this right:

There are four independent charged relays supporting the energy.

All three emitters are covered by a charged mortar, a charged pulse cannon and a charged sprayer. (or at least two out of the three)

Either way, not matter what you do, your emitter will be capped.

The three spore towers may destroy a single relay that is rebuilt within seconds and long before the weapons run out of energy.

There is no way to maintain any creper on the surface at all, and no way to rebuild a tower to change your lineup.

I guess there is one single weak spot available during the first two seconds?

[bgzzz]

If I get this right:

There are four independent charged relays supporting the energy.

All three emitters are covered by a charged mortar, a charged pulse cannon and a charged sprayer. (or at least two out of the three)

Either way, not matter what you do, your emitter will be capped.

The three spore towers may destroy a single relay that is rebuilt within seconds and long before the weapons run out of energy.

There is no way to maintain any creper on the surface at all, and no way to rebuild a tower to change your lineup.

I guess there is one single weak spot available during the first two seconds?

I was able to start using this technique:

Spoiler

Use the three spore to target the three relay that supply the PZ canon.
When this canon is down, digital may eventually grow and become blue. When the three spores are connected with blue digitalis, replace them with emitter. Now you can force through other PZ with a single supported emitter.

[close]

It wasn't obvious though. I had to try several ways to progress through the map.

[Durkon]

Thanks for another great map.

I used the same method, but kept the spores a bit longer to disable other relays.
I had a few problems to progress after reaching the south-west bertha diagonal. Bruteforcing through it seems very suboptimal, but after that it got easier. Maybe I will try this map againg to find a samrter way to progress.

[GoodMorning]

Much the same here, though Relays aren't usually that easy to cut en masse.

Spoiler

The SW corner took a while, but I never dropped the initial Spores, to I took the Shields down with them. I also converted a nearby Emitter to take out the connection to the wider grid, with limited success. Dumping it all on the CN worked after a time.

Once I took that, the limiting factor was how closely I could be bothered to manage it. Pressed right, up, inward, then threw Spores everywhere.

[close]

The simplest solution is often the best, though. And the most fun.

[yum-forum]

Thanks for another great map.

I used the same method, but kept the spores a bit longer to disable other relays.
I had a few problems to progress after reaching the south-west bertha diagonal. Bruteforcing through it seems very suboptimal, but after that it got easier. Maybe I will try this map againg to find a samrter way to progress.

Thank You for good comments! For me as map creator it is very important!
You are welcome!  :)

[chwooly]

i dislike this map and to be honest all of the pac maps you have done, I find them to be too much of a grind, After you get your initial foot hold the spores become useless until the end game, you can get going for a few mins then you hit a brick wall that requires massive amounts of micromanagement, I have to use "n" just to place an emitter quite often and find that it becomes boring when that is required. the relays that are put out in the void that you can't reach because the beams stop you from sending spores at them means that you never really can trust that you have a solid foot hold on anything.  I play them just to get them off my screen but overall I wish you would go back to what I really enjoyed and that was your regular maps. Either that or try making smaller and/or less grindy pac maps.

If these are supposed to be 'expert maps' then label them as such and I will ignore them as I do the Berman maps.


Cheers.

[yum-forum]

i dislike this map and to be honest all of the pac maps you have done, I find them to be too much of a grind, After you get your initial foot hold the spores become useless until the end game, you can get going for a few mins then you hit a brick wall that requires massive amounts of micromanagement, I have to use "n" just to place an emitter quite often and find that it becomes boring when that is required. the relays that are put out in the void that you can't reach because the beams stop you from sending spores at them means that you never really can trust that you have a solid foot hold on anything.  I play them just to get them off my screen but overall I wish you would go back to what I really enjoyed and that was your regular maps. Either that or try making smaller and/or less grindy pac maps.

If these are supposed to be 'expert maps' then label them as such and I will ignore them as I do the Berman maps.


Cheers.

Cheers.

P.S. I never used "n" and don't know what it means.

[chwooly]

i dislike this map and to be honest all of the pac maps you have done, I find them to be too much of a grind, After you get your initial foot hold the spores become useless until the end game, you can get going for a few mins then you hit a brick wall that requires massive amounts of micromanagement, I have to use "n" just to place an emitter quite often and find that it becomes boring when that is required. the relays that are put out in the void that you can't reach because the beams stop you from sending spores at them means that you never really can trust that you have a solid foot hold on anything.  I play them just to get them off my screen but overall I wish you would go back to what I really enjoyed and that was your regular maps. Either that or try making smaller and/or less grindy pac maps.

If these are supposed to be 'expert maps' then label them as such and I will ignore them as I do the Berman maps.


Cheers.

Cheers.

P.S. I never used "n" and don't know what it means.

I am glad to see you didn't take this as an attack. It was not meant to be one.
I do really enjoy your none pac maps and hope you go back to making those.

"n" is used to go frame by frame when the game is paused.

cheers

[Loren Pechtel]

Much the same here, though Relays aren't usually that easy to cut en masse.

Spoiler

The SW corner took a while, but I never dropped the initial Spores, to I took the Shields down with them. I also converted a nearby Emitter to take out the connection to the wider grid, with limited success. Dumping it all on the CN worked after a time.

Once I took that, the limiting factor was how closely I could be bothered to manage it. Pressed right, up, inward, then threw Spores everywhere.

[close]

The simplest solution is often the best, though. And the most fun.

Yeah, once the initial relays are cut you don't need to convert the spores.  Soon you'll have enough power to push across the void anyway.

[PhailRaptor]

To be honest, this was the first PAC I felt that Spores were actually a viable tool, once I figured out how.

Spoiler

You end up getting stuck at the top Strafer paths, and at the bottom right outside the lower left Command Node.  While the PZ Beams around the Berthas make it impossible for you to go to the right, there are enough PZs for you to create a cloud of Spores traveling down the extreme edge of the map to overwhelm the regular Beams defending the Command Node.  Micro the launch time of the Spores so they all reach the target area at the same time, spread Digitalis across the space-gap right below the Runner Nest itself below the PZ.  Use the new attack path to decimate most of the Beams, allowing your next Spore volley to land on the PZ Mortars and PZ Blasters around the back of the Command Node.

This gives you a huge boost in Creeper flow rate, as well as a new angle to use Spores across the bottom out of range of the PZ Beams to continue your assault.

[close]

[D0m0nik]

If you need to use even the pause button then you just have not figured out the technique. I have never played a PAC that requires the pause let alone the n button and that is what I like about them, I find they flow very well. Harder maps can at times be frustrating when the way through does not seem obvious though.

[mzimmer74]

i dislike this map and to be honest all of the pac maps you have done, I find them to be too much of a grind, After you get your initial foot hold the spores become useless until the end game, you can get going for a few mins then you hit a brick wall that requires massive amounts of micromanagement, I have to use "n" just to place an emitter quite often and find that it becomes boring when that is required. the relays that are put out in the void that you can't reach because the beams stop you from sending spores at them means that you never really can trust that you have a solid foot hold on anything.  I play them just to get them off my screen but overall I wish you would go back to what I really enjoyed and that was your regular maps. Either that or try making smaller and/or less grindy pac maps.

If these are supposed to be 'expert maps' then label them as such and I will ignore them as I do the Berman maps.


Cheers.

I personally never use the "n" key on any maps, mainly because I'm not trying to maximize my score.  I just play for fun.  I do pause a bit more in PAC maps than regular maps, but not an excessive amount.  I'm not sure what techniques you are currently using but here is how I personally advance:

Spoiler

Once I decide what area to focus on I select the emitter I want to buff and hit "T" to make it supported by all other emitters. 

Occasionally I'll also hit "R" to make it fire in burst mode, but that's not all that frequent.

If I currently have any totems linked I'll hit "4" and direct the creeper where I want it to go.
Once the emitter is pumping out creeper, I get my digitalis tool ready by hitting "1" and then "R" multiple times until it is as big as it can be.

Then I place the white circle over the area I want to cover and hold down the left mouse button.  This continually tells the game to try to create digitalis so I don't have to keep clicking over and over again hoping I hit the button at the right time. (This was a hugely important trick that I wasn't using when I first started playing PAC maps).

As far as what areas to focus on, it depends on the mapmaker.  With Yum maps I typically use emitters and not spores until late game (yum likes beams on PZs :) ).  I also look for runner nests to connect.  Those are usually huge creeper producers.

[close]

Anyway, I'm a casual player and the above works pretty well for me.  It is true that some of the PAC maps are much harder than others and if you are getting frustrated by them I'd step back from them.  I personally find that if I'm getting angry at the game it has stopped being a game and become a chore.

[chwooly]

If you need to use even the pause button then you just have not figured out the technique. I have never played a PAC that requires the pause let alone the n button and that is what I like about them, I find they flow very well. Harder maps can at times be frustrating when the way through does not seem obvious though.

Most of the time I am playing in 4x time, unfortunately I have found that there are times where I can't place null's especially near bertha zones without pausing or using 'n'

[D0m0nik]

So your complaining that you have you have to use the N key but playing at 4x speed  ???

That makes sense!