Am I the slowest player of this game?

[Liambp]

Love this game but I have to admit that the levels take me a looong time to complete. I can easily spend more than a hour getting through a level. I stumbled across this comment http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=18.0  from Virgilw suggesting that most players take only 5-20 minutes per level. I feel inadequate.

I tend to play a turtling strategy: String out some initial collectors to gather energy. Then identify a few choke points where I can establish a defensive perimeter. Once my defences are stable I then I hide behind them while I maximise my energy intake and add stuff like storage and speedys.  Eventually when I have enough energy I push my line forward and take back the emitters one by one. This is an effective but slow strategy but if I try to play more agressively I invariably run out of energy or get over-run before I reach the goal.

[Kamineko]

I stumbled across this comment http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=18.0  from Virgilw suggesting that most players take only 5-20 minutes per level. I feel inadequate.

I spent a couple of hours on a level last night, and the game clock only showed about 30 mins - so I think Virgil was referring to game-time, which is quite a bit slower than real time! So chances are you're not the slowest!

[Kamron3]

Love this game but I have to admit that the levels take me a looong time to complete. I can easily spend more than a hour getting through a level. I stumbled across this comment http://knucklecracker.com/forums/index.php?topic=18.0  from Virgilw suggesting that most players take only 5-20 minutes per level. I feel inadequate.

I tend to play a turtling strategy: String out some initial collectors to gather energy. Then identify a few choke points where I can establish a defensive perimeter. Once my defences are stable I then I hide behind them while I maximise my energy intake and add stuff like storage and speedys.  Eventually when I have enough energy I push my line forward and take back the emitters one by one. This is an effective but slow strategy but if I try to play more agressively I invariably run out of energy or get over-run before I reach the goal.

I did the same thing; unless the map is kind of redundant... meaning that it doesn't provide any kind of challenge, then I speed thru the levels.

I've noticed on the HS that there are a lot of seemingly IMPOSSIBLE scores...

_k

[UpperKEES]

When I played CW the first time, some maps took me about 45-50 minutes to complete. When I play them now, I finish them in 10-15 minutes.

From what I read about your strategy: this seems fine. You probably still play too aggressive, how strange that may sound. I fight the creeper as late as possible, first gaining as much energy as possible (read: needed). Then I go straight for the totems and don't spend time building more collectors on new land than I need to advance. I only cap emitters that will cause me a lot of trouble. Of course try to avoid having a deficit, especially when building collectors and/or reactors. Better build them one by one until you have the energy to build more of them simultaneously.

My second tip is: pause a lot! Virgil indeed refers to the game time, but when you use a rather new computer this will be almost equal to the play time when you don't pause. Pausing will enable you to move around stuff easily and fight at various fronts at the same time.

At last: enjoy the game! Don't worry about the time it takes you, as long as you have fun. The more you play, the more experience you will gain, resulting in faster times and higher scores.

@ Kamron: which scores do you mean?

[The smoking revolver]

He Means the scores that are like 9980 on maps like loki

[UpperKEES]

I understand what an unbelievable score is, but I don't see one. Do you? (The high score for Loki is 8745, which is only 42 points more than I managed myself and this score was done by a guy who tried 16 times).

[Blaze]

I tend to play a turtling strategy: String out some initial collectors to gather energy. Then identify a few choke points where I can establish a defensive perimeter. Once my defences are stable I then I hide behind them while I maximise my energy intake and add stuff like storage and speedys.  Eventually when I have enough energy I push my line forward and take back the emitters one by one. This is an effective but slow strategy but if I try to play more agressively I invariably run out of energy or get over-run before I reach the goal.

I do the same thing.

Don't worry, just have fun.

[aj00200]

I prefer to just enjoy the game, well, the training sim until I know if it runs in WINE on Ubuntu.
I will drag out the game because I am enjoying it so much.

[Mare]

If you are going for a score then yes that is pretty slow, however most people i know like spiffen and kamron like to spend as much time as they want, it does not matter how long it takes, just have fun with it. I am an expert player, but i don't like being a showoff so I don't try to get high scores, I just like to have fun with the maps. For example, i sometimes wait for the creeper to build up to a certain elevation then just attack it, just to mess with it.

[UpperKEES]

i don't like being a showoff so I don't try to get high scores

You can also see it as an additional challenge of course. Or as a help, because it indicates what you need to beat that map. :)

i sometimes wait for the creeper to build up to a certain elevation then just attack it, just to mess with it.

Did you know that you'll be killing the creeper even more effectively that way? Another good reason for not fighting the creeper too soon!

[Mare]

i don't like being a showoff so I don't try to get high scores

You can also see it as an additional challenge of course. Or as a help, because it indicates what you need to beat that map. :)

i sometimes wait for the creeper to build up to a certain elevation then just attack it, just to mess with it.

Did you know that you'll be killing the creeper even more effectively that way? Another good reason for not fighting the creeper too soon!

You can kill it more effectively by just waiting!?!?!? wow i did not know that XD I just wanted to make fun of an all destroying liquid that cannot touch anything to kill it....

[UpperKEES]

Yeah, a blaster shot kills up to 1 elevation layer for a certain amount of cells. Drones and mortars do the same for 4 elevation layers (and even more cells), so it's more effective to let the creeper rise to these levels and do something else in the meanwhile. *adds another reactor* :P

[andydmpk]

I prefer to just enjoy the game, well, the training sim until I know if it runs in WINE on Ubuntu.
I will drag out the game because I am enjoying it so much.

Just to let you know I've just finished this great game on a standard WINE installation on ubuntu 10.04. Runs identical to a windows PC.

Now to try some of the user levels :)

[danable24]

i use to spend a good hour in game time to finish a level when i first started...
i beat the game and the final level it only took me 2 tries to finish it I rock
my times have of cource dropped and i have fun killing the creeper over nad over and over

[PHOENIX79]

All this time I assumed I was the slowest player ever.   :)    I usually spend WAY too much time building up a TON of energy before I even make a move.  I should really try and get away from that.