Custom Map #7655: Pump the Sleeper. By: Jason Stevens

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This topic is for discussion of map #7655: Pump the Sleeper


Author: Jason Stevens
Size: 256x120

Desc:
THIS IS A SLEEPER MAP. Your best strategy to defeat the sleeper is by pumping vast quanitities of AC to it. #Spore #Pump #Runner #Flip-Emitter #Sleeper Good luck!!

[Riskbreaker]

oh, nice...i'm really liking this kind of map...

edit. Cant get thor or bertha from the start. Check. :P

[daniels220]

H....uh. I assumed I was doing something wrong when I couldn't get a foothold without reactor-turtling on the starting pads (and even that is tricky to do efficiently—I restarted like 10+ times), but then I ended up with the fastest time, so I dunno. What were others' strategies? Mine in more detail:

Spoiler

On the left: Build collectors out a ways, knowing they're going to die but will last long enough to pay for themselves. Then can build four, five, five reactors, then six beams just in time to shoot down incoming creeps. Some more reactors, then forge, collector in the one spot that'll connect a totem, and a mortar to keep it from overflowing. Continue reactor-turtling until the starting pad is ~2/3 full, protecting the totem connection with cannons when a creep mortar inevitably kills it. Then start spamming units—shields are handy and expensive, so I got them started early, lots of cannons and mortars. Fairly standard push for a while. I built some strafers at various points to kill creep spore towers, but tech was too slow to seriously mess with the sleeper with flying cannons (need move speed and fire rate, but range is a higher priority early on). Pretty slow going—didn't quite make it to the ridge before the right side started to have a serious influence

On the right: I built four collectors on the low ground, not even sure it's worth building more than two. Then three, four, four reactors, continuing as energy allowed. Five beams just in time for actual spores, a bit later than on the left, plus two mortars to keep the creeper pumps from putting too much pressure on the left. Continue turtling about as long as on the left (pad will be less full because it's bigger), then shields and cannons to grab the two nearest ore deposits, followed by a sprayer in the middle to help grab the other two. Again fairly standard push after this, but I threw a couple always-on sprayers near the pumps when I had spare ore.

Tech: Part of the reason for trying so hard for the early forge, even with only one totem, was actually to pick up one increment of E-storage—once your generation exceeds your storage it's essentially impossible to be efficient. I think I grabbed build speed and energy efficiency still on that one totem, then range and more build speed once I got to the other totems. Etc. etc.—finished with max build speed, 2/1/2 weapons, a couple points of packet speed, like +3 ore efficiency, still just the one E-storage and E-efficiency.

Endgame: I didn't try too hard to push on the left—there wasn't much point, because as usual, once PZ Berthas come online, it's all over. I threw one down on every PZ on the right, moved all my always-on sprayers to the bottom pumps, and pretty much just sat back and waited.

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