Custom Map #8198: three places. By: Martin Gronsdal

[umm36]

If it wasn't for the fact there are 15 scores on this I would say it is impossible.
With the command center being hurt by creeper within the first 5 seconds, the first thing I would need to build is the two cannons which can only just save the command center, I would then need to build down and take the nullifier to take out the no-fly zone but by the time it charges up enough to fire, the spores start to attack.
So instead of charging the nullifier I would need beamers, two beamers isn't enough to destroy the two spores before they hit, in addition, two, or even four beamers cannot recharge fast enough to take on the endless spam of spores.

I literally cannot see a way to complete this, and yet there's clearly a way, because 15 people have completed it, and it can only be uploaded once it is completed... so..........
Yeah, I'm stuck.

Edit: OH!

Oh I see what you've done now... you sneaky bar stool.
Okay I think I can do this now...

Great. Tell me how you did it, ok? Thank you for playing.

3 hours later and I still haven't beaten it because of that damn spore tower...
And not being able to move my command center back to the starting area? that's just sneaky and rude ^.^

[Lightforger]

The RNG is indeed pretty bad, a spore hitting the terp is GG.
Best bet is saving a second before the spores launch, and if one ends up going to the terp, modify the RNG by moving/building/deleting a unit, like the cheap 1energy reactors.

[umm36]

Finally finished it with an hour and 12 minutes placing next to last, then I realised that I only had to do a fraction of what I thought I did, and re-did it starting from a previous save and finished it in 23 minutes.

This was honestly more of a challenge of knowing what to do rather than anything else.

Very well made. Infuriating, but well made.

[Martin Gronsdal]

Finally finished it with an hour and 12 minutes placing next to last, then I realised that I only had to do a fraction of what I thought I did, and re-did it starting from a previous save and finished it in 23 minutes.

This was honestly more of a challenge of knowing what to do rather than anything else.

Very well made. Infuriating, but well made.

thank you for playing

my motto making these maps is: "spare the rod and spoil the child".

[Martin Gronsdal]

The RNG is indeed pretty bad, a spore hitting the terp is GG.
Best bet is saving a second before the spores launch, and if one ends up going to the terp, modify the RNG by moving/building/deleting a unit, like the cheap 1energy reactors.

none of this should be necessary. But I know - it's easy to say that, knowing the solution.

[marvinitfox]

Ok, serious question.

How do I keep the Terp alive? (when not moving it away)
even with 3 beams on the islands near the spore tower, if it decides to send both spores to the terp, terp dies.

Ok, yep.
Aside from the Terp (and the midspace relay)'s mortality, it can be done.
Basically, you just need to roll lucky on enough spore targets until your get upgrades running. *upgraded* beams protect just fine. Normal ones dont.

[Martin Gronsdal]

Ok, serious question.

How do I keep the Terp alive? (when not moving it away)
even with 3 beams on the islands near the spore tower, if it decides to send both spores to the terp, terp dies.

Ok, yep.
Aside from the Terp (and the midspace relay)'s mortality, it can be done.
Basically, you just need to roll lucky on enough spore targets until your get upgrades running. *upgraded* beams protect just fine. Normal ones dont.

look, I don't want to be belittling - but

Spoiler

you are swimming in an ocean of aether available. Make 4-5 beams, resupply them - at the same time get the forge working, and this is a walk in the park

[close]

[renelm]

This is only the 2nd of these maps that I managed to figure out.. even though the hint with the terp initially was a bit confusing.. sneaky.. now there are just 5 other maps where I am completely stuck.. sigh..

[Martin Gronsdal]

This is only the 2nd of these maps that I managed to figure out.. even though the hint with the terp initially was a bit confusing.. sneaky.. now there are just 5 other maps where I am completely stuck.. sigh..

Thank you for playing

[Johnny Haywire]

Wow - I see a lot of feedback on this map and I can understand why. It's a really, really cool map for one, but it's tricky. I admit I succumbed to my instinct which told me to immediately move the terp out of harm's way at the start of the game. NOOOooO! Don't do that! Aaaarrrrgh!

I should know by now, once you move something in your maps there's no guarantee you can put it back. In fact, if it's already built for you then it's essentially a certainty that there's no way to put it back there.

I'm not sure if anyone else did this, but I skipped the second island... the one where the forge starts off.

I only moved my CN once, which made me happy.

I can see a few different ways someone could approach this... but yanno, there are tricks at every turn on this map. Nothing brutal, I think... but things that make you stop and think. Excellently done!

Great map! Thanks for making it!  ;D ;D

PS - And is it just a coincidence that my score was the 23rd score posted, and my time in binary equals exactly twice that? (101110)  :o

[Martin Gronsdal]

it's been so long since I made this map that I don't remember the solution and I am stumped myself. Any hints?  ;)

thank you for playing

[Johnny Haywire]

You do have to move fast... gotta grab the AC, set up a quick defense while sending some beams to the island next to the spore tower. You might even need a little luck because if it shoots the terp, you're done.

I sent guppies ASAP to power the beams and grab all the Aether, then used bombers to clear a path on the 3rd island... then used one guppy going back and forth to build & supply 5 more guppies to keep stuff back at the base powered up while I moved the CN to grab the nullifier.

It's really a great map - one of your best, imo - and I'm sad that some people got stuck way back when this was released. Hope this helps anyone who's still kickin' around and wanting to beat the map!  ;)

[Martin Gronsdal]

hehe, my comment about being stumped was a joke ;)


a really cool option in CW3 and also 4, would be if the game somehow recorded by itself gameplay, let's say it retained top 10 solutions for every map. But then again, it would give away all the tools of the trade as well

[Johnny Haywire]

Oh, lol. Derr.

But hey, ya never know. I came across a mathematical code that I wrote down when I was 8 that I still can't decipher. Of course, it could've been that my 8-year-old math was a bit off  ::)

...Or the alien abductions back in '93 and '97 might have scrambled my brain a bit too much, who knows?  :P

Anyway, thanks again for all the work ya put into these unique maps!  ;D

[marvinitfox]

Ok, serious question.

How do I keep the Terp alive? (when not moving it away)
even with 3 beams on the islands near the spore tower, if it decides to send both spores to the terp, terp dies.

Ok, yep.
Aside from the Terp (and the midspace relay)'s mortality, it can be done.
Basically, you just need to roll lucky on enough spore targets until your get upgrades running. *upgraded* beams protect just fine. Normal ones dont.

look, I don't want to be belittling - but

Spoiler

you are swimming in an ocean of aether available. Make 4-5 beams, resupply them - at the same time get the forge working, and this is a walk in the park

[close]

and just ***HOW*** does that prevent this scenario?


This is right at the beginning of the map. Just had time to build one beam, it's not yet charged.

At this point in the game, how am i supposed to access, much less use  the "you are swimming in an ocean of aether available", Hmmmm?
The very first spore hit the midspace relay. The next salvo hits the terp.