Custom Map #151: Orbital Insertion. By: Fireswamp

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This topic is for discussion of map #151: Orbital Insertion


Author: Fireswamp
Size: 255x255

[BunnyAdvocate]

God damn this map. As a Creeper World series veteran, I didn't think I'd ever feel truly challenged by a map again, this map proved me wrong. It's an absolutely fantastic challenge, but for those who want a little help with it, I have some tips.

First, how do you even get started on a map entirely covered with creep? Singularities move the creep around, and rain will kill a fair amount, but neither will entirely clear a free space to start building. So you need to use a conversion to create a totally clear space to start building on. You're also going to want to edit the visibility settings to "flatten AC" so you can see what you're doing.

Second, your little converted space is going to be swamped by neighbouring creep pretty quick. While "rain" will give you some breathing room, "damper" is much cheaper and covers a wider area, enabling you to hold onto your foothold for longer by repeatedly putting down a new damper as soon as the last one expires. I used two conversions to give myself more space.

So now you have a tiny enclave of anti-creeper, and can temporarily hold back the massive waves around you while your dampers hold out, what next? Economy. You're going to need a ton of income to supply the amount of mortars you'll need. There's not enough clear space to rely on the conventional collectors, instead you need miners, miners on god damn overdrive (with the ERC bonus).

Conveniently in the bottom left, there's a supply stash of 100 energy and suitable mining ground, I'd advise being as close to the corner as possible so that you only have to fight on 2 sides.

The dampers will give you sufficient time to build up the supercharged miners and then as many mortars as you can possible fit. You should be able to expand your foothold a little before you run out of dampers.

I hope that helps a little, and if someone had a different approach, I'd love to hear it. Good luck o7

[JoaoPistori]

I tried several strategies, even trying to make use of the AC yellow terrain, but the creeper was always covering it before more AC was produced.

Spoiler

I won the map by using almost the same strategy you mentioned: x2 Singularity+Converter combo --> ERN-powered miners --> a lot of mortars and sprayers, with dampers to give me more time.

[close]

However, I truly think there's something to do with the AC terrain, because the map author did it much, much, much faster than me (I don't remember exactly but I think I did it between 30 and 40min, while the map author did it before 10min) and using fewer units. When I had uploaded my score I saw a player at 20-min mark but I don't remember the other ones.

[BunnyAdvocate]

I tried several strategies, even trying to make use of the AC yellow terrain, but the creeper was always covering it before more AC was produced.

Spoiler

I won the map by using almost the same strategy you mentioned: x2 Singularity+Converter combo --> ERN-powered miners --> a lot of mortars and sprayers, with dampers to give me more time.

[close]

However, I truly think there's something to do with the AC terrain, because the map author did it much, much, much faster than me (I don't remember exactly but I think I did it between 30 and 40min, while the map author did it before 10min) and using fewer units. When I had uploaded my score I saw a player at 20-min mark but I don't remember the other ones.

Oh yep I tried SO many times with the AC spawner terrain, but I could never quite survive. By the time I ran out of dampner, it was a slow death of gradually encroaching creeper.

As for timing, I completed it in ~13 minutes. I made sure to prioritise the miners with the initial resource supply stash to give me a leg up on then having the resources to build everything else. I was quite pleased with my time but I saw someone else just posted a time of ~5 minutes lol. So yeah maybe there's a faster technique.

[Fireswamp]

However, I truly think there's something to do with the AC terrain, because the map author did it much, much, much faster than me (I don't remember exactly but I think I did it between 30 and 40min, while the map author did it before 10min) and using fewer units. When I had uploaded my score I saw a player at 20-min mark but I don't remember the other ones.

Oh yep I tried SO many times with the AC spawner terrain, but I could never quite survive. By the time I ran out of dampner, it was a slow death of gradually encroaching creeper.

When I uploaded the map I used bottom left, you can tell because the ECO score is 0 instead of over 3k.  I primarily tested the map with the top right start and intended the two to be of approximately equal difficulty; but unfortunately bottom left ended up being easier than intended.  As for any secret strategies, I might have used my early orbitals differently, but I think my score is primarily just optimization and unit composition.

In regards to the AC terrain, that entire corner is also a forest, so most of your early towers will slowly ramp up to something between 1.25 and 1.5 energy generation, which I intended to compete with the miners in the early game, but fall off in the midgame.  Combine this with the immediate and (what I thought was higher) AC production, I had planned for top right to have a much easier start, but be at risk in the midgame when you ran out of dampeners.  I really underestimated how quickly you can get power online with ERNed miners and how much AC was available bottom left.

The strategy I intended for top right was:

Spoiler

Mass mortar, because the AC protects them from low level spills, you need to slowly advance them to keep them doing efficient damage but not so far forward that the AC gets overwhelmed

[close]

Top right did use a lot of optimization, but I did manage to get a 15 minute clear upon replaying the level.

[wobblycogs]

Just completed it from the bottom left, once you realize that ern miners produce a ton of power it's fairly easy and I ended the game with three orbitals left. If I hadn't screwed up half way through I could have easily ended with five or maybe even six orbitals.

What would be good, I think, is a fairly strong emitter that kicks in after say five minutes. That would give you time to get established but add a challenge.

EDIT: Forgot to say I really enjoyed the map. Interesting puzzle on how to get started.

[flamewolf393]

God damn this map. As a Creeper World series veteran, I didn't think I'd ever feel truly challenged by a map again, this map proved me wrong. It's an absolutely fantastic challenge, but for those who want a little help with it, I have some tips.

First, how do you even get started on a map entirely covered with creep? Singularities move the creep around, and rain will kill a fair amount, but neither will entirely clear a free space to start building. So you need to use a conversion to create a totally clear space to start building on. You're also going to want to edit the visibility settings to "flatten AC" so you can see what you're doing.

Second, your little converted space is going to be swamped by neighbouring creep pretty quick. While "rain" will give you some breathing room, "damper" is much cheaper and covers a wider area, enabling you to hold onto your foothold for longer by repeatedly putting down a new damper as soon as the last one expires. I used two conversions to give myself more space.

So now you have a tiny enclave of anti-creeper, and can temporarily hold back the massive waves around you while your dampers hold out, what next? Economy. You're going to need a ton of income to supply the amount of mortars you'll need. There's not enough clear space to rely on the conventional collectors, instead you need miners, miners on god damn overdrive (with the ERC bonus).

Conveniently in the bottom left, there's a supply stash of 100 energy and suitable mining ground, I'd advise being as close to the corner as possible so that you only have to fight on 2 sides.

The dampers will give you sufficient time to build up the supercharged miners and then as many mortars as you can possible fit. You should be able to expand your foothold a little before you run out of dampers.

I hope that helps a little, and if someone had a different approach, I'd love to hear it. Good luck o7

I tried all this and it doesnt help any. The dampeners dont stop the creeper completely, just slow it down a lot, it still came back in before I could get anything built, I tried clearing a large area around the conversion with a few rains, and managed to get like 20 mortars up and going, but it just wasnt nearly enough to hold the creeper back once I ran out of orbitals. I cant figure this out at all.

[MrWizard]

I tried all this and it doesnt help any. The dampeners dont stop the creeper completely, just slow it down a lot, it still came back in before I could get anything built, I tried clearing a large area around the conversion with a few rains, and managed to get like 20 mortars up and going, but it just wasnt nearly enough to hold the creeper back once I ran out of orbitals. I cant figure this out at all.

Very, very careful use of the orbitals is important. The Damper has a very large coverage area and will slow the creep enough that it won't interfere with building. Rain costs twice as much for a much smaller effect.

Spoiler

On the bottom left, use one (or two if you know how to do it) singularity to pull together as much creep as you can. As soon as the singularity ends, hit it with a conversion. This little bubble is what you need to protect. You will want to damper almost immediately. You need to lose as little as as possible. Pause often, so that your timings are as close to perfect as possible. Base then build miners and put all of the available erns in them. You will probably have to damper a second time before anything finishes building. Then you can start building mortars. If you did the dampers right, the AC bubble you are protecting will expand a bit by bit as the dampers are running, allowing you to slowly expand your semi circle of mortars. Eventually you will get to a point where you can't fit everything inside of a single damper, so if you start moving your damper placements to the top right slowly you will have edges around the damper that creep can flow, but you can delete with mass mortars.

Eventually you will reach a point where your mortars will hold off the creeper without using dampers. I had about 4 orbitals left at this point, and I probably could have done it with 5 remaining with a bit of practice.

Three things are important:
1) You need to singularity before you convert. With a singularity + conversion just as it ends will get you about the same amount of anti creep as two conversions side by side. Singularity + Conversion costs 6. Two conversions cost 10.

2) Damper only once at a time. Wait until previous damper expires before using damper again.

3) Pause constantly. Timing is critical. If you need to damper, pause so you can get the perfect placement. Pause when you are building units. Pause when you are thinking.

Good Luck!

[close]

[DarkEmi]

My god registering on this website is so hard  :'( ;D ;D ;D

I like a challenge and I really wanted to win from the top right  corner. It was so hard ! It took me I think like 20 tries or something like that, but that was a great challenge

Great map, very hard but interesting you have to think a lot if you want to win the true challenge of winning by top right

At the end I still had one orbital charge