Custom Map #9440: Compound Interest (Impossible). By: Jason Stevens

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This topic is for discussion of map #9440: Compound Interest (Impossible)


Author: Jason Stevens
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This is an incredibly difficult map. Anything that could help you will cost you dearly later. Is it worth paying the compound interest for some upfront help? This is NOT a sleeper map. #Nuclear-Plant #Energy-Factory #Aether-Factory #Spore #Runner #Heavy-Creep #Sleeper-AA #Sleeper-Strafer #Digitalis #Toggle-Pump #Mass-Driver Good luck!!

[Riskbreaker]

i'm gonna have to spend a few runs testing these power plants because really blew up way after i shut it down haha

Spoiler

i'm still intrigued at what can be done with all those artifactories

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[jasons2645]

Just wanted to mention this is one of the most difficult maps I've made.  Wasn't sure if I could beat it at a few points.  I see there are no scores yet, but I'm sure somebody out there can master compound interest...  Is that someone you?  8)

[jasons2645]

i'm gonna have to spend a few runs testing these power plants because really blew up way after i shut it down haha

That warning about a "long cool down" is more precisely explained this way...  As soon as you turn on a nuclear power plant, you start a timer that it will self-destruct.  The timer does not change depending on whether you turn it back off or not, meaning that the cool-down takes too long to make any difference.  I will likely change that behavior in a future version of the script, but that's how it works for this map...

Here are some other thoughts (thought #5 is a MAJOR spoiler)...

Spoiler

1) When a nuclear reactor melts down, an emitter is created and spores are launched.  The emitter, when nullified, creates a PZ.  Those PZs will be further to the southeast than any of your others, and if you don't venture too far east, they may come in very handy for beams.

2) You can turn on any of the plants/factories before you can connect to them.  This can be useful if you know you'll eventually connect to them and can use all the resources they've produced at that time.  You just have to pay the "compound interest" upfront for having the factory on producing creep :)

3) Unlike most of my previous maps that are similar to this one where the cost to turn on the various factories is more modest, it's pretty expensive on this map - hence why the map is called "Compound Interest".  You will need to carefully consider the compound interest involved when turning on factories in this game.  And pay attention to the cost on each factory - there's a tooltip that will tell you the cost and not all factories of the same type have the same cost.

4) You can destroy a sleeper strafer base using 2 mass drivers.  No mass drivers = no victory.  Improving the build speed at your Forge (if/when you turn on some aether factories) will improve the speed at which you can build reactors and mass drivers.

5) Each spore attack in early game is 36 spores, but their payload is small.  A spore with a small payload will still immediately destroy a relay, reactor, or some other buildings it hits, but if there's a little AC, that is all it can do.  It takes energy to shoot down those spores - a lot of energy for 36 of them.  You will need to carefully consider allowing some waves of spores to hit, being careful to never allow waves to hit later in the game that carry larger payloads, as those waves will destroy your base if left unchecked.  Said differently, you may have to choose to lose some battles in the sky if you want to win the war.

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[Riskbreaker]

i see...so i just gotta brace myself...

as for that spoiler button, i aint clicking it yet :P

[Johnny Haywire]

HA! Second person to post a legit score  8)

Yeah, this is a tough map. I think one of your impossible maps from a few weeks ago was tougher - at least for me.

I'm itching to post spoilers but I'm not sure it's a good idea. I will say that at 45 minutes I thought I had the game pretty well in hand and could step away for a few minutes. That "few minutes" ended up being about an hour, and when I came back I'd lost everything except my starting base. At least I thought to save it... right? Right?  ::)  Once you get the aerial threats dealt with, you can push back fairly easily.

I will say that I found starting on the left side to be better than the first. Once you play through one time and see the reactors melt down, hopefully you'll figure out what you should do the next time.  ;)

Yet another great map, Jason. I would've preferred a faster way to end it (once you have the game in hand at least). I think you could leave the singularity available on a map like this one b/c you can't use it until you reach the totems, and once you've reached the totems it's much easier. Anyway, just a thought.

Thanks for the map!  ;D ;D

[jasons2645]

HA! Second person to post a legit score  8)

Yeah, this is a tough map. I think one of your impossible maps from a few weeks ago was tougher - at least for me.

I'm itching to post spoilers but I'm not sure it's a good idea. I will say that at 45 minutes I thought I had the game pretty well in hand and could step away for a few minutes. That "few minutes" ended up being about an hour, and when I came back I'd lost everything except my starting base. At least I thought to save it... right? Right?  ::)  Once you get the aerial threats dealt with, you can push back fairly easily.

I will say that I found starting on the left side to be better than the first. Once you play through one time and see the reactors melt down, hopefully you'll figure out what you should do the next time.  ;)

Yet another great map, Jason. I would've preferred a faster way to end it (once you have the game in hand at least). I think you could leave the singularity available on a map like this one b/c you can't use it until you reach the totems, and once you've reached the totems it's much easier. Anyway, just a thought.

Thanks for the map!  ;D ;D

Congrats!!!  It's a tough map to beat  8)

And I agree on the singularity weapon...  I allowed it on the hard version after wishing I had allowed it on this impossible version  ;)

Even though the right side offers more resources, I too preferred the left side. 

[Riskbreaker]

this was one hell of an adventure :P
the power struggle is pretty challenging...having to pick the right weapons and not have redundant stuff standing around because every piece of energy is precious




(for the record, the inhibitors were very, VERY unprotected, like, literally nothing there, no runners, no AE, no beams)