Custom Map: Nice Job 22: The Artist

[Mare]

Thanks Mare! :)

I guess you played it the same way as I initially did, which really makes you fight for every pixel on your screen. The best tip I can give you is adding a few more mortars to avoid the capping blaster from getting distracted and not building too close to the emitters. When you have all high terrain conquered you should have enough space to build everything you need to finish. I actually needed a lot less than I expected when I went for my second run.

And oh, don't be angry or frustrated with the game (or yourself, or even me ;)). When you finally succeed in completing a hard map the satisfaction is proportional, that's why I love these kind of challenges.

I'm not angry at you, just frustrated with myself, I should have added mortar there when I lost the same space....6 times in a row LMAO
I constantly kept claiming and losing it so that's what made me so sad :(
If you want to know what the space was that i kept losing, it was the middle right, where the very eastward totem is.
Also, does anyone know how to play a map called moki moki? That map has been bugging me ever since it came out, I could never beat.

[UpperKEES]

I should have added mortar there when I lost the same space....6 times in a row LMAO

Spoiler

Yep, or an additional blaster if the threat comes from a nearby emitter instead of distracting creeper further away. Space is always a problem however....

[close]

If you want to know what the space was that i kept losing, it was the middle right, where the very eastward totem is.

Heheh, funny! For me it was exactly the same spot, but 2 more birds to the left.

Spoiler

I should never have tried building a collector there, but should have used a relay to skip that section. This wasn't possible in your case however, because you obviously needed to connect to that totem.

[close]

Also, does anyone know how to play a map called moki moki? That map has been bugging me ever since it came out, I could never beat.

I had a look at it once, but forgot about it. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, because I definitely like to play it! :) Moki Moki was created by Mrmcdeath who is still active here at the forums, so if you post a question in the comments for that map he might give you some hints. I can also send you a PM when I've played it, but that may take a few days....

[Mare]

I will be happy to wait for when you complete it. :) :) :)

[RichieRich]

Well I finished it  ;D

For everyone saying how easy it is, not a lot of scores!

I did lose about 15 minutes when someone crashed into my office and I didnt have time to pause but there was no way I was restarting at that stage.

I would say I could half the time I did as I really was cautious and TBH it's not that much pressure when you have a few mortars holding things down.

OK so my strategy is all wrong, but still enjoyed it thanks  :D

[UpperKEES]

Well I finished it  ;D

For everyone saying how easy it is, not a lot of scores!

Heheh! Yeah, that's right. I have the impression that some people just gave up after Melissa posting her score and me posting my second one. It's also possible that their strategy didn't work any more after the emitter increase(s). I can't imagine Sqaz still using drones for instance.

I'm curious how many people will be able to finish this one and what times they'll manage to set, because I'll let that determine how much harder the remake will be.

I did lose about 15 minutes when someone crashed into my office and I didnt have time to pause but there was no way I was restarting at that stage.

Yeah, that's fatal. I'm actually surprised you only lost 15 minutes, because the whole infrastructure could have collapsed completely.

I would say I could half the time I did as I really was cautious and TBH it's not that much pressure when you have a few mortars holding things down.

OK so my strategy is all wrong, but still enjoyed it thanks  :D

I intended this map to be played cautiously and that's exactly where I made my mistake. You know what happened? During testing I had the delayed emitters going off earlier, so the pressure was even higher. There was no margin for aggression at all. When I finished half of the map and figured I would be able to complete it, I decided to make it a little easier, because I wanted this map to be very hard, but not near impossible. So I increased the delays and started playing again. With exactly the same strategy as I used before (WRONG! :P). It got a little easier, so I assumed this would be the desired level of difficulty. I didn't realize that I created just enough margin for a very aggressive speed run. As we all know Miss Melissa is a very aggressive and determined lady, and she immediately demonstrated that bad assumptions will be punished. ;D

Now let's see if more players can find the appropriate strategy to finish this map (either fast or at all). My second try succeeded immediately and I wasn't even sure what to build exactly. Instead of using 20+ energy as I did before I used only 10 this time. I also lost a relay and 2 reactors after building too close to a non-capped emitter when the pool next to it filled up, so I think a time around 10 minutes is possible. Maybe I'll try to bring it in the 5-10 minutes range later on....

Edit: 2 typo's....

[snowmaker (JM)]

Sometimes you have those moments that cause you to change strategies. Four collectors will give you more energy than one reactor. I think I have focused too much on reactors. Space and time is always a factor.

Maybe I will try again with a new strategy. Again, thanks for an enjoyable map.  :)

[NNR_Alex]

i don't feel so bad that this one is killing me but it is sad i last longer on this map than i have on  deep sea diver (maybe i try and expand too quickly i dunno).  Anyways i get two mortars up and 2 maybe 3 blasters going, when the final intensity boost happens, i loose one of the pools i'd cleared that i needed to stay cleared cause i was out of room to put more reactors, deficit started going up, i knew this run was a lost cause, i'll have to see about trying to claim three of the high level wings early on instead of only two.

[RichieRich]

Alex,

Only use blasters when you can cap an emitter. They use too much power otherwise. If you have a mortar largely clearing a pool, try bulding 2 or 3 blasters (disarmed) and while the game is paused move them in unison and arm them. When the pool is cleared, and the emitter capped, you can leave one, using low power and reuse the others.

I build striaght up the top first, building reactors and two mortars on the first and 3rd only, then go left and up building 2 more mortars and reactors to power up to about 7.  I find the two mortars leave the upper areas pretty much available on the left side to go up. Clear it from the bottom left corner, capping as you go up. When the pools are cleared you have huge space to build more infrastructure.

[RichieRich]

And I forgot to say I am feeling happier about my score now  ;D

[UpperKEES]

Sometimes you have those moments that cause you to change strategies. Four collectors will give you more energy than one reactor. I think I have focused too much on reactors. Space and time is always a factor.

Maybe I will try again with a new strategy. Again, thanks for an enjoyable map.  :)

Thanks JM. :)

Four collectors will indeed give more energy, assuming they don't overlap too much, but when you only have 4 locations to build, I'd still build the reactors. It's a real trade off: you need more weapons to clear more space, so you need more energy, but you can generate this energy for a lower price. I'll go for my 3rd try tonight trying to beat the 10 minute mark.

i don't feel so bad that this one is killing me but it is sad i last longer on this map than i have on  deep sea diver (maybe i try and expand too quickly i dunno).  Anyways i get two mortars up and 2 maybe 3 blasters going, when the final intensity boost happens, i loose one of the pools i'd cleared that i needed to stay cleared cause i was out of room to put more reactors, deficit started going up, i knew this run was a lost cause, i'll have to see about trying to claim three of the high level wings early on instead of only two.

It's not very strange that you last longer on this one, because your mortar is able to hit 4 different pools, thus being more effective.

So you mean you experience problems after about 30 minutes when the emitter interval went down from ~0.7 to 0.5 (intensity stayed the same)? When I first played this map I also cleared all pools and capped every emitter. This works fine as long as your blasters don't get distracted too much. I actually covered about half of the map with units before I finally reached the turning point. You can avoid a loss of energy however by clearing some more of the higher sections and jump there by relays. Maybe you should give that a try. I'll send you a PM tonight about The Diver (but I have to go now).

Oh, I just noticed two new replies:

Only use blasters when you can cap an emitter. They use too much power otherwise. If you have a mortar largely clearing a pool, try bulding 2 or 3 blasters (disarmed) and while the game is paused move them in unison and arm them. When the pool is cleared, and the emitter capped, you can leave one, using low power and reuse the others.

This is indeed a good way to cap the emitters! Your blasters can be a real drain on your energy resources otherwise. Having blasters on high grounds is not always an advantage.... ;)

I build striaght up the top first, building reactors and two mortars on the first and 3rd only, then go left and up building 2 more mortars and reactors to power up to about 7.  I find the two mortars leave the upper areas pretty much available on the left side to go up. Clear it from the bottom left corner, capping as you go up. When the pools are cleared you have huge space to build more infrastructure.

You found your way!  8)

And I forgot to say I am feeling happier about my score now  ;D

Best indication of an improved strategy!

[UpperKEES]

I'll go for my 3rd try tonight trying to beat the 10 minute mark.

Hmmm, it actually became my 5th try. First 10:10, then 10:03 (Grrr!  >:() and finally I managed. :P

[Fisherck]

Wow, 40 comments! Talk about a hot map topic. The record on the Toplist! , though it has been discontinued is 24. That is a difference 16 (now 17)!

UpperKEES, I do not know how you went under ten minutes. :o I watched ten go by when I was only just connecting to the first few totems, let alone the last. I can see how it took you 5 tries to get that time. Great map, even if it didn't go as you intended. ;)

[UpperKEES]

Wow, 40 comments! Talk about a hot map topic. The record on the Toplist! , though it has been discontinued is 24. That is a difference 16 (now 17)!

Well, I like to interact with people playing my maps and give some tips along the way, so I post rather often in the comments of my own maps. Sauffaus only replied a few times to his Alien Alter Ruin map; if you look at unique comments he'd probably still be in that list. His map deserves it though, it's one of the best I've ever played and I can recommend it to anyone up for a great challenge.

UpperKEES, I do not know how you went under ten minutes. :o I watched ten go by when I was only just connecting to the first few totems, let alone the last. I can see how it took you 5 tries to get that time.

I was actually very surprised to complete it in 11 minutes on my second try. I played as aggressively as possible, trying to beat Melissa's 22 minutes. That last minute took me a lot more effort.

Great map, even if it didn't go as you intended. ;)

Thanks! :) Indeed not what I intended, but I've learned something again.

The remake will be as I intended; I'll be sure to test more aggressive strategies as well this time. I'm happy this version is still much fun to play, as many people probably won't be able to finish the hardcore edition.  8)

[Katra]

Two tries and I haven't reached a single totem. On try one I built up, then (after a few unsuccessful tries elsewhere) was starting to clear territory down and left when the 15 minute creeper increase took out a key relay. On try no 2 I built up and right. Was slowly but steadily clearing territory until the 25 minute increase overwhelmed me.

[UpperKEES]

Two tries and I haven't reached a single totem. On try one I built up, then (after a few unsuccessful tries elsewhere) was starting to clear territory down and left when the 15 minute creeper increase took out a key relay. On try no 2 I built up and right. Was slowly but steadily clearing territory until the 25 minute increase overwhelmed me.

The increases won't raise the creeper levels, but they will add more creeper in the same amount of time, so it acts a bit like double down mode. My advise to you is: more mortars. Emitters that were already capped will stay capped as long as the blaster(s) won't get distracted (so maybe use 2 instead of 1 per emitter on the edges of your conquered territory).