Very frustrated Day 12er

[newcreeper]

I can't seem to stop the creeper coming thru the ground fast enough before I can deal with the cavern on the right side of the map.  Any useful tips or hints because I have tried it about 15 times and for some reason it's just beyond me.

thanks,
newcreeper

[Ranakastrasz]

Well, My approach was basically to start up a reactor farm of about 2 layers, and then dig down the way the gateways were digging up, placing shields in the way, with a repulsor and blaster to support. I then built makers, dug one tile below the shields, and placed the makers there, and set them to full, to give a buffer. (usually cant get all of them in time, but it wasn't a significant problem/)

[thepenguin]

tip: greeper stops enemy dig packets

[pixlepix]

The trick to to rush the gateway. Use your FC for the first room, don't bother killing the emitter on the left in the first pool, just hold it off with a blaster. Use 2 blasters and AC to take out the gate. Once the gate is dead, the rest of the map is ridiculously easy.

[Grauniad]

These guys are jacking with you by using weird acronyms and terms that you, as a newbie, will not be familiar with.

Personally I found Day 12 to be a very disorganized experience myself. I suggest that you dig down a bit as fast as you can. Then try and fill the tunnel you dig with anti-creeper. That will isolate the higher-ground from being dug up. Repulsors set on low beams are quite cheap and will push the enemy creeper down the tunnels till you have the means to fight it off. You can then fight down each tunnel with a few blasters and a launcher to get to the emitters and take them out with a nullifier.

Good luck and post back with a screen shot next time so we can see how you fare to refine the advice we give you.

[Kithros]

When you start going on the offensive, I recommend digging down from the right side (under the emitters near the surface) to attack - but while defending repulsors + anti-creeper are probably the best way to go about defending (on this map). Build as many reactors as you can early game until you need to start building weapons, it's almost always best to get your economy up before doing anything else, and tech domes can wait until you have enough energy income to support your weapons. Get the gems right away to get more reactors quickly, and with the technytes I recommend getting -20% build cost (extremely good upgrade when you can get it early on). If I were playing defensively, then I would probably use something looking kind of like this: (this is definitely  *not* how I go about getting a good time, but it will work well enough for winning the level)

Spoiler

[close]

I didn't need to build the repulsors as early as I did, but for demonstration purposes I have them there. Ideally the repulsors would finish building just as they broke through, but you don't need to play with that level of precision.


EDIT: Oh, on a side note, be sure to build a maker before you actually break through to the bottom, or the gateway will start digging in your base and destroying reactors, or you could get rid of the shield to flood the entire area, either works.

[thepenguin]

well there's your problem! you're letting the creeper dig ot the surface!

[Ytaker]

You need to learn the art of rushing. Pause the game, dig for the tech and gem. Unpause, get both, buy the reduced cost upgrade. Then set out a farm of reactors everywhere (six or seven built at a time) and dig for a second gem. Expand horizontally out from the tech, get the ore artifacts, keep building reactors. Build a gun and a maker over the right side.

It's quite possible to do all this in forty seconds.

Then defeat the left creeper thing by advancing your 4* maker and blaster over it. Then defeat the lower one with that and another blaster. Then rush down, continuing to expand your reactor farm, and when you get down use three or four blasters to rip your way to the portal. Kill it. Now you have all the time in the world.

[ontheworld]

You need to learn the art of rushing.
-snip-

Honestly, I never saw the need of rushing in this level...

[Krell]

lol I always let the creeper get to the surface. I always had nice long tunnels ready with a repulsor, shield, and spare blaster to cover them while I advanced my assault on the right.

[MadMurphy]

Just put a blaster above each hole than take things easy