Custom Map #391: Phantom Warfare

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This topic is for discussion of map #391: Phantom Warfare


Author: hegemontree

Desc:
This map introduces a new element: defending against phantoms without phantom coils. You have to be quick and adaptive just to survive. Other than that it is a pretty standard map with a completely evil titan slowly working its way down to you. You should consider saving frequently the first time through.

[hegemontree]

If your having trouble check out these hints :).

Spoiler

flooding your base with ac is the easiest phantom defense

[close]

Spoiler

rush gems

[close]

Spoiler

rush the capsules in the upper right once you've rushed a gem or two and built some reactors, they deliver nice resources

[close]

[Zaggy]

I didn't see those hints at the beginning; I didn't know

Spoiler

the anti-creeper would eat the phantoms

[close]

, oh well.  I did it the long way.

I got a little frustrated, but I kept slogging away and created so much stuff that I didn't lose very much whenever the phantoms hit me.  I just rebuilt and continued.

It took some thinking to figure out how to take out the two titans.  I accidentally released the first titan (I dug ground next to decayable terrain; oops.)  I gave up at that point; I just let the game run for a bit as I did something else.  But when I came back, I noticed that it stabilized my position.  All my blasters and launchers were holding it off!  So I built more weapons, slowly advanced, and took it out.

It took maybe 45 minutes to take out the top creeper.  I was very patient; I slowly worked my way up the left side, digging lots of terrain so I could stack launchers 4 columns deep.  When I finally saw the creeper at the top turn from dark-blue to lighter-than-dark-blue, I was happy.  I was really close; I just had to close it out.

But I got too greedy, and the creeper grew out of control.  I had to regroup.

I used repulsers, and a ton of launchers (teetering just underneath my production so I didn't go negative), and eventually pushed to the emitter.  Phwew.

I'm a little disturbed how low a rating this map got.  It's very tough, and probably frustrating if you don't like your buildings to randomly explode.  But if you treat it as a challenge, it's satisfying when you complete it.  But then again, you can do that with any map, if you just remove the ability to build phantom coils, so I'm kind-of torn whether or not I should give it a thumbs-up.

I guess any map that gets 100 minutes of my attention should get a thumbs-up.  So, there it is.

[Kithros]

The main thing that bothers me about phantoms without phantom coils is that it becomes *extremely* luck dependent (and I don't care if it technically isn't random - if it isn't reasonably predictable it's as good as random to me) - if a phantom targets something like a blaster it does effectively nothing, whereas it can do massive damage in some areas if it hits at the wrong time. If it weren't for the randomness I would be fine with the concept, but as a competitive player I don't really like things that are too random because it becomes tedious to save/load constantly.

[burguertime]

because it becomes tedious to save/load constantly.

How long before the phantoms come out you have to save in order to make them re-roll their targets?

This map introduces several new kinds of annoyances: gushing AC in your entire map so you can neuter the creeper from phantoms, reloading every time a phantom hits the wrong place, rebuilding civilian buildings hit by phantoms.

Also, it was rather disappointing seeing the conversion bomb die before I could properly use it.

Also, maybe 50.000 per phantom was a bit too much.

Also, maybe some more ore to go with the phantom defense would be nice.

[Kithros]

because it becomes tedious to save/load constantly.

How long before the phantoms come out you have to save in order to make them re-roll their targets?

This map introduces several new kinds of annoyances: gushing AC in your entire map so you can neuter the creeper from phantoms, reloading every time a phantom hits the wrong place, rebuilding civilian buildings hit by phantoms.

Also, it was rather disappointing seeing the conversion bomb die before I could properly use it.

Also, maybe 50.000 per phantom was a bit too much.

Also, maybe some more ore to go with the phantom defense would be nice.

It actually depends on what you've built etc. (maybe even creeper positions, I can't say I've tested with it thoroughly) - for instance, on day 12 (the first mission with phantoms) if you just let the game run the phantoms will always target the same buildings - but if you pause at the very beginning before the phantoms go out, then destroy a single reactor, they will target completely different buildings (it seems that it doesn't matter which reactor you destroy however in that the phantoms will always target the same numbered buildings in the list, however it is listed slightly differently depending on which reactor was destroyed).

In practice it will be pretty much random unless you play extremely precisely or saved at a time very close to when the phantoms are sent out.

[SmileyCoder]

The concept itself is ok, and using a degree of "enclosing" sections with shields you can minimize the damage, and with blasters in each section you can minimize the damage more. That said, the last bit with the powerfull emitter was such a drag. I would have gotten a better time had I not dozed off for 10 minutes.

[Bongo]

I didn't think it was that hard. After you use up all the Remnants you can just set a Maker to vacuum at the bottom and set 2 Makers at the top to produce to recycle the creeper. Also just build two of everything important (Beacons, Rifts), and lastly put blasters everywhere, like the spaces where there are no Reactors.

The massive Emitter at the top is just boring as heck. If I didn't have a TV next to my computer I wouldn't have bothered to finish the map. It could have been about as challenging and one forth as long if the top Emitter had a max density of say 15 to 20 millions, but the same 140 millions production rate (4.67 millions per frame, or 14 millions per 1/10th second).

It was fun and challenging map until the top slog, then I just watched The Exorcist while waiting for about 150 TRILLION units of creeper to die.

(Also, Smiley you suck for beating my score because my DVR is empty and I'm NOT playing this map a 3rd time :P )