Part 92: Choix

Choix

Video


First up a bit of an anecdote: this is the first Creeper World mission I ever saw. The only reason I know about the series at all is a while back I happened a catch a video from noted youtuber quill18, who was playing this. He only did the one mission(at least at the time), and I only watched part of it but I was interested in it. Then I looked up what the heck Creeper World was, which eventually led to this thread.

So it's all quill's fault. Or something. Anyway, back to your regularly scheduled creeper-stomping.




A tall map which extends just a bit lower than this. We've got a defensible structure at least, with an emitter and shield key in the northwest. It's the onlly emitter ... but creeper is bubbling out in three locations. We'll soon learn why ...










Lia no longer wastes time changing the subject. Just pretends not to have heard what Skars said, until he does.










Honestly, it's past time.



















This happens within seconds. For ignored and completely unexplained reasons, these random slip exits or whatever can't go inside the walls. Anywhere outside of it though can become extremely hazardous in an instant.




There's some new information; shields can block spore impacts. There are no towers on this map though. This large central area I fill with collectors asap, and we've also got some energy sources to siphon.




Then I work on getting shields and mortars up. Shields will protect the entrances, mortars ensure the walls don't get overflowed. Already there is creeper everywhere outside. This area to the southwest has a trio of totems as well, and a notch in the hallway accessing it clearly meant for a relay. There's another similar one to protect(without totems) in the northeast. That makes three openings that need shields.




Here's the situation as the four siphons are depleted. Their fruits were put to good use, as we have fully powered shields doing their thing and some reactors up with more on the way. Even so, I need more energy. The shield at the top here has a clear zone beyond the barricade.




I turn off most of the mortars for a while so I can paint the inside of the compound mostly purple with reactors. That leads to this. One of those maps that you don't want to twiddle your thumbs on, or bad things will happen. I deploy a few cannons to help clean up the mess, more reactors to get out of the energy hole, which eventually we do with a couple more mortars to shore up the wall defenses. Then it's time for the Forge to go in.




After a couple upgrades, including one energy efficiency, and even more reactors I'm up to 25 produced there which seems to be sufficient for the time being. A range increase helps the mortar keep the creeper at bay, which is already being done adequately. Now we have a veritable mountain to deal with as we go on the attack here.

60 creeper a second, and it can pop up anywhere.




This is one circumstance when my first instinct, overwhelming firepower, doesn't really work. When the creeper just bursts from beneath you and destroys your life-giving relay, there's not a great deal you can do.




Eventually I get sick of losing weapons and relays and rebuilding them constantly, coming up with an effective if slow and expensive plan. This is Shield Leapfrog. As I build new ones forward, they create enough room to protect the relays going a bit forward, and so on. The limited range of the shields makes this painstaking work, but I don't have a better idea.




There are times when I swear the creeper knows where I'm trying to move next, and repeatedly erupts just there. It does eventually work, and a string of several shields here has us close enough to nullify the emitter. I really hope this isn't an oft-repeated gimmick. The point is probably to force the use of shields.

Info assimilated.