Part 7: Corvus

Show-off. Erm, I mean, well done good sir.

Chapter 7: Corvus


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kDq...eature=youtu.be





An unexpected twist here. Actual survivors. I thought we were the last ...




Lots of islands, and pods with survivors are on various ones. By the way, I actually lost this level the first time, but didn't properly record it anyway. That was insulting to my intelligence since it's the first time it happened after doing this world, which I quite enjoy, a few times in my test partial-playthrough. Short version though: you have to save everyone or it's mission over. That basically means island-hopping.




We reach the first pod as we spread out over our starting island.




One of the reasons I like the design here is that it's the first one that basically requires you to use all the tools you've acquired so far, and intelligently. You don't HAVE to of course, but it really rewards having learned the previously presented lessons well. The islands are placed just close enough together that Relays can bridge the gap. The basic strategy then is to fill one island with Collectors, Relays to the next one, Lather.Rinse.Repeat. While waiting for the first relays here, I've got a Storage building.




Two islands claimed, and nearly a third -- but the one in the southwest with a survivor pod on it is already taking on creeper. This is how I lost the first time ... I got too cute and greedy(it does take a long time to actually lose this pod due to the fluid dynamics) and tried to build up too much before fighting back. I had a better sense of things this time around.




With the Creeper now threatening two pods to the west, I put down our first Mortar. Still some territory to claim on 'our side' of the map, but we also need to keep the enemy at bay.




As I'm claiming the final island in the lower-right, the mortar starts firing. It's not optimally positioned, but it's enough to keep the Creeper from pushing too far forward.




This is a 'bombing run' here as I've got all the territory I can claim for the moment. The Mortar cannot be resupplied here, but it can still fire all the ammo it has built up -- at much deeper Creeper concentrations. I'm hoping to get relays over there before it runs out. I don't quite succeed, but it does enough damage from that perch to buy the needed time.




I throw down a few blasters and some more speed/storage. Now I'm running a big deficit. That's a bad idea -- but the creeper is being pushed back from the main northwest island, while making no more progress in the southwest. The tide is literally starting to turn a bit.




The mortar goes forward once again, to the far end of the island. Once we've claimed it, the deficit is down from a little over 60 to the mid-40s. That still sucks, but it sucks less.




Trying to save energy for the Blasters, I Deactivate the mortar here(options shown in the lower-left). That means it will do nothing and receive nothing. Disarm(it won't fire but will request ammunition) is also worth doing sometimes. Just, uh, don't forget to turn it back on if it's needed or gets threatened.




Having done a slow, mostly competent job of gaining ground here, I'm starting to move Blasters onto lower ground(and had one destroyed, hence the 'mostly'). The goal here is to cut off the Creeper completely on 'my' half of the map, and boost our income to deal with that hideous-looking energy deficit. Once a few of these collectors come on-line, I'm able to operate a half-dozen blasters as inadequately as I was able to supply four of them before. Disarming the mortar again, I'm able to give them enough punch to almost completely accomplish this task ...




And force myself back off the northwest island, since I forgot to Arm it again. This was less than brilliant. Lost the mortar completely, so now I'm building a new one. The territory I've gained though will eventually turn into enough energy to crush our foe. More miscalculations occur, but we spend more time successful than not.




The mortar makes bombing runs to the far west end a few times, while more and more blasters create room for Odin City to relocate forward as well -- from here, ammuniton resupply packets won't have to travel nearly as far. It's all mop-up now.




Your 'Ready Room'? Everyone simply MUST steal from Star Trek apparently.





Definitely an up-and-down mission, but ultimately successful. The second time, anyway.