Part 29: Special Ops: Gump

Special Ops: Gump


https://youtu.be/8LLHNlNDj9A





So here we need to defeat the emoticon, or what used be called a 'smiley-face'. Stuck on the low ground, with four emitters on the thing above us and some smallish craters to collect the enemy in.

Space is not a problem here.

Doom Timer: 2:58

Time is though. Unless we act, the entire map will be covered in Creeper inside of three minutes.




Up to this point(a hair over a minute in) it's pretty basic -- but now we've got to decided when and where to fight.




By the time I get going I'm already in trouble, but the creeper does start receding some once I start pounding the 'mouth' with a mortar. If I had this to do over again, I might observe -- based on the recent discussion in no small part -- that I need a few reactors to have enough energy. But you know I'm not going to do that.



For a while I seem to be doing ok-ish, getting a couple of collectors up on the top level to bring in a bit more energy. This is a mirage though; the volume of Creeper pressure on the plain is gradually increasing, and a regular income of 2/second with a deficit over 40 becomes more and more unsustainable.




Just over seven minutes in, the blockade along the east gives way. Some will probably find it humorous that now that it's clearly too late, I start building a reactor ...




Let's see if I can do any better the second time.


https://youtu.be/VUv3_22r1D0





This time I go for an early drone base. I think the intention here was to more easily target the deepest crater available without the micro of turning a mortar on and off all the time. This was played a while ago during an uncontrolled CW binge shortly after I beat the Story mode.




We're already under pressure by the time the bomber is ready, and a slightly smaller network than last time.




After getting a couple blasters up, I start a second base while targeting the mouth emitter. As you may have noticed, my default 'I don't know what else to do' strategem is to build drones and buy time. It soon becomes clear that I've managed to achieve equilibrium, but it's still not going to be easy to expand this way.




Slowly at first, and then more steadily, I'm able to progress up the east side and occupy the territory underneath the mouth as well. The periodic bombing runs are enough to relieve the pressure so that the blasters can keep up. We were almost dead by this point in the first attempt, so this is definitely better.




I try moving a Blaster down to cap off the mouth emitter, but can't get it quite close enough safely, so that idea is soon abandoned. A more traditional push across the 'face' will have to suffice.




Marching straight west to the 'nose', I took out one emitter there and after that it was all clean-up. I'd like to say I had a good reason for not building any support structures this time, but I'm pretty sure there isn't one and that it just didn't occur to me.




This one just looks somebody threw up or was doing a bad Picasso imitation.