@Durel: build energy production up to 32, speed nodes 5 or more, some storage, straight routes to strategic targets, about 4 blasters and 4 mortars for each emitter, at least 5 drones. Have fun :)
The best on this game is that you can set the difficulty level as high as you want to by making up any rules. Obviously there is a basic difficulty level set by the map you play and by the game itself - you need to learn some basics to win just like in any other game. But as soon as you're done learning the energy management and properties of the city, units and buildings, you're good to go and set your own rules to make it more difficult to win. Survival mode, top time score, not moving the city, not using some weapons or buildings... it's up to you :)
@bloodsukka: you really won't die if you click the BIG "Now Available" Arc Ethernal Creeper World III button on the welcome screen of this game... seriously, nothing bad happens to you. just click it. do it now. i mean now. really. click. come on.
In the video I'm talking about you'll see a click visualisation effect around my mouse cursor. Sometimes I use that to draw your attention to something important. Especially when I click and hold, for example over the energy management display or the spores attack timer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxszjyRN1u4&list=PLDuUTUjvbZY0hhByU81RfiIWmNmyifayp&index=6
@chilese: At 11:30 deficit is down to 7 but the first ammo packets for the SAMs are already on their way. I should have switched those SAMs off already when the last of their building packets were on the way to them. I only switched them off at 11:45 when 2 sets of ammo packets were on their way. Because of this mistake I had to wait until those get to them (to avoid losing packets on the way) before I could move those SAMs to their final destination. At 12:50 PAUSED I switched on one of them and then changed my mind and switched off, because I was running low on energy again. I made a big mistake switching off another weapon TOO LATE at 13:05 already in energy deficit again. 13:20 only 20 seconds until spores attack, so I needed that energy loading the far SAMs. That's why I switched off the drones. It's all about timing and energy management.
@chilese: the switching on/off of the SAMs and all other weapons is energy management. Loading weapons takes MUCH more power than building them. (Power is work divided by time.) If you start the video at 11:15, you'll see that I have 13 energy deficit which is not bad at 3.9 production and 4 depletion, but still I'm depleting more than I can afford. A drone is coming in so I have to swich it off, because that would take 2.5 more depletion to load with ammo.
@ChangW3 & bpink73: sometimes there is no quick solution. I'll upload a video of 9/23 how I usually play such a map. It takes a long time to process because the game took a loooooong time :)
@Balbanes we are too proud of our achievements :) there's no point posting a great time if it's a lie. you can definitely trust without screenshots anything posted by hawk45, carusoo, RealOldman, chilese and many others... ask chilese for more - he keeps track of the masters :) you could trust me but I'm an exhibitionist so I smash a screenshot anyway... mostly :) but these screenshots are really not any more to prove anything. they are just spoilers of the network setup. the best players try to beat each other's time first without looking at the screenshots because the puzzle is the challange ;)
survival mode kicks in automatically ONLY IF you play a map for 60 MINUTES. that's a very long time. if you can't win until 60 minutes, you need to ask us some questions :) AND you definitely need to read what you find when you click the big brown "How To Play" button on the start screen. you'll find 4 tabs there: Basic Gameplay, Adv Gameplay, Strategy Tips, Units. scroll down on EACH one to see ALL the help you can get. play the tutorial mission. read everything, watch my tutorial playlist on youtube: http://tiny.cc/cw-tutorials-2016-08-24 and practice on at least 10 maps. then this game becomes simple :) if you still have trouble winning in less than 20 minutes of gameplay, ASK US :)
i just realized that my question wasn't clear enough :) it would be easy to win on survival mode if you only switch it on in the last moment before you load the totems, and you prepare enough weapons to save your butt for a few seconds... what i really meant is, do you experiment with switching on survival mode as soon as possible without first connecting to the totems? not building anything on the emitters' half of the map before you switch on survival mode. then fighting the massive wall of creeper and win.
8/31 survival mode http://imgur.com/a/qh62M do you experiment how early is it possible to switch on survival mode and win? this was just before 9 minutes. i built up energy production to 32, but it didn't seem to be necessary. the graph shows that i almost never needed the maximum output. i established first the northern connection, and then i didn't send any more drones there. one of the mortars there was disarmed until the end, just in case but never needed. it's not really a capping of emitters, but a well secured position. maybe possible to keep with less weapons.
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