Defense Grid - The Awakening

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hepcat
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by hepcat »

Thought I was REALLY clever last night after defeating the first of the two new maps. My placement of infernos was sublime, my grouping of meteor towers...INSPIRED!

...then I checked the leaderboards.

867

There are blind people doing better than that in this game, for cryin' out loud.

God, I suck.
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Lyno
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Dang you Tscott for beating me on Tactical Diversion! Also cannot come close to your score on Height of Confusion. *shakes fist*

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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Tscott »

I guess I just like those open maps that let you choose your path. They're the ones I replay most to perfect. There's TONS of other levels that I haven't come close to your scores.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Elmo »

Just picked this up yesterday. A great game for $10 and surprisingly addictive.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Here's some tips for you:

Don't spend your money as soon as you get it. You will gain "interest" on money you haven't spent. This is how you get higher scores.

Flamer, Laser and Concussion towers require careful placement. Add a Temporal tower nearby to maximize their effectiveness.

Command Tower will reveal cloaked units, allowing your long range towers (Cannon, Meteor) to attack them from afar. They are also useful in helping get a high score, otherwise worthless tower.

Try to kill aliens before they grab your cores, especially if you have a lot of money saved. The amount of interest you get is based on how many cores you have.

Gun Towers are the overall best and most versatile towers in the game. Try using 2-3 maxed out Gun Towers (700 each) instead of a maxed out Cannon (1400 each), Missile (1575 each), Meteor (1750 each), or Concussion (1925 each).

-Lyno
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Elmo
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Elmo »

Good tips Lyno. I have not played far enough to see all the towers you mention. I've had good luck on the early maps with a temporal and one or two inferno towers right at the alien entry point. Slowing them down and flaming them while they are still bunched up works nicely. Agree that it's maxed out gun towers FTW. The game does seem to encourage "combined arms" too so I try to figure the best place to put st least one of each tower at some point. Was not aware of the "interest" concept. Will have to RTFM if there is one.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Grey Fox »

Elmo wrote:Was not aware of the "interest" concept. Will have to RTFM if there is one.
Check out my guide, it's only on the 3 first missions so far and I've gone through the towers and also an explanation of the interest rate.

This is the latest mission guide; http://greyfox.me/2010/05/06/defense-gr ... -research/" target="_blank - it got links to the other chapters in it's index.

Not put much time into it lately but my goal is to make a guide for each mission in the end. And not only on how to beat them, but how to get a good score (as good as I can get anyways).
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Elmo
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Elmo »

Thanks for the link Grey.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

I got Gold on all modes on all existing maps. Bring on the new maps already! Wish Steam would update their DLC at midnight GMT or whatever timezone they're in. Want to play more maps now! Maybe I should try to beat some of Grey Fox's high score :p

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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Tscott »

In every mode? I've only got all golds in the main campaign mode of each map. I've only tinkered with the rest of the modes.

I do see that one of the maps released tomorrow has an achievement for getting golds on all of its modes. Should be an interesting challenge.

Speaking of achievements, has anyone got the Well Invested one? I've tried some longer modes to try and get this, but I've yet to achieve this despite all my hours playing this game.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Tscott wrote:In every mode? I've only got all golds in the main campaign mode of each map. I've only tinkered with the rest of the modes.

I do see that one of the maps released tomorrow has an achievement for getting golds on all of its modes. Should be an interesting challenge.

Speaking of achievements, has anyone got the Well Invested one? I've tried some longer modes to try and get this, but I've yet to achieve this despite all my hours playing this game.
You get the Master Strategist achievement for getting Gold in all game modes for all maps in both the Awakening and Borderlands campaign.

You should be able to get the Well Invested achievement if you try Grinder or Super Grinder mode for some of the larger levels (like Last Stand).

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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Tscott »

Lyno, your score for Overflow is insane!
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

That was my first time playing the map (around noon-ish Wed). I was 3rd at the time and just thought no one else had a chance to play it yet.

Go me! :)

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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Tscott »

BTW, all the DLC packs are out- so if for some reason you were waiting, you can get all four now for 99 cents each- no waiting.

Also, everyone reading this thread probably already owns the game, but if you don't (what are you doing here?) it's on sale at Steam for five bucks. Tell your friends.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Blackhawk »

Tscott wrote:BTW, all the DLC packs are out- so if for some reason you were waiting, you can get all four now for 99 cents each- no waiting.

Also, everyone reading this thread probably already owns the game, but if you don't (what are you doing here?) it's on sale at Steam for five bucks. Tell your friends.
Actually, the expansions are on sale, too - 49 cents each this week. I picked up the game and all four for seven bucks today.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Tscott »

Really? I still see them at $0.99. Oh well, 7 bucks is even better. Enjoy your super deal.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Victoria Raverna »

Blackhawk wrote:
Tscott wrote:BTW, all the DLC packs are out- so if for some reason you were waiting, you can get all four now for 99 cents each- no waiting.

Also, everyone reading this thread probably already owns the game, but if you don't (what are you doing here?) it's on sale at Steam for five bucks. Tell your friends.
Actually, the expansions are on sale, too - 49 cents each this week. I picked up the game and all four for seven bucks today.
Seem like the sale on the map packs was a mistake. They're back at full price.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/s ... ?t=1321992" target="_blank
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Doomboy »

Are people really sitting at their computers bitching online about 50 cents? Have we come to this already?
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Blackhawk »

Doomboy wrote:Are people really sitting at their computers bitching online about 50 cents? Have we come to this already?
Bitching? I just saw me commenting that they were on sale and someone else saying that they'd been taken off sale. I don't think that qualifies as bitching - there wasn't even any mild complaining.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Doomboy »

I guess I saw the first post as more of a bitching than it was. It was late. I guess we aren't there yet.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Tscott »

Last night I found a tried and true strategy to handle Overflow and get me into the low 70,000 pts every time. Still nowhere close to Lyno's 90,000+ pts, but I was able to get the Overflowing achievement (Gold in all challenge modes for that map).

Now I'm only 2 achievements shy of getting them all. Still need the Well Invested (mentioned above) and the Master Strategist one. It could take me a while to get that last one...
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Tscott wrote:Last night I found a tried and true strategy to handle Overflow and get me into the low 70,000 pts every time. Still nowhere close to Lyno's 90,000+ pts, but I was able to get the Overflowing achievement (Gold in all challenge modes for that map).
I used the bottom left two turret areas next to the core. Also blocked off the other core entrance with two gun towers.
Tscott wrote:Now I'm only 2 achievements shy of getting them all. Still need the Well Invested (mentioned above) and the Master Strategist one. It could take me a while to get that last one...
You will easily get Well Invested while getting Master Strategist.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Bakhtosh »

I'm pretty sure I got well invested on my first Grinder.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Grey Fox »

I'm not getting ANY interest on Last Stand - Super Grinder... I am supposed to aren't I?
I wasn't getting any interest at all on another mission too, one of the new ones with two separate cores and entrances/exists.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Grey Fox wrote:I'm not getting ANY interest on Last Stand - Super Grinder... I am supposed to aren't I?
I wasn't getting any interest at all on another mission too, one of the new ones with two separate cores and entrances/exists.
This happened to me once when I backspaced to the beginning. Restarting the level will fix the bug.

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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Grey Fox »

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!! FUCK! :p

My internet went down just before I got this score, which would have given me the 6th position on Last Stand - Super Grinder...
Spoiler:
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Grey Fox wrote:AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh!!!! FUCK! :p

My internet went down just before I got this score, which would have given me the 6th position on Last Stand - Super Grinder...
Spoiler:
Image
Photoshop... :)

Congrats! Maybe Steam will take pity on you and cache the score to be uploaded later? I should go back and redo some of those Awakening campaign map modes...

-Lyno!
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Grey Fox »

Man I missed a digit at the leaderboard, the top scorers have over a billion! With the number one @ 1.8 billion.

Redid the map and got 227,225,392 points getting into the 33rd place.

I tried to milk the last wave but interest stopped ticking at some point.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Blackhawk »

Ok, I'm irritated. I've tried the Onslaught map from the DLC four or five times now. I've got a plan. I've got a system. The problem is, the aliens don't seem to care. I lay out the field, I leave a clear path. Ten get cores. Six follow the clear path. Four head out through the nearest force field. The path is not blocked. I restart and try again. This time I only plop down a few towers and they start ignoring the path.

Whadda hell'sa goin' on?

Here's a shot. I added the entrance/exit markers with my awesome photoshop skills. The dotted line is a clear path, the one most take. In fact, at this point, there are several ways to get to the exit. In the lower left, you'll see the path they're actually taking.

Click for larger image.

Enlarge Image
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Peacedog »

Well, I basically put my "entrance" to the core on that map to the SE (where SE means "the bottom right corner of the screen").

Basically, I had a tower where your entrance to the core is. Let's say the "northern" facing side of core is the "start" (the top most side, slanting upwards going left to right) and the left most tower is position 1. Your core enterance position is #10. My opening is at #7, and I had a tower just below #8 so that the people at the creeps from the southern enterance had to go the long way around.

Two other things you can do are extend "arms" from the central ring, so that creeps have to go all the way to the NW/SE edge of the area (around the holes in the structure). That makes every path fairly long. Additional towers here and there can extend the path until you get the hang of things. IIRC I got a really good score on this map, but one thing I wanted to go back and do is reduce the # of towers I employed to up the score. I'll try to provide a screen shot when I get home. The SE facing arm is probably mandatory, to make the east-entering creeps have to work for a living.

Let me see if I can show an example from home tonight.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Bakhtosh »

I'm pretty sure that creeps are assigned an exit and can't just exit whichever one they want? So by blocking off that exit, you're violating the rules.

My plan was much like yours. The guns around the core are key. That will be your kill zone. I bisected the map into an East side and West side. Those coming in from the north joined with those from the east, then travelled all they way down to the SE before coming up and completely through the core, going all the way to the NW and back to the exit. Those from the South and West followed the same path, from the opposite direction.

This path also means if a creep that just walked on the map picks up a core that was just dropped, the creep has to go through the gauntlet with the core before it can reach its exit.

By the way, if you hit 'T', it will turn on the exit markers, flight paths, and tower ranges. You wouldn't have to photoshop in the arrows.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Peacedog »

Bakhtosh wrote:I'm pretty sure that creeps are assigned an exit and can't just exit whichever one they want? So by blocking off that exit, you're violating the rules.
I didn't notice that, it's definately an issue.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

Bakhtosh wrote:I'm pretty sure that creeps are assigned an exit and can't just exit whichever one they want? So by blocking off that exit, you're violating the rules.
The creeps on that map will take the exit that is directly opposite from their entrance point. I like to watch the creeps enter and leave the map so I know their path, then I will restart the map (via the Backspace key) and build accordingly.

A good strategy for Onslaught is to bisect the map in half with a top to bottom-right and a bottom to top-left row of towers, anchored around the core and the two corners with the hole in their middle. This will force the creeps to walk past each row of towers twice, no matter which entrance/exit they use.

You will need two missile towers to kill the final wave of flyers.

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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by dbt1949 »

I have played hundreds of games and from my experience the "enemy" goes back to where ever they came from. (Assuming they have multiple entry/exit points)
Now I have not tried blocking them from returning to a certain exit after they have gone thru so I don't know about that. I would assume they ignore your blocks like they always do.
This is just my own observation and nothing concrete or anything.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Zaxxon »

Finally beat all you hosers on a level! Containment from the Awakening series--78761.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by dbt1949 »

I'll have to play that one tomorrow? :wink:
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Zaxxon »

Woo--Waste Disposal. 67098, besting the next best of you by 2,300 pts. Bring it on, folks!
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by GreenGoo »

Zaxxon wrote:Woo--Waste Disposal. 67098, besting the next best of you by 2,300 pts. Bring it on, folks!
I just can't bring myself to wait to max out interest. I'm not cut out for this game it seems.

Fun though.
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by Lyno »

GreenGoo wrote:
Zaxxon wrote:Woo--Waste Disposal. 67098, besting the next best of you by 2,300 pts. Bring it on, folks!
I just can't bring myself to wait to max out interest. I'm not cut out for this game it seems.

Fun though.
Try the 10 Tower challenges, that will teach you to be parsimonious with your money. It will also teach you how to maximize your towers as well.

-Lyno
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Re: Defense Grid - The Awakening

Post by theohall »

Finally picked this up recently and several of you have made it really hard to earn gold medals. ;)
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