One of the most difficult games ever published!

[Klangschale_im_Rausch]

Could it be that this ist almost the most difficult game that has ever been released?!? Although I played it through the story, it is simply not possible to achieve alle achievements as some levels are that difficult - it would be easier to heal some kinds of cancer than being successful in some levels ... however - this is one of the best games I ever played (without the broken achievements)

[pdanoe]

Probably difficult to fill out *all* boxes. But getting through the story mode hardly requires more than knowing the guntower IMO

[PixLab]

I did unlocked ALL achievements, lots of fun, but I sometime I needed to rethink my strategy.
Thus, parts that you might find difficult need a complete different strategy, I did made few videos on youtube to unlock some achievements, I also recommend a channel (don't recall the name right now) where the guy make all walking through so seeing other people strategy can truly help

[Klangschale_im_Rausch]

Okay, thank you guys :-) I will try it on my own as looking for others strategies feels a little bit like cheating ... ;-) I think patience is required to be successful. And: The achievements in DEFENSE GRID 2 are much easier to get ... I will go on trying

[hanbaoluo]

@Klangschale_im_Rausch

I hear you – Defense Grid can feel very challenging. But that is exactly what makes it so rewarding. As Jeff Pobst explained in a Hidden Path interview[truepcgaming.wordpress.com], what looks like frustration with the game mechanics often turns out to be self‑challenge, not broken controls:

We looked at each other and said “let’s end this test, they’re not having a good time, we can go back to the game and make changes”, and so we went to the other room to tell them, “don’t worry, it’s an early build of the game, thanks so much for your time”, and they said “please don’t stop me, I’m not done, I need to try that level again, please let me play” – and we were stunned.

What we learned was that the frustration we were witnessing wasn’t frustration with the controls or the game mechanic, but rather the player being frustrated with themselves, and believing that if they got another shot, they knew exactly what they wanted to try next. It was a really interesting perspective on what fun was for a lot of people.

That drive to overcome your own limits is what keeps you hooked.

If you’d like some extra tips, these community guides are fantastic:

• Tips for higher scores by salmusco and others[web.archive.org]
  
• Some wisdom for this game by pdanoe[i.imgur.com]
  
• Advanced tactics for Defense Grid by pdanoe

And if you’re wondering what “Achievements with Advanced Mission” entails, check out this explanation: Achievements with Advanced Mission

[tardsuicide]

This game is not properly maintained.

[Klangschale_im_Rausch]

It is really sad - the game does have much more potential if (!) the massive balance issued would have been fixed. So it remains feeling like a early access game and has never been finished yet unfortunately :-(

[PixLab]

Originally posted by Klangschale_im_Rausch:

It is really sad - the game does have much more potential if (!) the massive balance issued would have been fixed. So it remains feeling like a early access game and has never been finished yet unfortunately :-(

I don't agree, while it can be a bit challenging, it is a quite well balanced game
If you try "Defense Zone 3" you will understand what is an unbalanced game and you will see how easy is "Defense Grid: The Awakening" compared to it, I cannot finish DZ3 in "easy mode" at map 25 or 26 (the last 2 maps). and I don't even speak about having "perfect scores" in DZ3, it is stupidly way too hard that does not make any sense.

Oh and you need to "pause" the game to upgrade or place your towers after level 8-10 or you're dead...

[Klangschale_im_Rausch]

Okay, so DZ3 is fully buggy - I experienced that too many times too in many other games.

Unfortunately DG has definitively some broken levels which are only playable with credit hacks or something like that. The map "Stadtplanung" (german) in which there are 2 lanes and ofe of it does not have ANY break in releasing aliens, and on the 2nd lane at the same time you need to build double the amount of towers or upgrades - but the credits are not enough. So, is there any way to get the really required amount of credits to build all the towers and upgrades so I am not overrun in the 5th wave? Unfortunately many games are only playable with cheat hacks which is really sad - games of earlier days did not have these limitations, they all have been playable without any hack. But okay, times changed, and this is the way the gaming industry runs today :-)

You should think of requesting a payback for DZ3 if the game is that broken ...

[Colin]

This is the only game where I've been able to get all the achievements. It took me a while, though. I absolutely love this game and play it daily. There are so many different ways to complete the maps and the fact that leader boards are still maintained is great. However, I couldn't get on with DG2 at all.

[pdanoe]

Agreed. Urban Planning is one hard beast. I get the impression, that it goes for most maps in "resurgence" map pack, that the map constructors tried to put into the maps some bad surprises, which you will only survive with some decent amount of thought. Urban Planning is on my list of worst maps, however it is possible to win the map still.
Here is a sample play. Now I would build my lower setup closer to cores, but that is my taste. It would give more points. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LcpaUgiHxUg

Originally posted by Klangschale_im_Rausch:

The map "Stadtplanung" (german) in which there are 2 lanes and ofe of it does not have ANY break in releasing aliens, and on the 2nd lane at the same time you need to build double the amount of towers or upgrades - but the credits are not enough. So, is there any way to get the really required amount of credits to build all the towers and upgrades so I am not overrun in the 5th wave?

[pdanoe]

And here is a screenshot to soothe your pain. Place the first cannon like this, in a double-duty spot. The cannon will fire at aliens crossing the bridge, and it will fire at the aliens when they approach the cores.
Double duty locations are usually worth their salt. And oh, there is a good spot in this map for a single red command, which will target both upper level and lower level. You might be able to figure out that spot based on my description, but I will further hint that it is on the far end of the 2*2 platform close to the cores. Good luck, if you decide to try again.
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3487551592

[Klangschale_im_Rausch]

Originally posted by Colin:

This is the only game where I've been able to get all the achievements. It took me a while, though. I absolutely love this game and play it daily. There are so many different ways to complete the maps and the fact that leader boards are still maintained is great. However, I couldn't get on with DG2 at all.

Wow, so you are the best guy in this world! Compared to reaching all goals in this game it is easyer to build a space ship, become an astronaut and heal the world frum hunger. Todays computer games are that difficult to play - I always wonder about the dev's motivation to make almost all games fully unplayable due to that massive balance issues... and they do not release any official cheat hacks so that a player is able to continue ... I cannot find any words for this :-(