No research run

[rdbury]

I normally play campaign, but I decided to give survival a try and did a run with easiest possible (2%) settings. To keep things interesting I avoided using anything that requires research; basically I was trying to recreate the simplified type mission you get at the start of the campaign. (No markets or warehouses either, in case that's not implied.) I was thinking it would still be pretty easy, a nice, relaxing playthrough, but it was still a challenge, to me anyway.

No farms, so limited food and limited population. My max. population was just over 1000. You might be able to scrounge hunter cabin locations to raise it to the 1200 needed for the final mayor, but I didn't try that. With limited population there's a limit to how many units your can recruit. A ranger actually uses 2 food since there are two colonists for each worker; a solder uses 3 food so you need to consider that before spamming soldiers the whole time. You're limited to rangers and soldiers which makes the final wave interesting. And of course you're limited to wood barriers and towers.

I did allow myself to use mayor gifts though; I wanted it to be challenging, not impossible. So depending on what you get you could have a very different experience each time. I got wire trap technology and I think it was a huge help. The only place where the infected broke through the wall in the final wave was where I didn't have the traps in place.

Anyway, it would probably be doable on harder difficulty. The 150 day setting was very long and there were long stretches where there was nothing to do but watch the colonists wander around. (Ever notice that the female colonists all have red hair which they wear in a braid on one shoulder?) With a more skillful defensive setup you could probably increase the infected population as well.

I thought it would be worth mentioning as a different kind of challenge, other than just decreasing the time or increasing the infected population. I imagine you could do different runs for each technology level: none, wood workshop only, wood workshop and foundry only, etc. I think it would a good job of imitating the progression of the campaign, though 150 days is very, very long compared to the first few campaign missions.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Yeesh, I've done a lot of crazy crap (had nothing better to do besides git gud before the campaign came out), but campaign-start-buildings/units only is a whole new level of masochism.

[QWEEDDY2]

Yep. Good termin. Challanges become masochism at some point. Although survival better for it than campaign (obvious differences in available Tier 1 techs)

What i can add to the OP story. Im did play easiest difficulty as kind of Tutorial (i still hate first map RMG generation). I even lose once! At prefinale wave, my mistake mostly underestimate it send troop to chase instead of defend take look only at one side (almost no walls but Wasps)(no such challanges).
Final wave is still danger at those difficulty. While whole map all days there is no treat.

[MyUrp1]

I can't imagine this is winnable without traps of some kind. I'm sure the wire fencing completely saved you (btw, I'm surprised you were allowed to build the fence without the foundry). Wooden stakes would make a huge difference in a challenge like this; spamming the map with them would give you a good shot at victory at much higher difficulty levels.

Maybe as an alternate challenge allow only researching wasps?

[Dslim]

I dont understand this game play, is doing 800%-900% maps boring for you already? If you havent even beaten those then what is the point of this. Because there is challenge to take on already.

[MyUrp1]

Yes, lots of players are so good that 800% / 900% maps are easy for them. Go watch Kensei some time.

Mediocre players like me also like some variety besides getting constantly killed on 800% / 900% (I can win fairly easily on everything else)

[rdbury]

Originally posted by Dslim:

I dont understand this game play, is doing 800%-900% maps boring for you already? If you havent even beaten those then what is the point of this. Because there is challenge to take on already.

Actually I'm still learning the game and in the process of doing campaign on Easy. But I wanted to start playing Survival more because that seems to be what most people do and I realized I still wasn't even familiar with a lot of the mechanics, like choosing the mission length and infected population. And I always like to give myself a little extra challenge, and being creative about makes it more interesting.

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Originally posted by Dslim:

I dont understand this game play, is doing 800%-900% maps boring for you already? If you havent even beaten those then what is the point of this. Because there is challenge to take on already.

The game (minus the campaign) has been out for over half a decade. It should come as no surprise that some people are good, whether from innate skill or practice.

My main issue with survival, even on 80 days/max pop (410-900% depending on map) is that it's too static. There are a very limited number of building, clearing, and defense strategies that are viable when you have access to everything. Additionally, you'll always know which ones you'll pursue by the time you've cleared a quarter of the map.

The restrictions that come from the campaign's tech tree guarantee you'll have to spend the majority of it optimizing sub-optimal strategies and planning past the end of the current game, to boot. Granted, the tech tree has its own issues (soldiers get more boosts than any other troop type, despite already being the best choice for general use, several unlocks and boosts are too expensive for what they provide....looking at you stakes/barbed wire, so and so forth), but 800% campaign is far more entertaining than 800% survival. Yes, even the cancer that is lowlands/noxious swamp.

[R2R *TV*]

On easy difficulty, you will never know all the mechanics of this masterpiece, in order to delve into everything thoroughly, you will have to learn at least 800% in the campaign right away, then you will learn zen and it may even be interesting, I myself went through the campaign more than 30 times by 800% with different challenges and honestly it was great, could never get so much fun out of survival mode

[QWEEDDY2]

^
... including rangers only campaign challenge.

[MyUrp1]

The tech tree element of the campaign is admittedly an added challenge which can be fun, but I can't get past the endless kiting of the hero missions and the soldierball pointless tactical missions, on top of how badly designed so many of the standard missions are.

Self-imposing tech restrictions in Survival has given me thousands of hours of entertainment, and I can't see any reason to go back to the campaign.

But getting back to the OP, if you're new to the game, you're probably better off increasing the difficulty level rather than trying to win as a beginner with just rangers.

[AtlasXar]

Originally posted by MyUrp1:

The tech tree element of the campaign is admittedly an added challenge which can be fun, but I can't get past the endless kiting of the hero missions and the soldierball pointless tactical missions, on top of how badly designed so many of the standard missions are.

Self-imposing tech restrictions in Survival has given me thousands of hours of entertainment, and I can't see any reason to go back to the campaign.

But getting back to the OP, if you're new to the game, you're probably better off increasing the difficulty level rather than trying to win as a beginner with just rangers.

My biggest issue with the hero missions was trying to find all the hidden props. The first few are fun and then the last one that takes 20 minutes to find is just annoying imo

[Commisar Jon Fuklaw]

Originally posted by ShadowFox:

My biggest issue with the hero missions was trying to find all the hidden props. The first few are fun and then the last one that takes 20 minutes to find is just annoying imo

Now try to imagine how bad it was before they added the periodic flashing for interactable elements in hero mission.

[QWEEDDY2]

My biggest issue with the hero missions was trying to find all the hidden props. The first few are fun and then the last one that takes 20 minutes to find is just annoying imo

One of game issues. Game lie they are optional. Research Points required all to get 10k maximum. Its not like there is many choses there. Youbdecide get all tech or chose to pass some to get some camlaign mode unique upgrade or unit specific improvements.
Without maximum you not get all and not get anything specific.
10k barely enough for all tech+train before last mission.

Almost same for Empire Points. Technically not same important as Research and few can be skipped, they still nit entirely optional. They are MAIN source for points (res.+emp) and so for your "smashing" defending army.

[QWEEDDY2]

By the way. It is another issue. For many ppl. But not for everyone. It is Plot not gameplay related. Attacking hordes missions (on some path area of continent) is defending.

But that Hordes mostly chill missions between exhausted RTS and Heroes. In perfect they should make maps like from Workshop where we attack some large VOD but less resources than in Workshop custom maps.
Some Horde are hard. And back to Points. You need EVERY Empire for the first hero missions cause of first Horde missions. Most below one is much easier. Second one there again much easier. You need them before going on middle and upper path.
Even 100 addition points make upper mission easier. Even kite-maneuver not enough.

There is rabdom elements in campaign for map generation (minor). There is 3 waves difficulty seeds from easier to harder not related to difficulty setting (TAB sub-reddit have more info).

And ofc waves direction are random but they stay same for retries made next to fail. Looks like they stay. Difficulty SEED also stay same. Save+reload or anotger mission try change it.