bob_doe_nz on 8/7/2010 at 04:50
So, what are your tips for getting through this one? (with spoilers)
Xorak on 8/7/2010 at 06:22
I only managed to get to 26 minutes my first time through, but it's getting a little difficult to get past that mark.
Here's the strategy I employed so far:
I used only fire archers. I feel they give the best bang for the buck.
I'm not sure what is better - deploying only what is needed and stockpiling the rest for when the enemies start to come in massive numbers, or deploying them as soon as you get them and swarm the enemy. The swarm seems the better tactic, although I'm not sure if the good guys can hurt each other.
I try and keep two archers down below, and the rest on the ledges.
The speed with which the gold is collected is also essential I think, because the longer you delay the worse off you are. The goal is to stay a couple steps ahead of the enemies, because the second you fall behind it's pretty much over.
elkston on 8/7/2010 at 07:15
I wish the Hammer guards wouldn't be so eager to run out after the zombies. I'd prefer them to stay in a set defense perimeter and not leave it. When they venture out they almost always get overwhelmed and sometimes "turned" into zombies.
Fun mission concept, though. I could never get into RTS because they were too hectic for me. This is slightly more fun cause it's Thief though.
I'm still trying to beat it on Normal.
P.S. -
It's too bad we can't go out past the front gate because a TON of gold & silver has been dropped out there. It would also be very cool if there were some static treasure caches in the buildings out in the courtyard. That way you could balance the reward of getting a lot of quick cash with the risk of going out alone and leaving the fort without a commander.
Xorak on 8/7/2010 at 07:39
I replayed this using just the fire archers, and I don't think they are nearly as good as the fire mages. I guess the fire mages are the best to use.
I think off the top, it is best to kill the enemies yourself, and have no other helpers down in the bottom portion, instead position the mages on the walls. That way all dropped loot is reachable. Later, as the enemies come faster, start putting mages in the bottom portion because they usually don't have time to run out of the 'killing-floor' area.
I got up to 28 minutes on Nightmare on my third try. I feel 30 minutes is the goal, but I just cannot reach it.
This actually reminds me of the old X-wing and Tie-Fighter games, where you have to hold off waves of enemies for an equally long time while your allies dock and escape. Nothing more frustrating than dying right as the last ship speeds off into hyperspace.
Dark_Garrett on 8/7/2010 at 08:11
Beat it on normal, but have had a time on expert. I've made it to the 33 min mark, but thats it.
With all of my quicksaving and loading i've played over an hour. I keep having to go back a minute or two and get more loot to build my army back up. However around 33 mins. a massive hoard hits and I keep losing. My tactic is to keep two fire mages and several hammers below. One mage can kill several zombies at a time so two usually keeps the hoards at bay, the hammers are a good help til they run off and die. I try to keep three or four fire archers on top. They kill whats on top and help out below. A few swordsmen on top to clean up the mess and thats pretty much it. While they take care of business, I run franticly grabbing loot. As mentioned before... if only we could get to the courtyard! All that Loot!
Xorak on 8/7/2010 at 09:04
Finished nightmare with 15 mages to spare. :p
Gotg some pretty choppy gameplay, it got to the point I couldn't even see anything anymore except explosions.
I couldn't give up on it. I needed to finish it
Lady Taffer on 8/7/2010 at 10:45
WOW, that was fun! :D . . of course, once I finally figured out how to use the soldiers and mages and stuff that I'd bought. durrr. . :sweat:
Of course, I was playing on the easiest level, but I found that the best strategy for me was to have two mages down on the ground at all times and at least two archers on either rampart at all times. The best thing I did was not to fight so much or spend money on arrows or equipment for myself, but to rush around picking up loot and spending it on soldiers to do my dirty work for me. :sly:
I may just play it on the harder levels soon!
Ottoj55 on 8/7/2010 at 12:23
i thought this was really innovative. i could see mini game missions taking off in popularity after this.
Random_Taffer on 8/7/2010 at 13:05
To start off, I generally buy a mage, a firebowman, and a swordsman. I place the mage at the big window overlooking the trench inside the gatehouse. I place the firebowman on either side of the trench and I save the swordsman for later.
Usually the first couple things I buy after collecting a bit of gold is a health potion and a quiver of arrows. I generally save the arrows for Runners. They’re the only AI with speech like an apparition so you usually get a fair warning when one is on the way. It only takes two arrows to take a Runner down.
Then, once I have enough money, I usually either buy another mage to place next to the first or another firebowman to put on the other side to even it out.
I keep the swordsman in my inventory for emergencies, and as I come to get extra gold as the mission progresses, I’ll buy more slowly. By the end I might have several of them. Their role in my strategy is for when the hordes get uncomfortably close to the gatehouse arch. Another clever spot to put one is in the ladder room beneath the gatehouse facing the tunnel. This way, he won’t come out unless something walks by. Unfortunately he is NOT generally quick enough to catch a Runner going by, but that’s what the mines are for.
Mages are veritable zombie killing machines but have the lowest health and will catch the plague in 1-2 zombie scratches. Their spell splash has a radius of 12 units and generally kills tier 1 zombies in 1 shot. Get 3-4 of them up on the walls and you can hold off about anything. Just be sure they’re well protected with archers and swordsmen. Once one ally turns and attacks another, the whole side can quickly turn as well. about anything. Just be sure they’re well protected with archers and swordsmen. Once one ally turns and attacks another, the whole side can quickly turn as well.
Unit Stats:
It might also be helpful to know the stats of all the units too.
Swordsmen: Average attack. Melee is much stronger than a zombie’s attacks, but about on par with haunts. However, they’re sped up to .75 time warp so they are faster than haunts and can cut through an entire horde with relative ease unless they’re surrounded.
Higher than average defense, they can take a bit of a beating and come out on top
Hammerite:
Strongest melee attack in the game, but a little slower than a swordsman. They can take a lot of damage.
They have the most hitpoints in the game, but due to their slow attack speed, zombies can quickly surround them and take them down faster than you’d walls rather than below since zombies come out relatively single-file up there
Bowman:
Typically 2-3 arrows takes down a single zombie and if there are 3-4 bowman together, they can quickly dispatch a coming horde.
Lower hit points than a swordsman. They can’t take as much physical punishment, but have decent attack if there is more than one of them.
Firebowman:
They fire both regular broadhead arrows and, more often, fire arrows. The fire arrows that they fire do about twice as much damage as the fire arrows in regular Thief, but still have the same splash spread of around 6 units.
They have about half the hit points that a regular Bowman has and can not take as much punishment but can withstand more damage than a mage with no armor
Mages:
Best attack of all units. Their fire stim spreads out over a radius of 12 and can 1 shot tier 1 zombies and runners
They also have the lowest health and can turn in 1-2 zombie slashes.
I hope that helps any frustrated players out there.
Thanks for playing and commenting!
Edit: this phone doesn't like copy/paste
CMD on 8/7/2010 at 13:13
My time at Nightmare was around 20-25 min (didnt checked it but it felt so) but then always the Zombies overrun me because of the bugs (Mages fall down, somehow a zombie got deathstage 12 :eww: and mines keep exploding when I place them).
Nice mission anyway, I will try to win somehow (playing archer with 40 firearrows supportet by 10 firearchers and some mages makes fun ^^)and as soon as some strategy works I will tell ;)
CMD
edit: @ Random: Wil the be improvements to this version? like fences so people don´t drop down or something