Stuck on Level 16, Containment II (first Deep Space level)

[Srikandi]

Hi, folks Title says it all. Haven't had any problems up to now, but I've started Level 16 a bunch of times now, trying different approaches, and always wind up getting swamped very early on... when another empire swamps my starting planet with about 100 seedlings. Any hints?

Edit: forgot to say, thanks for an extremely engaging game!

[Terrial]

well i managed to find a strategy that works.  First, use one flower to make ONE enhanced defence tree, and then use all of your seeders to make new dyson trees.  when the first wave of attackers comes in and tries to take the asteroid between your first two, strike with ALL of your seeders and laser mine (the laser mine should be sent exactly when the enemy force first strikes in oder to coordinate teh attack properly) immediately after they break into the core, if you've waited until the core strength is down to 100, you're too late.  Once you've taken the middle asteroid, send your remaining flowers to make more laser mines.  The lower left asteroid will eventully attack your original right side asteroid, this is where you should have sent all of your laser mines (by now you should have around 3 or 4).  Send all of your seeders at this point to help defend.  After you beat this wave send all available seeders to the lower left asteroid, take it, and then plant all dyson trees.  From here on out, there are no more huge waves and you should be able to complete the level.

(Unfotunately I was only 2 asteroids away from victory with a 400 seeder army and 9 laser mines when my game crashed...  Oh well, there's always tomorrow to try again...)

[Vanger]

I have another tactics.

Use seeds on left starting asteroids fully to plant defence trees. Why?
1) They are so slow that only 8-10 from 30 make it to the right asteroid
2) Enemy attacks this asteroid even later then your right one, so trees have enough time to mature

On the right asteroid instantly plant a flower on a defence tree, then immediately plant another defence tree and plant a flower on it.
And then wait.

Wait till the enemy comes for the central asteroid.
It will be overwhelmed, and the same moment enemy seedlings destroy one of it's trees, send all your seedlings on that asteroid and both your mines.

Your seedlings have much more energy, so they'll capture the asteroid and about 8-12 of them is left. As enemy's reinforcements are on their way, that's when mines come into play.
Ok, three central asteroids are under your control. I usually expand to lower right.

Precise timing is critical.
Too early - 90+ enemy and defence trees will smack you
Too late - 30+ enemy and defence trees will smack you

[Srikandi]

Thanks for the replies I actually worked out a method before I saw these. I abandoned the left starting asteroid and sent my seedlings to the right one, planted more defense trees there and used my flowers to make mines, and started on colonizing the asteroids to the right while I waited for the big attack. When it came I brought all my seedlings back and between that and the mines, I was able to decimate the enemy. After beefing up my numbers from the colonies to the right, I was able to take out the middle asteroid, and it was smooth sailing after that.

[Rudolf]

Glad you got there, was it ever frustrating or did you wish there were more of these moments in the game?

[Rampancy]

Glad you got there, was it ever frustrating or did you wish there were more of these moments in the game?

Sorry for necroing this thread, but I find levels like this extremely frustrating. I'm in the process of finding which memory-editing tools I have that will allow me to cheat past this level. Swarms of 100+ bugs are the domain of the player, not the AI.

EDIT: Drat, none of them work. Oh well, uninstalling.

[Rudolf]

Or, you could just unlock the next levels?
:-)

You can unlock all content of the game without any penalties, and even relock it afterwards.
That should sort out your problem!

[Rampancy]

Or, you could just unlock the next levels?
:-)

Strawman. The issue isn't about being able to bypass a mission. The issue is about completing it. Eventually I was capable of beating the mission in question, but victory was based near-exclusively on the 6 shooty-flower-things my trees spawned moments into the game.

[Rudolf]

I specifically reacted to this comment you made:

I'm in the process of finding which memory-editing tools I have that will allow me to cheat past this level

Since you were looking for a complicated way to cheat past this level I thought it appropriate to point out a simpler way.