What are some good general strategies to get past the moon levels in Revenge of the Titans?

Question

I can't get further than the moon levels in Revenge of the Titans. I don't seem to be able to end each game with enough money to purchase more than the basic weapons and upgrades. Does anybody have any good general strategies for this game?

Answer 1

there is a nice little tips guide over here. Also, it's worth noting that if you mine all crystals before the enemy spawning progress bar on the right runs out, you get a bonus $500. And don't be afraid to use a powerup now and then, berserk on the big guys can really make all the difference.

Answer 2

One thing that I didn't realize was that the money used in-game, used to research, and the money you start a mission with was all the same pool - I don't know why I didn't make the connection, but realizing that helped me a ton.

Anyways, some bullet points, I just recently started the game myself so there's a lot of fundamentals - I hope it's not too patronizing.

• You get money back for buildings still around after the mission, so I build the better guns because having fewer guns with the same amount of firepower in most cases is easier to keep them alive. Also easier to pack together around power-up buildings.
• Destroyed buildings are lost cash after the mission is over. For a while I didn't know why my money was going down even though I didn't research.
• Keep out of the Titans' general walking path (usually roads) to get attacked less, and mine everything you can because that money caries over to the next missions. I prefer to build things that I end up not needing and getting refunded over not getting all the money I can from the mission because of fear of over-mining.
• Use high quality barriers to block them from attacking your buildings, but don't block their path unless you need to, and be clean about placement because there's a limit to how many you can have at one time.
• In order to make sure you have a good early foundation to buy those good buildings, giving you a critical level of power from the start that the enemy can't break, skip researching if you're going to start with too little money. The game will usually warn you about those things before a boss level.
• For the Moon/Mars, get the blast cannons, use the blast cannons, as early as possible.
• Up to 4 of the same power-up buildings can stack their effects an any given building, so if you need to, build a few in the same area.
• If you have half a second of extra idle time, harvest those refineries early and reload turrets that aren't in an area with too much action, even if it's not really too low on ammo.

Answer 3

The baddies don't start coming until after you build your refineries. This allows you to carefully place your first few turrets (or some expensive gun power ups) before the titans start moving. Don't spend too much cash on research if you want to maximize this advantage.

On the other hand, getting too far behind in research is bad for your campaign in the long run, so don't underspend on research either.

Answer 4

If you are having trouble with the campaign, try playing "Endless" mode for a while. It's fun and it seems easier to advance along the tech tree. I was stuck on the Moon and kept restarting the campaign, but when I started playing in Endless mode I made it all the way up the tech tree without much trouble.

Answer 5

The number one tip I've found is to HOLD THE LEFT MOUSE BUTTON DOWN. Seriously. I try to build my refineries in a circle, so whenever I have a few seconds to spare, I hold the button down and swirl over them, again and again. You can also reload towers without having to lift your finger.

I have also found that scanners are your turrets' best friends. I'll throw up a half dozen plus a bunch of cheap guns to clear out the weaker enemies at long range, then, when I've gotten some more cash, I'll drop some heavier guns in to take out the big boys to have pushed closer in.

Finally, I found a tech tree that someone made up.

Have fun!!

Answer 6

This is exactly my problem as well. I started from scratch two times now trying to earn/safe every bit of money but it is not enough for advanced research. At some point most enemies are heavily armored and you need the expensive guns to damage them at all. At this point it is hard to research anything anymore.

In general you should try to built the right number of refineries to mine all minerals when the last enemies are defeated. Additionally some cheap concrete barriers help your towers to survive longer as some enemies are actively searching and attacking them even if they are not in their path. You can also try to exploit the fact that the towers can be sold for their full cost up to 10 seconds after they were built.

Answer 7

There is almost nothing to add to guys answers except: use short-keys while harvesting, and building. it will save your expensive time. In the critical moment it is important to build fast.

Another trick is to right click on building, when you want to build the same one.

Answer 8

I've been playing with almost the opposite opinion - I get as many refineries down as quickly as I can at the start, starting with the most vulnerable areas first later on.

My cash builds up quickly, and with occasional use of the 20% cash booster, I can turn grouped crystals into a huge, fast influx of cash. I try and sell buildings that are in danger, but especially in the later levels, are a crucial time buffer for building up my defenses. I make heavy use of the shotgun and high-powered turrets, the disruptor, and am fairly certain things would be working out better if I would have gone for the Missile turret rather than the laser. Laser's are just so cool though.

Most missions go incredibly well - I'm only having real trouble on the last few missions of Titan. I've never run out of money though... I actually had no idea a shared cashpool was even a part of the game. I always research, every turn, without fail, and if I had a better idea of what was effective or not, I'd probably be better off.

Starting my third playthrough with that in mind.

Answer 9

It's worth noting that the entire game is procedurally generated. The level difficulty is a product of how much cash you have and the technologies you have researched. Therefore, you'll get an easier level with less money. Horses for courses :)

Edit: Oh, the newest version of the game doesn't require money to purchase technology. But still, the statement still stands!