I have been playing Robo Defense (2009) a lot lately, but I can't really get beyond level 2 because I haven't yet found an opening strategy that would work effectively. Can you recommend any good opening strategies?
13 Answers
Long Paths
Instead of running straight towards the exit have them run back and forth between your guns. This means that in the beginning you should favor "many guns" over "good guns" until you have at least some parcour for them to cross.
Strong Points
Check the ranges of your cannons. Those that encompass the largest area on your pathway should receive the first and the most upgrades.
But don't focus on just one such strong point. Have at least two with sufficient distance so that unit which slip through the first by moving in the shadow of larger units can be addressed later in their journey.
Good Combinations
Cannons with splash or area damage should be placed where many enemies will be at together. This means either at the beginning where the herd is still large or at places where units are slowed down and thus closer together.
Anti Air
Always consider that you need some anti air defence later on. Don't rely on a strong frontline. It's better to have them under fire the whole way.
my basic strategy is 2 or 3 guns (the blue ones) that force the enemy up. Then add a rocket or two up. Use more guns to force them back down to the middle, and then put some rockets in the middle to counter the eventual air ones, then I'll throw a slow one behind the rockets to help them out.
so... let's see if this works... W=wall, S=Start, G= Gun, R=Rocket, S=Slow
W G
W R G
W G R
S G RS
WG R
W
W
I use this:
W G G
W S G S G S
W R R R R R
W R R R R R
W R R R R R
B S R S R S
W R R R R R R
W R R R R R
W S G G
W G G
W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W W
W
W
W
No coming out of this with properly upgraded towers. not even in level 100 M=Air missile
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
RRR RRR
RRR RRR RRR RRR RRR
RRR RRR RRR RRR RRR
MMM MMM MMM MMM MMM
e MMM MMM MMM MMM MMM
RRRMMM MMM MMM MMM MMM
RRRRRR RRR RRR RRR RRR
RRRRRR RRR RRR RRR RRR
RRR RRR RRR RRR RRR
RRR RRR RRR
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I usually build a long maze. The principles are as follows:
All towers form one long vertical maze (picture below)
Horizontal middle line is designed to be for killing planes
- Early in the level, rocket launchers (not upgraded) are placed in 3 middle rows - within the overall maze plan
- Every second column central tower is slow tower
- When you are weak, you may need to first upgrade to anti-aircraft guns instead of going rocket=>AA launcher.
- Later in the levels, upgrade rockets to anti-aircraft
- As soon as you can afford the teleport upgrade, somewhere around wave 15, make sure to buy at least one and place near the exit to catch planes.
- By wave 60, I have ~6-7 teleport towers in the row for the planes near the exit.
Slow towers every 3 towers in the maze
Upgrade things starting with middle 3 rows, again to kill planes better.
Here's my starting map:
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
W G G W
W S G S G W
W G G G G W
W G G G G W
W G R R R etc... W
S R S R S T
WG R R R R W
W G G G G W
W GG G S G W
W G G W
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
Note: you build the maze from start to finish, until the third column. (Caveat: After that, you may build little bulwarks around middle row, to lead all not-yet-killed things to the middle-row teleports - see the order 22-26 and 30-35).
Here's an order of building things when I'm on level 250 or so (you may need to use less Rockets initially on lower levels when you have less upgrades)
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
W 7 28 W
W 6 8 27 W
W 5 9 26 W
W 4 10 24 W
W 3 11 22 23 W
2 12 21 34 T(25)
W1 13 20 29 R W
W 14 19 35 31 W
W1516 18 32 W
W 17 33 W
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I put the first gun towers in a line, separated to the maximum distance where every enemy can be hit at all points. As the game goes on, I turn this into a path that weaves back and forth across the map. The further you make them travel the more damage you can do to them. Using this way I've gotten to round 100 on level 9.
Also, put in lots of upgraded rocket launchers and upgraded freeze towers.
W R
W R S
W G R
S G G R A
WGS R S
W G R A
W F*SG
W
WGGGR^
(F* upgrade once the second column is done typically, and add a second set of RSR/AAs same position)
WRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
WR GR GR
WR GR AR AR AR
B AR AR AM AR
WGAGS AR AR AR
W GR GR
W RRRRRGR GR
W GR
WWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I do this basic template from one side to the other. And I usually try to keep slow towers along the aircraft route. And as the level increases, I switch out some of the gun for flame and I keep a few mines towards the exit. Sometimes I'll take a row of rockets at the start and make them into artillery. Then I sell everything once I get to 98/99/100 lvls for that boost in final score.
many rockets initially, eventually no guns, they will be changed to either inferno towers or rockets. at the end I have lots of tp-towers
I found this initial layout to be best:
+----------
| R
| R
| F R
| R R
|S R R
R S
|MM R
| R
| FRR
|
+----------
M = machine gun
S = slow tower
F = fire tower
R = rocket tower
This gets the enemies walking past the maximum number of towers at the start for the minimum money.
After that, it's just marching up and down and up and down. I try to put a couple of artillery near the center of the maze, maybe a little to the right so they don't waste their shots on small fry at the start.
Advanced: I often create a corridor along the top that bypasses everything, but close it off at the end. If it looks like any enemies are going to make it all the way through the maze, I quickly unblock the corridor and then block the end of the maze. This forces them to all make a U-turn and go through the maze again.
Maybe my strategy is a bit simple but I use a complex maze system leaving the waves set upon by no less then 2 sides at once. At least until I get really good sets of bonus upgrades. My pattern is as follows.
m m m
m m m m m
m m m m m
m r r r A
E m s s s s
mm r r r A
m m m m
m m m m
m m a m m
m a a m
That is kind of the jist...At the very end I would have a column of anti air and slow's.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww w=wall
w w m=machinegun
w w
w w this is my grundway with no upgradet
wm w machine guns
m
w m mmmmmmmmmm w
w m m w
w mmmmmmmmmm m w
w m w
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
then delet/add other thowers to finally
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww w=wall
w w s=slow/brakingtower
w w r=rocketlauncher
wmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm w a=artillery/mortar
wsrsfsfsfsfsfsfsf w f=antiaircraft gun
a ttttttttt m=ground-air-missle
w r rararararar w t=teleport
w a s w
w rsrarararar r w step by step all upgrade
w s w
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
First of all, click REWARD POINTS and upgrade everything to level 2. Then play again. Then download the paid version of the game. Then play for a month until most levels are nicely above 30, you play above level 200 and try SURVIVAL MODE, where that last level is 1000-100!
After that you can have fun with the TOWER MIX. The best one is 00011, but I just found Rocket Heaven!! 58730 > Rockets are expensive: 38, 57 and 96 for upgrades with GIGANTIC range (like 80% of the field). It's not raining rockets, it's a complete downpoor! A toiletflush! Turrets are as cheap as bricks to build a maze and the Slowtowers are 15, 15, 15 and work well.