From my experience, it seems that the major module strategy from the first few levels (1 and 2) makes a significant impact on how the rest of the game is played. Therefore, I am curious as to which strategies are the most popular and have been found to be the most effective.



I personally go with a food and industry strategy for the first 2 levels in hopes to level up my heros, recruit an additional hero, and build defense+, attack+, and weapons modules to defend choke points. Also, I want to get extra food and industry to carry over to other levels so I can get a quick start. I don't even start building any science modules until the 3rd-4th levels. I have been pretty successful with this strategy, though I have recently died a few times using it. Right now I have beaten the game twice on 0.2.0 and once with 0.3.5. I know there is still a lot of luck associated with the game, but I am just curious with which strategy works best. What modules do you guys build for your first few levels?

Hard to say what I shall pick.

For me it is usually something like that:

Ind=>Food=>Science=>Food=>Food=>Food



Food needs simply are the highest because it is used for leveling and healing aswell.



For Industry and Science I can mostly get along with one or even zero depending on how big my stock of it is.



I voted for food since this is by far what I produce most of usually.

Ail wrote:
Hard to say what I shall pick.

For me it is usually something like that:

Ind=>Food=>Science=>Food=>Food=>Food



Food needs simply are the highest because it is used for leveling and healing aswell.



For Industry and Science I can mostly get along with one or even zero depending on how big my stock of it is.



I voted for food since this is by far what I produce most of usually.

If you're healing, you're failing. This is an approximation of my process :



IND > IND > FOOD > SCI > IND > FOOD > IND > FOOD > SCI > FOOD > FOOD > FOOD



Also, one of the major things I had to learn was not to build and extend too much. A defended industry node can cost up to (or more than) 50 industry. Are there enough doors to justify that cost? For example, I'd never build more than 4 nodes in the first level usually, because there is no point - there are not enough doors to get back the cost of what you paid. Sitting back and letting things come to you is effective (unless you never get an artifact within about 30 doors :P).



If you just look at industry, each module gets you 3 industry per door. If a module costs you 20 industry (your 4th module or so), you're looking at 7 doors to break even. That's without all the stuff you'll need to defend it. The first level only has about a dozen doors or so, usually.



However... If I find an artifact early in the 1st, I will build a science node.

Smauler wrote:
If you're healing, you're failing.

And how exactly would I prevent having to do so if I'm in Level 5 and was forced to start exploring a 3rd branch and usually can put only one hero in each defense-room to tank the monsters while the others are busy tanking monsters themselves somewhere else?

Not putting heros in the rooms is no option as the Monsters would just pass through the defense-rooms and start wrecking all my infrastructure.

Maybe I'm doing something wrong but I think that the later spawns in the later levels often require at least some healing.

Definitely the major resource depends of the style of the player. To say that 'if you're healing, you're failing' is too harsh. It's his style if he prefers to use heroes as main defense against the mobs. Me, I prefer to use modules to soften them up before finish the mobs with heroes - so it goes like:



1st level

IND-IND-IND-IND reach 80 IND, destroy 3 modules and replace them with FOOD, unless I find a research crystal, so I replace them with 3 SCI modules



2nd level and forth

IND-IND-FOOD-FOOD-IND

I tend to replace modules when needed - in case of finding research crystals. Always keep 1 IND module running - always! - and try to keep it away from the frontline. And never build SCI modules unless I find a research crystal first AND in a defensive position.

destroying a mayor module seems so pointless first you build it for X IND than you wrack it and build a other mayor module for again X IND isn't that not just wasting IND dosn't matter how you see it



my normal building order is IND-IND-FOOD-and if i'm lucky with the mayor slot module spawn i build one more IND (never SCI in the first level befor i open the last door i pick for me the best research if i have found a research module and thats it)



second level i start off with FOOD-IND after that mostly random what i think is needed more



i prefer IND>FOOD>SCI never builded a LAN or HUD module in that patch (just think about it IND is building you towers and buff moduls and if you always can spam them in the rooms it really isn't so hard anymore (and since the new patch you also can trade it for food and dust...) but a hero to level up from 6-7 cost you at least 100 food that are 20 heals or take it in IND 9 claymore towers and a buff tower who can protect you a whole level the hero only gets a little life a little dmg and a little deff and if you lucky a use full skill



i only play on easy and finish 60-70% of my games

mattel wrote:
destroying a mayor module seems so pointless first you build it for X IND than you wrack it and build a other mayor module for again X IND isn't that not just wasting IND dosn't matter how you see it

I don't see like that. It's a matter of supply and demand: first you need a lot of industry to build major modules and support turrets, then after set up a line of defense, what you needs most is food. So, to me, a waste is to get food when we don't need it, then get industry when it's not necessary. Please pay attention that what I said was about the very first level, that tends to be super easy, even on easy.

why not just take all the IND you can get from your first level in to level 2 is easy over 160 (with 16 doors open) and start the second level with FOOD so you don't have to build 3 new moduls who just cost you again 40 IND or why not just mix 1 or 2 FOOD or SCI in there early on if 160 IND is to much for you



and yes i got it that this is only for the first level and i also kinda get your logic but still



you start with 18 IND when you get in the 4 first rooms a modul slot and a guy who can operate you need 10 doors to get to 87 IND than you spend 40 to change 3 module which kicks you back to 47 IND which is just a little bit more than you would have done without the IND moduls I would describe that a bad trade

mattel wrote:
why not just take all the IND you can get from your first level in to level 2 is easy over 160 (with 16 doors open) and start the second level with FOOD so you don't have to build 3 new moduls who just cost you again 40 IND or why not just mix 1 or 2 FOOD or SCI in there early on if 160 IND is to much for you

Because I can't take the risk of lose the opportunity of getting a third hero in the first level, thats why.

mattel wrote:
and yes i got it that this is only for the first level and i also kinda get your logic but still



you start with 18 IND when you get in the 4 first rooms a modul slot and a guy who can operate you need 10 doors to get to 87 IND than you spend 40 to change 3 module which kicks you back to 47 IND which is just a little bit more than you would have done without the IND moduls I would describe that a bad trade

You're doing too much mathematics. ^^ In the heat of the game you take the decisions you need - even I don't follow what I wrote ALL the time - I just got a game where I started with Troe and Gork, and since none of them could operate the modules, I couldn't use this strategy, so I built 2 IND and 3 FOOD, to finish the game with less resources than I usually do.



What I wrote before, about destroying the modules and replacing them, is just something I do MOST of the time in level 1 and TENDS to work for me. I'm not saying this is the right thing to do, or the BEST strategy. Anyone is free to try that and if doesn't work, patience. My general rule is "no mudule is a monument", I dispose them - major and minor - as I need to. Found TWO research crystals in defensive positions? Get as many science modules as you can and keep those crystals working all the turns. Didn't find any crystal? Don't build ANY science modules.

Fabs wrote:
Because I can't take the risk of lose the opportunity of getting a third hero in the first level, thats why.







You're doing too much mathematics. ^^ In the heat of the game you take the decisions you need - even I don't follow what I wrote ALL the time - I just got a game where I started with Troe and Gork, and since none of them could operate the modules, I couldn't use this strategy, so I built 2 IND and 3 FOOD, to finish the game with less resources than I usually do.



What I wrote before, about destroying the modules and replacing them, is just something I do MOST of the time in level 1 and TENDS to work for me. I'm not saying this is the right thing to do, or the BEST strategy. Anyone is free to try that and if doesn't work, patience. My general rule is "no mudule is a monument", I dispose them - major and minor - as I need to. Found TWO research crystals in defensive positions? Get as many science modules as you can and keep those crystals working all the turns. Didn't find any crystal? Don't build ANY science modules.

For replacing FIDS modules with other FIDS modules I can't really say I do that often. It might seem sensible on paper, but you almost always end up with less FIDS than if you just got the right mix the first time. However there are instances where something comes up and you have to adapt on the fly.



However in later floors when enemy waves are getting stronger, I do replace a FIDS or two with a HUD or LAN depending on what I'm using to defend. The extra firepower, or survival of my modules can outweigh one or two industry or science modules. I rarely replace food though. I also never do it if I have a need for more industry or science.