Picking the timer: the average player who has at least played HBT at least once or twice would question as to why the time ratios are labeled in such a way. First, let’s go over the 4 possible timers and then the add-on features.
4 minutes (pros mode) – this mode is labeled as pros mode because, not only do you only get 4 minutes to make the best training possible but, even if you reach lvl.15, you will not evolve into the stronger version, additionally, player 7 is also taken into the calculation of the difficulty of a training mode. Note: this mode is good to choose to test your mastery of the game, if you can reach lvl20 or higher before the timer expires, you are at a good standing as far as training.
9 minutes (easy mode) – this mode is labeled as easy mode because, you receive 20 minerals as soon as the mode is chosen, player 7 also has the restriction of 2 spells being absent, furthermore, the time of 9 minutes allow noobs to get used to the game without being confused too long and leaving before the fun actually starts. Typically reaching or passing white’s lvl would indicate your mastery of surpassing the easy mode difficulty.
18 minutes (hard mode) – this mode is labeled as hard mode because, player 7 has his other two spells unlocked, one of which forces you to compromise your strategy against him in order to win the game, the other also pressures you to fight him more strategically, Mizu Ryou, and Shield Regen respectively. Additionally, player 7 also has an increase of +2 armor and +50 damage.
22 minutes (normal mode) – this mode is labeled as normal mode because, although you get the most time to train, allowing you lots of time to prepare, player 7 is at full power, also, when waging against other – and possibly more experienced players, they may have the upper hand of anticipating your builds. The negatives and positives of this mode result in it being labeled as normal.
Add-on features: The following add-on features can only be chosen prior to choosing the timer, and these options can really alter the course of the game.
Handicap? – This creep colony, if morphed into a spore colony, allows all players to receive 2 training lives, so if you die below two times in training, the Grim Reaper will revive you by taking away all your energy (gas) and up to 8000 of your experience points. If this mode is disabled, any death during training would result in automatic disqualification.
Disable Scrolls? – This starport allows you to choose whether or not to keep the shop open for players to buy items – which can really dictate the winner of a battle. Scrolls/items are enabled by default, only by lifting this starport will it be disabled. Note: if you disable scrolls, not only do you lose the option to buy items but, player 7 will also be at a fixated level of difficulty as opposed to growth over time and after each battle.
Disable White? – This command center allows you to completely disable the player 7 hero from the tournament, this would void most of the training difficulty descriptions.
Express Mode – This science facility allows players to skyrocket their lvls instantly to near what player 7’s lvl would be, and all players would have a remaining of 2 minutes to train regardless of what timer was chosen. This mode is usually good for testing certain strategies and/or creating a different build than the traditional classes.
Scroll/item usage and purchases – all scrolls/items can only be used once upon activation, you may purchase more when battles are not in session but, knowing how to use them can make the difference between victory and a major setback to failure. You may buy scrolls by first pressing the F3 key, which centers your screen to this island where you can purchase tokens, there is more information within the island. Tokens are the currency used to buy scrolls/items, you have the option of purchasing tokens with minerals (prices vary depending on difficulty), or with energy (gas). 3000 gas equates to one token, this is unchanged. Additionally, you may sell your scrolls/items back to the store, the more expensive items would tend to refund only a portion of what you paid for in tokens instead of the full price, for example, you would only receive 3 tokens back for reselling a Resurrection Scroll that costs 4 tokens. Note: scrolls/items can only be bought while not battling, furthermore, they can only be used when battling. If a player attempts to use a scroll while they are not battling, a description of the scroll would appear on the screen every time the player(s) unload the unit from the backpack (overlord).
Training – (Press the Alt key when you’re in any training room, to learn how to train in that room) the actual training process plays a major role in the battle phase. Depending on the class/type of hero you have chosen, deciding on how to train can cripple or help you excel in domination. For example, if you are upgrading spells during training versus using them to help you lvl faster, you are investing in a different skill set. Scenario: Acid Dragon uses Magica Aul L10 to destroy lvl2 stones making his lvl skyrocket, but he will not have enough gas/energy to upgrade his Acid Rain L30, however, he will be investing more attack power into Earth Spikes L20 by focusing on his hero’s upgrades. That is a basic strategy/alternative training path, having said that, most players begin at the Gravity Training room because it gives the most experience-time ratio in the beginning. In other cases, if a player has chosen to invest in a certain skill set or a certain hero build, they should choose a training that helps them lvl faster or corresponds to their strategy. Scenario: Titanium Robot is upgrading a lot of plasma shields to improve his Shield Mastery L30, and at the same time, investing a lot of upgrades on armor and Generated Lasers which cost minerals – thus crippling his main attack power on the hero. In this scenario, it would benefit Titanium Robot more to just simply stay in the Gravity Room because not only will he not have enough attack power to inflict any sufficient damage to the golems/stones, his summons will also be futile. Note: in this scenario, Titanium Robot would dominate against most small units going for an aoe mass skill set or simply against speed-type heroes, but the drawback is, if SakatoKuroma is in the pool of enemy heroes, in order for Titanium Robot to win the game, he would have to come up with a plan against the mighty tank Sakato.
Training phase 2: Knowing when and if to switch your training helps you use your time more efficiently, for example, certain heroes reach a breakpoint of certain attack power allowing them to kill some units quicker than others, also, allows them to gain more experience points in the same sense. Scenario: Soul Stalker would be better off fighting Lightning Golems with 19-20 attack upgrades than fighting Earth Golems because, he would be able to kill Lightning Golems at a rate that which rewards him more than killing Earth Golems. Note: pay attention to display units, as they usually have the exact stats of the spawned unit, use common sense when fighting golems, if it would take you 20 hits to scratch a golem’s back, move onto something else.
Training phase alternative: Spells have known to help you excel in lvls but, some spells can be used against other players to cripple their training progress, such a strategy is frowned upon on in most games but if standards of mannerism were not met, then perhaps this could prove to be viable. Scenario: Titanium Robot uses Dark Energy L10 to maelstrom Speed Ninja, thus, delaying his training progress. Note: delivering the killing blow of any hero before the tournament begins will result in an automatic disqualification from the game.
Upgrading the spells – Most attack spells require a secondary upgrade other than the hero, these upgrades are separated into 2 types, one requires minerals, the other requires gas, neither one is innately more powerful than the other, they vary in situations and builds/strategies. Furthermore, do not be fooled by the classification of spells via lvls, though your ultimate may be more powerful than one of your standard spells but, it also costs more and sets you back, use your spells wisely and with strategy. If you enter a game with the mindset that you only have to use your ultimate, and/or have to upgrade your ultimate to win the game, then you would have already lost 100 times over to the pros. You can probably catch noobs with that mindset, but anything beyond that is a setup for failure. Note: in order to find out what units belong to what spells, and how much per upgrade they receive, click on the display units at your spell buildings, you can also read your mission objectives and press the ~ or ` key to read the description.
The Fight – Contrary to popular belief by the noob community, NO heroes in the game are rigged/overpowered, every hero is designed in such a way that, they can counter any strategy with the right build/mentality, some heroes are harder to use than others but, the same thing applies, it is a matter of strategy and preparation, if you think that this is not the case, and that you wish to prove me wrong, then pm me on USEast: Sasersaki is my username, and I will gladly show you the faults in your claim of a certain hero being overpowered.
The Arena – No, the arena is not the same as “The Fight,” the arena is designed in such a way that, certain spells at certain angles will do damage to fleeing heroes. This is the most prominent with the Fireball/Dragon Fire spell, in which siege tanks are spawned at certain angles to wreak havoc to running prey. The Arena is also designed in such a way that, it manipulates the running foe to run down a certain path that leads them to have an increased chance of getting hit by a spell. Of course this is less evident in pros, which is an added level of strategizing that takes place in the arena. In addition, the mana stone located at the center of the arena pressures the tides of battle, where the winning side has an extra advantage, and the losing side, an extra disadvantage. Finally, the Random Events Mode available for players to activate prior to any battle, can also dictate the tides of a battle to a certain extent.
updated versions of the map can be found here: http://www.staredit.net/files/1203/
Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Jul 21 2013, 2:47 am by GameLoader1337.
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