Spark Run – What is your strategy?

[ramonpontes]

My current strategy is to use the following bots:
> Energon Grimlock (105% spark bonus)
> Soundwave (105% spark bonus)
> Gold Bite Grimlock (5% spark bonus)

E-Grimlock has the recover factor, destroying energon structures. I use him until I reach an area with flying pigs. They usually kick my *ss, then Soundwave appears to focus only on structures. I try to alternate between robot and vehicle mode to avoid most of the shots from enemies. I use GB Grimlock due to his resistance, and just to try to reach the astrotrain.

This is far from perfect, because I still have much trouble with the flying pigs. If more than one wave appears, I’m doomed. Also, if I get hit by a missile, it is most likely that I will not survive.

I’m trying to get past level 20, but last run was unsuccessful. On level 19 I could enter the astrotrain only with the first bot. In the level 20 run, I could not reach it (I was almost there), but I got killed. I still got the sparks, but I still can’t get the full reward. The score needed is above 100k, and I can get only about 80k with my actual multiplier bonus.

I have sparks to invest in another bot, but I want to choose it carefully, because I want it to be useful not only on the spark run, but on the events too.

So, what is your strategy for the spark run?

Topic

[Joel]

I have been starting with Ultimate Megatron and seeing how long he will last. If I keep him firing ahead, he does well. On level 19, the swarms of flying pigs took him down. As his gravity weapon was pulling them down to their deaths, they still kept shooting and took him out. The thumping then took out Ratchet and E Grimlock…

My Dead End just finished upgrading to level 15. I might try a lower spark level tonight and see how he does in there

[Meh]

Nemesis prime, deadend , e gridlock . All level 15s. Can usually get to the end unless there is a bizarre number of helicopter pigs.

Using today’s run as an example, I would be fine if spark runs could correctly do the math and say the a score of 37000 with a bonus of 255% was greater than 95000. Instead it routinely robs me of extra sparks by saying it’s less and not crediting me with the full spark prize

[datguygamer]

@mehh In your game which bot has the green glow?

BTW, I absolutely love your username. It gives me that childish chuckle whenever I see it. XD

[Optimus_Pig]

Strategy?

Die. A lot.

[datguygamer]

@optimuspig

My strategy:
Step 1: Die a lot
Step 2: Rage a lot

[Gabee1611]

Ultimate Megatron with Armada and Flail is the way to go. At level 19 he basically lasted through the first 4 parts for me. I then used Nemesis to get me through the last part.

[Optimus_Pig]

@gabe-nestor

Did you encounter Flying Pig Swarms?

[Asen_77]

Strategy. You just need to survive to the end of the level. Everyone has the opportunity to play with 3 birds, and can choose birds that are powerfull on the flying birds, but not so strong to other targets or the opposite. My choice is E Grimlock, Ratchet and from today Dead End. Total bonus of them is 235% at this moment. As I gone more them 17 level, they become harder and at least once they will kill you before you reach the end. Very hard are flying pigs and sharkohoods pigs. Walking towers are hard too, especially when they are more. I would say that passing true the levels is a luck, after level 17, but if you lost your life once or twice you will get easier one and will pass true. You need as more percentage bonus as you can. Normaly I am taking aroun 25/30 k points before bonus. I didn’t succeed to take more points in this levels and I can say that I take more then 80% of the targets. So there is no chance to collect enough points and to get full sparks bonus without sparks. I think that even if you get 3×105% sparks from all three birds at some levels like 25-27 and upper you will not succeed to get full sparks promotion. At level 21 needed points are 125900 and they are growing very big on every upper level, so I don’t know at what level you will have mathematical possibilities to get full sparks promotion.

[ramonpontes]

Is there any difference using Nemesis Prime? He is always the first bot in my selection screen, and there ia a green glow behind him.
Is there any bonuses by using him in the run?

[Meh]

Green glow bot is always different. I’ve tried using it a couple of times and there wasn’t an advantage that I could see. Maybe that’s something they are going to fix too. Dunno.

My biggest prob with spark run is that percentage bonus is under calculated and you are robbed of sparks earned

[Gabee1611]

@optimuspig I think I killed about 25 pigs throughout the 4 levels before they finally killed UM. The last big swarm finally killed me with about 3 pigs of the swarm left.

[Luis C.]

@ramonpontes: read HERE

[Optimus_Pig]

@luis-carlo-arocha

The only TF I’ve ever had with the green glow is Nemesis. Perhaps I’ll give him a try in tomorrow’s run.

[Optimus_Pig]

For the first time ever, I had a different set of the special pigs.

Instead of Blue and Purple, I had Yellow and Green.

[datguygamer]

@optimuspig What did they do?

[Optimus_Pig]

Good question, I wasn’t really paying attention. I figured it didn’t really matter if I was going to die anyway :p

[datguygamer]

@optimuspig lel. XP

Also do they show up in the “Enemies” tab (Like the ones for purple and blue pigs)?

[ramonpontes]

@luis-carlo-arocha
Thanks for the info. My “boosted character” is always Nemesis Prime, and he isn’t very strong against enemies, so I don’t want to test him against stronger enemies in the spark run. I doubt his “boost” will be enough for him to survive.

I think they should boost the effect of the healing pig (I assume that this is the function of the pig with the blue “+” signal above his head). I didn’t noticed any changing in my health when I killed one of them.

I’m past level 22 now. Last run I was incredibly lucky, as I didn’t need to use the third bot. No swarm of flying pigs, only one or two at a time, and with Energon Grimlock I could recover the health lost. The flying pig swarm factor makes the spark run relying too much on luck.

[Luis C.]

@ramonpontes sorry to rain in your parade buddy but… the pig with the blue + DOES NOT heal you… it heals itsell (Im not sure about other pigs close by), meaning that he is actually tougher to kill !!!!

[datguygamer]

My new strategy:

Start from difficulty 1 and then gradually go up to see where I get maximized sparks and still get full bar from my minuscule promotion (which is 50%). I will stick to that difficulty from now on.

[ramonpontes]

I’m actually upgrading Ultimate Megatron to level 15, but I did a few runs with Dead End. I really liked him, specially because of the incendiary rounds. The flying pigs are gone in a few shots, but the swarm of them are still troublesome.

I’m really in doubt if I promote Ultimate Megatron or Dead End. I think I will keep them unpromoted until a competition that requires on of them.

@luis-carlo-arocha
It is really hard to see the effect of those special pigs when there are som many things happening in the screen. I don’t see any difference on those special enemies, I just shoot them as quickly as I can. It is no surprise that the blue pig does not heal our bots, but I can’t see he healing himself, since I never stop shooting at them to see this effect.

[Optimus_Pig]

@datguygamer

Yes, the green and yellow guys show up in the enemies box before the sparkrun. But I didn’t check what their special abilities were before I stared the run.

[datguygamer]

@optimuspig Then just tap on them to see what they do.

[Optimus_Pig]

I forgot to do it that time. And like I said, it doesn’t really matter if I’m going to die anyway.

The next day it went back to being the usual blue and purple pigs.

[datguygamer]

Oh okay.