The trough carnage continues, but with a loftier view of the unfolding apocalypse!

(5:30) Level 5 ('Assault on the Control Room') on Heroic. This sequel to BCM113 shows three more plays of a trough defence with rocket launcher and sniper rifle, but this time I support the Marines from up high, which brings new delights.

Released September 14th 2014, gameplay recorded September 10th-12th 2014.

00:02 (Play 1) In BCM113 I only fired one Banshee blast on the way in, but here I treat myself to two. I'm not trying to do much killing though; in fact I aim for an Elite both times and they just get shaken up. As I curve across the trough to drop myself on the left platform (the 'left' from the perspective of defending, which is how I base my terminology), a couple of plasma balls chase the Banshee. You'll notice that one of them doesn't quite look right. You can get a ill-formed ball effect like that when the game is badly taxed.

00:31 Yep, it's long-distance rocket-in-the-face time again. BLAM! A red Elite and some Grunts catch the worst of it, and then I do a bit of sniping.

00:46 Time for a rocket I think. There's a Grunt coming down on the left and I blast him just as he's trying to make a throw. His dropped plasma subsequently takes out two Elites. Meanwhile I've thrown a frag down to help the Marines with a blue Elite, but actually he gets killed by a Marine frag, and mine gets blown clear, going off somewhere beneath me.

00:59 With the launcher reloaded at last (reloading got interrupted by my frag throw), I take out some more covies on the left, then fire a clip of sniper rounds, picking off three Grunts and a red Elite. After reloading, my other rocket takes out yet more covies on the left.

01:16 The covies are clustered around the upper slope now, and I move in. A frag and rocket cause a spectacular clearing effect, then I rocket the final Elite. Two Jackals are giving a Marine a hard time, but I quickly throw a frag towards one and rocket the other.

01:30 Seeing a distant Grunt advancing, I switch to the sniper rifle and put him down. There's also a Jackal but I decide to use a rocket for comic effect. BLAM! He walked right into that one. I try to snipe his flying body, but actually I think I just missed. Only one Marine died in this battle.

01:46 (Play 2) Curving up left, I pass around the back tree and get a nice view of the mob starting to surge back. My Banshee blast takes out two Grunts, then I curve around another treetop, evading most of the covie fire as I head for my defence spot. This time I'm using the top of the arch on the opposite side of the trough.

02:21 My opening sniping is poor; I only kill one Elite and hurt another. Before reloading I throw a frag towards the Shade and it sends three Elites reeling. A Marine frag explodes just after, finishing off two of them, and I believe the third is finished by Marine fire. My follow-up rocket was aimed towards two Elites, but they've moved away by the time it goes off near a Ghost. My second tube gets an advancing Grunt and badly hurts an Elite.

02:43 Switching to the sniper rifle (more for a bit of variation really), I spot a Grunt looking like he could be about to throw, and sure enough he tries it. My first shot misses and gets a Jackal instead - maybe the shot bounced off the inside of his shield? - but I get the Grunt with my second. His grenade drops just ahead of him and subsequently kills a Jackal; and meanwhile I snipe an Elite and Jackal nearby.

02:53 Back to the launcher, which is generally the better option with such high enemy concentrations. My first rocket kills a couple of Grunts who were in prime grenade-throwing territory, and I throw a quick frag down towards a blue Elite pestering the Marines. It makes him leap clear and he dies from my next rocket. Actually that rocket was fired more with another Elite in mind; the one behind the Ghost. I thought maybe I could blast the Ghost onto him, but it doesn't work. However, it does squash a blue-shielded Jackal.

03:03 The Marines have been having a hard time of things by the sound of their yelling. With launcher reloaded, I throw a frag down towards an attacking red, and it finishes him off. Meanwhile a rocket kills an Elite further back, and my second tube takes out another, plus some minors (looks like two Grunts and a Jackal).

03:14 While I'm still reloading, a Grunt throws a plasma which subsequently kills at least one Marine, but before that goes off, I throw a frag and fire a rocket, clearing much of the remaining enemy threat. My next rocket sets off a plasma grenade which kills the final Elite. I throw a plasma grenade at the distant yellow-shielded Jackal, then I spot a panicking Grunt heading left so I put a rocket in his path. Both attacks are effective. That just leave a grunty straggler, who I quickly snipe. Six Marine casualties this time.

03:38 (Play 3) Just to show another way of reaching the left platform, this time I curve around and enter from the side, letting the Banshee slide away (clear of the Marines, one hopes).

04:03 Last time on this platform I opened with a rocket, so this time I'm starting with some sniping instead, and in fact I score four headshots. Nice! With three Elites down, that leaves eleven. After a quick frag I score a few more hits with my next clip.

04:24 Ok, time to switch to the launcher I think. I fire a rocket just in time to divert the trajectory of a plasma grenade thrown on the left. My other rocket is fired partly with the notion of sending the Shade back amongst the covies, but actually it goes further than planned, so that didn't amount to much. My next rocket isn't too great either; I think it only gets a Jackal. Then I get an Elite; and meanwhile I also threw a frag which does some damage further back. A Grunt on the right makes a throw, but I think the Marines manage to take evasive action.

04:50 Another frag, and two more rockets, the second of which stops a plasma throw. At this point I start having to dodge plasma balls, and it makes me target the far Jackals. One gets a frag, two more get blasted by a rocket, then my second tube goes on an Elite who was trying to shoot me. I liked that section of play a lot; it had a nice rhythm as I moved back and forth, and the final rocket was especially satisfying.

05:07 I drop down into the trough for the conclusion, trying to tag a Grunt. I miss, so I just rocket him instead, and then the Jackal. No Marine casualties, and the blockade is still intact!

Closing remarks In regard to this blockade trough defence, originally I'd been thinking to do a movie featuring perhaps two plays alongside the Marines, and one play in which I'm up high. But it became clear that there were so many delightful ways of wreaking havoc, it was a better idea to have separate movies for low and high, so I could devote more plays to each. The battles tend to be pretty short, so I was able to make these movies triple plays yet still only five and a half minutes long.

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