This defence is so deep, the covies are gonna be exhausted by the time they arrive!

(7:32) Level 5 ('Assault on the Control Room') on Heroic. This shows two plays of a twin bridges megabattle save featuring 54 covies and 16 Marines, using the back defence plan. I mainly use a sniper rifle and rocket launcher, but there's a bit of needling too. I created this save years ago and used it a lot. Johnson is on a chain-gun off to the side of the defence enclosure. In the second play I've quickly switched him to the right, for variation.

Released May 8th 2017, gameplay recorded May 6th-7th 2017.

00:02 (Play 1) At the start, I've skipped a bit of play where I let the covies advance up the battlefield a short distance. With fuel rod shots flying my way, I depart and soon reach the defence location where fifteen Marines are penned - but there's also Johnson on a chain-gun to one side.

00:32 Hopping up onto a wide sill for a glorious elevated view, I scan with my sniper rifle and fire a rocket at a bunch of covies standing around in the distance, then enjoy watching it zero in and send them flying. But meanwhile the covies have started to arrive, and I'm soon helping out the Marines with sniping and rockets. I won't give a blow-by-blow account of that, but I'll pick out a few things from later on.

02:06 I briefly use a needler and make an Elite go bang, but then the second Hunter arrives so I switch to my rocket launcher. The first rocket misses but I get him with the second.

02:56 Nice spell of sniping, directed at covies coming along the platform on the left. It ends with a shot which gets two Jackals at once. One of them just lost his shield, after his buddy hit him with a plasma ball.

03:21 There's also a Jackal coming along the other platform. For fun I throw a frag his way, but he dives into the trough. My second throw gets him though - and it turns out he was the last guy.

03:40 (Play 2) As part of cramming two battles into seven and a half minutes, I've skipped my arrival phase for this one, and also a quick manoeuvre in which I drove Johnson over to the other side. We pick up the action with a Marine raising the alert, and I'm soon getting busy with the sniper rifle and rocket launcher - initially directed at covies coming along the left platform. As before, I'll pick out just a few events in the battle.

05:25 When there's a lull in the close action, I zoom in on an Elite and two Grunts standing around in the distance. Don't they know there's a battle going on? Ok then, I'll take the battle to them - in the form of a long-range rocket. BLAM!

05:53 More long-range rocket fun. This time my target is a lone Grunt, merrily running along the rim of the right platform. His charge comes a very definite end when he takes a direct hit. Never even saw it coming.

06:20 After an Elite gets killed, two Grunts head our way, panicking as they go. My frag kills one and sets off some loose plasmas which kill the other.

06:40 A Hunter is edging along the left platform and I fire a rocket, but it goes harmlessly beyond him. Bah! I get him with the second though.

07:06 Things seem quiet. Are we finished? Not quite! Just as I'm scanning the distance with my sniper scope, a Hunter emerges from the trough and fires two fuel rod shots in rapid succession. Luckily they're off-target. Before he can fire another, I quickly switch to my launcher (having failed to get him with a sniper round) and blast him with a rocket, which kills two Jackals as well. One of them gets me with a plasma ball, but that's ok. Cortana chimes in afterwards, but that doesn't always happen after the covies are vanquished.

Closing remarks With so many Marines and covies around, there's quite a bit of slowdown to contend with in these battles, and actually that's why I mostly used a sniper rifle and rocket launcher. With those weapons you don't fire at high rate, and because of that, weapon sluggishness isn't so painfully noticeable. But in any case, you can see how much fun you can have with those weapons, right? I especially love the mischief of long-range rockets, zeroing in on blissfully unaware victims.

If those penned Marines seem familiar, you may be thinking of my earliest twin bridges megabattle movies, BCM17 and BCM18. In those movies I was using a save which was derived from the one used here, by eliminating the two Hunters.

© 2004-2020 by Rockslider