A Bridge Too Far

Impending floods could mark the end for this fire ant colony.

## **Objectives**

* Gain 195/ 270/ 330/ 375/ 480 points by increasing population.

* Gather 50/ 70/ 90/ 100/ 125 ants at the top of the mound.

## **Rewards**

* *Base value*: 12 territory, 950 food, 34 Royal Jelly

* *Difficulty bonus*: 115%/ 130%/ 150%/ 175%/ 210%

* *First-time bonus*: + 125%

* *Challenge bonus*: + 50%

* *Completion bonus*: + 100%

## **Settings**

In this mission, a fire ant colony must amass enough number to form a raft and escape the upcoming flood. Your nest is located on the 2nd layer of the mound. Nest entrance will be excavated automatically when the attacking waves are about to arrive.

You must reach a certain number of population points to complete the first objective. Each worker population grants 1 point while each soldier population grants 1.5 points.

The mission starts during the day.

Water rises gradually in the morning and in the evening without ever receding. It washes away both dead and alive creatures, except for the amphibians, and lets you reach various resources through bridge building.

You can build up to 19 bridges throughout the mission (1 - 2 - 1 - 5 - 2 - 6 - 2 respectively, from the 9th layer to the 3rd layer).

You have access to an empty milkweed plant at the start of the mission. Other milkweed plants can only be reached when water rises. There are 50 aphids on the map.

Magnolia saplings and carnivorous plants grow sparsely across the map. Milkweed seeds frequently land on the map and disappear 90 seconds afterward.

You must choose either pervasive or vigorous soldiers before playing the mission.

## **Enemy colonies**

The enemy little black ant colony is trapped on the southwestern island.

You can only approach its nest on the 2nd and the 3rd night. From the 4th day onward, its nest is entirely flooded.

## **Notable enemies**

Other enemies are on the same side and are hostile to the ants.

Woodworms, checkered beetles, false bombardier beetles, bombardier beetles and narrow-mouthed toads inhabit in your nest.

Larval checkered beetles come from the 8 hillside spawners during the day and dig around your nest. They leave in the evening if you don't dig into their paths. Narrow-mouthed toads replace them entirely on the 3rd day.

On later days, surface enemies may fight among themselves to keep their own number in check.

Checkered beetles, false bombardier beetles, bombardier beetles, magnolia green jumpers, six-spotted tiger beetles, red velvet ants and green lynx spiders are washed up on the eastern shore of the mound. They either gather in small groups during the day or freely roam the mound at night. They invade your nest 60 seconds before water rises.

Juvenile eastern newts and pine woods tree frogs only appear at night. They don't invade your nest. Eastern newts only appear from the 2nd night onward.

3 wasp mantidflies rest on high locations and only attack when you approach. The eastern mantisfly attack from the 2nd/ 2nd/ 2nd/ 1st/ 1st day onward.

The great blue skimmer flies across the map. It lands near your nest on the 3rd night on easy, medium and hard. It lands on the 2nd night on extreme and impossible, but then takes off on the 3rd day and lands again on the 3rd night.

It flies to the 3rd layer and becomes invulnerable after it has been reduced to 55% of its health. It will fly out of the map if you don't mount it within 30 seconds. It will fly to the 1st layer and stay there for the rest of the mission if you succeed.

If the great blue skimmer has been damaged too quickly or if the 3rd layer has been flooded, it will fly directly to the 1st layer. You still have to mount it in time to prevent it from leaving.

## **Trivia**

* During the victory cutscene, the colony forms a raft with the queen on top and floats away. Six-spotted tiger beetles and larval false bombardier beetles appear in this cutscene even if you have killed all surface enemies, trying to attack the queen.

* There is another defeat cutscene, which happens when water floods your nest. It shows the dead fire ant queen floating to the water surface, among her dead brood.

* Enemies float upside down when they are carried to the eastern shore by the water. This make senses because their lungs and spiracles are located on their bottom side.

* 3 dead big headed ant queens can be found in the southeastern corner of your nest. It can be inferred that this mound was home of a big-headed ant colony before it was overrun by beetles.

## **Minimaps**

SurfaceUnderground - playerUnderground - blue

## **Community screenshots**

Ending cutscene - win (by Buster)Ending cutscene - lose (by Antbzk64)Floating bombardier beetle (by Yarke)Great blue skimmer (by Kacper)