Cogmind Unconventional Build Concepts (Beta)

Publish date: 2024-07-14

This guide aims to inspire players who want to try using unusual builds. Ideas listed here are not weird just to be weird – they are proven to be efficient with proper usage.

Concepts of Unconventional Builds

Foreword

Cogmind has fairly good balance and wide variety of mechanics, which results in great freedom for solving challenges thrown at player. Here I will give some ideas I’ve used with success. None of them are like they are “just because”, those are builds with actual synergy which have their particularly strong sides and show good results with proper usage.

Unauthorised hacks spoiler warning.

Fast/Slow Propulsion Mixing

Idea

Slow and fast propulsion types have their own strong and weak sides. What if you can somehow get main upsides of both of them in one build?

Realisation

Trojan (Mask) is a recycling unit hack that creates area around it, where recyclers ignore parts. Using it, you can drop your entire build on the ground without risking to lose it to recyclers, and equip several flight units prepared in advance to go airborne. This way you get scouting, gathering and interactive machine access of flight while exploring the floor, and treads combat capabilities and inventory size when moving to next floor or fighting through difficult for flight chokepoints. To find recycling unit to go airborne, use datajack on recycler for non-RIF “find_recycling” hack.

  • Prepare several flight units, melee weapon and any other parts you consider worthy for flight phases, while playing treads build.
  • Upon entering new Factory floor, datajack recycler to find recycling unit.
  • Drop your slow build, equip fast.
  • Explore the floor.
  • Return to switch to slow phase for leaving the floor or fighting.

    • Advantages

  • High consistency for most maps – you get recycling unit location from first recycler you see, and flight allows to locate exit you need. Difficult for flight chokepoints can be solved by fighting through in slow phase. Lone patrols can be evaded during slow phase because of scouting in fast phase.
  • High parts availability.
  • High machine hacking potential.

    • This idea allowed to achieve continuous Factory sterilization for the first time in B11.

    Disadvantages

  • Inventory pressure from flight parts.
  • Demanding to flight skills.

    • Combining with hacking

    This technique works great with treads/flight hacking build, that transitions (simply by throwing away flight parts) into treaded hacker for lategame and extended endgame, where both hacking and ability to fight are valuable.

    ncG1vNJzZmifkaKysbjAsmWtoaCofKjByJ2crGeTpLSutc2dZK6mk6S7t7HNraCoppGheqPByKWbZpufo7CmvNOsZJudpJZ7qcDMpQ%3D%3D