A Bridge Too Far

Information
Name	A Bridge Too Far
Categories	Story Documentary
Environment	Swamp
Player species	Fire ant
Player units	Fire ant worker Fire ant soldier (either)
Surface	Yes
Features	Challenge mode Non-player colonies Titans Circadian rhythm Timed attacks Rising water Bridge building Aphid relocation

Impending floods could mark the end for this fire ant colony.
Semi-aquatic predators wreak havoc with the fire ants' pontoon plans.(challenge)

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: 6 territory, 475 food, 17 Royal Jelly

• Difficulty bonus: 300%/ 325%/ 350%/ 380%/ 420%

• First-time bonus: + 1400%

• Challenge bonus: + 100%

• Completion bonus: + 200%

• New game plus bonus: + 40% x plus number

Settings

Your fire ant colony must grow large enough to form a raft and escape the upcoming flood. Your nest is located on the second 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. Workers give 1 point while soldiers give 1.5 points.

The mission starts during the day.

Water rises in the morning and in the evening. It washes away any creatures, except for the amphibians, and lets you reach various resources through floating bridges.

You can build up to 19 bridges throughout the mission as water rises from the ninth layer to the third layer (1 - 2 - 1 - 5 - 2 - 6 - 2 respectively).

You have access to an empty milkweed plant at the start of the mission. There are 50 aphids on the map.

You can find magnolia saplings and carnivorous plants across the map. Milkweed seeds frequently land on the map and disappear after 90 seconds.

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

Non-player colony

The enemy little black ant colony is trapped on the southwestern island. You can only approach it on the second and the third night. Its nest is entirely flooded from the fourth day onward.

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 live in your nest.

Larval checkered beetles enter your nest through 8 hillside spawners and move around through the soil during the day. They disappear at night if you don't dig into their tunnels. Narrow-mouthed toads replace them on the third day.

Surface enemies are washed up on the eastern side of the mound. They may fight among themselves to keep their own number in check.

Surface enemies gather in small groups during the day. They invade your nest at once 60 seconds before water rises in the evening. Red velvet ants only appear on the second and the third day on extreme and impossible.

• Day 1: Larval checkered beetles, larval false bombardier beetles, magnolia green jumpers

• Day 2: Adult checkered beetles, adult false bomberdier beetles and six-spotted tiger beetles

• Day 3: Adult checkered beetles, adult false bomberdier beetles, bombardier beetles, six-spotted tiger beetles and green lynx spiders

• Day 4: Checkered beetles, false bombardier beetles, six-spotted tiger beetles, bombardier beetles, magnolia green jumpers, green lynx spiders and red velvet ants

Surface enemies freely roam the mound at night and are hostile to the amphibians. They invade your nest randomly before water rises in the morning.

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

Wasp mantidflies can heal 1 HP every 0.1 second when they rest on high locations and only attack when you approach. The eastern mantidfly doesn't attack before the second day on easy, medium and hard.

Titan

The size-level 1/ 1/ 1/ 2/ 3 great blue skimmer flies across the map. It lands near your nest on the third night on easy, medium and hard. It lands on the second night on extreme and impossible, but then takes off in the morning and only lands again on the third night.

It flies to the third layer and doesn't take damage 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 first layer, become vulnerable again and stay there for the rest of the mission if you succeed.

If you have prepared a pheromone group on the third layer or if it has already been flooded, the great blue skimmer will fly directly to the first layer. You still have to mount it in time to prevent it from leaving.

Challenge

Six-spotted fishing spiders appear immediately after water rises in the morning or 90 seconds after water rises in the evening and disappear 60 seconds before water rises.

Fishing spiders gather around bridging locations randomly. Nearby spiders will move onto the nearer bank to attack when you are halfway done building a bridge.

Achievements

Achievements
Icons	Name	Requirements
	A Bridge Too Far	Beat the mission on designated difficulty.
	Collector	Gather all aphids then beat the mission. (medium)
	Entomophobia	Beat the mission without gathering any aphids. (hard)
	Disposable Bridges	Sacrifice 14 completed bridges to the rising water then beat the mission. (extreme)
	Multitasking	Gather all food on the northwestern island and eliminate the little black ant queen on the same day then beat the mission. (impossible)

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.

• Dead big headed ant queens can be found to the southeast of your queen. It can be inferred that this mound was home of a big-headed ant colony before it was overrun by beetles.

Minimaps

• 

  Surface

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  Underground - player

• 

  Underground - blue