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 AI colonies Titans Circadian rhythm Timed attacks Rising water Bridge building Aphid relocation
Music	{{{music}}}

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: 230%/ 260%/ 300%/ 350%/ 420%
• First-time bonus: + 1100%
• Challenge bonus: + 100%
• Completion bonus: + 200%

Settings

A fire ant colony must amass enough number 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 1st objective. Workers give 1 point while soldiers give 1.5 points.

The level starts during the day.

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

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

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 level.

AI 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 dig around during the day. They disappear in the evening if you don't dig into their paths. Narrow-mouthed toads replace them on the third day.

Surface enemies may fight among themselves to keep their own number in check on later days.

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 side 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 second night onward.

Wasp mantidflies can heal when they hide on high places and only attack when you approach. The eastern mantisfly doesn't attack on the first day on easy, medium and hard.

Great blue skimmer

The 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 is 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 the great blue skimmer has been damaged too quickly or if the third 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.

Challenge

Six-spotted fishing spiders gather around accessible notches and attack when you are building bridges.

Achievements

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

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  Surface

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  Underground - player

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  Underground - blue