: Unfortunately, I have never successfully manouvered the final
: room on Ian's TC or Deathwish without shields, so I cannot comment on
: whether or not there is an effective strategy, but the mace certainly
: makes that issue mute.
At the time I was playing this level, I was still under the impression that I could not recharge using the Mace beyond 3x shields. So at least starting with 3x shields, I have survived the final room on DeathWish twice. Unfortunately, both times I could not survive the final level.
: And pray, because there are no pattern buffers from here on out.
I think we have to make a decision with this level. There are several options, depending upon whether we keep the Mace the way it is or not. If we abandon the recharging capabilities of the Mace, then I recommend we have a 3x canister (or perhaps 2x) available at the beginning of the next level and a PB somewhere within the level. It's just unfair to the player to navigate that difficult final room of END GAME, and also expect the player to survive the final level as well. Again, this is assuming we abandon the Mace recharging. If we keep the Mace the way it is, or tone it down a bit, then I would still recommend a PB somewhere on the final level.