interesting feature of locusts

[Solver]

Locusts use the Antigrav chasis, but have less moves. Also, they are quite expensive. By the time I get gravships, I have Quantum Laser weapon, with the graviton gun coming very soon. I design a very cheap unit (50-60 minerals): Antigrav, Quantum Laser / Graviton Gun, no armor, no special abilities. With Sing. reactor it's 50 miner., 60 minerals with Singularity reactor. Thus, I have some bases producing these, normally I have at least 2 bases in good position that can produce such a unit in 1 turn. Thus, each turn I get 2 Graviton Gravships (weapon doesn't make the unit more expensive), and in six turns, I'm able to mount a good offensive with some 15 Skybases.
Locusts and gravships capture bases, as they both use the same chasis, and AAA / Aerospace Complex helps vs. both of them.
Neural Amplifier helps vs. locusts, Trance units do as well. So, IMO, defending vs. locusts is much more easier than defending vs. Gravships, as, with presence of Neural Amplifier, you need an AAA Trance unit, even not with the best armor, it would kill the Locusts easily. In fact, it can be a special unit with no armor, only for PSI combat with the worms and locusts, especially.
Second, at the time I have Locusts, I rarely have bases that are good enough to produce them in a good amount of turns. But, if I manage to make only 2 of these, I can have excellent use of them, if sending to enemy territory and making them kill the Formers.

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Solver - http://www.aok.20m.com

[Qilue]

This thread gave me an idea for a variation on removing friendly sea bases too close to your own. Build a swarm of LoCs and release into wild next to it.

[niteowl]

quote: Originally posted by Helium Pond on 01-11-2001 05:03 AM Kind of off-topic but kind of on, I just used a Carrier Deck on a transport for the first time ever. It was great! To tell the truth, I kind of doubted it would work. I needed to make a naval invasion, and I brought over a bunch of Needlejets to soften up the beach for me, and it worked like a charm. I guess I'd assumed it was broken, 'cuz no one ever talks about doing it. A little thrill, there. Fun to have Needlejets have such mobility.

I often use the carrier deck option...also if you are willing to fork out the extra expense add the repair bay option, then you can haul land and air units on the same ship making for one heck of an invasion force. Only thing I don't like in this situation is the repair bay only repairs the ground units. But otherwise this combo works pretty good.

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"My dear girl don't flatter yourself.
What I did this evening was for king and
country. You don't think it gave me any
pleasure do you?

--- James Bond

[Tau Ceti]

quote: Originally posted by Mouse on 01-14-2001 10:49 AM This thread gave me an idea for a variation on removing friendly sea bases too close to your own. Build a swarm of LoCs and release into wild next to it.

Unfortunately, you will have problems releasing locusts into the wild. The game only allows you to transfer control of air units at a base or airbase.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Mouse,

Your better served making IoD's and releasing to the wild to take out those pesty sea bases. They are cheaper than Locusts and achieve the same purpose. If you have Maritime Sp then move of 6 gives good ability to mov IoD into place. It always nice to have a few Iod's on hand just in case someone get the bright idea of creating a base in an area you'ld rather not have them. Swim your Iod into place release to wild, base size one exists no more.

Og

[MariOne]

Allegedly, Repair Bay is broken.
That is, those who ran tests about it, verified *exactly* the SAME repair rate, with or without them, in any condition.
I never used them sp I can't say it in first person.

[Qilue]

Ogie - That would work in Smac, but with Smacx, IoD's become passive and wont attack bases.

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Mouse,

Interesting effect with IoD's and one I hadn't obviously tried/observed to date in SMACX. Hmmm... guess I haven't done that trick in awhile. I wonder if the same applies to Sea lurks. I have seen Sea lurks attack garrisoned bases eliminating the garrison. After that they simply stay put and never attack the base again until you have another unit present.

Seems to me they made the roaming native life a little friendlier in SMACX in that the sea units apparantly won't worm rape your undefended bases. Hmmm....

Og

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Mouse,

Hmmm.... Interesting

Question tho' in all my experience with coastal bases being attacked by sea lurks. Sea lurks attack garrison unit and if successful stay parked until another unit is in the base. Sea lurk attacks again etc. At no time does the sea lurk take the coastal base.

Now I am assuming that the sea lurk has the equivalent of marine ability in order to allow it to attack the land base to begin with, as the IoD were prevented from attacking land bases in SMAC before. Why then does the sea lurk not invade the base reducing pop by 1 as land based worms do??

I can't recall a time when a lurk went after one of my sea bases, but perhaps that is the dif.

Penny for your thoughts Mouse.

Og

[Qilue]

Ooh no, Sealurks are feral, they'll attack anything that's not fungus or empty ocean. I've had native life, both water and land destroy a base.

[Qilue]

Before I start, I'll define normal sealurks as 'native sealurks' and faction created and released as 'artificial sealurks'. There seems to be a difference in their behavior. Now, I haven't experienced the behavior you've described for native sealurks since they usually don't live very long once I know they exist. I have seen artificial sealurks invade and destroy a base since it's one of my main uses for them. I'll have to test whether artificial IoDs would actually attack bases since I've never seen this done by a native IoD in smacx.

Just for the record, when playing, I'm rabidly xenophobic in that, if a unit's flag isn't the same colour as the rest of my units and it's near one of my bases, it's targeted for elimination by any means nessesary. I'm also a perfectionist with no base squares overlapping, so any foreign base who's base squares are next to or overlapping one of my bases is also targeted for elimination or conquest, usually elimination. I'm somewhat lenient towards units and bases belonging to a pactmate, but they shouldn't push their luck.