How do you use Mindworms?

[Chaos Theory]

Originally posted by Commy
Another problem with locusts is that they don't get the 3 to 2 attack advantage in psi combat, only worms on land get that...

This is inaccurate. The triad of the defender determines starting psi values. Any psi attack that involves a defender on land starts at 3:2. Any other psi attack starts at 1:1.

[Blake]

Locusts can be captured just fine. It's just that you can't capture native life while causing ecodamage and locusts appear when you're causing ecodamage... sometimes it gets quirky, like the locust pop causes you to stop causing eco damage (it might knock out a borehole, or raise the clean mineral limit) and you stop causing ED and can hence capture worms on the same turn as the pop. Free stacks of locusts are nice.

[cal_01]

Originally posted by Blake
Locusts can be captured just fine. It's just that you can't capture native life while causing ecodamage and locusts appear when you're causing ecodamage... sometimes it gets quirky, like the locust pop causes you to stop causing eco damage (it might knock out a borehole, or raise the clean mineral limit) and you stop causing ED and can hence capture worms on the same turn as the pop. Free stacks of locusts are nice.

Locust pops stop ecodamage?

[Blake]

Okay take this for example, only one of your bases is causing ecodamage, and only like 4 per turn. One of it's workers is on a mineral node rocky mine, producing 7 minerals per turn. The fungal pop destroys the mine, relocating the worker to a ocean tile, the base produces 7 less minerals than at the start of the turn and hence 0 ecodamage. It's like that.

[Commy]

The one thing I don't like about locusts pops is that the locusts will attack any target within their range...usually a base, but even by reloading the turn and playing it again, the target rarely is the same....whereas worms, usually they will attack the closest target (usually a base), and won't travel very far due to their movement limitations...

[Ka Plewy]

Originally posted by Blake
Okay take this for example, only one of your bases is causing ecodamage, and only like 4 per turn. One of it's workers is on a mineral node rocky mine, producing 7 minerals per turn. The fungal pop destroys the mine, relocating the worker to a ocean tile, the base produces 7 less minerals than at the start of the turn and hence 0 ecodamage. It's like that.

This isn't really an accurate description of what happens for a fungal pop.
If there was a city producing only 4 eco damage, likely moving only 1 mineral off would fix the eco percentage.
Also, if a pop occurred in a tile not being worked, it would increase the threshold for minerals, and the city would no longer be causing ecodamage.
Someone who has done more investigation could probably break it down by the numbers, which I don't really feel like investigating that deeply.

[Mead]

Originally posted by Blake
Locusts can be captured just fine. It's just that you can't capture native life while causing ecodamage and locusts appear when you're causing ecodamage... sometimes it gets quirky, like the locust pop causes you to stop causing eco damage (it might knock out a borehole, or raise the clean mineral limit) and you stop causing ED and can hence capture worms on the same turn as the pop. Free stacks of locusts are nice.

Thanks.

Mead

[jadenstriker]

Half and half for me. I usually play as the Gaians. PSI attacks seem to work well as both defense and offence. So far none of my friends can even beat me on this game.

I often use the locaus for for off attacks and base take over or take out. Air units that don't need to land, can take over all forms of bases. Don't have to deal with armor most of the time unless I play the expantion.

Can't find my expantion CD lately though so I haven't been able to play it.

Both are good for other things though. Most of my conventional forces will usually be air and sea. Most my conventional ground is often defending base, unless they are terraformers a forming, and supply crawlers a harvisting. Usually have 5 or more crawlers out and about, modded with deep radar and clean reactor, and PSI armor. Tend to bore some hold and have them sit and collect energy.

My stradigy is usually the way of out tech and out facilities my bases, so most attacks normally fail agaist me.

[CEO Aaron]

My use of mindworms tends to be situational. Relegated exclusively to the early game, I make worms when I share a fungus rich continent with a neighboring faction. Later on, I'll migrate to the more flexible conventional military, and clear the fungus.

[Sikander]

I rarely use them unless I'm playing the Gaians or Fungboy. I do use them when I'm seriously behind on military techs and in a major conflict. They work pretty well in defense against air attacks, and I've turned the tables against Miriam a couple of times as Morgan by unleashing perhaps 6-10 worms, destroying her attack force and going on to conquer her.

[Kinjiru]

Even if you do not plan to use mindworms as part of your army, it really is worth it to have a few around at all times.

Find an unpopulated spot with some fungus, even if it is only a few squares, and continually farm for cash. It's free credits, so why wouldn't you do it?

If you find you gather too many worms doing this, you can always ship to other areas near your enemies, as they make a fantastic early warning/picket system.

[Commy]

I mostly play PKs and Gaians, and with either faction I usually build lots of worms...although, I will say, with out nueral amplifier and dream twister, the AI does eventually find ways to defeat your worms, even the demon boils...

It's a lot easier with the Gaians, obviously, as doing a green economy early on gives me +30%...very, very nice benefit...

[Hercules]

I think the game at the start was reasonably balanced, but gamers discoverered crawlers and this upset the overall balance.

In the original pre crawler environment there was a good argument for green factions.

[Chaos Theory]

Crawlers are inherently a positive feedback mechanism, since they're manufacturable production. Citizens are somewhat like that, too, in good terrain, since each one harvests more food/mins/energy. Citizens are limited by drones, hab limits, and the need for nutrients. Crawlers are only limited by space, and sometimes hostile choppers. This gives me some ideas for balancing crawlers...

[aktarian]

I rarely build them. About only case when I do is if I have sea base next to land where I don't have land base. That way I build IotD and land former. Former then terraforms land, as it can move from the base. And IotD can be used to defend base or attack naval units next to it.

If I capture some I keep them. IotD are excellent for opening pods. If it's natural IOTD there you can fight it. If it's node or rover you can carry it to base (something you can't do with ships).

Other good use is to clear path when attacking base. So you are aproaching enemy base and he has either units between your army and base or formers. I use MWs to destroy them, thus saving my striking units for base itself. Also for destroying sensors around enemy bases. And I use "arty" MW if I have as I don't built arty.

But I think that when faced with enemy in base with good defensive positions and good reactor worms aren't that usefull.