Locusts of Chiron Capture

NorthSwordsman · July 9, 2001, 23:55

This evening, I was playing a SP game as the Uni. I popped a pod using a captured spore launcher, and lo and behold, out comes a Locust.

That's a first ... Has anyone else had that happen yet?

Anyways, Using the spore launcher, I attempted (I was curious, ok?) to attack it... believe it or not.. wound up *capturing* it.

This has to be the most unusual capture I've ever seen or heard of. Anyone else have this experience?

Just seems kinda ODD to me.... technically, I know they could be captured... but with a spore launcher? *shakes head*

Ken Hinds · July 10, 2001, 00:10

For the less knowledgeable of us was this with SMAC or SMAX? I've never encountered a spore launcher. Then again I've only encountered the locusts once, but that was once too many.

Ken

Blake · July 10, 2001, 00:42

I once got a fungal pop which spawned a big stack of locusts, then I captured the stack of locusts.

NorthSwordsman · July 10, 2001, 07:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken Hinds
For the less knowledgeable of us was this with SMAC or SMAX? I've never encountered a spore launcher. Then again I've only encountered the locusts once, but that was once too many.

Ken

SMACX. Locusts and spore launchers only appear in smacx. Otherwise you get the garden variety of mindworms.

NorthSwordsman · July 10, 2001, 07:24

Quote:

Originally posted by Blake
I once got a fungal pop which spawned a big stack of locusts, then I captured the stack of locusts.

Interesting, Blake. How was the capture accomplished? I was surprised to be able to do this with a spore launcher. Gives new meaning to the words "reach out and touch someone".

Glad to know it wasn't an isolated incident.

Incidentally, has anyone ever captured a Fungal Tower? Is it impossible to do so?

fluffy · July 10, 2001, 08:42

I've never seen locusts come out of pods, but spore launchers definitely have some chance of capturing other native lifeforms, including locusts. I think the probability is lower than when using mindworms.

Unfortunately, unless you go around grazing fields of fungus (gaians/cultists will do this throughout the game to gather energy), you are unlikely to see it very often.

I've even seen the fabled capturing of fungal towers a few times, though only when they are included in stacks. They aren't controllable, and next turn they revert to native, even if you still have worms on the same square!

NorthSwordsman · July 10, 2001, 10:13

Interesting. Thanks for the information!

johndmuller · July 10, 2001, 10:27

Quote:

Originally posted by NorthSwordsman
SMACX. Locusts and spore launchers only appear in smacx. Otherwise you get the garden variety of mindworms.

Just for the record, Locusts (and IODs) are entirely present in SMAC.

NorthSwordsman · July 10, 2001, 12:55

Groan. It's been so long since I've played SMAC alone that I'd forgotten about that. I tend to play using the SMAX game. Thanks for the correction. :-/.

Method · July 10, 2001, 13:51

i've played the smax demo and it seems to me that fungal towers are just pointless hunks of native life that just get in your way. is that actually what they are, or do they serve some other purpose.

cbn · July 10, 2001, 14:22

Tkg

Thats a pretty accurate description of them but they also cause more native life to be spawned in the area. Around a tower is not a bad spot for the Cult, Dee or anyone with empath to hang out. The towers are hard to kill but can be weakened by reducing the area of fungus around them.

Clear Skies · July 10, 2001, 14:23

I've captured a massive stack of Locusts once from a fungal ED pop - captured about eleven of them right next to Morgan Industries, then use them to kick Morgan's energy-loving butt! Teach him to despoil Planet!

Fungal towers are irritating, but I find they introduce a nice aspect - the actual generation of native life. For example, if you're running Green & Cybernetic & have the Manifold Nexus, plant fungus all around a tower and harvest the upcoming native life by capture! Trust me, it works!

RedFred · July 10, 2001, 14:37

I agree with SMAC Fanatic.

When running Green, or even with a very experienced military; think fungal towers are like cash in the bank. They generate more native life for you to capture or kill($). And you can't have too much energy lying around or you'll get hit with a crash. So when you have an urgent need for credits you can always kill the towers. You won't see as many natives thereafter, but it beats selling off a base improvement.

Solver · July 12, 2001, 03:12

I've captured all the natives, except towers, and they're impossible to capture. Locusts, launchers. I captured Sealurk once, as Svensgaard. And, tried dozens of times to capture a a tower, failed, even with +5 Planet, in scenario editor.

death_head · July 12, 2001, 10:26

I think they say that you cannot capture a Tower in the manual...could be wrong though.

Lefty Scaevola · July 12, 2001, 16:06

I have captured Locust O C with both ground based and sea based units. IIRC they were native units, IODs and Mindworms that did the capturing. When attacking a native stack including fungal towers as well as other native units, I have captured the other units and entered the hex, but the tower remained native and had to be killed (after evacuating any of my units that had a higher defensive value and would be chosen as the defender).