Mindworm hunt

[Adalbertus]

Hi there,

After playing a long time with positive Planet attitude (up to +4) I wonder about the chance to catch a mindworm. For IoDs, the probability indeed might be around 50%, but i rarely succeeded in really catching a mind worm. Are there more parameters that influence hunter's success?

[WhiteElephants]

The way I understand it is that as you catch/build more mindworms that actual percentage to catch more decreases. Before this "feature" was implemented I heard tell of massive captured worm armies.

[Avenoct]

WhiteElephants,

Thanks, that does make sense. Certainly, when the player has say 75% official mindworm capture (+3 Planet), the actual number experienced is far lower.

-Smack

[DilithiumDad]

The first worm or isle is usually captured. Gaians and Cult always capture on first worm enounter. Chances drop drastically with each worm captured. This makes them truly disposible --losing a worm in battle increases your chance for snagging a replacement. So using them for sucidie missions while tropping for replacements is an excellent strategy.

On the topic of worm capture, any worm hunting tips? I know that mechanical units are better than native units and that virgin fungus is better than well-trampled fungus. Fungus-cover riverbeds are especially good, it seems. Also, worms steer clear of sensors to some extent. Any other tips?

[Ned]

I just got to tell you about a recent game. I was playing Fungboy on a dry planet with blind research. Diedre had the Moonsoon Jungle and was way ahead on all counts and had 90% of the SPs. So it is approaching 2300 and still no Tree Farms. Every turn or so, I am experiencing fungal blooms with ever increasing intensity. Global Warming flooding is sinking the world.

However, one turn, I capture 12 Great Boil demon locusts! I als happen to have the Nural Amplifier. So I fly these monsters over to Diedre's world and proceed to tear up her terraforming, bit by bit. I even capture a base with 5 SPs she has left without a defender. One was the Datalinks!

Capturing these locusts really turned the game around. I may have won the game anyway, but the worm capture made it easy.

Ned

[Adalbertus]

Thanks for the answers. I was just up reading again a book on statistics
About the probability of meeting a mind worm I have the impression that they often just appear and sit in the fungus until stirred up or they come out because they are simply bored. Fungus all the days, all the years ... I can understand. But sometimes I find them when entering a square for the second time in one turn. Maybe they are generated based on the number of fungus squares you enter? Who nose?

[WhiteElephants]

I thought I should also note that the percentage to capture doesn't fall to, or below, zero. I believe it only goes down to a certain percentage (I've heard 10%), which would explain why it becomes harder to catch more worms later in the game, but not impossible.

[Ned]

Adalbertus, Having a worm appear in a square you just vacated is a common occurance. You shoud plan for it in your movement of multiple units, such as by moving the tail end of your column first.

Ned