Canabalistic Mindworms?!?!?

Argonaut · October 23, 2000, 18:37

Anyone else experienced this?? I was playing a game where I picked up a Unity Pod, and my rover was surrounded by a couple of mindworms and the rest were Spore launchers. The Spore Launchers systematically fired on each other until there was only one left, and that was practicaly dead! The mindworms themselves ran away, and my unity rover came away unscathed. Anyone else seen this? I've seen the mindworms not attack my mindworms when playing Gaian, but this was as University. Just curious.

Misotu · October 23, 2000, 19:08

I haven't seen this myself, but I've certainly seen it reported several times on the boards. I'm waiting to see it ...

Deimos · October 23, 2000, 21:18

I've seen mindworms and spore launchers go at it before. Several times as a matter of fact. This wasn't due to a pod pop, but several did go after each other.

They must have come from either a fungal bloom due to eco-damage, or they were spawned from a fungal tower, I'm not sure. All I remember was that during the course of a SP game, my view centered on the "Mindworm, Mindworm"

battle.

The first time this happend, I thought that it might have been out of "frustration", since they were at the end of a moderatly sized peninsula wich had a sea base just off the coast.
[This message has been edited by Deimos (edited October 23, 2000).]

Black Sunrise · October 23, 2000, 21:21

Well, if your planet level is high enough, mindworms will avoid you. They seem attracted to low planet scores.
Black Sunrise

Argonaut · October 24, 2000, 15:08

That was part of the weird part for me. My Planet rating was 0. No Green, no Manifold Nexus, no nothing. Weird.

WhiteElephants · October 24, 2000, 16:19

From what I understand, mindworms won't attack your mindworms which makes midworms the perfect canidates for poping pods. Now, the IOD's are another story.

RedFred · October 26, 2000, 23:05

I've not seen worms and spore launchers go at it. I have seen the spore launcher duels.

I have also seen mindworms run away for no apparent reason. I haven't seen it often enough to know for sure if this has anything to do with planet rating.

Googlie · October 27, 2000, 00:09

Just finished a game as the gaians, and almost every time MW's, if they could, avoided me. IoD's OTOH, did battle whenever I encountered them.

I've found this to be the case almost all the time when playing Gaia, Cult or Caretakers, or especially when I am green and in possession of the MN.

I think it is primarily driven by planet rating and then by your own MW's strength.

Googlie

Black Sunrise · October 27, 2000, 04:45

I'm sure you are all aware that IOD's will always head towards land, if there is noone right next to them? So when popping a sea pod, don't do it with your last movement point. Do it with your first or second, then if it's and IOD, clear out.
MW will ignore other mindworms, but will attack humanoid units.

I don't know if this is me, but it always seems that a humanoid unit moving through fungus is more likely to find a mindworm than a native unit. Could be my imagination, though.

Ogie Oglethorpe · October 27, 2000, 09:09

Sunrise,

Now that you mention you might be onto something re: MW being more present when patroling with humanoid units. One thing I am fairly sure of is that chance of capture is much greater with humanoid units that MW's.

Og

Black Sunrise · October 27, 2000, 13:59

Nah, thats an optical illusion. You only have a chance of capture at the start of your move (or is it if you have more than a full movement point left? I forget). Since MW's have often moved once or twice, at that point they have no chance of capture. No disadvantage from hurrying other than not getting to capture.
A few of my games have gotten to be really juggling acts in order to maximize MW's.

Jacques De Carufel · October 27, 2000, 14:49

I have seen those cannibalistic MWs in SMAX game yesterday for the first time. They were created by ecological damage and attacked each other instead of attacking my unit, which was outside it's base.

Provost Harrison · October 27, 2000, 15:32

In all of my time playing SMAC, for some reason I still have never seen this cannibalistic property. I wonder why?

Misotu · October 28, 2000, 01:05

quote:

Originally posted by RedFred on 10-26-2000 11:05 PM
I have also seen mindworms run away for no apparent reason. I haven't seen it often enough to know for sure if this has anything to do with planet rating.

Well, playing as the PKs in the first 10 turns of a game I've had mindworms turn and run from an empty size 1 base. I don't see how this could be to do with planet rating ... I remember on another thread someone suggested that mindworms are reluctant to attack human bases in the first 20 turns or so ?

mark13 · October 28, 2000, 10:34

quote:

I remember on another thread someone suggested that mindworms are reluctant to attack human bases in the first 20 turns or so ?

LOL - I wish it was the case, it would relieve me of half of my early turn woes.....

I, as you may have gathered, have never experienced this, in fact I even (once) had a mind worm eradicate my entire faction, by attacking my HQ in about 2103...

The nice thing is, though, I restarted somewhere else with two pods, a Former, a Synthmetal Garrison, and 50 credits! Not bad for three turns work....

It only happened once, mind....