Remove ads

Blue Swarm (Mass Effect/Starcraft Swarm Control Quest)

Reader mode
TempestK said:
@Planetary Tennis could you please put this to rest before I post something I might regret in response?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Trilobite said:
Sure currently we're restricted to volcano's but a couple of future research projects would change that. We had no vespine and now we can turn volcanic gasses into it, if we run out of those we'll find some other way. Adaption is what zerg do, even if it means we have to dig through the crust ourselves to make our own subsurface volcanoes to get it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

The Gas Refinery reaches deep to get it's gas if needed. It needs some volatile gasses or oils to produce the output. Some planets will lack the needed resources, however you can use spore cannons to transport the resources. In cases where neither is possible you can research a way to alleviate this.
 
DaLintyGuy said:
So I had an Idea. Technically a bad Idea but that's just a factor of when I had an Idea.


[The Design Process]


To the Zerg, challenges were to be overcome. A novel stimulus allowed for new growth in the solving and bred out weakness in the Swarm. The current circumstances were less than ideal but not truly novel. Nonetheless, the Cerebrate pondered.

The problem: Terrans and their aircraft were present.
The complication: zerglings could not fight aircraft.
The solution: grow strains that could.

A rapid review of the two templates at hand was accomplished, leaving nothing unnoticed.

The problem: hydralisks required vespene in order to develop their thorax spine launchers.
The complication: vespene was complicated to produce and lesser in quality at this time, limiting its availability.
The solution: reduce reliance on vespene.

An obvious solution. Difficult, as the vespene catalysis was required to produce projectiles at a useful pace for the primary air defense of the Swarm. Reducing that capability would fatally compromise the strain's purpose.

The solution: make a new strain that was not meant to engage in direct combat.

Terrans were deeply flawed beings. Their soldiers would flee from personal danger and could only rarely agree on a course of action. While this would sometimes be a net positive on their combat performance it opened up many avenues of attack. If attacked where they thought they were safe the surprise often was their doom. Here, bereft of resources and with an unknown number of enemies, the Swarm needed to fight as well as it could.

Simply transferring hydralisk weapons onto a zergling was ineffective. The muscular foot of the hydralisk gave the launchers a range of motion that the low slung, quadrapedal zergling simply could not match. Worse, the larger torso was painfully mismatched on the smaller frame.

Cutting the number of spines ready at one time made it more manageable, taking the place of the cutting arms of the base strain. However, the ready ammunition was then pitiably small. A concern, even for a skirmish focused strain such as this.

A thought beckoned. Why use the hydralisk launcher at all? Redesigning the cutting arms to instead throw longer, thinner spines with interior channels for venom would neatly sidestep the need for advanced resources in production. Potential upgrades could add that back in in the form of self guided projectiles... But such a weapon would be impotent against all but the lowest flying aircraft. And here and now that capacity was needed.

Setting aside the cost effective throwing arms, the hydralisk launchers were once again considered. Range of motion would be gained by having a single propulsive channel on a pair of modified arms with peristaltic tubes supplying them with new ammunition from a dorsal growth sack. This would limit the number of projectiles that could be thrown at once, compared to larger organs placed directly onto the back of the zergling and mostly reliant on body positioning for aim.

A handful of exploratory spawns began harvesting combat data on the prospective strains. The arm mounted launchers were found to be superior as the scale of the conflict grew as they could fire while running with sufficient accuracy at large angles off bearing and could keep doing so for longer than their opposites before running through their limited stock of projectiles.

Interest grew, and more of the Cerebrate's attention was drawn to the project.

The new strain was meant to be a harassing agent and a desperate, early defense against airborne threats by a new hive cluster. Carapace could then be shucked away in exchange for longer limbs, a wiry build, and in general an ironic reversal of the Zerg changes to the original genetics. Adaptations for survival in the heat of a melee and charging a firing line were removed for the speed needed to dictate engagements against ground targets and respond appropriately to air attack.

A desultory designation of "spineling" was applied to the new strain, as pride began to well within the Cerebrate. Streamlining came next. A very slow gestation was began and the psychic power of the Cerebrate delicately threaded through the embryo to monitor how it grew in order to see what needed to be changed. Light carapace grew too early, stifling development of the body. Bones hardened too late, the spine pouch needed refinement...

Alone in a barren land the Cerebrate hummed to itself, content for the moment in the pure joy of creation.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Choose:
Spinelings Research Unlocked and Progressed (10 Prototype Spinelings spawned.)
+100 Vespine
+50 on next research action
 
Planetary Tennis said:
The Gas Refinery reaches deep to get it's gas if needed. It needs some volatile gasses or oils to produce the output. Some planets will lack the needed resources, however you can use spore cannons to transport the resources. In cases where neither is possible you can research a way to alleviate this.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

thanks for replying. and just what i thought about the refinery...the problem is sometimes we wont have planets in systems that wont have any spore cannons or any colonies present to be able to throw gas or biomass at the planets. thats why im irritated that we picked the quick and dirty way to make vespine gas.

otherwise again thanks for settling this.

also looks like we got a unit to do a quick and dirty anti air weapon, or a ranged option!
 
[X][GW]Split Focus
[X][AW]Pretend to be Fauna

I deeply want access to all of these for the long run as the utility of having all of them would be truly immense.
 
Remove ads
Vote closed
  • Voting
    • Scheduled vote count started by Planetary Tennis on Jan 11, 2022 at 11:03 PM, finished with 41 posts and 14 votes.
    [gw] [aw]
    Click to expand...
     
  • Voting
    • Remove ads
    Turn 9 B
  • Threadmarks
    • Pretend to be Fauna

    The aliens were not Terrains, this is the only thing that you are sure of. This means its completely possible that they have never encountered the Zerg and as such would not recognize the overlord. So it simply drifts around watching as the ground troops of the invaders landed and begin to set up a forward camp the fighting lasting nearly a full planetary rotation before they begin to move wounded out.

    It would seem that there were two factions, as the alien ship leaves your overlord reaches out. You recognize it quickly that the broken door of the facility is wide open a small flickering shield keeping the toxic air out. The overlord can sense the fading life of those inside the facility. It was likely they would all be dead before you can react, though it is likely that the aliens will return you can try to raid the facility for information and materials.

    Resources Clusters Forces Dice Notes
    • Minerals: 3895
      Biomass: 67
      Vespine Gas: 0

      Production +10050 Minerals
      +9 Biomass

      Sources
      Pillar Field +50 Per Drone. Drone Cap Unlimited -5 production for all drones here for every 5 drones here, Max Unknown. 5/ꝏ
      Poor Mine +10 Per Drone. Drone Cap 2 Max 2,000 0/2
      Rich Caves +200 per Drone. Drone Cap 100 Max 99,993,600 49/100

      Gas
      Pillar Field +10 Per Refinery. +4 per drone operation. Max 10,000,000 0/0
      Volcanic Shelf +15 Per Refinery. +5 per drone operation. Max Unknown 0/0
      Deep Mines +8 Per Refinery. +4 per drone operation. Max 1,000,000 0/0
    • Volcanic Slopes (Cluster 1)
      Deep Caverns (Cluster 3)
      Rocky Basin (Wormlandia)
      Southern Plane (Cluster 2)
      Western Ridges (Unoccupied)
      Nothern Plane (Under Magma)
      Shattered Mountain (Unoccupied)
      Stable Range (Raided Base)
    • Hive Cluster 1
      Overlord 7
      Zerglings 32
      Spinelings 10
      Cerebrate (Unnamed) 1
      Hatchery 1
      Sunken Colony 1
      Spore Colony 1
      Evolution Chamber 1
      Spawning Pool 1
      The Void Hybrid 1

      Hive Cluster 2
      Drones 5
      Overlord 5
      Zerglings 72
      Hatchery 1
      Creep Colony 1
      Spore Colony 1

      Hive Cluster 3
      Drones 49
      Overlord 7
      Hatchery 1

      Control 26/56|41/40|49/56|0/100
      Void Eminations 1/10?
      Larva 12
      Larva 12
      Larva 12
    • Military: 1|+5
      Research: 2|+10
      Diplomatic: 0|-10
      Growth: 3|+5
      Exploration: 1|+5
      Free: 0

      Perfection of Metamorphosis any growth die rolled under 25 become 25 instead.
      Psionic Growth: When metamorphing creatures from larva double the amount is born.
    • Prototype metamorphosis is very expensive as you build more requirement buildings the cost drops down to standard. They are not from larvae and are not affected by Psionic Growth

      (#/#+) shows an action with a repeatable effect. These actions roll overflow into the action again.

      Dice Mod, as a Cerebrate you can use your mental prowess in many ways, even if you are using parts designed for particular tasks. Whenever you wish you can expend a die from one category to gain another in a category of your choosing. However, in addition to the normal mods for the category, you gain an additional -15 to that roll.

      Unfinished structures progress by 5 each turn. Dice can be used to finish them but are not needed.

      When spawning structures a hatchery must be present, or another source of creep. Hatcheries are exceptions to this.

      When at a hive cluster that can produce a resource drones that are not busy will produce the resources available. The projected resources are listed in resources.

      /Name\ as part of an action means that a creature or structure of that name is required to be sacrificed. (Read mutate) to make the new item. All structures require drones unless they use this notation to indicate another structure or creature.

      Free Dice can be used to take actions even in categories with no action availability.

      Actions shown in growth with |#L| Means they use Larva meaning that growing creatures to fill out your ranks is easy with materials to do so. You do not need to use a dice to take the action but you will need to use a Larva, you have # larva

      <##%> Shows and action that has a random chance of success, failure in these can reduce minor assets like drones, each die is another roll and another chance of success. <??%> The chance is unknown.

      Biomass can be used as Minerals 1 to 1. Or as Vespine 100 to 1. You can convert minerals into biomass in a ratio of 10 to 1.

      A Hatchery is needed to evolve new creatures. An evolution chamber is helpful but not needed in researching swarm forms.

      When voting use -[X]# to show how many dice you are using for each action this is not needed if you are only using one. Please vote by plan.

      (#/#) shows the progress of an action, the second number shows when the action will be completed. If the action has (#/0) then any die assigned to the action will complete the action regardless of the roll. (#/??) This means that the number needed to complete the action is unknown.

      [#] Shows the number of minerals needed for the action.
      [#] Shows the number of biomass needed for the action.
      [#] Shows the number of vespine gas needed for the action.


    Military Actions
    []Defensive Positioning (0/0)
    Set up the zerglings to defend in case of an attack. Though you don't think any attack is near.

    []Pobing <??%>
    You are still weak but you can expend a few zerglings against the worm to test it learn more.

    []Scavange <??%>
    The alien base remains you know not when their attackers will return but it is likely to contain samples of the dead if nothing else.
    -[]Forces
    Research Actions
    []Repair an available damaged Essence
    -[]Spawning (0/100+)
    Hatchery, Lair
    -[]Unlocking (0/100+)
    Hydralisk Den, Evolution Chamber
    -[]Defense (32/100+)
    Spore Colony, Spore Cannon, Sunken Colony

    []Play with evolution (0/??) [10]
    -[]What?
    Try and create something with the available genes, drone, overlord, zergling, creep cluster, spawning pool, hatchery.

    []Develop the Tarantula (0/100)
    Your ideas have merit and by working out the exact enzymes needed for its growth you will be able to mutate a structure for it, or at least determine which structure already makes the needed chemicals.

    []Reach out into the Void (0/??)
    You only reached gently looking for your kin a louder attempt may be able to call them but something else could hear such powerful Psionics.

    []Try to Speed up the Development of your Psionic Specialty <??%>
    You need to be ready now any tool that is delayed is time lost to the swarm.

    []Instinct and Mind (0/??)
    You wish to create a swarm controller that will lay dormant until it is disconnected from higher-level control. Giving it orders so that lost broods will try and reach out.

    []Evolution Master (32/300)
    Gain Spawn The Evolution Master as a Growth Option, operates like Grow Cerebrate, the Evolution master gives 3 research dice and the Art of Essence (Whenever working on genes and essence research roll twice and sum the dice.) Can only have one.

    []Adaptation Chamber (32/150)
    Gain mutate the Adaptation Chamber as a Growth Option, the first grants an additional research die, broods are more able to adapt individually to specific threats without aid.

    []Geneweavers (32/75)
    Gain the metamorph Geneweavers as a Growth Option. The Geneweavers require the Queen's nest and an Evolution Chamber. They are battlefield control and support focusing on healing and buffs.

    []Hybrid Mind Link (19/5000)
    A mix of zerg and protoss genes this creature taps directly into the void and replicates the connection of the overmind and the cerebrates. This bares research.
    Diplomatic Actions
    [] A Name? (0/??)
    Loneliness is not an emotion of the swarm the feeling is alien the machine keeps you alive but a name will remind you that soon there will be others in the swarm that will have the ability to use it.
    Growth Actions
    You can grow new structures at Hive Cluster 1, 2, or 3. Please Specify.

    []Hatchery (0/50) [300]
    Grow a hatchery without more control organisms and with the damage to your genes, you will watch over it carefully as it grows to ensure no issues arise. You know deeply the damages to the code of the hatchery and can carefully ensure that it does not come up as it grows.

    []Hatchery Far (0/75) [300]
    You wish to start a new hive cluster. Select a location to send the drone.

    []Spawning Pool (0/0) [200]
    Grow a spawning pool you understand what is needed and it will be simple for another to be built though without large numbers of zerg dying or disconnected creep it is unneeded at this time.

    []Evolution Chamber (0/75) [75]
    Grow an evolution chamber without more control organisms and with the damage to your genes, you will watch over it carefully as it grows to ensure no issues arise. You know deeply the damages to the code of the Evolution Chamber and can carefully ensure that it does not come up as it grows.

    []Creep Colony (0/0) [75]
    More creep means more area for you to expand and to move, while the hatchery will make more creep, you already know that the colony's genes work.

    []Hydralisk Den (0/125) [100] [50]
    Grow an Hydralisk Den without more control organisms and with the damage to your genes, you will watch over it carefully as it grows to ensure no issues arise. You know deeply the damages to the code of the Evolution Chamber and can carefully ensure that it does not come up as it grows.

    []Gas Refinery (0/0) [50]
    A mutation of the Extractor that is able to turn various natural gasses and volcanic gasses into Vespine produces based on local gas availability. Requires Drones to harvest.

    []Sunken Colony (0/25) [50] /Creep Colony\
    The Sunken Colony is one of the zerg broods' defensive structures and even with the damage to the genes, it is still viable. Though you need to work to ensure nothing happens as it mutates.

    []Spore Colony (0/25) [50] /Creep Colony\
    The Sunken Colony is one of the zerg broods' defensive structures and even with the damage to the genes, it is still viable. Though you need to work to ensure nothing happens as it mutates.

    []Spore Cannon (0/75) [100] [50] /Spore Colony\
    The expanded systems allow this cannon to fire spores further at higher speed, it loses much of its function as an anti-air weapon but becomes an important member of anti-orbital defenses and can be used to send biomass and genetic information quickly between planets in a system.

    []Lair (0/200) [150] [100] /Hatchery\
    The Lair is mutated from the hatchery using the complex enzymes the spawning pool produces it does the catalytic conversion of those compounds into proteins needed for the heavier zerg fliers. Though the damage to the essence of the swarm means it might take a long time and while mutating the Lair will not produce larva. Without another hatchery, it is a slight risk.

    []Cerebrate (0/2000) [1000]
    You do not wish to be alone this will leave you critically low on supplies and make it hard to grow any other structures ad the two of you will take nearly all the available creep. The look into genes reminded you of the complexity and difficulty it is to grow a new Cerebrate.

    []Metomorph Creature |24L|
    Grow a member of the swarm.
    -[]Drone [50]
    -[]Overlord [100]
    -[]Zerglings 2x [50]
    -[]Spineling 2x [50]

    []Mine <??%>
    You can try to access minerals buried in the ground, however, with pockets of gas and magma, it does risk the drones.

    []Prototype Spawning (0/0)
    Each creature requires a full evolution pit for its gestation, however, you can birth them without the need for the normal structures that provide their many needed biochemicals.
    -[]Hydralisk [200] [100]
    -[]Queen [450] [150]
    -[]Infestor [300] [450]
    -[]Nueral Parasite [75] [30]
    -[]Mutalisk [300] [300]
    -[]Scourge x2 [75] [225]
    -[]Defiler [250] [750]
    -[]Ultralisk [1000] [1000]

    []Relocate (0/0)
    Move the Cerebrate from Hive Cluster 1 to Hive Cluster 3.
    Exploration Actions
    []Space (0/0)
    You have an overlord of the basics of the swarm's movement through space. You can see what the system is like beyond this world. However, any other would likely be able to detect the overlord as it moves in orbit.

    []Worm Watch (0/??)
    You need to know more if you are to eventually take out the beast need to know its habits and its weaknesses.

    []Examine
    Select an area to examine in greater depths possibly discovering more than your quick scouting.
     
    Last edited:
  • Threadmarks
    • I genuinely believe all of those Evolutionary Paths are gonna be of massive utility. Queens will fulfill field support, Evolution Chambers being the mainstay of various broods, and then I imagine we will keep the super bio-master near to us so we can directly leverage its badass ability.
     
    []Scavange <??%>
    The alien base remains you know not when their attackers will return but it is likely to contain samples of the dead if nothing else.
    -[] 12 Zerglings, 3 Drones, 1 Overlord

    Thinking this. Zerglings as guards, Drones as muscle to haul things back, and Overlord for observation.
     
    ErraticWizard said:
    Queens will fulfill field support, Evolution Chambers being the mainstay of various broods, and then I imagine we will keep the super bio-master near to us so we can directly leverage its badass ability.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...
    I figure (even if I'm not a fan) that the Queens (if they don't pull a Kerrigan) will be the observers for individual mutations that the Evolution Chambers produce. The Queens forward the most effective, interesting or viable mutations to the Bio-Master. The Biomaster refines or dumbs down the essence for mass production. Finally, the Biomaster sends their finished product back to the Evolution Chambers to repeat the cycle.
     
    idea, bury/move all zerg assets underground, leave overlords only on surface, pretend to be space cows.
     
    UlseDovThur said:
    []Scavange <??%>
    The alien base remains you know not when their attackers will return but it is likely to contain samples of the dead if nothing else.
    -[] 12 Zerglings, 3 Drones, 1 Overlord

    Thinking this. Zerglings as guards, Drones as muscle to haul things back, and Overlord for observation.
    Click to expand...
    Click to shrink...

    Overlords are transports, and they can only do 6 or 8 at a time, I'd send 3 or 4 over.
     
    We should aim to get that extra research die ASAP, it will pay for itself pretty quickly. We also want to scavenge that base, if we are lucky one of the dead might be biotic and that would open up some interesting research. Growth die should be on getting gas and moving to a safer location so:

    [x] Plan: Gas and corpses
    -[x]Scavange <??%> 1 military die 1 exploration die
    The alien base remains you know not when their attackers will return but it is likely to contain samples of the dead if nothing else.
    --[x]Forces: 30 zerglings from cluster 2 10 spinelings from 1 10 drones from 3, 10 overlords from anywhere
    -[x]Adaptation Chamber (32/150) 2 research dice
    -[x]Relocate (0/0) 1 growth die
    -[x]Gas Refinery (0/0) 1 growth die - cluster 3
    -[x] Gas Refinery (0/0) 1 growth die cluster 1
    -[x]Metomorph Creature |24L|
    --[x]Drone [50] 10 drones - fill up the gas refineries then rest to the mines
    --[x]Overlord [100] 6 overlords - 3 for cluster 3, 3 for cluster 2.
    --[x]Spineling 2x [50] 20 - 10 to cluster 2, 5 to cluster 1, 5 to cluster 3
    -[x] reallocate exploration die to military

    So plan has our military and exploration trying to get as much as we can out of the base, all our research working toward that extra research die. One growth die moving our body to a more secure spot and the other two getting gas online. Our larva go towards drones for the gas and spinelings to provide AA support. plus the mandatory overlords.
     
    Last edited:
    Reader mode
    You must login or register to reply here.
    Remove ads
    Back
    Top