Initial thread here: http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/13836 .

Some of the pilots in Deneb have reported small, mobile crystalline asteroids "eating" other crystalline asteroids. These lagely insubstantiated claims have been dismissed by both warring nations' militaries.




Armor 6000
Cargo 50
Weapons Small Mining Beam, Neutron Blaster MKI
Mass 5000 kg
Length 7 m
Thrust 200 N
Max Speed 75 m/s
Spin Torque 7.0 Nm
Turbo Speed 180 m/s
Turbo Energy 70/s
Battery Heavy Battery

Behavior: Roams ice fields in groups; the group will attempt to flee if any potential enemies are sensed while the group is smaller than 10. If the group is larger, then it will attempt to aggressively defened/claim/protect its territory (all critters attack immediately, trying to stay under 100m from target) until the group has sustained losses putting it below 10, then it disperses/flees. When mining, they only mine crystalline asteroids up to 200 K, they eject all Aquean Ore, and they replicate if they store 50 of whatever else (generally silicate and Ishik).

Why would critters have blasters? Why not gnashing teeth? And batteries? Eh?

I'm trying to make it simple and work within the existing game framework. They would have an energy attack because this is sci-fi and it looks cooler. ;)

What if they had an l-mine like attack with an extremely short range so that they would try to fly up and leech on to you? That would be pretty funny to watch.

If that wasn't too difficult, that would be AWESOME! Could they be a roaming Lightning Mine that only affects ships (i.e. not each other, that would be lame) and does like half L-mine damage and a range of 75m? Perhaps it could be a large port equipment that always drains like 35 energy per second?

I was thinking more like 15m, but... yeah >:D

I can picture it now... "auugh, get it off me, get it off me!" lol.

Dunno if the weapon should be recoverable or no since we're talking organism vs. ship here.

Have them ram you, and killing them drops a rare ore (more are coming with the economy redux) that you can sell for big bucks!

No, I don't want the special weapon to be recoverable either, stats are just suggested for the mechanics. I think 15 is too short; it would be too easy to stay back from it. It should still try and GET to 15m, but the weapon would have to be effective at 75m to be of much use at all.

I think they should latch onto your ship and start sucking your hull unless you strafe around wildly and throw them off. :)

No. Kix, what you describe are the nasty glowy orbs by RelayeR. Those also add to your ship's mass making it increasingly difficult to shake them as more attach!

No. better idea, they attach to your ship, and slowly do damage, only ways to remove them is to dock (and pay a "leech removal fee") or have a buddy shoot it off, being careful not to shoot YOU.

So.. you want me to make a flying 'ice yo' that shoots? That's umm.. not hard. I'll think about it?

Would be interesting to pit them against the Hive.

"would be intresting to pit them against the hive"

=D

I can easily see fifty of these suckers on a frigate...that'd be sweet, do it incarnate! :D

We dont want Pacmans in space. :(

just make them extremely rare then, lol... like one sector of one system in greyspace has a half dozen of these things flying around like a group of demented tele-tubbies

These aren't supposed to be Pacmen, and these are not the critters that will do anything especially interesting/strange. I was thinking they could be a partial replacement for the Hive in nation-space. I mean, seriously, the Itani and Serco would NEVER reasonably allow Hive into Itan or Sol II. There would be Hive incursions on the greyspace borders, and a few Hive might have managed to hide in Deneb to make small incursions within a system of there.

It would also be supremely funny for a BS to start and find that the crystallines had moved into the area and had long enough to reproduce to like 60 of them total.

I mean, seriously, the Itani and Serco would NEVER reasonably allow Hive into Itan or Sol II.

That's really up to the Itani and Serco pilots though, isn't it? Saying that there shouldn't be hive in Itan or Sol because the Itani and Serco would never allow it seems a little post hoc to me.

Rather, it would be up to the Itani and Serco to keep hive out of their nation space, and there would most likely be faint hive presence in Capitol systems because these systems are so heavily patrolled.

that would be nice.

if it eats roids, perhaps it's byproduct waste could be detonating crytaline balls that explode on contact. like a high-pressure gaz in a fragile hard rock shell.

there could be *tons* of those in asteroid fields.

Yes, Phaserlight, it would be up to the pilots to keep Hive out of nation space, but how long has it been since YOU saw a queen in Sedina? Or do you think [SCAR] and [ITAN] will let up on the Hive until it gets to Deneb for the laughs at newbs who say "ZOMG, screw me! Why is there a Hive Queen in my tutorial sector!!!"...?