capturing a foil probe team

[bvanevery]

Details capturing a foil probe team

capturing a foil probe team

Did you know that if your ship had a Marine Detachment, you can actually capture a foil probe team?  I happened to be using a Gun Foil, because I'm the Pirates and it's early in the game.  I don't know if a feeble strength 1 gun is required or not.  My worry is that bigger guns might simply destroy the ship, not capture it.  A captured probe is very useful to me as I don't know how to make probe teams yet.

For other reasons I had to play the turn over.  Sometimes the foil probe team gets destroyed.  I was using a slightly wounded Gun Foil to attack, 90% strength.

It turns out you don't get the unit design, so I can't make new foil probe teams, but at least I do have 1 team once it heals up.  For optimal foil probe team harvesting, it is best to put one's base in a place where the AI ends its movement "foolishly", without actually making it all the way to your base.  In my case, a sea fungus barrier in front of the originating city provided the needed slowdown.  A picket of doubled up ships that can't be captured, or a Sensor Array in the water (allowed with my mod) will also work.

Save scumming reveals that if your ship is too experienced relative to the foil probe team, you won't capture it.  It'll just die.  I played 10 rounds of my Hardened gun foil vs. the foil probe team and they died every time.

[Geo]

Details capturing a foil probe team

capturing a foil probe team

Did you know that if your ship had a Marine Detachment, you can actually capture a foil probe team?

I didn't.
From the way you describe things it looks like an issue that would mostly arise early game, when multiple morale-enhancing facilities and SE choices are not available yet.

[bvanevery]

Although, I have not yet tried capturing a Foil Probe Team with another Foil Probe Team.  That might work ok, although there's the risk of you yourself getting killed.

BTW in my SMACX AI Growth mod version 1.25, I removed all the tech improvements to probe team base morale.  It was pretty silly, there were 5 of them.  Plus, armored probe teams are exploitable as a normal combat defensive unit, that you don't pay any support cost for!  Probe Teams already benefit from being built at Command Centers etc., they really don't need more assists.  Naval Yards are more of a midgame thing, so a Foil Probe Team isn't going to be immediately boosted by anything.

[Geo]

Although, I have not yet tried capturing a Foil Probe Team with another Foil Probe Team.  That might work ok, although there's the risk of you yourself getting killed.

You need to enable Marine Detachment for probe teams then.

[bvanevery]

You need to enable Marine Detachment for probe teams then.

Hm, I guess that is a bit nonsensical.  Oh well, just remember all the great things you can do with puny ships!