Native life forms, Psi Combat, etc.—datalinks redraft

[Guv’ner]

I’ve taken duplicated information from the various native life unit articles and combined it into one concepts article. I’ve also trimmed some other duplicate information.

I'm rather of the opinion that the odds for finding native life forms should be replaced with “quite likely”, “sometimes”, and “rarely” or some such but since someone went to the trouble of experimenting to find them I feel loathe to expunge them out of hand:

Native life forms

Native life forms include Mind Worms, Spore Launchers, Fungal Towers, Isles of the Deep, Sealurks, and Locusts of Chiron. They engage in Psi combat when they are both attacking or attacked.

All native life forms go through a lifecycle. Seven different phases of growth have been identified: Hatchling, Larval Mass, Pre-Boil, Boil, Mature Boil, Great Boil, and Demon Boil. The larger and more mature a boil, the more dangerous it is. A unit receives a +12.5% combat bonus for each lifecycle.

Native life forms do not suffer from hasty penalties.

Wild native life forms can sometimes be captured in the wild and as technology advances factions can breed native life forms in their bases. Life forms bred by a faction that controls The Xenoempathy Dome, The Pholus Mutagen, or The Voice of Planet or at bases that contain a Biology Lab, Centauri Preserve, Temple of Planet, or Bioenhancement center receive a +1 lifecycle for each facility or secret project. Native life forms can also mature as a result of combat similar to non-native units morale upgrades.

Native life forms controlled by a human or alien faction do not require support when they are on xenofungus squares they can also be released into the wild using the ‘Action’ menu.

Wild native life forms outside bases fight at reduced strength before 2115 when attacking bases, they fight at reduced strength until 2150. During the perihelion of Alpha Centauri B, native life forms can be more aggressive and numerous.

Wild Natives and Fungus

Whenever a land or sea unit is moved into an unoccupied Fungus square that does not have a mag tube and is not adjacent to a base or Sensor Array, there is a chance that the fungus will ‘spawn’ a wild Native life form.

Some approximate values for the odds to discover a native unit:
    • Normal land fungus = 1/3 (1/27 if faction controls The Xenoempathy Dome)
    • Fungus + river = 1/9
    • Fungus + Road = 1/27
    • Sea fungus appears to have lower odds than land fungus

When attacking wild native life forms with a land or sea unit, they can be captured if a faction possess a positive Planet rating and they are not stacked with a fungal tower. The rating also sets a limit on the total number of native life forms that can be controlled by a faction.

If a wild native life form is successfully attacked and destroyed, the ‘husks’ can be harvested for their planetpearls at a bonus of 10 energy credits per lifecycle level.

Any Psi damage inflicted will be spread (at 100%) to all of the same type of native in the tile (and gives appropriate planetpearl bonuses, if destroyed) except for Locusts of Chiron that must be destroyed one at a time.

Wild native life forms will not usually attack natives controlled by a faction.

Psi Combat

Native life forms and units equipped with the Psi Attack or Psi Defense can engage in Psi Combat manipulatinge a purely psychoactive waveform capable of interfacing with, and distorting the thoughts of, all self-aware creatures.

In Psi Combat the attacker is given a 3:2 advantage on land (1:1 for sea and air combat). It requires discipline for troops to overcome their fear, and as weapon, armor, and reactor strengths are ignored in Psi Combat, morale is an important factor. Planet rating effects the unit ±10% per rating.

With the requisite technology Psi Attack can be improved by utilizing the Resonance Bolt, Resonance Laser, and String Disruptor weapon modules, the Empath Song Special Ability, and the The Dream Twister secret project.

Psi defense can be similarly enhanced using Resonance 3 Armor and Resonance 8 Armor, Hypnotic Trance special ability, and The Neural Amplifier secret project.

[Petek]

Nice work consolidating the information. Three comments:

1. According to the Wiki, wild native life forms gain +1 lifecycle for each perihelion event. That information should be included.

2. In the section titled Wild Natives and Fungus, I think it would be more logical to move the information about odds of discovery to immediately after the opening paragraph.

3. In the same section, I'm having trouble understanding the first part of the following sentence:

Any Psi damage inflicted will be spread (at 100%) to all of the same type of native in the tile (and gives appropriate planetpearl bonuses, if destroyed) except for Locusts of Chiron that must be destroyed one at a time.

Is it saying that, in a stack of native life forms, equal combat damage is inflicted on all life forms of the same type (excepts for Locusts)? If so, I don't think that's correct. In any event, I think the statement needs to be made clearer.

[Buster's Uncle]

Does that relate to how adjacent-square worms often promote when you attack?

[Yitzi]

You sure about native life on fungus not needing support (even if it has a home base)?  I also noticed a few grammatical/spelling errors, better proofread it.

Nice work consolidating the information. Three comments:

1. According to the Wiki, wild native life forms gain +1 lifecycle for each perihelion event.

I'm not sure that's correct; what I've seen suggests the formula may be more complicated.  In any case, does it apply to faction-bred native life?

Is it saying that, in a stack of native life forms, equal combat damage is inflicted on all life forms of the same type (excepts for Locusts)? If so, I don't think that's correct.

I believe the rule is that when a land unit attacks a native-owned land unit (but not faction-owned native life), if it wins it destroys all land units in the square.

[Lord Avalon]

Native life forms

... They engage in Psi combat when they are both attacking or attacked.

I think this should read:  "... when they are attacking or defending."

[/size]Psi Combat

... It requires discipline for troops to overcome their fear and as weapon, armor, and reactor, strengths are ignored in Psi Combat morale is an important factor....

I would add a comma after "fear," delete the one after "reactor," and add one after "Combat."

... A faction’s Planet rating effects the attacker at ± 10% per point.

To me this is very ambiguous.  Is the attacker of the faction in question?  What about the Planet rating of the defender?  Why did you use plus/minus?  I think that can be removed.  Oh, and it's "affects," but I'd rewrite the whole sentence.

[Guv’ner]

The information about inflicting damage on stacks of native life forms (other then the but about Locusts of Chiron) was a bum steer from the 2010 update. I've done some testing on different terrains but I’m not sure if the whole paragraph shouldn’t just be junked.


There is some vague information about the lifecycle boost to wild native life during perihelion but as Yitzi said it’s effects are complicated.


BUncle brings up a good point about adjacent wild native lifeforms being boosted by the destruction of any adjacent native life forms. I’ll need to test that one a bit more.

[Fal]

You sure about native life on fungus not needing support (even if it has a home base)?

It's definitely true for at least mind worms and isles of the deep.

[Guv’ner]

I believe it may be true for any Psi unit specified in alpha(x).txt.

[Buster's Uncle]

You sure about native life on fungus not needing support (even if it has a home base)?

It's definitely true for at least mind worms and isles of the deep.

Confirmed. Captured/grown NL draws support from the fungus when it can.  I'm pretty completely sure that also applies to Locusts and Sealurks.

[Yitzi]

Nice to know.  (That'll also be a great boon to the Cult; with Police State* they'll have a good chance of getting substantial forces with no support.)

*Probably a good choice for them anyway; they're not big on tech anyway, tend to go Green so efficiency doesn't get too bad, and don't get much from Fundie.  And of course they get worm police, which makes that +2 POLICE (to a total of +4 once they learn Centauri Genetics) more attractive.

[Guv’ner]

If they could build bases on fungus, they’d be laughing