> Date sent: 12-SEP-1996 14:32:29
> types. The main emphasis in BDS reagarding aliens will be how
snip
> Bugs and Blobs are so different that they would not fit regular SG2
To add to the rambling :-)
I'm a biologist with a strong interest in arthropods (more local ones,
unfortunately!), and I think some of them might give useful pointers for bug
behaviour.
Amongst slave-making ants, the ultra-specialized Amazons on a
slave-raid attack a target nest as individuals, straight off the march
(having followed a scout to find it). They're optimized for just 2 things,
fighting and carrying brood (they can't even feed themselves!), and the
defending ants have little chance of stopping them.
Less specialized slavers, eg some Formica species, gather near the target nest
and assault in a body. Some ants use complex chemicals to confuse their
opponents into attacking each other; some take over a whole nest by convincing
a host scout that they're their own brood which must be carried home at once.
Most "armed" arthropods require particular stimuli to release an
"attack"- eg, most spiders in the UK won't even try to bite people
because we don't fulfil the list of criteria. Praying Mantises "take aim" on a
sitting target, then strike when it next moves. I've been told that in an
experimental set up, without any new stimuli, they'll starve to death waiting
for a fake target to make its "one false move"!
Some arthropods have very specialized weapons or defensive systems
such as the big-headed ants whose "job" it is to be living doors at nest
entrances (you can't tap the right code on it's head, you can't get in) or
the termite soldiers with glue-guns in their heads. These latter squirt
poisonous glue over attacking ants; if they're overwhelmed (ie all their legs
being pulled at once) they fire the gun without opening its valve, so that
they explode taking several enemies with them!
A lot of arthropod behaviours can be modelled using simple flow
charts- this could perhaps be applied in a game to give Bugs more
interesting innate behaviour than just "rush up and melee the nearest enemy",
with Brain Bugs overiding the program and guiding their subordinates into
positions where their "instincts" can be released upon the enemy.
Cheers Rob
In message <199609121707.SAA13141@mail.nerc-oxford.ac.uk >, Robin Paul
writes:
> I'm a biologist with a strong interest in arthropods (more
Wow, this was pretty neat.
> A lot of arthropod behaviours can be modelled using simple
I've _always_ loved the idea of programming the behavior of elements
in games (usually robots), perhaps because programming is a big part of my
profession. In games, I feel that it has some advantages:
1.) You can represent rigid or foreign psychologies without too much detail.
2.) I feel that adding elements of the unknown to your own forces (e.g.,
trying to execute a plan when you don't _really_ know what the
robots will do) can make a game a lot more fun.
3.) When you lack human opponents, you can take on a force of programmed
opponents and have an honest game.
Like Andrew, I'm a programmer, so I like the idea of writing a simple
flowchart as well to program alien behavior.
I wrote out a bunch of rules for our favorite six-limbed aliens from The
Other Company (tm). Basically, I defined two instinctive behaviors, and the
three lower forms followed one or the other. The fourth form was the leader
type, and could control the others to allow them to do something other than
instinct.
The one behavior was Hunt - the skirmisher form used that. The other
was Charge. The hopper form and the attacker form used this one. These are
Termagants, Hormaguants, and Genestealers. The Tyranid warrior was the leader
form.
As such, the swarms of the three lesser types have a leadership rating of 2,
do not suffer from losing a leader (since there really isn't a single model
that is the leader), and have a rating of Regular (the Attackers are Veteran).
They can be suppressed, and use the rating to recover from that. They cannot
take communication actions. They cannot take rally actions. They do not have
medics, do not have to hold up to tend wounded, and therefore, you roll
immediately to see what wound effect is (rolling quality die):
1-4, the bug dies, or is wounded badly enough to be ineffective - remove
it
from the battle, and the unit is unaffected; 5+ only lightly wounded,
place suppression chit on the unit instead. So, if you kill a bug outright,
the unit isn't suppressed (but does take a confidence test).
They don't have the human unwillingness to close into hand to hand, so they
don't have to take the confidence test to enter close combat.
The hopper and the attacker get a 1 die shift in close combat for their claws,
and the attackers cause terror.
Unless acting under a leader's guidance, they do not go in position.
They aren't affected by Panic, nor do they have to take a reaction test to
advance while Shaken (basically, Shaken has no effect on them).
They do have to take the first three listed Confidence tests, but the
others don't apply (they don't comprehend Air/Arty attacks very well, so
they don't feel threatened by them).
The leader forms are in swarms of 2 to 4, sometimes occurring as individual
models. They are telepathic, and use an Elite chit of random rating. They can
communicate without possibility of jamming to any range, and a communication
roll is used against their rating (using their rating only
-
don't use the poorer value). The "leader" model can't be distinguished, so
they don't suffer the penalties of killing a leader. This of course means
their chit doesn't change, so if they draw a poor one they are stuck with it.
They can activate other units like human leaders can.
The instinctive behaviors were pretty simple, I hadn't done much with them
yet. Basically the hunt behavior was to fire on targets within 15", move
closer to detected targets that were further away. The Charge behavior was to
charge targets within 20", move closer to targets further away.
I also worked up stats for the various Tyranid weapons, if anyone is
interested. But that is pretty much it.
Mike, is that the kind of thing you were talking about?
I've started on describing the Greenskins too.
> I also worked up stats for the various Tyranid weapons, if anyone is
> ***********************************************************************
> John Phelps (and others) wrote:
> I've started on describing the Greenskins too.
Thank you to everyone who has contributed ideas for aliens in SGII so far.
Any more ideas from anyone (lets see your Greenskins, John!) are also welcome.
As you know, I feed all this stuff back to Jon who then hacks all the ideas
around and comes up with his own stuff for publication. You will
rarely see your idea verbatim in any GZG publication - Jon is scared
stiff of the legal implications! Don't let this stop you however. The more
ideas you throw into Jon's "melting pot" the better.
Keep 'em coming folks (and thank you!)
In message
<445615250996*/S=Elliott/I=MJ/OU=UK22P/PRMD=BULL/ADMD=CWMAIL/C=GB@MH
> S>, M.J.Elliott@uk22p.bull.co.uk writes:
Understandable, but unfortunate. I don't know about the rest of these guys,
but I'd just jump around and scream like a girl.:)
-- [ From: Casey Robinson * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
> M.J.Elliott@uk22p.bull.co.uk writes:
> Andrew E. B. Cowell <cowell@cs.utk.edu> (I think) writes:
I also can't speak for anyone else, but I would probably at least go
"Ayougga." "Ayougga-ayougga-awaa-awaa" if my name was in the credits.
Casey
> On 25 Sep 1996 M.J.Elliott@uk22p.bull.co.uk wrote:
> Any more ideas from anyone (lets see your Greenskins, John!) are also
Well - if we include a note explicitly allowing him to use it, will he
still be scared? <g>
Just like the others, I'll be very happy to have some of my ideas used -
as long as I get mentioned in the credits! (If they're not, I can't brag
about it <vbg>) Of course, I haven't contributed any to this thread, but
this is a general note applying to anything I post...
Later,
> Any more ideas from anyone (lets see your Greenskins, John!) are also
> the ideas around and comes up with his own stuff for publication. You
> rarely see your idea verbatim in any GZG publication - Jon is scared
> of the legal implications! Don't let this stop you however. The more
> you throw into Jon's "melting pot" the better.
I understand how copyright works, but I would cheerfully settle for mention in
the credits for anything Jon uses, but a complimentary copy of the game would
be great too!:)
Seriously, I understood from the beginning that ideas put up on this list were
subject to be used by GZG, so I don't have a problem with that. I intended for
Jon to make use to of the ideas I have posted.
I have a followup on the Bugs (folks asked for the rest of the stats), and
I'll also post the Greenskins shortly.