New fallen empire ideas: "Dormant Hive"

[Shootingstar]

Introduction:

Hivemind FE is very similar to machine FE and story related FE. hivemind FE was neutralized in ancient times and currently dormant status. Hivemind FE is not diplomatic and does not give any specific missions.

Hivemind FE occupy several systems and four habitable planets. The main planet "Heart" is a fully developed 25 Hiveworld, while other three colonies (which named "first, second, third node") are common habitable planet with little development. Four planets have powerful planetary modifiers/ features but only "Heart" have powerful fallen empire buildings. There is only menial drones in entire empire and complex drones jobs are blocked in "Heart", which describes FE is not doing any mental activities

There are only basic defense on three colonies and nothing in occupied systems (not a basic star bases). Hivemind FE's border is open and has zero fleet power. In addition, FE starts war at 100% war exhaustion so it is easy to set status quo and end the war. So other empires will be aggressive to FE and try to take its systems and planets. However, main systems are protected by "automated immune system", which fleet size is same as other FE fleets. Like space pirates, "automated immune system" is hostile to everyone but unable to cross the system (NO FTL installed).



Background story:

Hivemind FE was threat to the entire galaxy in ancient times, but after the endless war, some ancient empires succeeded in disabling its neural nodes but failed to attack main systems and crumbled. It is described by special blocker "Ancient fixtures." "Ancient fixtures" are exist in three colonies and cuts 75% of the planet's total output and growth of Hive Mind Pops. It can only be removed by several special projects.



Awakening:

If the following conditions are met, FE may semi-awakened:

- FE continues to be attacked

- Other empires fleets stay in main systems for more than two months

- More than half of the "automated immune system" is destroyed

- Two "Ancient fixtures" blockers removed

Semi-awakened empire become more active. "automated immune system" become FE's fleet and able to FTL. FE attacks invasive fleets and tries to restore its node colonies. If FE occupies three nodes, it removes "Ancient fixtures" first.



If three "Ancient fixtures" are removed, FE become fully-awakened no matter it occupies three nodes or not. the three "node planets" are instantly terraformed into the hiveworlds (which were deactivated by fixtures) and every pops on the planet are processed. this "Fierce Swarm" is AE version of Devouring Swarm and very hostile to everyone. but it tries to take node planets first.



Special Event:

Hivemind FE is deeply related to the Prethoryn Scourge, like machine FE is related to Contingency. Scourge and hivemind FE have powerful Psionic gestalt consciousness and notices each other. so that if hivemind FE exist in galaxy, weights of Scourge increases. Scourge tries to attack hivemind FE first, while hivemind FE fully awakes instantaneously when Scourge vanguard fleets arrived.

Like extradimensional Invaders, they have a trend to fight each other first but still hostile to entire galaxies

 

[-Hiki-]

"Hivemind FE was threat to the entire galaxy in ancient times, but after the endless war, some ancient empires succeeded in disabling its neural nodes but failed to attack main systems and crumbled. .... "

Why so complicated? Can't it just be like the Wraith in Stargate? Hybernating between 10000 year cycles or something...

 

[Tyrannical Prince]

I like it and I agree with Hikis suggestion too.

Since it's basically a massive locust swarm, many interactions with it could be based around feeding it.

Like a fairly benign request could be it just asking that you give it food every now and then.
However if it doesn't get enough food (or too much), it might start asking for pops to eat.
And at a certain point it could wake up and swarm the galaxy.

Perhaps after it acquires 1000 pops, it'll actually go back to sleep.
That could be an interesting way of dealing with it. Perhaps instead of going to war with it, you could feed it pops until it sleeps again.

Of course they would have access to bioships (and perhaps hiveworlds should require a food upkeep instead of costing administrative cap)

 

[PirateJack]

I like the idea of feeding it until it sleeps. It'd make it a genuine threat if you're not willing to throw your fellow sapients under the hungry bus, but could be dealt with in a way other than just crushing it with military might, which is something more Awakened Empires need.

 

[Kahldris]

Wow there awesome ideas in here, really like the bio ship idea @Tyrannical Prince. This would be a very interesting FE for sure, maybe their bio ships could have special weapons like acid attack or something? Maybe that would be too complicated though.

 

[The Boz]

Gives you a quest to send a science ship to it in order to, umm, do... err... science. Then eats the crew, leaving you with an empty science ship. You gain opinion based on the scientist's level, as well as some unique bio-related tech.

 

[Bitzo]

as well as some unique bio-related tech.

*Queue my (almost obligatory at this point) plea to not restrict bioships to hives if/when they make it into the game.*

 

[PirateJack]

*Queue my (almost obligatory at this point) plea to not restrict bioships to hives if/when they make it into the game.*

Could easily just have it as a civic for Organic Construction that has its own counterparts in Megacorps and Hives.

 

[heliostellar]

I like it, especially with the Prethoryn tie-in.

 

[evilcat]

In all my games i have custom made Devauring Swarm. They alwys do something fun. Like conquering part of galaxy and creating large influx of refugees. Like mini crisis.
So having FE dedicated to waking up hungry during night could work very well.
It is also great idea to returning back to old expansions and adding something, especially cross expansion perks. Like if you have both Utopia and Apocalypse you can build special Devauring Colosus the Harvester.

 

[Felidae]

I'm not sure about the specific implementation, but as an idea I think it's a great one. Tying it to the Scourge is also great.

 

[PirateJack]

How about making it a bit bigger. Have the Hive spread out across the galaxy at various points so instead of a contiguous mass like the others you'll find up to 4 Hive Worlds here or there with some 'Dormant Drones' inhabiting it. They don't produce anything but checking them out shows that they're ridiculously well engineered towards planetary conflict. Invading this planet would be more trouble than it's worth in the extreme.

If you claim the system it's in and stick an observation post there you'll eventually get some motion from them and then the observation centre will be destroyed, followed shortly afterwards by the outpost/starbase.

Send a ship into the system or get a listening post nearby and you'll see a powerful fleet of bioships that will eventually disappear (back to the planet).

There would be an event chain for your scientists to work on based off this, pointing towards the other Hive Worlds in the galaxy with some bonuses for investigating each world (and discovering that each one is part of the greater Hive). Special events for Psionics and Hive Minds here.

Fast forward to the Awakening and you start to see small fleets venturing out, attacking nearby outposts and claiming territory. They don't build shipyards to begin with, instead spawning fleets from their planets, but those ships are weaker compared to entirely space-based ones. Communing with the Hive reveals that it is part of a billion year long cycle for active and dormant periods and that now they've woken up for their snack. They reveal that they'll eat their fill and then fall back into a dormant phase, you can either send them a tribute of POPs (say 100) or you can try to fight them.

If there are any Delicious xenos out there then the Hive will do everything in its power to eat every single one of them.