question about neinzul viral swarmer

[wololoh]

What exactly are the "build points" these units use to replicate themselves?

I can see the accumulated build points per unit when hovering my mouse over them, and the description says they replicate for every 2000 build points. However, I don't understand how they actually generate these build points, and therefore don't really understand how to counter them  . Are they generated per amount of damage they do? Per attack? Per kill? Or something else?

I noticed that they started replicating very rapidly when I tried fighting them with a fleet, so right now I try to catch them in a large array of gravity turrets, so they just die from self-attrition. That becomes quite tedious though (I have a feeling that my opponent is a viral enthusiast  )

[Diazo]

What exactly are the "build points" these units use to replicate themselves?

From other units, such as the Viral Shredder, built point accumulate with damage done.

The actual formula for how much damage a build point requires is unknown though. I personally suspect it varies per unit (and probably by mark) to prevent higher mark units from getting enough build points in a single attack to replicate.

And yes, if you've run into more then one or two of these structures on the map, you are probably fighting a Viral Enthusiast, Gravity Turrets are your friends.....

Have fun! 

D.

[Hearteater]

Gravity is the best way to deal with them.  Avoid letting them attack anything they get a large hull multiplier against (Light or Neuton) and try and hit them with Ultra-Heavy or Polycrystal (preferably on units with at least a little armor).  At least 320 Armor and Polycrystal/Ultra-Heavy should limit their replication best.  If you have Gravity to protect them, a Zenith Starship wreck 25 per 4 seconds.  Just don't let them get close because the Zenith Starship has a Neutron hull.

[wololoh]

I did actually also end up at the viral shredder wiki page (while searching for an answer), but the wiki said it "generates build points as it attacks",  which can be interpreted as something entirely different than "generates build points as it does damage". (If it generates build points per attack, it doesn't matter what hull type my unit is, while if it generates build points per damage done, it does matter what hull type my unit is).

So if it is the actual damage which feeds them, that means I just have to make sure that they don't do enough damage to replicate faster than they are destroyed by shots/attrition. That helps my understanding and strategy, thanks to the both of you .

[TechSY730]

I think that almost all of "special" AI structures can spawn for any AI type, not just the AI type that loves to use them.
Like, I have seen captured settlements on non-entrenched homeworlder AIs.
It's just that the chance to encounter them on an AI type that doesn't specialize in them is very, very low.
So seeing 1 or 2 Neinzul viral swarmers is not always a sign that you are fighting a Neinzul viral enthusiast. If you see more than 2, then you should start strongly suspecting it.


One exception to the special AI structures is the "Cloak everything on the planet" structure, which I think has 0 chance to spawn unless the AI is the Shadow Master.
However, such structures are the exception, not the rule, AFIAK.

[keith.lamothe]

I think that almost all of "special" AI structures can spawn for any AI type, not just the AI type that loves to use them.

That's true of most of the base-game and TZR ones, I think, but the ones in CoN were pretty specific to those AI types.  I don't know if the viral clusters were only for that one AI type or if the other neinzul types could get them too, but they're definitely not eligible-for-all-types, even on low quantity.

[wololoh]

For one of my enemy AI's, I've been encountering multiple viral clusters per planet, so that's quite enthusiastic  .

[Winge]

One exception to the special AI structures is the "Cloak everything on the planet" structure, which I think has 0 chance to spawn unless the AI is the Shadow Master.
However, such structures are the exception, not the rule, AFIAK.

I've never played a Shadow Master, and I've seen the Planetary Cloaker before.  It is very uncommon, however.