Play as the Neinzul

[Cinth]

I have these guys envisioned as the Carrier based fleets and full on mobile combat platform. 

 Carrier has arrived.


How do you see the Neinzul?

[Tridus]

A fleet of enclave ships makes the most sense. Their flagship should be a bigger carrier, of course.

You could take it to extremes like mobile space docks, so they can create their younglings nearby whatever they want to attack. Only things that would be stationary are probably things like turrets, metal generation, and supporting infrastructure.

They may also be able to avoid more AI notice because they wander around already and that wouldn't be anormal to the AI.

Lots of contrasting points to Human and especially Spire playstyles, I think.

[otoed1]

You could possibly make their younglings difficult to control directly (they only follow orders roughly)  and have some "Mature" ships that you control directly. Make them feel very "swarm" and at least tactically difficult to control. Although strategy should be 100% controllable as per the norm.

[kasnavada]

To make neinzuls, I'd have ditched all permanent stuctures but one building that would be an extension of the regen chamber.
The "new" regen chamber would have to double as a drone holder of sorts, capable of unleashing hordes on whatever encroaches your territory.
Most of defenses would have to be drones, the fleet of the player the "few" mature units, and the moving enclave.

I'm not sure if it would be better to have the player control multiple flagships, each with its fleet of enclave, rather than enclaves directly.
Leaving a possibility for specialized "leader-less" enclave squads.

[Aklyon]

Carrier has arrived.

This, pretty much. Lots of carriers. Enclaves as sorta home-baseish carriers. NCCs too.

[PokerChen]

How do you see the Neinzul?

As meta-organisms with separate consciousnesses in addition to the limited consciousness of individual members. Don't think you are asking about lore and philosophy though.

[Cinth]

How do you see the Neinzul?

As meta-organisms with separate consciousnesses in addition to the limited consciousness of individual members. Don't think you are asking about lore and philosophy though.

It's all good! 

I'm more concerned about how they should play as a controlled selection, though.

[Timerlane]

Perhaps some 'capital' ships and/or structures could be fluffed as being based on the AI's Hybrid-tech(some more room for variation and perhaps explanation for longer living vessels)?

Say, some slightly-odd faction of the Neinzul saw what the AI was doing with Hybrids and decided to try some tinkering of their own.

Neinzul cyberpunk?

[Pumpkin]

I often feel "Neinzul" when I (ab)use the MkI-IV ENclave Starship + Combat Carrier.

I also remember a wonderful game where I had the chance to unlock three youngling designs: I maxed them all up to MkIV, unlocked the Mobile Space Dock, let everything else as defensive fleet, and went storming AI space with my MSD (loop-build on 3x4=12 caps of younglings and FDR: as the MSD has no gun, with a FRD order, it goes straight to the target, but everything that comes out of it inherit FRD and spread toward enemies.)

It was like controlling dozens of friendly Roaming Enclaves. It's a golden memory I truly cherish.

[PokerChen]

Imagination:
The Neinzul faction will have somewhat of a different start. They won't begin with metal not harvest tech, and won't need it to build basic ships and structures. Instead of space docks or engineers, large carriers will be responsible for construction - spawning child enclaves that slowly transform into structures.

The younglings will not be individually controllable, but will update their frd/defensive/patrol instructions via command given to their host carrier. So the number of carriers increase your tactical flexibility as well as strength.
That's it for now.

[Mánagarmr]

Imagination:
The Neinzul faction will have somewhat of a different start. They won't begin with metal not harvest tech, and won't need it to build basic ships and structures. Instead of space docks or engineers, large carriers will be responsible for construction - spawning child enclaves that slowly transform into structures.

The younglings will not be individually controllable, but will update their frd/defensive/patrol instructions via command given to their host carrier. So the number of carriers increase your tactical flexibility as well as strength.
That's it for now.

Ohai Zerg! Haven't seen you in a while.

[PokerChen]

Yes and no. If you want to have a super- reductionist spree, I suggest boiling down every story to its core components.
http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/07/the-six-main-arcs-in-storytelling-identified-by-a-computer/490733/

[Mánagarmr]

My point was the whole "drones morphing into buildings" thing ^^

[kasnavada]

My point was the whole "drones morphing into buildings" thing ^^

Grey goo style ?

http://store.steampowered.com/app/290790/?l=french

Ok, the game itself may not be deserving of a lot of praise, but the grey goo mechanics could be morphed into something fun. Which would probably deserve its own race.

[Mánagarmr]

Grey Goo is actually a very solid C&C style RTS. Of the best RTSs in later years. Botched by poor performance and poor marketing, unfortunately.