(Chroma @ Jun. 03 2007,17:02)
QUOTE
Okay, do we feel that a "maximum swarm size" is necessary? Too me, it feels a little arbitrary, but that might be necessary for mutually satisfying game play.
I'd prefer some other mechanism, but I'm always willing to entertain suggestions.
I don't think an arbitrary limit is necessary, either.
If you force Synapse groups to maintain normal, 5cm coherency with each other, that limits the swarms in two respects.
1) It stops a huge fence formation. Max width is technically 90cm w/3 synapse if you need that much distance at the end of a game. For most of the game it's more like 60-75cm for practical purposes as you need slack in case something bad happens to a synapse. With 5cm synapse creature coherency, that shrinks to ~40cm.
2) The limited area provides some mitigation to huge, incredibly tough Nid formations through some additional vulnerability to template weapons.
To me, point #1 is much more important.
In our experience, the vulnerability to templates in #2 is not a big deal. I've seen swarms get close to 20 targets (I think 17 was the max in our game Friday night) under 2 MW barrage templates and still be a serious threat. Nonetheless, it provides a limiting factor based not on a defined swarm size but on the Nid player's perception of cost/benefit. Letting the player control their choice of strategy is always preferable.
) from another thread:
