A lobster ate my Homeworld!

[henri51]

It was the early game, I had just discovered hyperdrives and built 3 weak destroyers (my only warships) after discovering an abandoned destroyer. I had explored a few systems nearby and built a few mines. There were some giant lobsters (Kaltors) in my system that were interfering with trade ships, but I decided to leave them alone for a while after I lost 3 destroyers trying to kill them.

But suddenly, just after an attack by a friendly neighbor that left after showing the guns, one of the monsters followed a trail of freighters right to my homeworld and proceeded to eat all of my builds (small space port, research stations). I tried to rebuild the space port three times, but each time before it finished, the lobster came back and ate it before it could build anything.

Finally I decided to wait and see. The Kaltor proceeded to eat all of the transport ships that approached my planet until there were none left. Then it left for greener pastures, which gave me time to rebuild a spaceport and 8 destroyers. Then I sent tem as a fleet to the Kaltors and wiped them out. I lost half my ships, but my crews had lobster tail for dinner.

Lucky for me the Kaltors do not eat population, otherwise it would be game over, not to mention the danger of a nearby race colonizing my planet or building a mine on it (I had only one neighbor at the time, some green bugs).

So I think that all I lost was a bit of time, and since I am not playing at the hardest difficulties, it is probably not a major loss (I hope).

BTW there is an option to not have Kaltors in the early game. Having some in your system in pre-warp is a big PITA.

Henri

[FingNewGuy]

[ASHBERY76]

Should have a owned by a Kaltor achievement.

[Timotheus]

There is a reason why that option is in the start menu [;)]

Also, there is a VERY BIG reason why the option to not have pirates AT ALL is in the menu

[Jeeves]

That's a funny story. I once saw a size 72 Kaltor with over a thousand hit points long ago. There was an independent colony and a pirate base in the system. It stayed near the independent and ate all the freighters and pirate ships that approached. This was about 3 years ago with the original DW. I blew it away with a size 800 cruiser working alone, no problem, since I had speed 40+ on the cruiser it could run...

Lonnie Courtney Clay