The Advanced Swarmer is an upgrade of the more familiar Swarmer.
Background[]
Like their predecessors, the Advanced Swarmers often attacked enemy fleets in groups and relentlessly fired upon helpless vessels with their rapid firepower while maintaining high speeds. However, they possessed greater armor and normally traveled in groups of 3 as opposed to 12. They also have noticeably larger engines and four Projectile Cannons as opposed to 2. These craft are also bulkier and have two engine spikes while the original has one.
The Advanced Swarmer suffers from the similar fuel limitations as the Light-Swarmer, but features slightly higher fuel efficiency. They still must rely on Fuel Pods to ensure that they survive on the battlefield.
When the Kushan fleet was pulled out of hyperspace after trying to flee the Great Nebula, the Kadeshi Ambassador piloted one of these Swarmers and once again offered the Kushan to join them in the nebula. The Kushan refused, insisting that they had to reach their homeworld, and even encouraged the Kadeshi to join them. The Kadeshi response:
- "You will fail. The evil that drove us here will find and destroy you. From you, they will know of us and come here! This cannot come to pass." — Kadeshi Ambassador
With that, the Kadeshi launched their attack, using greater numbers of Advanced Swarmers. Despite the losses they inflicted on the Kushan, the Kadeshi were eventually defeated and possibly exterminated by the Kushan, forcing any survivors to retreat.
After this battle, the Advanced Swarmers were never seen again.
Gameplay[]
- The destruction of the Fuel Pods is the fastest means by which to put entire waves of Swarmers out of commission, as they will drift helplessly in space if they do not receive the necessary refueling.
- Although Remastered removed fuel, and with it, one of the main weaknesses of Strikecraft, the game compensates by making the immense speed of both Swarmer variants dependent on their refueling. Without their Fuel Pods, their speed and maneuverability will be reduced to a quarter of their normal capabilities.
- In Homeworld Classic, player can easily salvage Swarmers that are out of fuel. Because of the high fuel consumption during combat maneuvers (firing and maneuvering at the same time), they perform poorly in the anti-strike craft role. Their relatively high firepower make them more useful in an anti-frigate role. They can also be used in wall formation like Defenders where their fuel issue is not so critical. They are excellent in scout roles because of their high speed (1.5 times faster than Scouts), which allows for very little chance of successful interception.
- As the fuel mechanic is removed in Homeworld Remastered, Swarmers are much more difficult to salvage.