Insect Hives for Defense

[Vaperius]

Alright; I am curious, what if you play on a map where insect hives spawn in a random building outside your colony?

Does anyone think that despite expansion they will be useful in eating any nasty raiders than come your way? Has anyone had this happen to them?

[Mathenaut]

Not sure if they are hostile to raiders.

[Bodog999]

If I recall correctly the insects are hostile towards anyone exept wild animals

[CheeseGromit]

The bugs will attack anyone that gets too close to hives. Raiders, visitors, traders. I've seen them take down a centipede, although it never got that close to their hives so I'm not sure what the trigger was, perhaps retaliation. They do start to roam once they get out into the open. I found them more annoying than useful. I did get a nice superior assault rifle of the corpse of someone that got too close. That's the only positive I can think of.

[Dspendragon]

I've done that, not as a defense, but a constant source of food. 

[Vaporisor]

One thing they don't attack is prisoners.  I had a big hive ingress dead center of my prison barracks and all the prisoners stayed fine.

[Robovski]

I had an infestation show up right by my base in a ruin crypt building. It was a lot of work to shift the nest away from immediately by the base but the entire time they ate raiders, visitors, freindlies who come to help, and traders who happened to come anywhere near the nest. As hives were destroyed, bugs spread out and defeated a seige and various raids that were well away from the nest. About 20 hours of play into having the bugs they are wandering around most of the open space I haven't walled off for my base security and have destroyed the mountain they were under. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens when the nest is in the wide-open; but because the are relatively further away from the base traders can make it in where they couldn't before.

I think I might miss the bugs for all the raider busting they do and all the meat they give. The extreme desert will be a cleaner and quieter place without them, that is for certain.

[b0rsuk]

Not viable in the long run. This is what insects do to outside mining operations.
A few days later 1/4 of my map (outside!!!) was infested to the point I had to hunt them regularly to work in my fields. They dig out walls supporting roof, and walk in the sun, but don't care.

[skullywag]

hrmm should the spread continue on into the sunlight, i mean it fights exploits but it also doesnt make much sense, if they only spawn in dark roof covered spaces why would they spread into the unroofed daylight. Or do the hives not spawn outside?

[RawCode]

hive seeds is nice plan for a mod actually.

wipe hives inside caves and plant somewhere else, profit.

[Listen1]

That just gave me an excellent ideia.

[b0rsuk]

Hives only spawn in spaces with overhead mountains, but the room can have fresh air. They often wander around outside, and have no problem sleeping under the sky.  Wait a few more days and miniguns don't cut it anymore, you need something like incendiary launcher, then it all goes to hell.

They will eventually mine everything, then go outside and mine ruins, walls etc. Yes, they do attack trade caravans.

[viperwasp]

Personally I think the way bugs work need a tweaking. They are way to exploitable. Once you understand them it's difficult to not beat them. But then again maybe that the way its intended?

[Listen1]

Does the bugs always spam in home areas?

[Lys]

Does the bugs always spam in home areas?

No, can be anywhere on the map where there is "Overhead Mountain" or "Rock roof (thin)", though the latter one can be easily replaced with a constructed roof to prevent spawning.