Mack wrote:Shark_Force wrote:Mack wrote:Also, there was
this solution.
Mass formation of FQ Glitterboys. Start on the edge of Xiticix territory, let the bugs impale themselves on the boomguns, then advance a few miles. Rinse & repeat. The key is to advance very slowly and cautiously. It's one of the only "attrition warfare" approaches that humans could use.
funny, i recall that thread discussing a variety of ways that the attempt to use a formation of glitter boys would ultimately kill a lot of bugs, but would probably either end with the glitter boy formation being crushed under sheer weight of numbers or retreating after killing a bunch of bugs on the border of bug territory.
which would most likely result in a retaliatory swarm from the xiticix.
Yea, I view it as more of a long term operation (many months to a year) to thin the bug's numbers. That's why the formation would have to be very judicious managing how far into Xiticix territory they go, and be ready to back up in a hurry. As long as they don't get overwhelmed, they should be able to kill the Xiticix at a rate that exceeds the bug's ability to hatch new ones.
And, of course, this requires a huge expenditure on the part of Free Quebec.
How many Glitter Boys are we talking here?
The Xiticx Rifle has a range of 4,000 the bugs come in swarms, fly very fast (penalty to strike there besides the fact that they can close quickly), Fly faster than the Gliterboys (Average speed of 82 mph versus a top speed of 60mph).....
To shoot down a swarm you would need to be able to shoot down enough of them that you can prevent them from EVER closing with you.....and I don't frankly see how that is possible with out having tens or maybe hundreds of thousands of glitterboys.... (The relative speed is important because it means that once engaged the GBs
can not force a retreat Yes I know the original thread had a legion of 2,500 GBs. But considering that once they start wholesale extermination they will be facing the full might of a hive (which depending on the math is somewhere between 10 million and 100
million warriors the ability to kill them for 3-5 rounds before they close with you is pretty moot. 2,500 GBs could, if really high level kill as many as 25,000 Bugs per turn, thus wiping out 250,000 bugs.....which means that the remaining 9 million plus are now in range to return fire. This will prompty result in the entire legion being killed, to a man, in the next round under a hail of TK fire. (if we just give 1/3 of the bugs TK rifles this is still 3 million rifles, on bugs with at least five APM for 15 million return shots....)
Any attack on a hive has to be done in such a way that they cant respond to the threat, or that you can wipe out that threat (now if you use the GBs to lure out a swarm.....and then use a nuke to toast the entire swarm for example that's a different story....) otherwise it ends up with "And then the bugs overwhelm the defenders with sheer numbers and TK rifle them all to death."