"Anybody ever beat those monsters?"
Yes, I did beat them. Okay, I admit that it might be easier for me, because I created them
.
Taz,
did you change the base cost for monster tech to 150k or 200k like I suggested in the Devnull and Monster threads? Or did you play with the unchanged value (50k) as in the download. From what you describe (worms flying around while you have frigates and destroyers) it sounds to me that you are playing with the original settings. The settings in the download are too small and the monsters will advance too fast. Sorry, that is my bad
.
I would be interested in what kind of setup you used (number/size of start planets, race points, tech cost, AI bonus) and by which turn you spotted the worms.
"How can they build so fast?
"
They "cheat"
.
"I've found that the monster PD can be fairly easily overwhelmed using external mount missiles. Once you get to about cap missile IV you can out-range them as well."
Yep, missiles are good against monsters.
"Oh, and watch out for monster intel, it gets really irritating..."
Yeah, they are not supposed to do that (see other thread). Sorry about that. I'll fix it.
"I've yet to take on a worm, but I've seen the design and they look practically untouchable... thousands of shield points, thousands of armour points, regeneration ability... maybe with a few massive mount WMGs, but I think I'll just vapourise their homeworlds and watch them starve when their maintenence is cut off
"
I have killed two or three worms using different tactics. It takes a good fleet of (very roughly) 20 battleships or 10 Superdreadnoughts to kill a worm. One of my Favorites is the "Zap Brannigan Tactic"
(not exact quote: Under my command there are
only suicide missions):
SPOILER
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It takes 2 or 3 "Zap Brannigan" Class Superdreadnoughts (each carrying 5100 "ready to die" space marines, -> 51 boarding parties V) and a fleet of Shield Depleting ships. Lower the shields of the worm and send the marines in. The marines will overcome the "immune system" of the worm and trigger the self-destruct. The self-destruct, however, will not completely destroy the worm, but "merely" cause 10k damage, so you need more than one ship. When the worm is badly damaged you can finish it with whatever other weapon you have brought along. Because the marines will not destroy the worm in one take, I will lower the amounts of immune systems for the worm in the next Version of the monsters. After that 4100 marines (that can be fit into a Dreadnought) will be enough to trigger self-destruct.
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END OF SPOILER
Hope you like the monsters anyway, even though they are tough to beat. They provide a different challenge. In my game I had finished the monsters by turn 280. Now I am facing a massive Viking empire with a score of 8.5M. That is something that would have not come to pass, if I wasn't so busy dealing with the monster threat.
Oh, BTW Dogscoff, the monsters will not have maintenance problems if you destroy their worlds. Each monster will not cost, but produce resources. However, the monsters (unfortunately) will become inactive, I think, and just sit in space after their worlds are destroyed.
Phew, long post...
Rollo
I got the Monster Blues.
Planet in bits!!! 
Just had to bug you about that one.
)
Linear Mode
