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Imagining the Hive Mind Home Planet


Deucey Supporting Member of TMP writes:

The cover picture should be titled:

Headless Ants Being Mooned.



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Revision Log
31 August 2025page first published

389 hits since 31 Aug 2025
©1994-2025 Bill Armintrout
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Personal logo Editor in Chief Bill The Editor of TMP Fezian writes:

Since I previously tasked AI with coming up with images of the Mechanoid home planet, I thought I would see what it would come up with for the Hive Mind (insect) home planet. I gave it a general description of the troop types in the insect army.

Hive Mind world

I used Deep Dream Generator on the AIVision setting, and it gave me some very detailed pictures with lots of insects.

Hive Mind world

I asked for 'anthill' and it gave me a hill covered with insects. grin

Hive Mind world

I wasn't satisfied with AIVision, so I switched to Photonic – I rather like this concept of an ant-curated forest!

Hive Mind world

Then I switched to the DaVinci2 setting, and it generated this concept of a Giant Fly fortress. More techno than I was thinking, though. The nearby mounds are interesting.

Hive Mind world

I decided to stick with DaVinci2, and got this image of Giant Scorpions on the battlefield.

Hive Mind world

I told it to give me Giant Beetles marching like Civil War soldiers, and it generated the picture above.

Hive Mind world

I asked for a Giant Golden Beetle building a fortification, and just got a mound of dirt… but an interesting techno-beetle concept.

Hive Mind world

Here, I asked it to show me a defensive wall built by Giant Ants.

Hive Mind world

This is a nest of alien insect eggs. I had to ask for pearl-like eggs, otherwise it gave me brownish eggs that are probably realistic but not very interesting.

Hive Mind world

And, after several failures, it gave me this concept of a bridge built by giant ants. It seems more waspy than ant-like, but I like the idea, and should be easily to build something similar.

For those wondering, the allowed terrain types in Alien Squad Leader are:

  • bushes or scrub
  • rocky ground
  • boggy ground or marsh
  • soft sand
  • woods
  • forest or jungle
  • hedge or line of trees
  • low wall or embankment
  • low hill
  • steep hill
  • mountains
  • sand dunes
  • built-up areas
  • road
  • river
  • shallow river or stream
  • lake or pool

My alien fields already cover 'brush or scrub', my alien swamp covers 'boggy ground or marsh', and I've got a suitable river.

I think I need just a few more terrain types, and I'm good to go!