How you suppose the breeds of the extended Zerg swarms are composed?

[Nissa]

That's a good idea, Nolan. It makes the world feel bigger.

[ragnarok]

With regards to the tentacle monster, you'd think that would just eventually be something the Viper could evolve itself into. Blizzard made it clear that regarding the abduct ability, the viper's muscle was strong enough to pull battlecruisers, despite being smaller than the terran capital ships. Unless, of course, your version of the viper is just a prototype version of what the tentacle monster could be.

[Nolanstar]

Viper can not possibly pull battlecruiser of any class in a vaccum, unless the plane-sized zerg can somehow increase its mass to pull in a 560-meter metal ship such as a Minotaur Battlecruiser. Frigates or dropships maybe, but more likely it can pull itself to cruisers to get close, then pull in smaller organisms to allow them access.

As for the "Tentacle Monster" It has similar structures to the Brood Queen, possibly its a further twisting of the brood-keeper genome at lest for the physical structure.

There's also a really weird model that was in the HotS Beta Editor for the Zerg artillery labeled as its egg, obviously incomplete given it was a splicing of a leviathan, overlord and lurker bits.

[ragnarok]

Viper can not possibly pull battlecruiser of any class in a vaccum, unless the plane-sized zerg can somehow increase its mass to pull in a 560-meter metal ship such as a Minotaur Battlecruiser. Frigates or dropships maybe, but more likely it can pull itself to cruisers to get close, then pull in smaller organisms to allow them access.

Not a SINGLE viper, Nolanstar. But how many MULTIPLE vipers you think will it be possible to pull a battlecruiser?

[Nolanstar]

In atmosphere, Hundreds+ depending on what the cruiser is doing, presumably enough could latch on to alter the flight path, but considering BV's can push and accelerate their mass in atmo without issues their engines can probably deal with the strain. In a vacuum probably more depending on the strength of the gas propulsion. Also prime targets for a missile barrage considering they would have to clump-up to adequately put the net force into a useful direction.

[ragnarok]

In atmosphere, Hundreds+ depending on what the cruiser is doing, presumably enough could latch on to alter the flight path, but considering BV's can push and accelerate their mass in atmo without issues their engines can probably deal with the strain. In a vacuum probably more depending on the strength of the gas propulsion. Also prime targets for a missile barrage considering they would have to clump-up to adequately put the net force into a useful direction.

I'll take this into consideration once I'm done gathering my ideas then....

[Nolanstar]

What are you doing, writing a story? (If you don't mind me asking)

Consider though, it is the Zerg Swarm The loss of hundreds of individuals is nothing and they can afford to throw millions of units at a fortification. Left alone on a planet they can simply spread across the surface and underground, converting the planets resources into more zerg.

Also, from a fleet action base there is an additional factor to consider, though it affects ground as well.

Infested units. Zerg forces and fleets in this case have been shown to maintain infested vehicles via incorporating, hijacking or "hermit-crabbing" them. On the same vehicle type you range from being relatively unmodified bar the infestation, to having the weapons and abilities redone with zerg attributes. Some infested siege tanks are simply infested, controlled siege tanks while others are grafted onto crawler legs, and further still some serve as accelerators for zerg ground units, ingesting and launching them at targets.

The same affect would occur in space, within the zerg fleets infested Battlecruisers and transports would exist, serving their original purpose and simply being infested with the growths required to control, maintain. While others such as the Aleksander are completely repurposed, "Hermit-crabbed" as the only remaining resemblance to their original is the metal shell. Smaller infested craft would probably be stored just as normal fliers, inside Leviathans/Behemoths or in the docking areas of infested transports, battlecruisers, etc. What could be interesting is to have the zerg leave the koprulu sector and serve as the protagonists/antagonists with a new batch of two other races, fulfilling their original desire of perfection. Seeing your units fall to bugs, scary. Seeing that the bugs have apparently dealt with bigger fish then you and have now twisted war machines far more advanced then you could hope to field in the next century into their own purposes or retained them for their original is just terrifying. The implication that the unending swarm has done this to countless other races and worlds more powerful then yours is a terror weapon fitting of Baelrog Brood.

[ragnarok]

What are you doing, writing a story? (If you don't mind me asking)

Something like that, it's why I'm still paying attention to what Blizzard keeps announcing in the Co-Op missions. Elements of what they reveal will be put into the story

[Gradius]

In atmosphere, Hundreds+ depending on what the cruiser is doing, presumably enough could latch on to alter the flight path, but considering BV's can push and accelerate their mass in atmo without issues their engines can probably deal with the strain. In a vacuum probably more depending on the strength of the gas propulsion. Also prime targets for a missile barrage considering they would have to clump-up to adequately put the net force into a useful direction.

How much different would it be if vipers could land or latch onto a hatchery or leviathan before pulling in the battlecruisr?

[Nolanstar]

Landing without digging themselves into the ground as stability would not provide much benefit. They can support their own weight plus a thor or ultralisk which implies that their wings provide a lot of the anchor strength. Landing on the ground, digging in and using their wings to add further force down may provide an effective anchor. Perhaps a handful could snag a Raven, but still probably severl dozen to hook a battlecruiser, depending on what the cruiser is doing, atmosphere consistency do determine amount of force generated by wings, ground composition as an extra layer. A older Behemoth, Leviathen or smaller Minotaur, Hercules cruiser after getting hit by a bunch of scourge and power reserves depleted by constant shield and weapon usage might be slowly pulled into the ground, probably enough structural integretity to survive consider Nomad-II did okay and the more skeletal Helios was still somewhat intact.

There's really no mathematical basis for this without the mass of any class of battlecruiser, its maximum thrust. Mass of something like a Thor or Ultra as comparison and benchmark. I'm just making guesses by comparing dimensions and taking into account zerg biology op-ness.