History Main / NeutralsCrittersAndCreeps

** Prior to the first expansion of III, elementals were neutral, not available to any faction unless temporarily summoned with magic or purchased from randomly-generated dwellings. The ''Shadow of Death'' expansion added the Conflux town, which pads out the ranks of the formerly neutral elementals into a fully fleshed-out faction.

* Certain ''VideoGame/HaloWars'' maps have [[ZombieApocalypse Flood]] nests (guarded by spore launchers and tentacles), others have [[BenevolentPrecursors Forerunner]] fortresses (guarded by [[ AttackDrone Sentinels]], and still others have rebel camps (guarded by rebel militiamen). These usually guard capturable structures, such as base sockets, resource extractors, {{Mook Maker}}s, or power plants.

* Certain ''VideoGame/HaloWars'' maps have [[ZombieApocalypse Flood]] nests, others have [[BenevolentPrecursors Forerunner]] fortresses, and still others have rebel camps. These usually guard capturable structures, such as base sockets or power plants.

* In ''VideoGame/Perimeter's'' Story Mode, the Scourge take this role (they're strictly Harkback {{Attack Animal}}s in Skirmish/ multiplayer). Borne of the interplay between the unique noospheric conditions on each planet and human emotion, they range from tank-eating {{Giant Spider}}s to structure-ruining [[OurDragonsAreDifferent wyrms]]. There are several missions that involve surviving long enough to power up another [[PortalNetwork stargate]] and escape. The Harkbackhood [[SuffucientlyAnalyzedMagic actually studied them enough]] to weaponze them.

* ''{{VideoGame/Pharaoh}}'': Wild animals can be found on nearly every map, serving as resources or hazards (and just hazards if game meat isn't an available resource). Hyenas, scorpions, lions, crocodiles and hippos will wander around the map and attack any walker they see, and only hunters, cops and soldiers can fight back against them. Gazelles, ostriches and flocks of birds serve as food sources but can only be gathered by hunters.

* ''VideoGame/SinsOfASolarEmpire'' has SpacePirates, who actually ''can'' be made nice to. For about an hour if you give them a BegoneBribe bigger than someone else's (they are aware of what a steamroller they are, having [[GlassCannon traded shield generators for]] MoreDakka, and ZergRush to compensate). If the "Space Pirate Raids" option is turned off, they camp out with a huge fleet to guard a single, low-habitability asteroid base at a crossroad of HyperspaceLanes. In the ''Rebellion'' expansion, TEC Rebels can make them permanent allies, and even hire them through their Broadcast Station buildings. Each neutral world also has [[HardCodedHostility Hard-Coded Hostile]] fleets consisting of a handfull of weak units that are never replaced. However, they at least stay home, unlike those bloody pirates.

** Fallen Empires are very powerful [[TheRemnant remnants]] of PreCursor civilizations who have reached their twilight years. While they generally won't start anything, they each have a BerserkButton that will goad them into conquering you (such as encroaching on their territory or researching the technology that destroyed their empire).

** ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerTiberianSun'' has a whole mutant ecosystem, featuring visceroids, veinhole monsters, floaters, tiberium feinds, and mutant humans. One Nod mission even involves [[HoldTheLine surviving for 20 minutes]] against nothing but hostile mutants who would like you to go away ''right now please.'' On some maps, you can lose to the environment without ever seeing the enemy.

* Neutral units in ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' series mostly belong, appriopriately, to the neutral category. They will not make any moves to attack any of the players, but when approached they will start a battle and do their best to finish it, unless the player's army is vastly superior or the commanding hero gets lucky with their diplomacy skill. Neutral units in the fourth installment are the exception, as they will actually move to attack the players given enough time.

** Prior to the first expansion, elementals were neutral, not available to any faction unless temporarily summoned with magic or purchased from randomly-generated dwellings. The ''Shadow of Death'' expansion added the Conflux town, which pads out the ranks of the formerly neutral elementals into a fully fleshed-out faction.

** In ''III,'' these units can be set as guards for treasures on the map

* ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000Gladius'' has [[ReligionOfEvil Chaos]] and [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Genestealer]] cultists ([[HardCodedHostility who are]] ''[[HardCodedHostility still]]'' [[HardCodedHostility hostile]] if you're playing as factions that can canonically ally with them. Understandable for Chaos Marines, who are, of course, AlwaysChaoticEvil and revel in violence and strife to entertain the Dark Gods, but not so much for the Tyranids, who are the {{Greater Scope Villain}}s behind a 'Stealer cult's shenanigans), psychneuein wasps, catachan devils (X-Box huge scorpions who can eat tanks for lunch and then eat your soldiers for dessert), [[KillerRobot Kastelan robots]] (plus heretek caretakers), ambulls, and insane Necrons. Crazy Necrons are usually only spawned by quests, however, since they're so damn difficult to put down. It also has paddocks of Grox (imagine a lizard the size of a cow, and treated much the same way), which increase food/requisition. Certain [=DLCs=] introduce a Daemon Engine, and Vaul Sentinels, ([[PreCursors Old One]] tanks that look just like the Artefacts dotted around the map), and a tyranid splinter.

* ''VideoGame/{{Startopia}}'' has Memau which board your station through the docking port and are harmless until they eat enough trash and [[FaceFullOfAlienWingWong infect someone with a Skrasher egg]] which becomes dangerous if not immediately treated. Vermin start appearing in areas with a lot of trash and debris and any peep that interacts with them ''will'' get sick. Finally, be it through rival players or by chance depending on the mission or sandbox settings, you can have an agent infiltrate your station either as an obvious tip-toeing spy or an undercover agent disguised as a regular alien (there is a difference between criminals which are normally detained/deported and agents which are always hostile, your cursor changes to the attack crosshair when moused over) which can either murder visitors and residents or plant a bomb.

* ''VideoGame/AlphaCentauri'' features Mind-Worms, anneloid psychic creatures that attack anything not native to Planet, including all the human factions. (As well as both Progenitor factions, in Alien Crossfire.) As the game progresses, you come across water-adapted Mind-Worm clumps called Isles of the Deep, and even airborne Worms - the Locusts of Chiron. Alien Crossfire introduces Spore Launchers, which have long-range artillery.

* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' has a green Neutral army, in contrast to the player's blue and the enemy's red. If they have a unit portrait, they can be recruited if you complete a secondary objective.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses''has Rare Monsters as Creeps in side missions, where they can and will attack your units, but will also pick fights with the bandits or thieves that form the bulk of the enemy forces. They drop Rusted weapons which can be forged into better weapons when killed, and drop additional resources when their barriers are broken, making them a good source of loot for players looking to level grind.

** ''Warcraft II'' has critters that spawn randomly on each map. Each tileset has their own kind: sheep for Forest, pigs for Wasteland, seals for Snow, and boars for Swamp. The Mage unit can [[BalefulPolymorph transform an enemy]] into a tileset-appropriate critter permanently. Also, [[StopPokingMe rapidly clicking on critters will cause them to explode]].

* ''VideoGame/EmpireAtWar'' (a ''Franchise/StarWars'' game) has native populations who are aligned with either the Empire or the Rebellion, and will either help or hinder the players army.
* VideoGame/EmpireEarth:

* {{VideoGame/Pharaoh}}: Wild animals can be found on nearly every map, serving as resources or hazards (and just hazards if game meat isn't an available resource). Hyenas, scorpions, lions, crocodiles and hippos will wander around the map and attack any walker they see, and only hunters, cops and soldiers can fight back against them. Gazelles, ostriches and flocks of birds serve as food sources but can only be gathered by hunters.

* ''VideoGame/AlphaCentauri'' features Mind-Worms, anneloid psychic creatures [[spoiler:equivalent to neutrophils in the [[GeniusLoci Planet's]] immune system]].

* ''VideoGame/WarCraft 3'' has small bands of monsters to act as XP bubbles to grind a {{Hero Unit}}s character level on (and yes, they drop loot) before fighting the enemy proper. They also have livestock (ie pigs, sheep, and chickens) in some town maps. Forest maps feature deer and raccoons. The game's version of BalefulPolymorph turns the enemy into a random critter as well. A full list of Creeps can be found [[http://classic.battle.net/war3/neutral/creeps.shtml here.]]

** In the series, some wild animals can attack without provocation (wolves, lions, alligators), other attacks only for defense (boars, elephants) and other doesn't defend themselves. Scenario makers can also put neutral units and buildings on the map, which will be taken over by the first civilization to find them. All those belongs to a Gaia faction.

* ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'' has partially-random multiplayer/skirmish maps with neutral structures guarded by their inhabitants. For example, a tavern guarded by Condotierri mercs, an abandoned forge tended by [[ClockworkCreature Scrappers]], or a cave guarded by a [[GiantFlyer huge bat.]] The exact location and availability varies each time one plays. These can be aquired into a players army through trade (they generate Wealth each time a trade caravan gets there and back, and apparently accrue debt as their purchase price drops by a fraction each time untill you get them free), Neutral guards and all. This can happen with whole cities as well.

* ''VideoGame/AlphaCentauri'' features Mind-Worms, anneloid psychic creatures [[spoiler: equivalent to neutrophils in the [[GeniusLoci Planet's]] immune system]].

** In ''VideoGame/CivilizationV,'' they spawn to represent rioters/rebels if a citys Unhappiness gets above 10.

* ''VideoGame/CivilizationBeyondEarth'' has Wolf Beetles, Siege Worms, Drones, Sea-Dragons, and Kraken. ''Rising Tide'' adds Makkaras, Rippers, and Scarabs. Wolf beetles even have nests, which can be blown up for the Xenomass they guard. There's also a kind of beetle that can be harvested for chitin (its implied your colonists harvest their castoff shells). If a faction researches enough of the ''Harmony'' TechTree, they can [[MonsterAllies field squads of tame creeps, called the Xeno Swarm,]] and [[HorseOfADifferentColor ride tame Razor Bugs into battle.]] [[spoiler: You actually ''can'' become friendly with wild wolf beetles if you refrain from killing them on sight. Eventually, they acclimatize to your presence and become Neutrals.]] However, if you antagonize the alien HiveMind enough, it starts spawning the wolf beetles LightningBruiser cousins, Raptor Bugs, and [[GiantMook Manticores,]] a bigger, longer-ranged version.

** A hazard tile on arid planets, represents hostile wildlife with a puma-like alien monster. It also features their diminutive, friendly cousins with a CuteKitten badge ("Alien Pets") under the Resource Modifiers section.

* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'' has alien wildlife, such as Scantids and Rhinodons. These can be [[SeeingThroughAnothersEyes parasitized]] by Zerg players for a free AnimalEyeSpy, as the AI ignores them. They also (harmessly) explode into a [[EverythingMakesAMushroom mushroom cloud]] if clicked too often.

* ''VideoGame/SwordOfTheStars'' calls them "Menaces," and they range from rogue asteroids to [[VonNeumannMachine self-replicating attack ships]].

** All games have "rebels," weak bands of hostiles who hold, but don't conquer, territory. They can also be spawned through random events, taking over a handfull of towns (hence the title of "rebels").
** In ''VideoGame/MedievalIITotalWar,'' their religeon is "[[TheHeretic Heretic,]]" and they can gain enough influence to convert one of your Generals through their special Heretic unit (similar to the Preist). Eventually, they can spawn [[WickedWitch covens of witches]] as well.

* ''VideoGame/WarCraft 3'' has small bands of monsters to act as XP bubbles to grind a {{Hero Unit}}s character level on (and yes, they drop loot) before fighting the enemy proper. They also have livestock (ie pigs, sheep, and chickens) in some town maps. Forest maps feature deer and racoons. The game's version of BalefulPolymorph turns the enemy into a random critter as well. A full list of Creeps can be found [[http://classic.battle.net/war3/neutral/creeps.shtml here.]]
* ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000Gladius'' has [[ReligionOfEvil Chaos]] and [[HordeOfAlienLocusts Genestealer]] cultists ([[HardCodedHostility who are]] ''[[HardCodedHostility still]]'' [[HardCodedHostility hostile]] if you're playing as factions that can canonically ally with them. Understandable for Chaos Marines, who are, of course, AlwaysChaoticEvil and revel in violence and strife to entertain the Dark Gods, but not so much for the Tyranids, who are the BiggerBad behind a 'Stealer cults shennanigans), psychneuein wasps, catachan devils (X-Box huge scorpions who can eat tanks for lunch and then eat your soldiers for dessert), [[KillerRobot Kastelan robots]] (plus heretek caretakers), ambulls, and insane Necrons. Crazy Necrons are usually only spawned by quests, however, since they're so damn difficult to put down. It also has paddocks of Grox (imagine a lizard the size of a cow, and treated much the same way), which increase food/requisition. Certain DLC's introduce a Daemon Engine, and Vaul Sentinels, ([[PreCursors Old One]] tanks that look just like the Artefacts dotted around the map), and a tyranid splinter.
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