Starbases rule, infrastructure drools.

from Stardock Forums
Nice catchy title, hunh? It's true tho.

Infrastructure comes with maintanence costs, starbases modules don't. (AFAIK)
Infrastructure only helps that planet, bases help the whole sector.
Base modules can boost your movement and trade, and even slow enemies.
And starbase bonuses STACK (in that sector).

Don't forget that bases on resources can give HUGE bonuses by mid-game (+50%). I had two military resources, and I got my att/def/hps bonuses all over +100%, plus my morale resources got me to +160% morale :)

In your prime sectors (strategic resource and/or good planets), place at least one starbase and load that sucker up! Then place a strong defensive ship on it. The ship gets the attack bonus and makes it harder to sneak attack. (Critical resource bases, several battlehammers or better.) Invaders get severe penalties fighting in sectors where your starbases support your fighters ... which do you no good whatsoever if (a) you have no ships nearby, or (b) the starbases gets destroyed because you couldn't be bothered to stack some ships on it. Adding a +6 ship attack only costs 3 constructors. You can get +12 with eight (8) constructors, two bases each with Battlestations Mk I-II-III. Place a couple battle axes (better, battle hammers) on each, and slaughter incoming vessels!

Plus, and I realize this says something about me, you can SEE ships on a base: you can't see ships in orbit.

Look gang, this isn't Civ3.5, it's Civ-in-space. Drop your social allocation to 20%, push up your military/tech to 40%, and let your starbases carry you to victory!
878 views 7 replies
Ashes of the Singularity II
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
Point taken.

Counterpoint.

What about morale? or economy? or research?

And dont say resources. What if you dont have access to any? These are key infrastructure buildings. Heck, some infrastructure has NO maintanence. And I always build the production boosting infrastructure, I dont care about the cost to maintain it when I can crank out a constructor every other turn, or build wonders in under 10 turns. :)

Starbases and infrastructure both have their place, you just need to find a good balance.

Yes you can see if a planet is defended. Look for the little shield in the lower right corner of the planet. Heck, click on the planet and you can see exactly what is defending it too.

~SDC~
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
So long as you can defend the starbase, sounds good to me. Personally, I've found that starbases are awfully tough to defend when dreadnoughts show up. Of course, I suck.

~SDC~
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
On the other hand I think you should pay a hefty amount of money to upkeep a starbase => Replacemnt parts, food has to be imported etc..

In game mechanics perhaps we would see a lot fewer starbases and perhaps the AI could learn to defend its most valuable starbases a liite bit more? ;)
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
arne heyden:
Starbases can grow their own food, if you don't mind mushrooms grown in your neighbors effluent.
Besides, being outside planetary gravity wells, they're natural spaceports, so they'd take in fees to help support themselves.

phatharp:
I always place ships on starbases once I get the battle axe tech. And I try to put Battle Stations Mk I-II-III up fast so they'll support their defenders.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Infrastructure that increases your Economy rules more... or at least as much as Starbases.

Money makes the universe go round...