[Feedback] Starbase Hangers Gimp

The upgrade prices are placeholders.

But, yes, starbases definitely need more squadrons-especially considering that the squadron upgrades for additional squadrons are really not a good way to make a base...you're better off putting more weapons/defenses on it.

Which may mean that we need to be able to have more than 8 total upgrades per starbase as well, although of this I'm less certain.

It's not really the price that's the issue, hangers are much more valuable on the SB than a normal hanger because they aren't taking up tactical slots and they are much better defended. The issue as you also mentioned is the fact that you can get much more useful upgrades. I cannot imagine me ever picking that upgrade to my SBs in colonisable grav wells but maybe I would in dead asteroids or Suns or something, I'm not sure. I agree it's probably not worth it in 99% of cases.

Considering that a hangar bay is slightly over a third of the cost (on average) for the same squadrons, cost is definitely an issue as well.

Additionally, the tech upgrades to both the Vasari and the Advent hangars make them very much worthwhile.  TEC's hangar flak upgrades look good as well, although I haven't yet tested them.

And given the starbase squadrons' current state of unworthiness over other upgrades, it becomes obvious that not only does it need a price change, but that it needs a squadron quantity change.

So what price do you put on the fact that you aren't using tactical slots for the hangers?  What price do you put on the fact that you can put these hangers anywhere?  Even in gravity wells you don't own, and neutral gravity wells?  Also hangers in a star base are a hell of a lot more defended than normal hangers.  The price increase seems justified to me.  If it wasn't for the fact that they take up 1 of my 8 upgrade slots I'd get them quite often.

Doubling the amount of squadrons you get with the Starbase hangar bay upgrade sounds about right. 4 squadrons would be on par with the other Starbase upgrades. The cost per squadron should be higher than building separate hangar bays of course.

 

Considering that the actual hangar bays have added effects that the SB hangars don't? Not much. The Starbase upgrade slots are better spent on other things.

 

If it was 4 squads instead of 2, then it might be more valuable.

I agree that you should get 2 more squads of fighters.

I'd rather have flak.  I'd rather have an ability to disable enemy strikecraft.  I'd rather have structures that grant other nearby structures shields (particularly when they have none to begin with) and therefore the ability to have shield mitigation.

And perhaps most importantly, as you have addressed as well, I'd rather have a base with more hull, shields, armor, and weapons.

For Advent and TEC, that's 5/8 upgrades right there.  For Vasari, it's 6/8.  Doesn't leave much room for squadrons-or anything else, for that matter.

So, again, maybe we need to be able to have more than eight upgrades on a base.  (How's ten sound?)  It's still going to cost us, and if the upgrades are in line with what they give us, it wouldn't seem to result in every planet being Fort Knox, as we're still limited by credits and resources.

I may have neglected to state that if the number of squadrons is increased sufficiently then obviously the price wouldn't need to change, much.  I thought it was clear I was doing a comparison on cost per squadron, which would improve if the starbase fielded more squadrons.

Per Starhound's post, four would seem to be a good number.  This still makes them somewhat more expensive than squadrons from a hangar bay, while making the squadron upgrades actually useful.

I agree that the TEC SB hangars just aren't useful right now.  The only real reason I even get them at all now is because Docking Booms upgrade is bugged so that buying it is a death sentence for your SB.

SBs need a flak upgrade (or even make it standard), and I think that doubling the squadrons to 4 per hangar would make them worth buying.

I think Sole said it, but I agree with bumping up the number of upgrades to maybe 10. This way you can fully upgrade the weapons and defense and give your base a little something extra too.

I find i hardly ever buy the upgrades to boost trade/culture/hangars etc...thats what logistical and tactical slots are for i only get those upgrades into a stupid culture/trade powerhouse. I always end up buying the same old 2 or 3 UNIQUE upgrades which i cant buy elsewhere...

 

Don't have tact spots in wormholes or nebulas.

Honestly I think I'd be happier if Starbases had 4 upgrade slots instead of 8, but the weapon/armor upgrades started off researched. Increase the build time to compensate for that, but it seems silly you get 8 slots for upgrades and there's 5 that you simply always take in order to get a functional station.

Valid point, I suppose, but the cost would seem to need an increase as well.  And then there's the fact that it would make civilian starbases as powerful (without accounting for abilities) as military starbases.

I understand starbases are primarily supposed to be for defense, but if they aren't supposed to have a civilian purpose as well then why do they have non-combat modules?

 

Well, you could use the four remaining slots to specialize with millitary or civilian abilities. But a Starbase without the upgraded weapons/armor is a joke. Do you ever leave one without those upgrades in order to give it the ability to be a trade port?

Currently I would if it was in an uninhabited system that was protected.  Once the 1.12 update makes it into Entrenchment, then that won't be necessary since the uninhabited systems won't break the trade lane.  So, the trade module for the SB will probably be next to useless in the future.  It really makes more sense that way I guess.  I wonder if it will be removed or replaced with something else.

Trade port, no.  The trade port upgrade is kind of useless, actually-especially for the cost.  But that's entirely beside the point-I do want to have a civilian starbase option, but there's no reason it should, by default, be a Fort Knox in its own right, either, and I'm okay with it being easier to kill (read: not necessarily unable to protect itself) if it makes me some money.

1800 credits + 275 metal at 4.5 credits average value + 150 crystal at 4.5 as well

= 3712 credits total cost basically to earn 0.8 credits a second.

So it takes something like 4500 seconds (75 minutes) to pay for itself and start making money?

If I actually got that right I've heard better deals - some oceanfront property in Nevada comes to mind...

 

Why not just have the option to add a hanger bay as an upgrade, and then pay for the squads?  The first one is free.  It becomes a little more expensive to pay for the squad each time.  This way hanger bays have a usefullness and you cant drop in a starbase and rule the grav well.