Idea for dealing with spam

Artificial counterbalances like forced ratios never work out.  They inevitably take away from strategic choice, and can cause more problems than they solve.

There are two issues with spam right now.  The first is with low-tech units (Advent with seeker/disciple, primarily), the second is Advent illuminator spam.  It's worth noting that there is effectively no spam problem from either the TEC or Vasari factions, it's all Advent.  The only time TEC or Vasari players will spam is if their opponent is spamming to begin with and they're just massing the counter.  This indicates the problem isn't wide-scale, but rather specific to a few units from the Advent faction.  Illuminator spam in particular is due to a bug that causes illuminators to deal extra damage.  Once that bug is dealt with, the illuminator spam issue should more or less resolve itself.

Now, as for low-tech units, there are great dangers associated with just "banning" spam like you suggest.  Light frigate spam as an important role as the counter to a capital ship rush, and as a way to cover for a civic-lab opener.  If you take away the ability to spam light frigates, you risk making certain capital ship rushes uncounterable or at very least overpowered.  Secondly, you could completely kill off civic-lab openers because players will be forced to unlock high-tech units to actually build a large fleet.  Here, people aren't spamming because these are necessarily the "best" unit types.  They're spamming because they are cheap, reliable, and can be deployed quickly without having to wait on military labs.

LOL, like when the hell is that supposed to happen?  Next lifetime?

If they dont weaken the Illuminator they could strengthen the other races. Vasari need a boost

The next patch, whenever that may be.  Obviously nothing else is getting changed until the next patch, as well.

Most of us have been asking for a buff to their skirmisher and navigator units.  This would give them the early-game edge they currently need.  Once they reach late-game, Vasari are quite powerful and if anything might need to be toned down.  If it goes late enough Vasari are probably the most powerful faction thanks to phase stabilizers, the kostura, their powerful support cruisers, their offensive starbasing, and let's not forget those crazy phase missiles.

What do you mean by cap ship rush?  I've also noticed that opinions have changed.  A couple of months ago everyone was saying caps suck take the 1 free cap then scuttle the cap ship factory.  Is this due to a patch change?  Also caps build so slow and take so much ship points that a cap ship rush seems impossible.

Yes, major change.  Caps got buffs in last patch.  See patch change notes.

Particularly nasty with the carrier caps.  Something needs to change here, because these caps have way too much presence on their own and are really taking away from the alternatives.  The only way to counter a carrier cap filled with bombers early on is a carrier cap filled with fighters... hence the issue.  Anything that might buff the carrier-cap rush would definitely push it too far, as it's already borderline overpowered as it is.

Carrier caps are overpowered in the early game now (say the first 20 minutes).  I don't think that holds true beyond the early game when people will have flak frigates and perhaps carrier frigates (or their own carrier caps, as 2nd or 3rd caps) out in the field.  So what we've been seeing are double Halcyon and double Sova rushes.  (Vasari Skinatra rushes, not so much because the Skinatra is probably the worst of the three carrier caps.)

Yeah, I think if you can survive the initial attack, carrier caps become a lot less threatening. Only the Skinatra is the exception because repair cloud enabes them to fill a potent fleet support role as well. I think if some of the other caps get a buff as well carrier caps wouldn't appear nearly so often.

I've been going back to some more traditional openers lately:  colony-caps and Marza and Kortul in particular.  The problem I find is that if I do get hit by a carrier rush, I'm at such a huge disadvantage because those caps are so blinkin powerful and difficult to counter.  Carrier cruisers really don't compete with them, especially if you need to be jumping around, since their antimatter regenerates super slowly and is required to replace strike craft.

I like the new power of the carrier caps, but unfortunately it's just too much early-game when carrier cruisers are prohibitive and you can't field enough flaks to act as a counter (maybe if they're massing fighters, but bombers?  Forget about it).

Cheaper early game static defences are needed for help against the rush.. turrets and hangars have been stealth nerfed every patch.  Hangars became expensive as soon the carrier cruisers got the extra squadron, as they got no compensatory buff.  Turrets have always cost too much, and have been nerfed against LF.

I've asked for this for ages, and have been scorned for my pains.  But I did not flag or falter then, nor shall I in the future.  One day, the 'Sova noob' who 'builds turrets' will conquer the entire galaxy!

Please hotfix the Illuminators, so that we can play the current version of the game without there being a major bug.

I'd agree, hangers and turrets need buffing.  In fact, that might solve all the problems right then and there.

For hangers, a cost decrease and an antimatter regeneration buff is in order.  Currently (particularly the Advent variety) they cannot even fill their initial squad capacity because they run out of antimatter.  Considering you will need tactical upgrades to deploy these on planets and they're easily killed if not protected, they deserve to be priced reasonably. 

For turrets... I think a range increase would be the best way to improve these guys.  A cost decrease could also work, but I'd rather see them have a better range.  I've actually ran turret-based strategies before, and I can tell you that the biggest problem with getting them to work isn't cost (though that is an issue with anything) but rather their range.  It's all about the amount of area protected by your turret farm, and a little range bonus can add a lot of protected area, which is critical.

I don't think the "nerf" of turrets vs light frigates is substantial.  The problem has always been turrets vs long range frigates and bombers.  Certainly no one in their right mind will charge a turret/repair formation without decisive force.  If hangers get buffed, then a turret/hanger/repair bay combo should be largely impregnable early game... and may finally give the adjudicator a use to break these multi-structure defenses.

Whet I want is more tech slots.  Often I find my fleet maxed out, and my static defenses built up to max and money keeps rushing in

If you're actually in a situation like that, it means you've already won the game and are just goofing around before you get around to finishing the AI.  <_<

Fleet sizes like these never happen in multiplayer, even on multistar maps.  If one team has this sort of power, then they're either on the cusp of winning or the enemy team is going to surrender as soon as they realize how outmatched they are.  If both teams have this sort of power, they're going to cause massive casualties to each other and there will be plenty of places to spend that money.

I've been playing with another player and been in that situation, but the other player also had that kind of reserve.  Roughly we both have frigate factories just waiting for our current troops to get waxed.  Now it may make a difference that we don't have entrenchment.  It's also likely that we'd both get smoked by more experienced gamers.  I personally can't play in a general game due to having a young chiild to care for.

Without entrenchment?  Just send a strike force with plenty of bombers up his flanks and start blasting structures.  With sufficient squads, you can kill most structures instantly, then move on to the next well before his fleet can catch up.  It's easy to go on a late-game rampage in vanilla and just smash stuff up.  Damage his economy enough and there's no way he will be able to keep that crazy income.  If his upkeep is high, around 75%, it's really easy to deal enough damage to cause him to collapse.

I understand not having time to play online.  I myself have sporadic commitments throughout the day and usually play later in the evening.