Honestly, I think that the main thing that has to be considered is just how immensely powerful Embargo is when you rush and put it on someone's homeworld.  I really like where Goa was going with the idea of making the homeworld immune.  It really does make a lot of sense when you think about it.

As for demobots, I don't play MP, so I can't give much an opinion in regards to how effective they are.

But from what I can tell, it sounds like games go according to this:

TEC beats Vasari with eco, Vasari beats Advent with PM's, TEC beats Advent with eco.

My default solution to imbalance isn't to nerf but to buff, but I guess that's just a personal preference thing.  I was discussing an idea with Darvin elsewhere that would make Dominas better while allowing them to synergize with a Revelation (giving it some actual combat use) to be even more effective.

It seems like when Colony's (and the Marza) got nerfed and Carriers got buffed all that happened was that power swung from one to the other.  I'm not saying that a lot of the nerfs weren't needed (though I will continue to complain about how much Malice was nerfed  ), but when carriers were buffed, they became the new go-to ship.

I don't know, maybe the new capital class we'll get in Rebellion will be a carrier hunter or something.  Who knows?  Until then though, it definitely is incredibly powerful and I'd definitely think that home world immunity to Embargo would be the way to go.

Why?

To create another Domina class?

Being a regular player online, I am not for the idea of making hw immune to embargo. There would just be no point of getting embargo then.

The way to nerf embargo is to give 35%-45%-55% Sova ship speed decrease penalty for each level when embargo is used.

That would kill it's ability to kite..  Like I said, I don't play online, so the criticism is welcome.  As for a speed penalty, I suppose when you blockade someone when you embargo them in real life, the ship doesn't actually move.  It just kind of sits there...

No the ship moves (has to intercept the ships trying to enter the harbor) but it would move slower in the concept of patrolling. If it would kite then all the enemy would have to do is chase it and the merchants could enter.

Real life doesn't necessarily equal game mechanics.

I think in this case if you wanted to Nerf Embargo as an early rush tactic but leave the financial impact in place simply make it a channeled ability. You can kill the channeled ability any time by issuing a move order.

Of course no one likes channeled abilities and for good reasons usually. The Domina being the most striking example.

Yet a channeling ability would make the most sense as it would mean that the carrier is patrolling and intercepting merchants as you would in a real embargo scenario. I like the idea.

Technically I said immune or reduce for just the tax income penalty just for homeworlds. The trade blocking and construction/ship build penalties should still be given in full.

Also it seems kind of backwards to increase the speed penalty with each level. Either leave it constant or flip the penalties around IMO.

I always assumed the fighters were the ones doing the embargo, but whatever. Problem with channeling is that is still weakens the ability across the board. If it become channeling that this will basically limit its use to homeworlds or worlds with lots of factories.

IMO the whole OP of embargo comes from the fact that you can steal 70% of credits 2 minutes into the game.

40% embargo its easy to counter and is completely manageable while 70% 2 minutes into the game makes it way OP. I would leave embargo stats as it is, only thing I would change is that you cannot buy cap ship levels so easily that you can get LVL 3 cap and be at enemy HW 2-3 minutes into the game.

This could be done by either making cap ship immovable while LVLs are getting upgraded or make them upgrade at slower rate or make them more expensive. 

Skilled players used to and still do buy upgrades for skirantras as well in order to get much stronger scramble bombers, or Vulkuras to siege rush HW ....

Channeled ability is probably a better idea. Really anything to prevent it kiting so easily around hw grav well early in game when there's virtually no fleet protecting the well.

You know, the problem just isn't credits, but that early game, your factories are likely on you HW, and embargo makes you produce ships slower and reduces the speed at which you can put up for factories or deference structures (assuming the fighters didn't take them out).