Another approach:

SttC should give variable income according to the development level of the planet. A fully developed one would give more than a just-colonized one, because its resources a better understood, leading to a more effective stripping.

Planet scuttling should take time according to the planetary max HP + damage taken. Damage taken would influence by making SttC take more time, since the hypotetical planet eater machines would be under constant attack, being damaged etc.

If the planet is destroyed OR its health reaches 0 before SttC timer runs out, SttC is cancelled (even if a SB prevents planet loss). Planet should have at least 50% health to begin SttC process.

A 'SttC counter' would begin at the max planet HP and move down at a defined rate per second. Taking damage would increase it back up, up to max planet level. Once it reaches zero, planet is SttC'ed.

I think a reasonable rate would be 10/20/30 hp per second (3 tiers of upgrades to increase SttC speed). A 5000 hp planet would then take 167 seconds to be SttC'ed if it takes no damage.

Most stripping occurs in gravity wells that the Vasari player would be unwilling or unable to hold....when you kostura jump to a HW, plop a phase stabilizer, strip it, then jump back, you do so because you are trying to avoid the enemy fleet...I just don't find the VL trying to hold and defend all the planets they strip...maybe the occasional one or two for building factories and the like, but most times you are "running through" the enemy worlds and not trying to make a stand or anything...as such, I don't find it problematic that the VL could colonize these asteroids...

In my experience, more often than not the VL have no intention of keeping the planets they are running through, so leaving them as asteroids would benefit the defender more than it would benefit the Vasari....

I initially thought taxation would be a good idea, but my biggest gripe with it is that if the income is taxed, how do you pick a good number for earned resources?  Currently, I find independent of whether this income is taxed, SttC provides too many resources considering how easy it is to get...your first stripped planet (which usually is some random planet near the center of the map) basically gives you a titan, and if you get two stripped planets you are almost guaranteed to have most powerful fleet by that point, hell maybe even prepping for kostura if you were in eco spot...at that early stage, having taxation affect SttC ain't going to do much since your taxation is so small anyway...

So, independent of taxation or not, I feel the base income needs to be reduced by a lot...but then, if you compound that reduction with taxation, the amount of resources you get with stripped to the core late game will be hardly anything...if Sttc is reduced by 50%, and then your mid-game fleet reduces that by another 50%, now you are getting 1/4 of what you are getting now...extend that to late game (with maintenance of 60%-75%), and it's even worse....I think if taxation were implemented, VL players would never be able to go fully mobile (or at least very close to it), and that is not the result I want from nerfing SttC...

I'd rather see a serious nerf to the base amount of resources earned and maybe something to make it harder/take longer to strip than to tax the resources...the intention I see for SttC was that it was supposed to be a late game strategy, and I feel that taxation would completely flip that and make it an early-mid game strategy for getting titan and kostura quickly...

I see SttC as being a key mechanic of the VL, not a late game trick to pull off. 

And to repeat myself once again: Why not tie SttC income and time to planet health? 1 credit per planet HP, 500 resources per extractor, 1 second scuttle time per 10 HP. I am aware that this is beyond entity file modding. But this would mitigate a lot of the problems associated with SttC. Additionally, this would be more in line with "going mobile" than the current "going locust".

Btw. non-capturable extractors after scuttling Asteroids should be considered a bug, there is no reason for them to behave like this. 

Same thought here.  Players are going to exploit one mode of play or another, and yeah it makes online an irritating venture.  I can't think of an RTS in which I've seen every player perform as the game most clearly intended.  There's always some eye-rolling trick they can't help but deploy.

When I had this strategy used against me by a VL player, there were a few crucial things I learned.

1. A handful of anti-structure frigates is enough to upset their advances.  In my case specifically I'd put up a space station with manufacturing on it, and they had a lot of trouble fighting me on that ground.

2. Fortify.  Following a rapid advance in early game, it's not hard at all. This means starbase with auxiliary government, heavy weapons, heavy armor, and either manufacturing (TEC) or hangars.  (in fact, if you make it manufacturing you can just ignore the aux government.)

3. The player panicked like his house was on fire when I ran a large fleet to his core worlds.  What followed was a free-for-all in which I destroyed as many labs, frigate factories, hangars and repair bays as possible.  Bombed what planets I could in short order; the bigger ones I just left limping and useless.  I won soon after, and took only moderate losses of my own frontiers due to slowing his advance with mines, anti-structure frigates, and space stations.  In hindsight I wish I'd left my titan to go defensive, because that probably would have stopped him entirely, and on that player's frontier my titan was a bit slow.

4. Eat like seven hard boiled eggs in a row, 'cause you're a stallion now.

Edit: to provide a suggestion against this particular player exploitation, I wouldn't mind seeing some timer on the Scuttle (planet) function after a player has conquered a world.  Maybe they have to fill up the pop to max, or maybe it's just a flat number.  Otherwise I don't see the point of changing it - make it any weaker and it might as well be removed. 

No, it is the exact opposite...they continue running around precisley because they have fleet supply...they need to eat planets in order to research techs and build up/replace their fleet...stop eating planets and their economy dies (especially since they may have abandoned their core planets or had to strip them)...

I still stand by my statement that taxing the income does nothing to prevent SttC from being OP early game...the base income earned from strip has to be reduced...it's easy to say that the income should be taxed now because the amount of resources earned is ridiculous...but halve the number of resources, and I think you will quickly find that taxing that value further will make stripping just too weak late game...simply denying large enemies some good planets isn't enough...large and huge maps just have too many planets, the VL has to get something from stripping those planets to make the strategy viable...

Reducing the base amount of resources helps to prevent SttC from being OP early game...taxation does not....having nothing strip beyond an asteroid prevents the VL from wiping players with impunity and no counter....taxation does not....and, significantly reducing the resources earned (which needs to be done regardless) while taxing SttC income at the same time will just nerf this ability into oblivion...

To bad Stripped to the Core wasn't set like Drain Planet.  Colony Cap triggers chain reaction, gains 8000 c/m/cr over whatever duration, then particle kicks in and mesh swaps.  7DS is going to have a time with this one since we've resized planets... doh.

I don't think the game has the coding to have either the scuttle value affected by taxation.  Drain planet isn't affected by taxation.  I don't think it's appropriate for scuttle value to be taxed, it's just ripped from the planet, not brought in by planetary population, tradeports, mining operations or refineries.

Changing #3 has to be the way.  The question is how.  Is there a way to make a research item or ability/buff that turns dead asteroids into asteroids and asteroids into dwarf planets either on colonization or application of ability/buffs?  If so, would let the TEC/Advent to have future use of the planet.  The other thing is how to make it so the research or ability/buff only affects worlds scuttled and Stripped to the Core or TEC/Advent would use it to gain an unfair advantage.

It'd also be neat, just graphically to create a swirling nebula particle that ends in a bang turning asteroid belts into an asteroid planet.  I don't think, however, Kirk would appreciate the Genesis Missile being misused.  Would give another bonus besides Space Ponies... SPOCK! and he boosts research rates.  LOL.

I think it's a shame STTC was bound to abandoning planets... I was originaly under the impression that the VL Titan would consume planets. Having it as an ability would have been much better in my opinion.

Would have also opened the doors for more modding fun.

Well, obviously STTC isn't a buff, but if it were made one, that would be interesting..  Of course, you'd have to differentiate between loyalist and rebel ships and I feel like once you start doing that to any of them, you ought to continue to most of them.

I don't intend adding SttC as a new ability/buff per se, I rather want to extend the list of possible targets for Drain Planet. Since there are already abilities with different effects/buffs depending on ownership (Phase Out Hull?), this should be possible. Additionally, abilities can be made tech-dependent (even lab-dependent). I don't know if this applies to buffs, too, though. 

Wow, that's actually a really good idea!  It would slow down strip time by forcing you to build the structure, and give defenders a chance to save the planet by destroying said structure.

Have any of you other than Zombie actually played VL and tried the SttC strategy?  While it is immensely powerful, to get it set up early enough requires the right conditions (eco or a roomy frontline)...even extremely skilled players like How (who I've seen as VL on the frontline) are not able to Strip rush every game simply because of the nature of their starting position...

There is no need to make SttC harder to get via technologies, and giving "water-downed" versions that requires more technologies later is just redundant and serves no purpose...why would you need SttC to give you more resources late game???  Oh, because you want it to be taxed...so instead of just keeping it simple, you want to simultaneously both increase and decrease how much SttC gives you late game...

Reducing the base income of SttC (I'm thinking halving it for starters) is more than enough to prevent this from being OP in the hands of an eco player early game...ensuring that the VL can't just make everything an asteroid belt prevents players from being completely wiped by a force they can't catch...

Regardless of what specific changes do occur in the next patch, it is safe to assume that somehow SttC will be harder to use and will probably give less resources....I really don't want taxation on top of those nerfs....

My money says SttC will be nerfed to oblivion next patch...

Here is my solution:

• SttC gives less resources (let's say half)
• All planets strip to asteroid...asteroids, dead asteroids, and pirate bases don't strip any lower and give no resources....

What does this do? 

As VL in eco, stripping early game is still a good option, but it isn't the obvious option...currently, a VL in eco just always rushes strip, strips a planet or two near center of map, gets titan and kostura, and goes and kills things...halving the income you earned from SttC helps you get titan faster but it doesn't put you so far ahead of everyone else...it makes the VL in eco consider their options without nerfing SttC into oblivion...

As VL in eco, stripping mid-game (when you have titan and/or kostura and going on offense) is still useful...you are taking away a good enemy planet (probably another eco player's HW), and getting some resources from stripping it...however, the stripped planet is still an asteroid, so after the VL retreats or moves on, the defender still has something to put structures on...

As any VL, stripping late-game is not nearly as OP as it is now...you still get a nice feed of resources, but with only half as many, it's still a good idea to have a regular economy...also, because you can't strip below an asteroid, you can't "cleanse" sections of the map and completely wipe players' planets...even if you strip every planet, unless you magically are able to simultaneously hold all those gravity wells, the defender can always recolonize those asteroids and put up structures...

Your solution:

• SttC is low level tech (lets say around tier 3)...coming off of it is a chain of techs that increase the resources earned
• Income earned via SttC is taxed

As VL in eco, you aren't going to have any problem getting all those techs quickly...even with SttC as a tier 8 with 3 mid/high level prereqs, eco players easily get SttC early on...simply changing what techs you need isn't going to change things in the slightest...also, the taxation part does nothing to prevent you from getting uber resources early on...eco player has no fleet upgrades (maybe 1) so the first two planets they strip still are going to give them a titan and kostura pretty quickly....

As VL late game, let's just say your taxation rate is ~50%....you are getting the same amount of resources you would if you had just halved the base income...no difference late game...

Taxation also does nothing to prevent you from wiping players...but even if you combine taxation/different techs with no stripping below asteroid, you still have done nothing to prevent VL eco players from abusing this like none other....

Additionally, by allowing SttC early game, frontliners can now get it as well...sure, maybe they can't upgrade SttC but that hardly matters...suicide players getting double teamed could colonize some planets, get some quick cash from the extractors, and then strip as soon as they realized they couldn't hold them...frontliners could just start with two caps, bomb out the nearest enemy world, strip it, then retreat with impunity....and if a frontliner is losing a planet?  Strip it, retreat with extra resources...by having SttC so early, you have denied the enemy easy sources of income at no loss to you (cause remember, you couldn't hold them anyway, that's why you left) and have prevented them from being able to get as many factories close to your HW...

Taxation and tech upgrades to strip do nothing to prevent this from being OP for early game eco VL....they make SttC more OP for early game frontliners and suicide spots, and they are equally successful late game (assuming you also keep the asteroid rule)...

So what do I mean by simplicity? 

Well, simply halving the earned income combined with the "Asteroid" rule stands a good chance of solving most of the problems with strip...one might say you still need to make strip harder to use (maybe it takes longer to use, or requires a titan ability) but it would be a vast improvement over what we have now...my solution is simple, requires no engine change, and I'd argue would be very effective....

Your solution not only requires more work (new techs and engine changes), but actually makes SttC more powerful early game with no late game offset...even if you tried to "balance" it by making it harder to strip, etc, you are complicating the situation far more than it needs to be...I won't say it is impossible to balance but taxation is completely unnecessary to make SttC viable but not OP

Why implement a system that requires engine changes and is going to be a pain to balance when there is a simpler and more effective alternative?