it is EASY to create a simple mod that does  the effectively same thing.

the steps are

1 either create OR download a set of reference(these are supplied either by converting a COPY of the game files to txt mode OR downloading an archive containing the converted files) files for the sins (entrenchment/diplomacy use the entrenchment refs)(rebellion use rebellion refs) version that you are playing

2 in the mods folder for the expansion AND version, create a NEW folder of the mod name, inside the folder create a NEW folder of the name 'GameInfo'

3 from your reference files in the'GameInfo' folder find AND copy all the 'StarBase(race).entity' files to the mod's gameinfo folder

4 for EACH of the 'StarBase(race).entity files edit it in a SIMPLE TEXT EDITOR like notpad or notepad++ and look for a line containing 'maxUpgradeLevelCount ' with a number at the end, change the number to 24 or larger (tec has 24 upgrades for starbase, vasari & advent only have (from memory 22) save the file.

when you have done each of the 'StarBase(race).entity' files you can then start your sins game go to the mods, enable your new mod and apply it then PLAY with the mod

and congratulations you are NOW a modder

harpo

I didn't ask for a mod or to become a modder (although I have the expertise to become one I don't want to) ... I would like to play online against AI's with better starbases, right now they're just not good enough to handle even a small group of torpedo ships.

Alternative, if I could scuttle my merchant bays and upgrade with fighter bays that would also work, but what's the point of that ... it's easier imo to just increase the number of upgrades. If necessary, make it a costly leveled research upgrade. Eg. [1/4] +1 starbase upgrade, 2500/250/350, [2/4] +1 starbase upgrade, 4000/350/550, [3/4] +2 starbase upgrades, 8000/600/950. [4/4] +2 starbase upgrades, 12000/1150/1300.

You you could make it so costly that such upgrades are really only useful in games against AI's.

I know and they can't be. But the AI sends lots of small fleets everywhere with those torpedo ships and that's just horrible.

Starbases shouldn't fall victim to small fleets, period. Large fleets? Fine! Small fleets? Terrible.

The only thing you can do with additonal upgrades, is to upgrade a few hangar bays to build bombers. That does not influence any big battle. It only serves to destroy a small fleet, nothing more.

Late game, when the AI has 2000 ships, the Starbase + defenses are COMPLETELY and UTTERLY useless for any form of defense anywhere on the map against almost any sized fleet. The AI sends 5 torpedo ships and a few escort ships? It's GONE ! Your whole defense is GONE.

Note: I was playing TEC.

Note to self: or I could play Vasari like everyone else.

Note to self 2: or I could place some ships there for extra support.

Well actually I was losing the battle quite badly and I was a bit upset that my last hope, the twin starbases, were obliterated like paper toys by this tiny fleet while I had to send the remnants of my fleet to the main battle, which I also lost. The starbase there didn't make a difference either.

Anyway I don't understand your complaints about this really. Starbase upgrades are really very expensive, and if such research is also expensive than it will hardly affect online multiplayer games, where defenses make little difference anyway because the players stay far away from them (they only work against stupid AIs, they act like a magnet to the AI ships).

I really don't understand why you are so upset about this. It will only make it a little more useful against really small fleets, it has little impact on larger battles.

It's almost like a bunch of Al-Queda terrorists who manage to destroy the Pentagon with almost no effort... oh wait, that nearly happened in reality

I concede.

I was loosing and couldn't spare any ships. On that frontier world, I only had 2 starbases and maybe 2 hangar bays and some repair bays, that wasn't enough. It was a dwarf planet, I couldn't place many additionaly defenses. I lost over 30K of investment there against a tiny fleet ... which is annoying, no matter how you put it. And you're saying that I should've put an additional 5 carriers there, which would've cost me another 5K and about 50 fleet supply just for some kind of static defense, and really I need a fleet to defend my defenses even against minor nuisances ... it's just hilarious.

Well anyway, I've changed the title from "request blablabla" to "I dont like blablabla", I hope that makes you feel better.

And I'll stop complaining about it as well. Promised.

No I couldn't. I didn't have that many planets and my shipyards were about 4 jumps away. And what I had, I needed for the other battle. And my starbases had no construction bays, because I used the upgrades for armor, weapons and trade. And the dwarf planet had no slots left (broadcast centers...). You know... just that extra upgrade for a construction bay, or for an extra fighter bay, could've made it easier. It would've cost a lot (as much as a few frigates) I suppose, so it doesn't make a big difference resource-wise. Or maybe I should've made a frigate factory there instead of only the boradcast centers... maybe that was my biggest mistake, I hadn't thought of that actually...

Sure... and the multiplayer community is partly responsible for requesting insane things like 2 bombers per carrier ... great job, community! Great job at being happy with a fucking boring first half our where you can't do any fucking upgrades because it'll mean you've lost. Great job at being so fucking happy with it. Great job as pestering people who try to suggest that defenses could be just a teeny weeny little bit better and squashing them to pulp. Great job, really great.

Also yeah ... great help your are, telling me to just build ships for half an hour. Or telling me to build ships to defend my fucking starbase because otherwise it'll get beaten by a few bombers of torpedo cruisers. Yes great advice on how to tackle that weakness.

Yes, you can be really proud of yourselves.

And I suppose I'm really starting to act like a troll now ... I'd better leave before it gets even worse

And I'm not upset ... just a bit sad. 

I see this: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Scrub

With the "house rules" in question biased strongly towards someone who wants to turtle, hide under their starbases and other static defensive structures, not have to think too much about fleet positionings and mobile strategy, and yet win anyway.

I love that site.

I played against one of the stop having fun guys a couple days ago, lol...

Compare and contrast with "Stop Having Fun" Guys, who are about as annoying to say the least.

And here I was hoping for a design debate on the merits of having a unit be able to be totally upgraded (I.e. capitalships before Rebellion) or having an upgrade cap and thus forcing specialization (one starbase can't do everything). How disappointing.

Mean≠Dick. Also read my edit ryat.