silencer_from_heaven

In my opinion, there only two real ways to defend a chokepoint, that is with a good warning system, hangar bays and jump inhibitors. (Big Fleets dont hurt of course) :) The best thing to do when faced with the challenge of holding onto that precious stronghold is to capture at least one planent in front of it. All empires have a tech that allows you to know when enemy forces are approaching. If you can get the tech that allows you to see hostile forces up to two jumps away. With this yo

[font="arial,helvetica,sans-serif"][/font]In my experience exploring planets is actually a waste of time in the beginning stages of the game. As you progress however exploring planets might be able to give you that extra edge. And many times in volcanic planents and asteroids there are "expert" miners which give you an awesome boost to your resource production. :)