Space Stations

Hey DmanBlueLeader, you should make a idea forum thread whit those. Post in ideas section and link it here. i can check it out :)

Also im starting to feel this Isn't the right place to tell your ideas and how they are devolped... its another person idea trend, not yours. why not creating your own page so we can discuss it there?

As for making Starbases Mobile as mentioned above? This was done in Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion as well, and often would act as a Trade Route Bridge, even a level of protection for a Trade Route. However, they were way TOO OP in my opinion on Sins. The idea though, is non passable! If Starbases exist in a game, they must be somewhat mobile, or atleast capable of building one remotely! 

In SINS, some factions/race could build the starbase in their own territory, and eventually when I reached a certain tech, and built the appropriate construction on the starbase, it would allow the starbase to travel between different Spacial territories. In ES2, if our Starbase were able to travel between territories, could be a problematic Nightmare for entire Galaxy if not kept in check! 

So if they make Starbases, and make them Mobile... My suggestion would be, limiting their speed, as they are enormous and cumbersome fortress' as well, limiting how many can enter territories not of your own, at the same time. 

First, becoming mobile should not be an easy to accomplish task, and should not be paired with the all powerful L7 and L8 "Epic" Weapons I mentioned earlier. In fact, maybe to make these Starbase Fortress' Mobile, they should require a Mega Complex Warp Drive, which is Incompatible with the Epic Weapon Mounts, and/or the Epic Defensive mounts, as the amount of Ion Fuel required for the Mega Complex Warp drive is too Volatile, and unstable, to be installed or used on any Mega structure with Epic Mounts. 

Basically, building a Mega Complex Warp Drive, the starbase is incompatible to go to L7, or L8, and therefore that Starbase can NOT have any of the Epic Mounts from my idea mentioned above, and the Starbase capacity is capped at L6. So, one should decide when building starbases, what is most important... a mobile Military starbase to protect or mount an assault on Systems away from home systems, or Stacked Military complexes with interstellar weapons, or defenses, or the Starbase can go the Civil route! 

Also, as huge as those Fortresses can be, the Mega Complex Warp Drive can only move the fortress at snail warp speed, at 2 spaces per turn, and can not mobilize with a fleet (can not join fleets to get fleet speed bonuses). They are powerful, strategically advantagous, but slow and difficult to mobililze with the rest of your fleet. Don't fret, as the Mega Complex Warp Drive is available for L5 Starbases, on any Support Module slot, though only limited to one temporarly. With proper research, and breakthrough in Starbase space management and mobilization (come up with more research techs in tech tree), Upon reaching L6, A starbase can install a second Mega Complex Warp Drive Module, adding another 2 spaces per turn, allowing the Mobile Fortress to mobililze at 4 spaces per turn, max. 

Starbases... as I have spelled it out above... can be a strategic Advantage over any system defending, compared to how the game is now!! And like so, they should be!! 

I think TAKING starsystems now, is WAY too easy! I play a lot of Space farring combat games. Much of my ideas for starbase particulalry come from Sins of a Solar Empire; Rebellion. Slightly different game, as it is RTS, not TBS! Another difference is, Planets are individual, not grouped in a system. So naturally, it's easy to say they build up Starbases to defend EACH planet individually! However... on Sins, your not limited to ONE SB! And you are building other Orbital structures like stand alone weapons platforms orbitting the planet with the SB! That, I'm not suggesting. If anyone read my entire idea carefully, which I HOPE the developers have... would know I suggested ONE SB per Planet, and can only choose either Civil/Mililtary, per planet. Also, on this platform of game, I suggest everything is Built into the SB, not orbital structures like so on SINS. However, on SINS, even having 2-3 Massive fortress Starbases on ONE planet, Ships still had enough firepower in numbers and sizes, and weapon types, to eventually destroy the Orbital Fortress'! How?

Some ships on SINS were Specifically made for destroying Orbital structures, and could not combat other space vessels in Planet Orbital zones. SO... Introducing the idea with Starbases... we need another COMBAT Class weapon Module (OPTIONAL) to be built on Ships, no matter size. Call these Weapons Siege Weapons. So for ES2 ship modules, you have the following types of weapons; Missile and Kinetic = Projectile, Beam and Laser = Energy, and lastly, Have Siege Weapon Mounts. Siege weapons can be installed on any ship class, and like the other weapons classes, vary in size depending how big the ship is they are installed upon! So Siege Modules on Small ships are only 1x the stats of the actual module. If on the larger combat vessels (cp 3), the Siege modules would be 2x their stats for modules, and if on the Carrier ship would be 4x their stats, for the Siege module. Even if the Siege Weapon is placed on the Heavy mount for the battle cruiser and Carrier vessels, those Heavy Bonus (what is it, 2x on top of the 2x for the 3cp, and 2x on top of the 4x for the 6cp?) would also apply respectively for the Siege Weapon. 

So... In walks a ship of any sort with a Siege weapon. It does not, can not, fire upon any ship in flight... It can ONLY fire upon the Orbital Starbases, and the Planetary systems, first priority is Starbases. If a Siege mount on ship enters system, and the fight has NO Starbases in orbit, or the Starbase in the fight is destroyed before the fight ends, than the siege weapon applies it's damage to surface structures of the Planets/Systems. 

So... a likely scenario, if I may... You have 3 Planet System. Undefended by any Ships, or Starbases. Enters small enemy fleet. The Siege begins with the blockade on the system without any fight taking place, as it normally does. Siege weapon mounts can help progress the siege rate farther if installed on any vessels participating in that siege. 

Next system over, you have another 3 planet system. No ships. 3x Starbases. 2x Civil Starbases, one being science the other being Dust bonus, and the 3rd one being Military starbase. Both Civil have only one weapon module and 2 defensive modules. The Military has few more weapons, and defensive. Maybe has other support modules I mentioned above. In walks a fleet of many combat ships, with most being Siege weapon modulels. So while all the combat ships are taking fight against the starbases, the Siege weapons are helping pack the punch against the starbases. Though powerful, and hard to kill if they are built high, the Siege mounted ships will help destroy those Starbases sooner, even though the Starbases are also fighting back against both combat ships, and siege ships. 

Next System over. You have a 4 planet system. Heavily Defended with 2 military, and supported with two high bonus stacked Civil Starbases. This system is a crown Jewel, and those Military are armed to the teeth! You have a sizeable destructive Fleet defending as well. In walks a massive and powerful fleet/armada of enemy ships. Fight takes place. Enemy fleet has many contestable combat ships, as well as some Siege mounted ships as well! Combat ships fight combat ships, while siege fights the Starbases. Defending combat ships can also fight against the Siege ships attacking. And the Attacking combat ships can also dish out pain against the Defending Starbases... WHAT you have is a very intense Space fight, likely going to last a few turns atleast. 

In any of those scenarios... after so many turns of fighting, and combatting... you finally break through as the attacking fleet, and now your able to move in youor ground forces... 

My next idea I also mentioned on Steam... imrpvoing Ground war on Endless Space 2. My point here though... to offset the Strategic Advatage of Starbases orbitting Star Systems, especially if they include the concept of 1 per planet, allowing many per System... Siege Module mounts specifically built to help destroy Starbases, and siege planets! 

For another time!!

 Mar 3 @ 6:41am 

Summary of galactic civ 3's stations...
They were placed in the space between systems.
They had a minimum distance from each other to limit spamming.
Military ones provided percent bonuses to combat and more defense for itself.
Civ ones provided spam static buffs to fidsi and percent buffs within the stations effective range.
Both had sensors for visual scouting and effective range upgrades.
Both were semi vulnerable to attacks.
The initial station as placed in space manually with ships containing the right building modules. Upgrades to the stations were either constructed in systems automatically (when you interfaced with the station it had a cue and 'sent' the job out, systems would build simple ships with one building module), or you could manually send building modules to the station.
I like gal civ 3 but maximizing stations was a quite a bit tedious once you got wide. I want to say the civ one had maybe 20-30 buildings.

I could see one station per system, and baseline wide static/percent bonuses to system at system development level 1. At level 2&3 you can pick between 6 buildings (based on political themes), at level 4 you can pick a follow-up on one of you themes. I don't think the game needs more planet crackers (especially intersystem), but ship cost reduction / manpower production in system, strategic cost on ships in system, or system combat percent bonus/free squadrons for combat nearby wouldn't break the game.

After reading a bit more of the OP, I'm just wondering if these might be a little bit too impactful.

Multiple stations per system is already pretty scary from a local space combat perspective, not to mention making it work when viewing the battle... I could imagine fighting in front of one as being an epic deathstaresque battle, but battling in front of 5 might start to seem a little over the top?

But being able to fire into other systems and destroy fleets/population... idk. One of the things that really annoyed me about Endless Legend was losing pop to infiltration as it felt like fighting this amorphous enemy I was destined to be hounded by for the rest of the game (not that that was the case in the end). One of the things I like about ES2 is that there aren't really any mechanics I feel helpess to respond to, so I'm not sure if I'd enjoy having my systems bombarded and losing pop/fleets/structures/planets from deep within UE space.

Maybe if these kinds of stations required targeting ships (kind of like how some games use binoculars as a way for players to call airstrikes), so that a physical presence is still needed near the target meaning the defending player still has an avenue to prevent it. Maybe it might require X turns to establish a lock. Just some way to require some risk and strategy on the station owner's behalf.

I do like the idea of forming a fleet to take a station out before one of your planets gets Alderaan'd, but unlike A New Hope there might be another 10 of these to deal with, all firing on the same turn, at the same or other locations. Even being able to defend against the shot itself (the epic defense), what kind of military would be required to defend against mulitple shots?

It's hard to imagine not being completely at the mercy of the faction that has these first as the defending player's fleets would be on damage control from the get go, not to mention that whatever their strategy was beforehand, they're going to want to ramp up military to deal with this. Maybe I've read it wrong but it seems as though it would narrow strategy choices down to throwing your strategy away and dealing with the threat, or being destroyed from afar.

If they were to have that kind of capability I think it'd have to be limited in number (maybe even once per action) so you still have the threat, but defense can more readily be coordinated, but also it would make this powerful weapon indisposable and an extremely valuable target for an offensive defensive.

Maybe you could still have other station for science, system defense etc, but planet killers and system destruction on multiple stations, even with a cooldown, just seems very open to abuse to me. Could be wrong though.

@twel70


Yeah, I think I have that kind of thing more in mind myself. It'd be really cool if it control could change hands as well. Imagine the kind of meta-gaming that might go on when you start thinking about raiding a system to assault a station to take control of it, then send it elsewhere to a different system or establish a beachhead.

As far as resource collection goes, maybe they could leech a % of the system's production that increases/decreases with your influence. I guess it would make them pretty weak on low density galaxies but pretty valuable on high.

I think as along as there were different paths to take when teching up the stations it could be an interesting layer for system building, just so long as military wasn't the clear winner every time.




(Going to have to check Gal Civ III out after looking at its page- hadn't heard of it before).

 Mar 2 @ 9:20pm 

Originally posted by DimensionHatross:I also think adding starbases, as per your ideas, and if you made them powerful and costly enough, could add some incentive to building high on certain systems. I do wonder though if it might make space combat favour the defender too much, or that stronger ships would be needed to handle them, which might make it hard for the pacifist factions to deal with if it comes to war.

As much as I dislike GC3 for other reasons, I like the way it implements starbases and it would be really hard to deviate from its recipe. Haven't played GC3 in years but if I remember, it allows you to customize starbases in any way you want but only after you select a particular tier 1 upgrade branch, which means you can either make starbases huge extractors, economic hubs, influence centers or defensive positions but not everything. So you'd have to think strategically, like if the starbase's coverage range is able to encompass multiple resources, it would make sense to turn it into a huge extractor. But if it's close to your border with a rival civ, you may want to turn it into a culture center or defensive fortress.

As a fortress, it would of course favor the defender because that's what it's for. But if it can be captured by the attacker and looted as well as converted for some other use or moved to a more strategic location, then I'd see that as a risk-reward mechanic.

The huge issue here is unlike GC3 that works on a tile system, ES2 works on a node system with resources concentrated in systems instead of being spread out across the galaxy and those that appear outside systems can only be exploited if your influence area covers them. So for example, one question would be if a rival faction uses an extractor to mine resources near your system and your system's influence subsequently covers it, does the other faction lose resource access? This might need some creative overhaul in the way resources can be extracted.

 Mar 2 @ 8:53pm 

Not going to lie, I haven't read this (will when I get to work) so I can't comment on your design or balance (which at a glance it seems you have put a lot of effort into), but I think starbases and outposts could work here.

I did read that you'd like them to be something built using the construction queue, and I do think they could be nice like that, but I was hoping they might be used on colonised systems for defense, as well as in lieu of actually colonoising a system to begin with, as it is with Sins of a Solar Empire. That game allowed you to use them defensively or offensively and you weren't tied to owning the system you wanted to build in (it used construction ships which could be added here).

If these were added to the game, this is why I'd like to see approval being harder to come by- to encourage soft expansion and having more contested/neutral locations on the map. I wouldn't say I dislike the way 4X games get so contested and 'owned' at late game, but I do think your idea and a way to discourage so much outright colonisation might allow for the game to having more room to breathe and allow for different kinds of strategic choices to be made. The again, maybe that would hurt pacific conversion-styled play, but then again, maybe it would require that style of play to be have more intent to be effective, rather than being an inevitable part of proceedings as it is now once everyone becomes neighbours.


I also think adding starbases, as per your ideas, and if you made them powerful and costly enough, could add some incentive to building high on certain systems. I do wonder though if it might make space combat favour the defender too much, or that stronger ships would be needed to handle them, which might make it hard for the pacifist factions to deal with if it comes to war.


Anyway, will have a read at work. I do like the idea though

  Mar 2 @ 7:34pm 

You've clearly put a lot of thought into this, but I'm afraid I've not read my way through (It is over 2,5k words)

But, for more appropriate posting location might I suggest : https://www.games2gether.com/endless-space-2/ideas

 Mar 2 @ 5:52pm 

To get some idea of starbases, you can look at Gal Civ 3. I think it would encourage more strategic gameplay if they were only available to be built on certain strategic deposits instead of in every system/planet. As for modules, you can decide whether to upgrade them according to a "jack of all trades, master of none" or specialize deeply in a certain area.

I had a similar Idea posted on Steam Threads... Hoping to get the attention of developers, and someone suggested I share my idea here... SO... here goes. I'm going to copy/paste the discussion that has been going on, with out biased to ANY comments of the others on the discussion, so there will be a lot of comments coming... DON'T SHOOT ME!! 

I like detailed descriptions because I believe they paint a far better picture in one's head, so my ideas come out VERY detailed!!!

Idea for Developers...

STARBASES!! We have our selves a Space Farring game withOUT Orbital Starbases? Why? How... could this be possible?

So I'd like to suggest an idea...I hear their "COULD" be an expansion release soon with a new race involved? Lets assume they will be introducing OTHER mechanics into the game besides another alien race??

I'd like to suggest Orbital Starbases!!

Maybe first develop (within the game, having entire idea developed upon release, to be clear) Civilian Starbases, with very few Tactical arrays, not much for defending. Starbases start off smaller, as they grow through development. Smaller sizes have fewer Structural attachments. Like designing Ship vessels or something, you have modules. Starbases could have Modules as well. Through research tree, you open up greater levels to the Starbase. Each level adds NEW module slots, as well as more HP per starbase. Starbase starts off as a qued construction on a specific Planet. Each planet could only limit to ONE Starbase, however, system is limited to however many planets within, and thus bigger systems with more planets have more Starbases.

All the Starbases within the System (say a star system with 3 planets, an Industrial favored planet, a military favored planet, and a Science favored planet), are combined in Combat, as seperate vehicle platforms within combat. SO, if player has 1 Civilian Starbase from Sci planet, and 2x Military Starbases from the other two planets, any Enemy fleet entering system risks combat with all Starbases. Any ships on same side of starbases ALSO are involved with same combat. Attacking fleets may have to CONTEND with enemy ships aswell as enemy starbases. THIS... changes everyones tactics and strategies. However... ONLY military Starbases with Proper modules installed can Hold enemy ships within the starbase, same as have starships in system on Defense/Blockade, stop any enemy ships from passing for one turn. The proper Military class starbase with proper Module installed, can accomplish this without any ships in system. Without such, Starbases can not stop passing enemy vessels, on being present to defend system should enemy attack.

More to idea in comments below... If anyone likes? Dislikes, Please share ideas you have for/against idea. Also if you like... lets get some (+) on thread to help get developer attn!! 

 

So... As I already clarified. Each System is limited to howmany Planets within system = to how many starbases system can hold. Also, if it wasn't clear, each planet starts the construction on the planet, and one of two Classification of the Starbase must be decided; Military or Civilian Starbase. So the player must decide what Starbase orbits what planet, though all starbases within system are available to defend system in combat.

So lets discuss each Classification.

If you are building a Civilian starbase, you can add various Civilian jobs/modules to the Starbase. Science. Dust. Trade. Production (maybe this production bonus only applies to the Planets need for buildings, and structures? Civilian ships? not Military vessels? or maybe it applies to all production, as building ships is not necesarely a military task, and bonus applies to system.) Approval Modules. Influencial Modules. And as needed, VERY FEW Tactical modules, or none! Maybe limited to Anti-Squad cannons, and add more Defense (HP / Shields), maybe repair... maybe these modules can be combined as options among the rest of Module slots, so building any limited military, takes away the slots from the Civilian Modules. Concerning Any Civilian module, maybe have NO Limit to any type of module. So if First level Starbase may hold, 6 modules, lets just say. If player wanted, can build all Six modules as Science Labs, and the starbase will provide a HUGE Science bonus to the planet, and system, with nothing else coming out of Starbase. Nuetral module types can also be installed, for either Class Starbase. Population Housing, for instance could be one, each adding 1 pop to the planet Pop cap, which would live on starbase, but be counted on Planet. So, a Starbase could have all Population Housing Modules, and nothing else, increasing the Planets capacity! Another Nuetral, could be adding HP (not as a defensive module), more like adding Structural Integrity, making the Structure having more HP, allowing it to survive longer.

ANYTHING on any Starbase reflects the survivability of the Starbase. So if the starbase is destroyed in combat, the planet loses whatever bonus come from Starbase. Population. Science. Production. What ever modules were installed, are lost, with it's destruction.

Military Starbase would have a little bit different Task. As I already clarified, research and growth of Starbase will allow more space to develop more modules. These starbases could increase in HP and Pop as well, through the Nuetral Modules I mentioned above. These Starbases could build ANY military Tech the Race has discovered through the Research tree for Military ships. Beams, Lasers, Kinetic, and Missile turrets can all be installed as seperate modules. Shields, armor, and anyother Support module can also be installed. Maybe support modules which benefit "FRIENDLY" vessels in system can also be installed. Combat repair bots for example, so as long as Said Starbase has Repair bots Modulel installed, the ships defending same space as the Starbase can get small repairs, surviving longer, in a fight.

Other Support modules, such as Shield Generator for friendly ships, Energy instensifier to project Ships' energy beams, increase targetting chances on Starbase, are just some Ideas.

Of course, with later technology, having Squadron platforms built as modules on Mililtary Starbase could be awesome!! Fighters and Bombers coming off the star base for the fight! The more the marrier for defending itself, and system.

Other ideas. As I mentioned above, with proper Modules installed, the Military Starbase can prevent passing enemy ships from leaving... So a Engine Thrust Disruptor can be installed as one module on Military Starbase. Such module prevents any enemy vessels from leaving system for one Turn. If the Starbase has MORE of these Engine Disruptors installed, each one prevents the enemy from leaving for same amount of turns = to how many those Disruptors are installed.

Counter the ability. Engine Dampening field can be installed. Slows the progress of ANY enemy, or unfriendly ship, from it's approach to the system where that module is installed. So, where an Enemy fleet movement is 10 specs /turn, 1 dampening field could slow down the approaching fleet by 1-2 specs. So more Modulels, more loss of movement approaching that Starbase/System.

Another idea for a Nuetral Module, could go on either star base, Scanning Array module! Increase the Visual Range surrounding the System, from the starbasse with a scanning array.

For Military Starbase, maybe you can install Reinforcement Modules. So these provide MORE reinforcements to defending the planet, which maybe are used to Increase how much Troops are involved in Defending? Or Simply, just increase the number of reinforcements that are on standbye. Difference of; 700/700 troops defending + 100 more per modulel (or more), vs, 2000 reinforcements waiting to resupply the defensive lines +100 more (again, or more) to add to that Reinforcement count, per module.

Another module on Military, could be Targeting array. Maybe a targetting array first requires an Engine Disruptor first installed. The Targeting array allows ALL starbases to ATTACK enemy vessels which are Stuck in system as result of the Engine Disruptor. Without the Targetting Array Module on ONE of the starbases orbiting, the starbases can NOT attack any enemy vessel passing through, only there as a Defensive measure if enemy attacks the system.

However. Even though these Starbases may not be able to ATTACK passing enemy fleets... SHOULD any Friendly Fleet in system initiate their Attack on enemy, all Starbases within same Fleet are involved in same Combat...

Maybe another Module idea for Military Starbase... An Alliance Combat Command Center (ACCC). So maybe Your system, Your starbases (of course), but you currently have NO Fleets of your own in system. Your Ally has a fleet. An enemy of your alliance enters system. Your Ally ATTACKS the enemy. With a ACCC, when the Alliance ships attack the Enemy Ships, your starbases are also involved in the same combat, as if they were with your own fleet. Either, they control your starbases, or maybe they are on auto control, simply attacking any enemy vesel within it's range, during the fight between Ally and Enemy ships in your space. In this case, ANY Combat Support modules installed on Military Starbases, will also support, benefit ANY Ally fighting in system, with the ACCC installed. So shield recharging for instance would benefit the Ally ships.

In all, concerning EITHER starbase class, maybe allow 8 Levels to the Starbase. Each Level is built upon the Starbase chosen as a Production from the Planet Surface with so many Production pts needed, on the Starbase Orbitting it. The growth from each level is different for either class starbase, just to be more unique in it's developement, however having the same amount at max level. Both can reach Level 8 Starbase, maxing out at 24 Modules a peice. For Civilian, they start with less, but grow more at the end, the Civilian L1 starts with 5 modules, and each subsquent Level built, adds the next., (L2) +4, (L3) +3, (L4) +2, (L5) +1, (L6) +2, (L7) +3, (L8) +4 = 24 total @ L8 civilian. For the Military Starbase, it starts with more, and gradually reduces per level, also maxing out at 24 modules at L8; (L1) +6, (L2) +5, (L3) +4, (L4) +3, (L5 & L6) +2, +2, (L7 & L8) +1, +1= 24 total for L8 Military. Defense of systems obviously higher priority shown there.

Maybe each new level automatically ADDS HP. For both Class, a starbase starts with a Base HP of 3000 HP. Each subsequent level, it gains another 500 to the HP gained; (L2) +3500, (L3) +4000, (L4) +4500, and so on, +5000, +5500, +6000, +6500 which = 38,000 BASE HP for a L8 Starbase! This can be increased even more depending on what Modulels gets installed at each level! Slightly harder to destroy than the subsequently equal level ships. The idea, changing the tactics of combat within systems, requiring massive Armada's, of advanced starships, inorder to attack heavely defended, armored, Starbases!

Also, having multiple Starbases in Systems, modules combine for stacked effects. If you have 2x Engine Interuptor Modules on 2 different Military Starbases within ONE system, than enemy ships are stalled in that system for 2x turns. Likewise. IF 2 different Starbases both have one Engine Dampening Modules, than any ENEMY approaching fleets are slowed by 2x-4x movement pts /turn, depending if those slow -1 or -2 turns per module. Recharging Modules could stack on friendly Starbases, friendly ships recharge even more according to multiple Shield Recharge Modules. Power Modulels stack. Reinforcement modules stack. So if 2x Military Starbases each have 1x Reinforcement, and 2x more Civilian Starbases have 1x more each Reinforcement Modules (if that's included as Nuetral that is), that's 4x Reinforcement Modules of troops ready to defend the Surface when invaded, if those Military are not capable of attacking the enemy before launching invasions.

Many more ideas for starbases can be included for adding Modules. Military CP for defending fleets within systems! Adding Military Manpower, for system, or for Empire. Manpower Modules can also be installed to increase the crews on a Starbase.

Many of the module ideas I mentioned can be included later in game, all with subsequent technology unlocking it through research, and/or research DEEDs.

An idea for late game Starbase module, Warp Channels, or Transwarp Conduits, allowing Friendly ships to travel between 2 points much faster!

Maybe requiring ONLY a L7 Military Starbase (remember, L7, and L8 can only add ONE more), could be epic, Interstellar weapons! @ Level 7, can include a Weapon on starbase ONLY capable of delivering payload to other target systems doing large amounts of damage to targets/planets/structures within the system. @ L8, that same Epic Weapon can be upgraded with a second support module boosting the weapon, making it a Starbase Mounted Planet Killer! If it targets a System, it destroys ONE aspect of one Planet within system, unique to what weapon is installed!

If @ L7 Military Starbase, it installs an Epic Kinetic Weapon, than Kinetic Projectile does SOME damage to All structures ON planet Surface of one planet, random. If that L7 Kinetic is upgraded, than @ L8, the Kinetic Weapon destroys all structures on Surface of Target Planet, chosen randomly. @ L7, if an Epic Missile Weapon is installed, it launches a Torpedo which does Some damage to a Starbase on one planet, with splash damage to Any vessel orbiting that System. If that Epic Missile is Upgraded @ L8, than the Torpedo Destroys ONE Starbase, and a percentage of those Ships in systems. If an Epic Beam is installed at L7, it does some damage to the Population on one planet, killing some of the pop. If that L7 Epic Beam is upgrade @ L8, than the Epic Beam kills ALL of the Population on One planet. If a L7 Epic Laser (not beam, as they are diff on ships) is installed, it does SOME damage to the defending Military on One planet, reducing how much is defending the system (percentage depending on how many planets on system). If that Epic Laser is upgraded at L8, than that Epic Laser kills ALLl the defending military from on ONE planet, drastically reducing how much is defending the system (again, percentage).

As you can see... The tactical advatage these L7 & L8 Military Starbases have is balanced in weight by only effecting One planet per shot (not entire system, unlless of course system has only ONE planet, a strategic disadvantage)! However, the Starbase can not fire these Epic weapons every turn! They need time to recharge, reload, cool down, etc. And the assualts also take time to deliver, according to what weapon is delivering. Say the Epic Torpedo (Missile) travels 1-2 sec's per turn. So farther away the target, the longer the payload takes. Maybe the Beam (effecting pop), has instant lock, but takes so many turns before it's done it's max damage (for level) (as if delivering Radiation to target), and than shuts down and take so many turns to recharge. Maybe the Laser (hitting the defending troops) takes LONGER to charge up, instantly delivering it's Burst, which also takes time to hit, but is delivered all in one, slower than the torpedo. And the Kinetic, maybe fires 3x subsequent artillary shells over 3x subsequent turns, with the third delivering the final damage for max effect, at either level, but than takes long time to "cool down and reload".

All three can ALSO be defended against, reducing HALF the damage done per Defensive Module. The Defensive modules are Also installed as L7 or L8 modules. Again, only on military Starbases, which, only allow +1 Modules per Lvl, so one must CHOOSE what goes on that St

you could set them up on the asteroid fields and black holes and areas of the constelation that cannot be colonized.

yea giving us a staging area, or a controllable point that is not a planetary body to let us grow our influence or something sounds wonderful, there could also be trading posts and other things to help connect constelations an other things of the sort.