Fractal Softworks Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Starsector 0.97a is out! (02/02/24); New blog post: Simulator Enhancements (03/13/24)

Author Topic: "Starbases"  (Read 4839 times)

Agile

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 190
    • View Profile
"Starbases"
« on: August 12, 2019, 04:08:47 PM »

Hey guys, Ssethtider here.

Im curious, ive been going through and reading about other games similar to this after starting to play Starsector and have gotten far in Starsector itself, and I stumbled upon a concept called "Starbases" in Stellaris.

For those who eventually start your colonies, the equivalent of a "star base" are pirate bases that pop up; they never colonize the actual planet, they just "pop up" a lv-1 orbital station (that gradually grows if you don't kill it).

Why does the PLAYER not have this feature? It would be an excellent way to phase in from early to mid game, when you have too much stuff on you but don't want to pay factions for their storage, while also wanting to have a place to call your own as a mini-base. The mini-base can be built at any stable location (giving more reason to use them outside of comm relay and stable locations are sometimes in systems with no planets). The "starbase" would have a built in way station / space port but nothing else, and nothing money making can be built on it; its basically the equivalent of a pop-up colony except without having to build a colony.

That or orbital stations can be built anywhere a planet is but doesn't turn into a colony; maybe 50 plutonics, 500 metal, and 200 crew + 100 heavy machinery?

These so called "star bases" would not be raided, or they'd be raided only by low tier desperados, instead of full on bases; this would also serve as a "tutorial" phase for people wanting to start up colonies.

As someone who loves the exploration and lore parts of the game but dislikes the babysitting of colonies till they are all high tier (high command + 2 military bases on separate colonies, orbital works with pristine nanoforge at minimum on best low hazard world to survive most threats) I think this would be a great compromise and teaching tool.

TL;DR orbital stations that are mini-colonies mainly used for storage / waystation, and phasing into learning colony mechanics instead of jumping right into it and dying to unprepared things such as massive pirate bases, expeditions, pathers, etc.
Logged

BuckStrider

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 7
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2019, 03:45:52 AM »

Starbases in Stellaris aren't free. You have to send a construction ship to a system and build it. That takes time and a few minerals. They are used to 'plant the flag' claiming the system as your own. Without one, you can't colonize a planet, set up mining bases above other ones, or archeology. Loose the base and you loose the system and what's worse is if you built up that starbase, your going to face that exact same one when you try and take it back over, since starbases can't be destroyed in Stellaris.

I think the system here in Starsector is just fine. Find a system, found a colony and build everything around it. The problem lies with the fact that you have to babysit them because the Pirates are sending ridiculously strong fleets during raids and the raids happen very frequently. Even if you end up killing their base, it's only like 3 or 4 months before they start coming at you again. Then of course there is those path terrorist guys and the core worlds looking to put you down.

I get that it's supposed to be hard starting up your own empire, but I think toning down the pirate raids frequency (and maybe some fleet strength) would go a long way in solving some issues 
Logged

Merkurial

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 5
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2019, 07:06:24 AM »

I'd love to be able to build a starbase a al Babylon 5 or something smaller (have a variety of sizes?) or mind out an asteroid and build a supply dump sort of setup, that would be an awesome feature imho
Logged

Flying Birdy

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 165
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2019, 08:33:22 AM »


I get that it's supposed to be hard starting up your own empire, but I think toning down the pirate raids frequency (and maybe some fleet strength) would go a long way in solving some issues

The biggest issue is definitely the frequency. It is boring to have to persistently babysit my colonies. I'd rather Alex made like the super rare, ultra-powerful pirate raid or base that wrecks my empire, than the super frequent nuisance pirates.
Logged

Alphascrub

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 156
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #4 on: August 14, 2019, 06:39:34 PM »


I get that it's supposed to be hard starting up your own empire, but I think toning down the pirate raids frequency (and maybe some fleet strength) would go a long way in solving some issues

The biggest issue is definitely the frequency. It is boring to have to persistently babysit my colonies. I'd rather Alex made like the super rare, ultra-powerful pirate raid or base that wrecks my empire, than the super frequent nuisance pirates.

I dont really have to babysit to much. Sure AI inspections are *** but I'm generally just at war with Heg or I just wipe them off the map for trying to tell me how much milk I like in my cereal. I've played with and without mods and it doesn't seem to impact me to much. Sure I might have to put down a few fleets pending on where I built or if I got a faction commission or not but even in the games where I've used nex options to start with a colony I haven't had many issues with defending mine.

If you don't mind could you answer a few questions?
Do you build up your own fleet before building a colony?
Do you tend to start your colonies inside pre-colonized sectors? Do you go out into further out systems that haven't been colonized yet?
Do you rush into building colonies asap? How many?
Do you build colonies for separate purposes? One for mining, or processing, or heavy industry?
How often do you build defense? Do you focus on upgrading it early?
Do you usually run open markets?
Do you use AI cores?
Do you often get a faction commission before founding your factions?


TL;DR orbital stations that are mini-colonies mainly used for storage / waystation, and phasing into learning colony mechanics instead of jumping right into it and dying to unprepared things such as massive pirate bases, expeditions, pathers, etc.

I've been interested in this is well. There are stable areas in space where I've always thought man a station would be great here. The system seems to be in place, ive approached many pirate and pather bases and inspected them to find they have improvements on them like orbital batteries (this one actually has a unique graphic might have a special name to), heavy industry, ect. I think this is just one of those features that Alex hasn't had a chance to implement yet. While were on the subject it would be great to be able to spend ai cores, or other supplies to make better than makeshift relays or comm stations *(this might be a nex feature now that I think of it the making the makeshift stuff at least. )
« Last Edit: August 14, 2019, 06:45:38 PM by Alphascrub »
Logged

StarScum

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 127
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #5 on: August 14, 2019, 08:45:38 PM »

Starbases that give you a place to store items and make some money, fuel, supplies and crew would be a good way to expand the mid-game and ease into the late-game better. They should essentially be proto-colonies without much risk or as much reward.
Logged

Darloth

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 592
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2019, 12:28:10 PM »

While you can't put them everywhere the pirates can, if you sling a low ranking administrator onto a baby colony that you don't fund much and just build a waystation and perhaps a tier 1 starbase there it pretty much works.  They're often either a small monthly drain or almost breaking even.  Sometimes they get raided... but it's not a big deal usually if they do.
Logged

Final

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 12
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #7 on: September 16, 2019, 07:09:58 AM »

Oh boy I would really love Space Stations for my "Pirates!" run; would be so nice to turn them to smuggler's paradise, producing and distributing drugs to the Coreworlds, possibly disrupting them harrr harr harr :D

If they will ever occur. ;_;
Logged

Agile

  • Commander
  • ***
  • Posts: 190
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #8 on: September 16, 2019, 09:16:02 AM »

New version of Nexerelin has this feature in the way of "outposts".

Pretty cool to be honest, don't have to make colonies anymore early game to store my ***.
Logged

SCC

  • Admiral
  • *****
  • Posts: 4112
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #9 on: September 16, 2019, 09:40:50 AM »

If I need something like that, I colonise a random planet and build nothing there. It should bring about 10k profit by itself and its cargo is safe. If I really feel the need to defend it from pirate raids (as infrequent as they are), I would just build an orbital station.

Final

  • Ensign
  • *
  • Posts: 12
    • View Profile
Re: "Starbases"
« Reply #10 on: September 16, 2019, 11:48:33 AM »

Well, I would really like to have colonies only as mid-end game feature that doesn't net you merely 10k ^^ They should be expensive to build and maintain, but pay themself quickly while Starbases should be strategic (like: Resupply for Marines, fuel, supplies and the like)
Logged