True, but when you run away from a gravity well with a Starbase (even to retreat), you lose 30% of all of your ships health and all of your ships antimatter. Which means if you skip a starbase, not only is your escape route extremely dangerous, but you're fleet is easy pickings if you happen to run into an enemy fleet soon afterwards. Also late game most planets have a starbase at every planet, so trying to just run to the enemies homeworld without taking out the Star bases is suicide. Much better to take them out (it usually isn't all that hard late game).

yeah, with Bombers their easy prey...........but to actually kill the SB you have to divert almost all of your SC to do so which allows your opponent to jump in a fleet and thrash you with their SC and Ships......I use my SC as precision killers focus firing all of them at once on one target at a time. With them tied up on SB im losing a very big key to my success in a slugfest with an enemy fleet. Also you put 4 starbases in a Star GW and place them right, they'll eat away at any incoming fleet. Only a few ships will get through to attack your planetoids. I dont think their useless at all, just another piece of the puzzle to consider when jumping into an enemy GW.

Starbases are a delay tactic rather than a slatemate inducing end all and be all. They can take a while to take out if its supported by hanger bays and repair platforms. One time in the very late game my opponent couldn't take out one of my starbases, supported as I said with hanger and repair bays, as well as a Halycon, some guardians and some carrier sourced fighters. This was very late game...

Starbases also make guerilla tactics ineffective, which is a huge boon particularily if you are heavily reliant on an established trade port economy.

i dunno, seems like it should take longer to take 'em down. I made a mod that upped the range on 'em and upped caps power.

All in all, it seemed to work out pretty well in the matches me and my friends/testers played it.

*changed mass dis-orientation abit too... effin' awesome, but not op.

for all of 20-40 sec.

Or you could be a man and not spam bombers. Your enemies are only as strong as you want them to be, remember.

I find Starbases quite effective as said delay tactic.  Here's what I tend to do:

TEC:

• Frontline Planets: Max Health, Weapons, and Hangar Capacity
  
• "Trader" Planets: Max Health, Hangar, and Trade Capacity
• Asteroids: Max Weapons, Possibly Health, Trading, Some fighters
  
• UCGWs: Max Weapons, Health, and Trading, Defended by 10 Gardas, Some other ability
  
• Non-Homeworld Stars: Max Fighters, Health, and Trading
• Homeworld Stars: 1 Ship Plant, 1 Weapons Platform, 1 "Red Button," 1 Trading Port, all Max Health and Hangar Capacity
  
• Homeworld: Aux. Gov't, AM Restore, Max Fighters, Some Health

Advent:

• Frontline Planets: Max Fighters and Health, Meteor Storm
  
• "Trader" Planets: Max Fighters, some health, trading, increased allegiance/Culture Spread
  
• Asteroids: Max Weapons, Health, and Trading, Meteor Storm
  
• UCGWs: Max Weapons, Mass Disorient, Meteor Storm, Defended by 10 Defense Vessels, Trading
  
• Non-Homeworld Stars: Max Fighters and Health, Trading
  
• Homeworld Stars: 1 Caster (MS and MD), 1 Trade Port, 1 Weapons Battery, 1 Culture Spread, All Max Fighters
  
• Homeworld: Unwavering Faith, Max Fighters, Increased allegiance, some health
  

Vasari:

• Frontline Planets: Max Weapons, Max health, Trading
  
• "Trader" Planets: Max Weapons, Some Health, Trading, Colony Pods Possible
  
• Asteroids: Max Weapons, Trading, Colony Pods Definite, Some Health
  
• UCGWs: Max Weapons, Max Health, Trading, Defended by 10 Sentinels
  
• Non-Homeworld Stars: Max Weapons, Trading, Clustered at Most Likely Entry Point (if possible), Max Health
  
• Homeworld Stars: 1 Weapons Platform, 1 Trading Center (Trading and Colony Pods), 1 Max Defense (Max Health and Shields), 1 Self-Repair, All Max Weapons possible
  
• Homeworld: Max Weapons, Enforced Loyalty, Phase Stabilizer, Some Health

Throw in some mines, Gauss/Beam Defense Platforms, and Hangar Defenses as well, and I'm set.

I play multiplayer, so that couldn't be more wrong.  My enemies are going to be at a maximum level of viciousness all the time.  If I don't respond with appropriate force, I'll lose.

To be honest, the only time I ever get hanger upgrades for starbases is when they occupy an uncolonizable gravity well.  These upgrades are way too expensive for what you get.  Four strike craft?  I could build two hanger structures for half the cost of the starbase upgrade.

All the upgrades are the same.  Four squads for the first two levels, six squads for the third level.  The problem isn't that strike craft are bad or not useful, but that the tactical hanger structure is a WAY better deal so there's no point in getting it for the starbase.

Except that for each upgrade of SC hangers for a Starbase, just buying two Hanger Defenses is cheaper and provides the same amount of SC.

Regardless, the price it takes to buy a couple Hanger Defenses and upgrade tactical slots to accomadate these will be cheaper than upgrading SB Hangers. Also, tactical slots are never really at a premium; Repair Bays costs only 2 slots, and a few of those and Hanger Defenses are all needed when it comes to tactical slots.

When comparing the cost of a SB Hangar against 2 tactical Hangars are you considering the price of the 8 tactical slot that you are buying as well?

Of course, the tactical hangars also get flak cannons which could be considered a limited form of a fighter so that is a good reason to build them when possible and only use the SB if you want even more SC in the GW.

You are better off using those tactical slots for repair bays