Except for a small window at the start of the game, current defense platforms are useless. I would rather see some small tweaks that increase the base power of outposts and starbases, and do away entirely with defense platforms.
OUTPOSTS
- Do away entirely with defense platforms.
- FTL Inhibitor should be a module, not an automatic function.
- Starbases to start with 4 slots, and gain 2 per level, ending with 10 slots for a citadel.
- NEW MODULES: FTL inhibitor, shield generator, armor plating, point defense module.
- Base armor/shields for outposts can be reduced to encourage use of shield or armor slots.
- OPTIONAL. System wide buffs or debuffs to shields, fire rates, repair, Minefields, etc.
CAPTURED OUTPOSTS
Captured outposts should repair very slowly and in stages, so it recovers one upgrade or even one module at a time (build queue for repairs). This will give the defender sufficient time to stage a recovery before having to face his own bastion, and not give the attacker a near instant bastion.
I think this would allow more customization of outposts and allow them to scale better. A Starbase with 4 slots will allow for an armor or shield buff, or an FTL inhibitor and maybe some point defenses.
Would be quite happy if upkeep scaled accordingly, and exceeding your starbase capacity should be expensive. More powerful starbases would also serve to increase the value of the related ascension perks. On it's own however, even a citadel would not be particularly powerful. Hence the next suggestion.
MILITARY FORTRESS
I would bring back the fortresses we used to have before, where you could design up to a heavy fortress with four hull sections. Hull sections could be similar to battleship or titan hull sections, and you would unlock each 'level' of fortress with the equivalent ship type or outpost level. You would be able to construct these fortresses anywhere in the system, but they would each have an exclusion radius.
A light fortress would unlock with starhold tech, be about the same price as a cruiser, with maybe double the firepower (since it cant move, and probably also has low evasion).
A medium fortress (starhold tech) would be roughly equivalent to 2 battleships.
A heavy fortress (citadel tech) would be roughly equivalent to two titans.
THE NET RESULT
You can only build these fortresses as appropriate tech unlocks. Having an exclusion radius around each limits how many you can build in a system, and dilutes their effect by spreading them out so you dont engage them all at once (Maybe 2-4 at a time depending on placement and exclusion radius).
By mid to late game, for the price of a small fleet, you could have the equivalent of a couple of titans and a few battleships in your fortress system. More than enough to see off a single raiding fleet, provide significant support for your own defense fleets, maybe enough to hurt but not stop an endgame doomstack.
Attacking such a system would be roughly equivalent to attacking a marauder system, except that it might scale up better over the course of a game.
This would also allow a return to the strategy of positioning such fortresses to cover specific hyperlanes, or intra system routes, and give you the option of doing without FTL inhibitors. Optional FTL inhibitors would also mean that raiding fleets might have better freedom ofmovement once behind your frontlines.
OUTPOSTS
- Do away entirely with defense platforms.
- FTL Inhibitor should be a module, not an automatic function.
- Starbases to start with 4 slots, and gain 2 per level, ending with 10 slots for a citadel.
- NEW MODULES: FTL inhibitor, shield generator, armor plating, point defense module.
- Base armor/shields for outposts can be reduced to encourage use of shield or armor slots.
- OPTIONAL. System wide buffs or debuffs to shields, fire rates, repair, Minefields, etc.
CAPTURED OUTPOSTS
Captured outposts should repair very slowly and in stages, so it recovers one upgrade or even one module at a time (build queue for repairs). This will give the defender sufficient time to stage a recovery before having to face his own bastion, and not give the attacker a near instant bastion.
I think this would allow more customization of outposts and allow them to scale better. A Starbase with 4 slots will allow for an armor or shield buff, or an FTL inhibitor and maybe some point defenses.
Would be quite happy if upkeep scaled accordingly, and exceeding your starbase capacity should be expensive. More powerful starbases would also serve to increase the value of the related ascension perks. On it's own however, even a citadel would not be particularly powerful. Hence the next suggestion.
MILITARY FORTRESS
I would bring back the fortresses we used to have before, where you could design up to a heavy fortress with four hull sections. Hull sections could be similar to battleship or titan hull sections, and you would unlock each 'level' of fortress with the equivalent ship type or outpost level. You would be able to construct these fortresses anywhere in the system, but they would each have an exclusion radius.
A light fortress would unlock with starhold tech, be about the same price as a cruiser, with maybe double the firepower (since it cant move, and probably also has low evasion).
A medium fortress (starhold tech) would be roughly equivalent to 2 battleships.
A heavy fortress (citadel tech) would be roughly equivalent to two titans.
THE NET RESULT
You can only build these fortresses as appropriate tech unlocks. Having an exclusion radius around each limits how many you can build in a system, and dilutes their effect by spreading them out so you dont engage them all at once (Maybe 2-4 at a time depending on placement and exclusion radius).
By mid to late game, for the price of a small fleet, you could have the equivalent of a couple of titans and a few battleships in your fortress system. More than enough to see off a single raiding fleet, provide significant support for your own defense fleets, maybe enough to hurt but not stop an endgame doomstack.
Attacking such a system would be roughly equivalent to attacking a marauder system, except that it might scale up better over the course of a game.
This would also allow a return to the strategy of positioning such fortresses to cover specific hyperlanes, or intra system routes, and give you the option of doing without FTL inhibitors. Optional FTL inhibitors would also mean that raiding fleets might have better freedom ofmovement once behind your frontlines.
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