Starbase FAQ

from Stardock Forums
Threats in the main forum do vanish very fast. Thus I would like to proceed with this message from CeeTee1 http://www.galciv.com/forum.asp?BID=GF&ID=203927#203975 here in the Strategies forum.
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Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
These are the essentials of the other thread:
Fenix34
Starbases are mainly used for mining galactic resources, but can be used for other things, such as making terror stars, or giving bounses to your ships, increases trade revenue, and helping with cultural victory."
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Kreator3
Starbases are used for the following:
1. Giving bonuses to you/ally's ships (armor, speed, damage) and disadvantages to enemy's ones.
2. Mining resources (they give you some bonuses).
3. Giving your planets in this sector production bonus(to balance production of some sectors or to balance your income with your expences).
4. Increasing trade revenue.
5. Increasing your cultural influence in this sector.
6. Increase your range(so your ships may go further).
7. Make terror star (it can move slowly & destroy entire star systems).
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Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Citizen Piestar
As too Starbases, these nice folks have answered your question except for one thing probably too basic for them to think of, but obvious for a noob like myself. HOW do you use these starbases to gain these effects? Simple, you build another constructor ship, and have it move into the same space as an existing starbase. You will get a pop up asking if you want to upgrade, which leades to the various ways your civilization can upgrade starbases. The ways will grow not only with other technologies, but some items built will pave the way for more advanced options. I found them very useful when trying to win thru influence, which actually allows for a 3 or 4 tier palace of sorts. (No graphics really on the palace, the base just gets a little big bigger.)
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Walldorf2000
What did confuse me at the beginning is that the "Mining" category on the bottom does contain modules which increase military and social production.

This is the same thing the modules in the "Economic" category do. These effects are only active on planets in the same sector.

Only when you build the starbase on a galactic ressource (these colored minerals) you can build mining modules here. These are effective civilization wide and can be very very helpfull. (You already gain 5% by a starbase on a ressource itself.)

Which ressource is important depends on your strategy and your empire. e.g. one economic ressource (the green ones) is usually enough due to the income caps on each planet. But you can never get enough military, research or influence.

Moral can be very important, too. It works hand in hand with the economic ressources. When you have higher economic abilities you need less tax to utilies your potential up to the caps and vise versa.
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Elemental: Reforged
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
The trade aspect was discussed several times.

Since the modules are only active when the mini frighters are in the same sector as the starbase it is not easy to use the trade boost.

Since the mini frighters do not use the same path on the way back when the two planets are not on the same horizontal or vertical line of sectors (i.e. in the same column or line) and the amount of starbases is limited through the logistic costs I know only of two main trade starbase tactics.

1. Trade with another nearby planet on the same line of column and build one or two starbases in each sector. With this method you can get very high trade income early on.

2. During the endgame when terror stars are available you can use my "Trade Terror Star". More details can be found here: http://www.galciv.com/forum.asp?BID=GS&id=123185#203399

The Trade Terror Star is especially heplfull when you establish several trade routes at the same time.

e.g. you lost several routes due to a war with your former trade partner.

When I'm ready to conquer the galaxy I park enough frighters nearby a minor, or a race I put aside to the second wave, and enough constructures at my homeworld to switch all trade routes at once. That's more thean enough money to fund all your warships :D

Yes I know that you don't need to do that since you already won at that point of the game but it's still fun LOL LOL LOL
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Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Walldorf,

You've brought two things to light there, that i was unawaure of.
First, you imply you can build starbases where there is no resource. Is that true? What would be the purpose?
Two, you imply the resources color/shape makes a difference. Is that true?

Always learning something new,

Piestar
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Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
With Starbases you can do a lot of things:
- influence to culture flip alien stars or defend against culture flip; but be aware that on high difficulty levels you should not do that in the AI sectors itself (they get pissed off and will attack you)
- trade (value of mini frighters in this sector)
- production in this sector
- military abilities (speed, defense, attack, repair) in this sector; in the first part of the game a starbase with all defense modules can be used to defend against an AI since they will crush their fighters against your starbase
- terror star (destroy a star or build a trade terror star)
- range; when there is no suitable planet
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Hi,

Piestar:

1. One can build starbases in places where there are no resources. And since there are many different kinds of modules (and not only Mining Resources Modules) it can be very helpfull to build Starbases even if there is no resource (for boosting production, trade, influence, etc.).

2. Yes, there are different kinds of resources:
red: Weapons and Defence Bonus
purple: Research bonus
green: Economic bonus
blue: Influence bonus
yellow: Moral bonus

Hope that helped ;)
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
One thing just happened to me concerning starbases and mini-freighters. I am in a sector with two of my planets and one of a minor. I used the tactic of putting my ships around the minor's planet to protect it from the Torians. This had the unexpected benefit of preventing a mini-freighter from entering that planet. The minor was earning big bucks each turn!

I had a starbase there, and if we had the UP decision to allow allies to use starbase modules and I built the trade modules, the minor would have been making even more each turn...