Entrenchment & Sins - Multiple star bases in a single well

You can research enforced loyalty, and purchase that upgrade to prevent opponents from colonizing that planet, until you are ready (have civic labs, and researched ice or volcano colonization, etc.).

Yeah, they can pass by easily, but not without some damage (30% of hull), and all loss of antimatter.  It helps to have a phase jump inhibitor there too, and or another SB waiting at the next planet with other defenses, like mines or enhanced Vasari turrets that prevent regeneration.  

I agree, that a SB alone, is not enuf to deter them from just jumping past.   I personally would like to see more damage for bypassing the Starbase, including damage to the shields.  Maybe -50% for all, upgradeable for TEC to -67%!  That might be a real deterrent.  Right now, people pretty much ignor/bypass SBs, and like you say, use them more for offense!

I think the Range is just too short. A Starbase should be able to shoot its missles across almost the whole gravity well(I did that in my mod). That way they could take out at least a few ships. Especially in combination with 12 squadrons of bombers and a phase inhibitor. That way the pirates lost almost their entire fleet passing my grav well...

Glad a few people notice this.... entrechment, really should be entrenchment!!

Not trying to get to off topic, just a coment on the easy of by passing a star base.  How about some tech that creates, say, a false gravity well around the star base, so all inbound ships, enemy/friendly, jump virtually ontop of the star base, in range of all it's weapons.  I could see only an aggressive move, on a choke point occupied by a star base. 

And maybe an ECM tech that would inhibit these effects, (there always has to be some kind of counter).

first off, the vasari´s orculus SB can move, so this one has a certain offensive potential (when attacking a hostile planet which later, if succesfully occupied, will be yours). this might also be important as the vasari have no "true" anti-SB vessel, as the TEC torpedo cruiser, for example (except for a heavy fleet, of course )

second (i haven´t tried this out yet: but from what you´re saying, allies can also build SB´s in your own grav well):

it seems like a popular strategy to completely avoid the SB´s and jump nonetheless, intentionally accepting the consequences. this is, among other relevant things, accomplished by planning the arrival spot of the phase jump so that the fleet gets away without being hit by ONE starbase.

so, if carefully placed, i could imagine that TWO starbases (one by you, one by your ally) being built near the same phase line can block it completely (meaning no hostile fleet can pass without heavy losses).

and finally:

i personally think SB´s shouldn´t be too much overkill. in case of doubt, they serve a good role of slowing down and hampering the enemy, but that´s it.

no SB, and may it be max fed up with offensive and defensive upgrades, can withstand a pretty fleet for long. and that´s a good thing to know