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Starbases

Bases are one of three fundamental concepts in the game (see also planets and ships). Each player starts with a single base at his homeworld. Bases can only exist in orbit around planets. Each planet can only have one base in orbit. The base is always owned by the player who owns the planet. If a planet with a base changes hands by giving or by ground combat, the new owner gets the base too. If the planet changes hands by ship combat, the base is destroyed.

Properties of a base

• A number - this is always the same as the planet number
• A damage percentage, if it has been damaged in combat. This ranges from 1% to 99%. 0% means undamaged (not shown) and 100% means destroyed. Damage can be repaired (see Primary Order below).
• Four tech levels: Hulls, Engines, Beams and Torpedoes. These determine what ship components (and torps) can be built at the base. Beam and Torp tech can also affect how a base performs in combat (see your host documentation for details). Tech levels range from 1-10, and can be increased by spending megacredits equal to 100x the current level (ie. moving from tech 6 to tech 7 costs 600MC).
• Fighters and torps. These are simply stored on the base until used in combat or loaded onto ships. There is no limit to the number of torps that can be stored on a base. There is a default limit of 60 fighters.
• A defence number. This is simply the amount of 'armour plating' built on the base. A new base starts with 0 defence. The default maximum is 200. Each point of defence costs 1kt Duranium and 10MC to add. Each point adds 1kt to the combat mass of the planet, and helps increase the number of beam weapons and torpedo tubes the planet will have in combat (see your host documentation for exact formulae).
• A Primary Order. This is the default action that the base will do each turn. There are six Primary Orders:
  • Refuel - all friendly ships will be refueled. If there is not enough fuel to go round, the low-ID ships will get fuel first.
  • Maximise Defence - the base will automatically build up its own defence (not planetary defence posts), until it runs out of Duranium or MCs, or the defence is maxed
  • Load Torps - all friendly ships will receive torps from the base, until they are full or the base runs out of the correct torps. If there are not enough torps to go round, low-ID ships will get torps first.
  • Unload Freighters - all friendly (unarmed?) ships will have their cargo unloaded (excluding ordnance). This speeds up allied play, because the resources start the turn on the planet ready for use, instead of still on the ship.
  • Repair Base - the base will automatically repair itself by 10% per turn.
  • Force Surrender - any fuelless enemy ships, and any enemy ships with the same friendly code as the base (excluding special friendly codes) will surrender to the owner of the base. Ships which cannot surrender due to the ungivable property, but should under the afore mentioned conditions, are destroyed.

Uses of a base

1. Building ships. Each base can build one ship per turn, until the ship limit is reached. After that, builds go into a build queue, and it all gets more complicated (ask your host for details). What ships can be built depend on the tech levels at the base, and on the resources on the planet.

2. Building ordnance. Fighters and torpedoes can only be built at a starbase unless gather-build missions are allowed. The relevant torp tech level is required at the base to build torpedoes. Ordnance can also be stored on a base until it is used in combat or loaded onto a ship. Some races can acquire 'free' fighters or torps at each base every turn - see your host documentation for exact details.

3. Repairing ships. Each base can repair one ship per turn. All hull damage is repaired and any missing crew members are replaced. The ship to be repaired has to be in orbit around the planet at the start of the turn, but repair happens before movement, so it can be repaired and move in the same turn. Bases can repair allied ships as well as the player's own ships.

4. Loading fuel or torps onto allied ships, or unloading cargo from them - using the Primary Order above.

5. Recycling ships - this breaks up the ship and destroys the hull, but places the other components (engines, beams and tubes) into storage for use in new ships. A percentage of the resources used to build the destroyed hull are returned to the planet surface.

6. Fighting. Bases cannot move, but can contribute greatly to the combat strength of a planet. If the planet's friendly code is ATT or NUK, it will initiate combat with any uncloaked enemy ships in orbit.

Building a base

Bases cost resources to build. The default cost is 402 Tritanium, 120 Duranium, 340 Molybdenum and 900MC. In order to be able to build one, you'll have to have those resources on the planet's surface. The base costs are defined by the configuration option StarbaseCost and AllowIncompatibleConfiguration.

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