How do you like to set up your starbases and shipyards?

[Kashone]

I'm curious how everyone likes to set these up.

For instance how would you set up your shipyards if you didn't require defenses becuase it's so far deep in your borders?

And on the flip side how do you like to set up your Starbases that are on the front lines of your choke points?

Appreciate any tips.

Cheers.

[Shad]

There are basically 4 main types of bases (you normally don't want to mix and match):

1. Anchorages + logistics for max fleet capacity (place anywhere really)
2. Trading hub + offworld company + black site (for colonised systems)
3. Bastion (all weapon/combat auras)
4. Shipyard (any location near the frontline, you can get away with a relatively small one with 2 slots)

[Icevail]

I label stations as follows; Border, economy, pop cap and shipyard.

Border stations are armed to teeth; twin cannons, missiles and hangar modules, buildings; range +50%, fire rate 10%, communication jammer and 8 extra defense platforms, these I guard my outer border with.

Economy are energy makers, 6 trade hub modules, buildings; black site, offworld trade and a silo, ideally at center of my empire.

Pop cap's are just citadels with anchorages and energy hubs (if a colonized planet in system), and the fleet command building.

Shipyard is the home system citadel, titan building, colossus (if taking it), nothing but shipyards on it on late game.

[ExavierMacbeth]

I use a mix of 3 designs myself

Homeworld Shipyard
- 3x Shipyards, 1x Trade Port, 2x Anchorages
- Offword Trade, Resorce Silo (May vary), Fleet Logistics, Titan Construction

Anchorages
- 2x Trade Ports (if planet present otherwise more anchorages), Rest are Anchorages
- Resorce Silo, Fleet Logistics

Frontier Fortress
- 1x Shipyard/Anchorage, 3x Guns, 1x Missle, 1x Hanger
- Range booster, Communications Jammer, Crew Quarters, Supercomputer (Rare tech +8 platforms)

The Shipyard & Crew Quarters on the frontier fortress is primarily there so reinforcments & fleet upgrades don't have to fly away from the front lines (especially with my games hyperlane layout) to upgrade. Also facilitates repairing the fleet stationed there. If i don't have a permenant fleet stationed there then I use an Anchorage & Fleet Logistics

For Platforms I use
- 5x PD/Missile Bases
- 15x Dual L Mount Bases
- 1x Ion Cannon (assuming I have the Supercomputer. Darn thing uses 8 slots)

EDIT: And i still pick up Habitat Construction as an Ascension Perk to cover the Energy Maintanence requirements. Works way better than spamming economy only stations :P

[Dog]

Modules:

• Shipyard station - Usually around a blackhole/enclave station, or otherwise closest to the enemy. 2 shipyards, later on max anchorages or shipyards.
  
• Planetary stations - Max trade hubs or max anchorages (if I don't have enough vassals yet)
  
• Enclave stations - Either Art College or Think Tank + anchorages. In case of merchants it's trade hubs.
  
• Black Hole stations - For science primarily, with shipyards/anchorages
  
• Defensive station - Max missiles or hangars. Only if I expect a two-front war and there is a chokepoint available. Lot's of cloud lightning defensive stations.

Buildings:

• Crew quarters for shipyard and other stations neighboring (future) enemies
  
• Hydroponics bay if I'm low on food and there are no more free food tiles
  
• Logistics office if anchorages, offworld trading company if hubs, fleet academy on shipyards, target uplink + supercomputer on chokepoint, listening station if it's right next to enemy territory

I usually don't build defensive starbases, and instead rely on offensive strength. (Militarist + Rushing Supremacy, etc.)

[jshutich]

How do you get an agreement for the Art College or Think Tank? I figured it out, you have to buy the art pieces until you get an approval of +50, then you get the option to have the art college in your starbase.

[Chastity the Celibate]

Originally posted by jshutich:

How do you get an agreement for the Art College or Think Tank?

Build a starbase in a system with an enclave in it.

[galadon3]

Originally posted by jshutich:

How do you get an agreement for the Art College or Think Tank? I figured it out, you have to buy the art pieces until you get an approval of +50, then you get the option to have the art college in your starbase.

Deal with the enclave since you have a +50% aproval, then go into diplomatic screen with the enclave, there is a new option to ask them about the art college or think tank (might be you need to have a starbase in their system already), after they agreed to that (they always do with 50% aprov) you can build the building in your starbase.

[Asuzu]

DON'T put Shipyards in black hole systems "for easy science" - it needs all 4 building slots (crew quarters + fleet academy + titan yards + colossus yards), so you can't waste a slot on observatory. A system with Gateway/Wormhole is best if you have one inside your borders - your fleet both guards the hole and can jump to funky places.

Bastions on borders are easy - max weaponry (early game missile batteries once you research torps, late game gunnery slots once you research all guns to V and plasma to III), best auras (50% range, -20% enemy speed and disengage, 10% fire rate, 8 more def platforms)

Trade hubs are easy - max Trade, Offworld trading company, Black site if on colonized system, something else if on Trader enclave, last slot hydroponics or resource silo or Defense supercomp if you feel paranoid and want more defenses.

Now, Anchorages best go into Black holes, Curator and Artisan systems, max Anchorages + naval office + special buildings for system (observatory/curator tank/ etc). No real need to upgrade to max once you filled 6 Arnchorages in.

That's all there is to it.