Can somebody explain Starbases a bit more?

[Harryambe]

I haven't played since 2017 and I am trying to get into the game again.

I have noticed that I always seem to be smaller and weaker by around 2230.

At the top I have 5/4 starbases, I believe that goes up every time I build a base around a star, however I have more than what I think are starbases as I have 14 star bases throughout my empire. How does this work? Also is there a way I can increase the number apart from research and generally building up my pop, e.g. a building or etc

Thank you

Also I'm still playing on 2.8.2, not sure if it changed later in 3.0

[Steelfist]

The 14 starbases you think you have are now 9 outposts and 5 starbases. The unupgraded ones that you build to claim a system don't count towards you cap and are mere speedbumps in anything but the earliest-game combat.

You have 5/4 starbases of second level or higher, which are the ones you can build modules in (shipyards, etc.) The cap goes up as your empire expands in general (make sure you keep sprawl in check by building administrative offices) and via tech. In short, own more systems and you can have more starbases.

[HappySack]

Outposts are what you're expanding your borders with, it costs alloys to upgrade them to starbases which use up starbase capacity, besides tech or traditions, etc, the main way to increase it is by taking more systems.

[Isokon]

The base outpost you build around a star to gain ownership of a system does not add to your starbase limit. However if you upgrade such an outpost to the next tier (starport) it becomes a starbase that adds to your limit.

Ways to increase the limit are:

+1 for every 10 systems owned by the empire
+2 adopting the Supremacy tradition tree
+2 Stellar Expansion technology
+2 Manifest Destiny technology
+2 Fortify the Border edict
+4 Trading Posts civic
+5 Grasp the Void ascension perk
+10 Covenant: End of the Cycle
+1 Interstellar Expansion repeatable technology (can only be researched 5 times)
+2 for each Strategic Coordination Center level, except the site of the megastructure (Total: +6)

[Stavbearer]

Any system you claim will have an outpost in it. If you upgrade said outpost, it becomes a star-base. You have a soft cap on star-bases that's 3+a tenth of the systems you own+some techs and perks. When you go over the cap, each star-base will have an exponentially bigger upkeep cost(it effects them all at once) It works like naval capacity.

[talemore]

Real free star estate

[Revan Tair]

Originally posted by Isokon:

*snap*
+1 for every 10 systems owned by the empire

Just want to say that I hate that part of generating starbase cap. Punishing for tall empires. Should be based on "per 50 pops" (that would punish small populations) or "per 50 EC produced" (that would punish pure Trade Value empires, kek they can't exist anyway right now (since TV is a dumb resource anyway))

[Mehrunes Dagon did nothing wrong]

Originally posted by Revan Tair:

Originally posted by Isokon:

*snap*
+1 for every 10 systems owned by the empire

Just want to say that I hate that part of generating starbase cap. Punishing for tall empires. Should be based on "per 50 pops" (that would punish small populations) or "per 50 EC produced" (that would punish pure Trade Value empires, kek they can't exist anyway right now (since TV is a dumb resource anyway))

It is unless you are a Criminal Megacorp. If you are then you can easily make Dyson Sphere levels of EC before midgame with enough branch offices, smart trade nodes, and rushing for an eccumenpolis. By 2250 my Empire Capital Eccumenpolis was producing over 641 in TV.