Economy Starbases around Trade Planet

If they are your trade routes, you can get a bigger boost I believe by puttting the econ bases closer to the destination planet since the route increases value the further from it's home planet. You can put up to 24 SB's that can cover 2 Parsecs dead center of them, but I have never gone to that extreme for a trade route. A good method is to string your bases along the route so they get a continued smaller boost throughout the route. I also try to run trade routes through any current clusters of econ SB's, since they're there for production boosts might as well get the trade boost from them also.

I didn't know that. I usually make sure that they encompass the "trade" planet as well as I believe that with the correct modules installed it will also get an economy boost. I'll try puttine some at the other end of the route as well. Thanks.

Remember - only four starbases in any one sector so choose wisely CPike ..

I have yet to even use a trade module. But I have been meaning to try out a situation where I want to use economic starbases anyway, for the factory output bonuses. Just start a bunch of short trade routes (probably with a minor) that go through those starbases you already have. It also sounds attractive that you could set all your trade routes to a nearby major, to coddle their alliance. Might as well make a little cash in the process, to help offset the paid IP coming from the factory bonuses.

Trade with another race early, makes an alliance with them much more likely. I run my frieghters from multipule planets, to their HIGH population planets, and their capital. Then I build a econ starbase at the edge of our border, that encompesses as many trade routes as I can.

i can't imagine NOT using econ starbases, I'm curentlyu playing as the Korx just for the trade bonmus. I'm making something like 580 bc per week. and wirth Galactic Priveteer, they are all safe. I've never flooded the area with them but i have had two very close with overlapping areas of effectiveness. To CPike, remeber that to get the most out of them you need to add the +10%, +20+ and +30% modules. i think its better to load up one starbase than have 2 basic ones. Besides, when war breaks out those starbases are going to be tageted, one is easier to defend and load up with defence modules.

Economy starbases are also great for added industry, economy and research. So where ever i have a cluster of plantes i build at least one that encompasses them. then if i have trade routes going through them its even better, just like TLHeart said.

But i do the same thing too, use one far off planet to start my trade routes. not always THE farthest since that planet's population makes adifference on the value of the route.

I used to be a big trade guy. Now, I just use it as a tool to keep or get good relations with another race. I focus on being totally independent from relying on trade at all. I treat it as just gravy. It takes only one war to mess your economic life up forever when you are focusing some much of your production to building up trade routes. My effort goes to getting to stock exchanges as fast as I can. Good moral and stock exchanges equals a lot of cash.