Limited Anti-Strike Craft for Starbase?

from Sins Forums

Anyone think the starbases should have some passive anti-strikecraft built in. I don't mean some excessive ability, but maybe give it the equivalent capacity of 3 Anti-strikecraft frigates?

Now I know some of you will say "it already has some, it's the hangar". To me Fighter is never a good counter to bombers, they're too fragile and there is no guarantee the AI will chase after whatever they're supposed to. If I ever want to build a hangar I prefer to stock them with bomber anyway. That's being said there are time I don't even build hanger on my starbase. I run into situation where the "checkpoint" to my system happens to be a debris/astretoid cluster, I can place a starbase there, but  no other infrastructure. Needless to say Max armor and Weapon is a must, and I prefer to use the remaining slot for Repair Dock/Frigate facility or Meteo control to support the defending fleet instead of a hangar. That usually leaves me with at most one slot for the hangar, most of the time none.

Now I mention a defense fleet since I rarely leave a starbase in a remote location alone, but sometime for various reason it still lack AA support. Sometime I need to withdraw them briefly to another location, and most of the time, after a big battle with the invasion force which usually deprive me of my AA frigate for some reason, and while I blow up their carriers their squadon still remain in the area. This is actually what promt me to suggest this, it's kinda irritating seeing about a dozen of strikegroup picking on the starbase with so much firepower but can't fight back while the enemy doesn't really have any other ship in the area.

13,414 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top

Giving them inherent Anti Strikecraft abilities would kill probably the only weakness of starbases.  They are hard enough to kill with a full on fleet without taking massive losses.  For starbases that are a bit out of the way of your main fleet's support range, you should probably look into sacrificing its special abilities for fighters (bombers are nice, but they don't take down other strike craft). You shouldn't be able to build a "super-structure" without any weaknesses.  This is why the "upgrade slot" system for starbases works, it forces you to decide between having ability A or ability B rather than just taking them all and being invincible.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

Uhm I don't think that's what I'm saying. I don't consider it a weakness, as I never consider Bomber a threat to the starbase. If the enemy sorely relies on bombers to take our a starbase they would take too long to make a point anyway. Plus the real threat to a starbase is the Altillery unit, and I have no complain about them.

It's not really trying to make the SB a super structure, but more like to deal with some pet-peeve annoyance. The capacity of 3 AA frigates is not much and hardly matter in fencing any considerated attack, like I said it's just so that I don't have to sit a look some strikecrafts keep circling my starbase like flies.

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Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top

maybe making it an upgrade seperate from the main weapons i do think its a good idea you can make the SB more about Counter fighter than Counter ship

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

hmm, im not so sure about having to choose between anti-SC or anti-ship... but i definitly like the idea of flak weapons for Starbases... there is no reason why not these are massive structures... even if the range is only slightly greater than the diameter of the starbase itself (say, 5-10% greater?)

Pros/Buffs

Enables anti-SC protection so unless there is a shitstorm of them, you cant take out a secluded SB with a 1-2 dozen Strikecraft

slightly better damage output than TEC hangars or flak frigs

 

Cons/Nerfs

Each bank could have a very small firing arc to limit its effectiveness (though this would be balanced by having a larger number of banks and locations)

Require research to deploy (1-2 levels?)

Very short range

Cannot target other ships

 

Visuals

Imagine an Argonev with 6-8 streamers of anti-SC flak fire tracing up and away from the Starbase (imagine the first Wraith attack on Atlantis (from Stargate: Atlantis))

i think it would be very cool and useful. Honestly, if you have a whole crapload of SC, these upgrades wont matter that much, but it will stop someone from sitting a few carriers in a GW out of range of the SB and leisurely taking it down. as it stands, you either have to build at least 1 hangar upgrade, or station flak frigs at every SB without hangars maxed. i really dont see these upgrades unbalancing the SB too much