While the creation of an outpost provides a maintenance-free method of capturing vital nodes without promoting city spam, I feel that they are not well-integrated with the defense systems of the game. In addition to this, they are extremely fragile and static particularly when compared to cities.
Case in point: defenders that are stationed on the outpost are still rendered on the overland map (unlike city-positioned units which are not rendered when garrisoned in the city). This is a strange inconsistency, in my opinion. I have several possible suggestions for outposts that are not mutually exclusive.
1. Use the same garrison system for outposts as is used in cities. For instance, allow up to nine units to garrison an outpost just like within a city. Also, do not render the units when garrisoned, as is the style in cities.
2. Give outposts automated defenders, just like the militias that spawn with cities. A common problem with outposts is the ease at which they can be taken. By adding defenders to an outpost that are automatically spawned, the commonplace problem where roaming small mite armies can destroy your outposts without hassle can be alleviated.
3. Allow outpost upgrades. I have only played several hours of the game, but it appears that outposts do not have upgrades that enhance their abilities. I think that an upgrade system could make them more durable. Such upgrades could be balanced by an up-front gildar cost or maintenance fees.
