Constructing starbases has long been a key element of any successful space empire in Galactic Civilizations. We’re taking a good look at them for Galactic Civilizations III from both artistic and mechanical perspectives. Starbases are going to be cooler and more strategically interesting in Galactic Civilizations III than ever.
(click the pic for a high-res downloadable version)
Lead designer Paul Boyer (Mormegil here on the forums) has the following to say about starbases:
We’re adding some great features to starbases in Galactic Civilizations III. Like in the previous game, each starbases specializes in a particular function: economics, military, cultural, or mining. However, players no longer choose a type upon construction. Instead players add a Specialization Ring that allows the starbase to perform special tasks. Once the ring is built, players can further upgrade it with special modules. These modules are key to a starbase’s strengths, such as expanding your civilization's cultural influence, defending your borders, boosting planetary economics, and mining the new resources such as antimatter that fuel the deadliest ships in any game of Galactic Civilizations III.
Other new starbase features include unique styles for each race and unique starbase modules. Fleets can now dock at a starbase, much like they can garrison friendly planets. Players can also add multiple constructor modules on a Constructor ship now.
These changes allow starbases to fill even more roles in your strategy, and open up new doors for different development paths for your empire.
What would you like to see unique modules do in Galactic Civilizations III?
Module Concepts.
1: Wormhole Generator, (Stargate, etc.), build one and you can teleport your ships from any starbase equipped with one to any other starbase equipped with one.
2: Really Long Range Sensors.
3: Jamming Device that blocks other civs sensors in the effected area (effectively cloaking the base and any ships in the area).
4: Death Star Laser, takes a while to charge up and recharge also very expensive.
5: Engines. Going with the Death Star concept again here, throw some engines on the base and your starbase effectively turns into the slowest but most powerful ship in the game, a mobile command center, or a mobile mining facility depending on how you've got it rigged up.
6: Stasis Field. Basically an "Oh Shit!" button, if you get invaded by a large force you can activate the stasis field and it freezes everything in the area for 10 turns giving you a chance to bring in reinforcements. Enemy ships, your ships, the base, any planets in the area and any ships that try to enter the area while the field is active will all get frozen until the effect ends. Once activated it takes a long time to recharge.
7: Black Hole Generator, destroys the base when activated as well as anything else in the effected area and creates a permanent obstacle to the movement of ships through the area.
8: Repair module for rapidly repairing starships.
9: Drone/Probe Factory, lets you build recon probes and small attack drones at a starbase.
10: Mind Control Ray, basically a cultural weapon. Lets you brainwash an enemy ship to temporarily obey you. Upgrading the ray lets it affect larger ships, more ships, last longer etc.
I also have a question for you guys. Why does it say I'm offline even when I'm logged in and I have confirmed my account and everything? I'm confused. I was able to change my Avatar and I'm able to post yet I'm always offline?
I just want late-game starbases to be able to repel larger attacks on them on their own. Honestly, every other change is peripheral to me.
Since it's doing the same thing to me, I'd imagine that's a bug of some kind.
How big? A Starbase should be able to defend itself effectively, but if I bring my two strongest fleets at it and it still wins, how are the things ever going to be defeated?
I see the same thing AngelicHunter. It's okay, maybe its for the metaverse. And I said sensor jammers should be in the game in a previous post.
One of my late-game fleets in GCII was an expendable 12-strong fleet of frigates with about 1000 attack and 3000 defense. I'd imagine most other players used similar setups because of realistic limitations in production per planet (in my experience, about 1500 MP per world w/assists).
I'd like a top-tier starbase to be able to trash about two or three fleets of these before failing, more with a docked fleet. It should be a relatively secure bulwark against all but focused and determined attacks. I think a good comparison would be the Argonev starbase from Sins of a Solar Empire Rebellion, which can single-handedly repel medium-scale assaults, but fails in the face of a late-game armada.
Separate production and research modules.
Structural core modules that increase the size, hitpoint, allow larger modules but decrease defense efficiency
Modules that increase the effect range of the starbase (eg very low range for productive by default, then increasing as the starbase can have faster connection to planets)
1/civ military HQ module
On military starbases Starbridge actually allowing its weapons and equipment to participate in a combat (or even start one) instead of modifiers to ships only.
Ground war support units
Stargate that can improve speed between two (already mentioned) - I always wanted to try a setup without Terran hyperdrives - where hypedrives would be actually huge modules on ships that only the richest could afford and their only purpose would be to carry a constructor alongside to build a stargate near a suitable target (either for colonization or conquest).
Better trade support, or even taxable luxury modules
Maybe above a size limit, ships should only be constructed at a station
Spying on/sabotaging starbases or modules
Upgradeable modules - if ships can change from laser 1 to laser 2 at any time, why are the starbases limited to constructors
Edit: Maybe hydrophonics or equivalent module decreasing maintenance costs
I think constructors should be very very very expensive to build and should take a quite some time to build as well as they will play a huge role in defending and attacking certain spots on the map.
Nice. Starbases were definitely one of my favourite 'units' in GalCiv2. Making them more useful would be great. I would like them to be a bit more powerful as well, I hate having to leave a ship behind to defend even the most useless starbase because the AI would beehive for them..
What I would like maybe some modules that specialise production starbases to one of science, social or military.
That'll probably be the case if your "constructor" is actually 15 constructors in one, now that you can have multiple construction modules on a ship. Course, it'll also make it way less annoying since it's 15 constructors in one ship.
One constructor shouldn't be expensive, because a very basic Starbase without the addons isn't that powerful.
I have the same thing. I even tried logging onto stardock.com and still my profile from galciv3.com shows offline.
I remember a Dark Avatar game I played once where one mining starbase defeated the entire Terran navy. I had it fully pimped out and had a pretty good tech advantage, with several fully mined military resources. Nearly every ship the Terrans had went at it like it mosquitos attacking a bug zapper, and about as effectively. I think I only had to repair it twice over the span of 10 turns. That is a situation we do *not* want to become common.
The AI in GalCivII seemed to have trouble with starbases. They were a key part of a strategy for me.
I'm not even sure what you guys are talking about I don't see anything where it says I'm offline.
Edit
ok i see now hrmm it also says i was active last october 21st 2013
Check your profile.
Wait.What'll be different with the construction module that will make us want to put more then one on a constructor?
At a guess, send a constructor with 5 construction modules and you can put 5 upgrades on a starbase, or 1 each on 5 starbases. Just a guess, though.
I'll make a big post when my internets back up. Thanks for the updates can't wait for march alpha.
As far as star bases I hope they look better this time.
Tend to agree - base should be able to repel/destroy small harassment fleet of comparable level (since bases are subjects to upgrades) with no problems. Using existing military proportions, we would need attacking fleet to have at least 3 times more power than base to be able to deal with it (with losses).
Players can also add multiple constructor modules on a Constructor ship now.
Awesome! Now if we could get "premade" starbase templates for such ships as well when creating a new one, it would be sweet for us starbase spammers (hint hint ^^)
Holy smokes.
Are you sure you have those numbers down correctly? My NONexpendable fleets can not come even close in stats in the stats without being very cost prohibitive.
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