Ok...Ok...I got the game last night and I have just one thing to say tot he programers.

1) Try ajusting your economic sliders (tax rate vs. government spending- found under the domestic policy screen). Make sure that you keep earning money, not losing it.

2) First you build a constructer. Then you send it out to a resource (shown as X's on the minimap, but they can look like any number of things on the regular map- red triangles, purple circles, yellow cylanders, ect). When the constructer reaches the resource, it will ask you if you want to build a starbase. Click yes, and then poof you have a starbase. To upgrade the starbase- just repeat the process sending it to a resource that already has a starbase.

3) I have a feeling that you might have the intellegence set too high. But, if this isnt the case- I would try what I said in #1. Plus, the AI in this game is great- very humanlike (once you get into the harder levels).

Hope this helps!

~SDC~

You don't have to have a resource to build a starbase. You can build a starbase anywhere. Just double-click on the ship and use the build starbase option or you can use the button in the ship control panel that is at the bottom of the screen when you have the ship selected.

Starbases can really help even without resources. Get them in sectors you control or along trade route with the economy modules. Another benefit is place them in your sectors with your planets and put the mining and production modules on them to help build things faster. You can also put military modules to help all your ships in those sectors get attack, defense, sensor or speed boosts. An excellent way to strengthen your homeworld defenses.

~SDC~

I'm currently playing a game, Large map, where in the beginning I started off with essentially four sectors in the corner, but one of them consisted of four yellow stars, with 3-4 class 15 or up each (hooray! LOL ).

I then discovered that I had the Yor to the north of me and the Drengin to the east, boxing me in. Boo!

I'm convinced that the only thing that has kept me alive for this long are the starbases I threw up to bolster my support. I currently have four, and only one is on a resource. I cranked out constructors for what seemed like an eternity, and now all four of those stations are as heavily modified as I can get them, and they've been a great asset. I've actually managed to keep the Yor and Drengin pacified, and for some reason I am now the pimp daddy of trading in the galaxy...everyone seems to have multiple routes into my sectors. I've been raking in cash hand over fist and haven't even built one offensive or defensive unit yet (other than the ones I found in anomalies and the Ranger my people discovered on a planet).

When I started playing, I didn't think starbases were that great, but now I can see they make a world of difference if you can get them upgraded a ton.

Thanx Guys

Yes. Thank you. Thank yooooooo.... I didn't know you could build starbases anywhere. Reading the pdf manual is a waste of eyestrain.. maybe it says so in there. They should have picked a better font. Again, thx.

--Sessile

Making money: research Trade and get some good trade routes started. Also be sure to upgrade your government when you get the opportunity - your economy seems to strengthen, and you just need to try and keep the taxes low enough to maintain your clawhold on the senate. Also, I avoid buying ships or structures on the "sure, we'll lease it to you for 30 years" option. If you can get away with it, try the cash option, or the leases will bleed you white.

Don't overlook the social modules for your starbases. Things like Satellite Waterpark (spelled wrong in the game ) really help keep your influence up in a sector, which lets you keep the world instead of letting it decide it loves the taste of Vorangan Bloodworms so much that they drop their humanity like a bad habit.

If a world is really getting shaky and you feel you will lose it in the next few turns no matter what, make it a lovely gift to a race you are trying to cuddle up to; at the very least give it to an enemy of your enemy - it might foment a war that'll do you some good.

Yup, trade routes are essential. In my current game (all "Normal" intelligence on an 8x8 map) I just reached the point where I'm bringing in more in trade than in taxes. I've had my spending at 100% for most of the game, and at this point I'm still running a surplus of about 200BC a turn.

Yeah the pros here coverd it mainly....on starbases one other thing is to as they said remember you can build them anywhere. Not just on the resources.

So if you have a couple trade routes going through a certian sector put a starbase in it then build another constructor and upgrade the stabase with it using the economic upgrade and it adds like 5% more profit to those trade routes.

Also.... starbases can be useful I believe on trying to get a cultural victory. Say you have a couple sectors on your map off in a corner with no planets in them. Go build a strabase out there and it should raise your influence in that section enough to get it under your influence control.

One more thing: less infrastructure. Set your social spending slider to 20% and make morale-boosting things your priority. Use governors for most planets.

Class 25+ planets are another critter: micromanage them, they can get HUGE pops w/o big morale problems. Pops so large the infrastructure actually pays off! But to manage your low social allocation, build the production bonus facilities and put factories on starbases in that sector.