Mines are can of worms and will be eternal source of scourge and forum whines.

There is no middleground when it comes to free, allpowerful mines.

Either they will be overpowered, or nerffed to uselessness.

Mark my words.

All of you sit down and play a decently-long game as all three races before you go and try to give suggestions. The game plays very differently from the viewpoints of the different races, so make sure you know what you're talking about before you start talking.

TEC starbases can build ships and self-destruct, but are immobile and have no weapons range to speak of. Their mines cost resources, are built from the tactical slot menu, and can only be built in controlled gravity wells.

Advent starbases can increase loyalty, promote culture, and automatically have two extra fighter squadrons, but lack front-line utility vs TEC and Ventari starbases and are immobile. Their mines are manually deployed from hangars and carriers, costing nothing and replenishing quickly, even in enemy-controlled gravity wells.

Ventari starbases have increased health and the ability to shrug off a certain amount of damage, as well as the unique ability to move around a gravity well to persue enemies. However, because of their slow speed, they are prone to chase scouts around if you're not paying constant attention to them, and are playing solitaire with themselves at the far end of the gravity well when the enemy attack arrives. Their mines are deployed by specific minelayer ships that are very difficult to control and direct, making them more useful to "tag along with" a regular fleet and drop their mines directly on top of the enemy forces. They are also free and can be placed in an enemy-controlled gravity well.

Now that you have learned a little something about the different race's starbases and mine-laying techniques, GO OUT THERE AND PLAY AS THEM AND LEARN EVEN MORE FOR YOURSELVES!!!

Have a nice day.

/smile

I've experimented with all three races to this point, and started a longer game with the Advent now.  If starbases stay as they are powerwise, then I think the cost is probably about right. Also I don't think it's wrong that you can build one per gravity well if you want, though I don't see the direct benefit unless you have nothing else to spend resourses on. I do like the idea to have the constructors built by capital ship factories, and I wouldn't be against a cost increase IF the range on the starbases is increased.

As for mines, I agree with Cpt_Siddy in that it is going to be tricky to get the implementation right. Either they will be very powerful or not worth having if they aren't done right. I think they can be made to work if the dectection and removal is done right - meaning an other wise undefended gravity well can get cleared by sending in a fleet with a few scouts (possibly even minesweeper ships as mentioned elsewhere on the forum), and not having to constantly watch that things are being handled without major losses.

Aside from the TEC mines, I've found them difficult to use properly. The Vasari ruiner seems right, but it's hard to get the mines where you want them - it almost needs a create mine field in the selected region ability rather than the auto-drop that it has now.  The Advent homing mines don't seem to work right either, though I do like the idea. Most of the time they don't home properly (they just sit outside the hanger bay) and when they do the home properly it take them for ever to hit anything - they miss moving targets horribly.

Overall, I think the additions are good and will get the changes to make them right. I like the different methods of implementation for each race, and don't think major changes are needed (except maybe mine removal - but I'm not sure as I haven't had to do much of it yet), just some minor tweaks (starbase cost vs range, etc).

Enjoy.

Thanks for the tip with the Advent homing mines. I have tried the zig-zag path with the Vasari mine ships, though it was only a single ship and the result wasn't what I had hoped for. I'll try it with a few of the ships, I can see that it would work better if there were multiple ships dropping them at offset intervals.

I get so tired of hearing everyone say that mine's aren't too bad, since they cost 1000 credits, and they just need to take tactical slots.

Great... for the TEC. What about the other two races, who can build mines anywhere, and for free?

Mines desparately need a limit, but credit cost, tactical slots, or decay (defeats the whole purpose), isn't the answer.

I agree, by the way, that mines need less than 200hp. Frankly, they only need 1hp, in my opinion. They should be invisibile and invulnerable, but once detected, anything should one-shot-kill a mine.

Ouch, touche. Little slip-up of the keys over here. Thanks for calling me out on it.

I agree, mine-detection and countering abilities in the anti-fighter frigs makes sense. And putting them on one of the "support" caps also fits.

No tactical slots needed. We just need a minesweeper class. Mines seem to me lik they should slow an attack rather than deal damage, but that is also because mines are so powerful right now.

Honestly though, i think that it would be fine if mines just slowed an enemy's advancement.