We have a lot of planets in galciv1 that have no strategic use in that they can't be colonised and have no resources. It seems a bit odd and a bit of a waste so i thought i'd cough up some thoughts (inspired by MOO2's outposts):
1. Divide the starbases into two tech types - orbital and deep-space. orbital comes first, and encourages galactic expansion via star systems (with a view to resources and range). deep space starbases comes later and moves stategies away from local star systems into a pan galactic sphere. mhwahahahahahahahahaha etc
2. Place some of those galactic resources on sub 12 planets, making them more attractive to fight over.
off on a tangent already:
3. All starbases (orbital or deep-space) have to be serviced by a freighter (for trade, %bonuses and supplies) - otherwise they will cease to function after a certain period. Now there's a logistic for you! Make starbases tougher against ships, but easier to disrupt via supply routes. Have players choose between foreign trade, a domestic/foreign mix, or totally domestic .
back on tangent: or is it?
4. Minors can only colonise a certain sub 15 type planet??? (eg Alexians can only colonise planet type 4 - this could be randomly generated). the advantage of this is no-one's interested in invading their planet as soon as they appear.
5. i think i've finished (thank gawd. ed.)
