Slitherine

quote:

ORIGINAL: Litjan

When the station is built by the planet (it´s population) itself, just right-click on the exact position you want it, then select "build XYZ station here). It might work the same with a constructor, select first, then right-click in exact position (not sure about that one).

Jan

quote:

ORIGINAL: jpwrunyan

Seriously, there is a max range right?

quote:

ORIGINAL: Bebop Cola

I'd actually suggest that a surface spaceport of some sort would be built long before any large orbital construct would be. It depends a bit on one's lift technology that gets their ships into space, but if nothing else we have trade that occurs at planets with no "orbital" spaceport as it is.

Perhaps a happy middle ground might be that planets that do not have an orbital spaceport cannot receive trade from medium and large freighters, only small ones. Small freighters, presumably, would be the only ones really capable of landing on the surface to conduct their trades. Medium and Large freighters would probably be more optimized for large hauls in space rather than the ability to land on a planet's surface then take off again.

That said, if spaceports are truly an orbital construct instead of a surface one, I'd like to be able to build them just about anywhere to serve as trade hubs. If my empire is at the ass-end of the galaxy it might make sense to build a commerce center more central to my trade partners. A certain percentage of my private sector would base out of that trade hub in order to ship and retrieve goods from other empires while the remainder of my private sector that's based on my actual planets would work to keep the cargo bays of the trade hub(s) full of the goods I have for trade.

As I imagine it, these remote trade hubs would be treated as a limited function colony:
1. They don't have a population, but they do have a corruption rating. The presence of military ships from the home empire reduces corruption, tying up a defense fleet for the trade hub. More trade means more corruption, requiring a larger fleet.
2. The hub can serve as a home base for a fleet.
3. The hub can be destroyed, but also invaded and captured.
4. If their corruption rating gets too high, they can go independent. They are then somewhat like a pirate faction. If the spaceport has shipyards they will produce escort-class ships for local defense, as well as troops to prevent casual invasion, but they're just an independent merchant guild so don't expect them to be powerful enough to resist a determined empire. They still serve as a trade hub, but the majority of the revenue generated is retained by the trade hub's faction. You only get to keep whatever revenue is generated by selling(dropping off) resources to them.
5. As a private sector facility they don't project a zone of ownership, but they are owned by your empire so they can be blockaded and attacked as part of actions against you.
6. As a spaceport, they serve as a valid drop-off destination for mining ships and freighters from nearby mining sites.