Free Base Advice

I tend to be asked for base advice from various players. My guides tend to document most of what I espouse. However, here are some tips I tend to notice I repeat a lot:

Base Spacing

Never more than one base per region if you can help it. Never more than one base in a system.

Metal Rules

Build only on Metal-3 astros. Favor Asteroids or Moons if your upgraded, Moons or Planets if your Free.

Empire Growth

Build 10 bases in the first week (or as soon after as possbile); then build one base per month until it’s too painful. I tend to think of pain as: If it takes more than a week to save for a base, it’s too expensive. Based on the table below, that breakpoint is Base-16.

Defenses

Per my Base Defense Guide, you should get rid of your turrets once you start building prings. The return on the turrets is usually enough to pay for your next base; or at least steeply discount it.

Long-Distance Trades

First, you should have at least Spaceport-15 on your bases; once you have Spaceport-15 and prings and three Dreads overhead, go for Spaceport-20

If you don’t have prings, don’t have Long-Distance trades. You’re just adding profit to your attacker. Keep trades under 1000 paces distance. Once you have prings, don’t accept trades under 3000 paces.

Defend your LD trade with Dreadnaughts. One Dreadnaught per 7,400 paces in total trades. Just add up your trade distances for an astro, divide by 7400 and round up.

Pushing Economy

When you’re ready to push economy, either Crystal Mine-10 for your Asteroids or Econ Center-10 on your other bases. others should have Econ Centers.