Posted by: Jorgen_CAB
« on: January 25, 2021, 08:33:47 AM »I want to build a series of no engine stations that can be tugged into place above colony worlds. Their function is twofold, one is to provide for some orbital weapons fire and PD, but primary is to contain a large active radar to give sufficient warning of an attack to respond. However, such a station necessarily will wind up military, requiring maintenance, shore leave, etc.. Is there anything that can be done to make these stations self-maintaining? Is mission duration relevant if they are parked in orbit above a colony where their crew could rotate through shore leave? Does anyone have any advice as to how these should be built and used?
Note that I would intend to supplement these with at the very least, a flotilla of FACs. Conceivably as well, perhaps I might be better off with the military station being a sensor platform only, so as to keep build times/costs short, and maybe supplement it with a civilian orbital base holding said FAC squadron?
If you are suppose to put the station at a colony where you have population you don't need the bother about deployment times... the station can basically have close to zero deployment time. I usually give my orbital stations at colonies at least 15 days deployment so the stations have some room for the people working there for role-play purposes, they just don't really live on the station.
You then have to either bring some maintenance facilities there or place a commercial maintenance station in orbit that maintain the stations and the FAC you intend to station there. A commercial hangar will not maintain military ships so you still need maintenance ships for that. Sometimes it is actually cheaper to build a military hangar station and put the FAC in there as the station is cheaper to maintain than the FAC are. The FAC is maintained for free in the military hangar but you pay maintenance for the military station.
If you want to put the stations and FAC at a colony with no population you need a recreational facility which you can build in a station too.
I also would contemplate using ground based STO for basic beam defences if you are at a colony, they are generally cheaper and a bit more effective than stations. I generally emphasise AMM defences at orbital stations.