Starbase defense and hit points are too low in GC3.
Early game, starbases are competitive, with 200 base hit points and 4/8/12 defenses and 4-16 offense. But once large hulls get unlocked, starbases are just sitting ducks, even if you invest in offense/defense.
- Defensive modules need to be ramped up by about a factor of 2x, giving you the ability to have a starbase with 60-100 defense (for each damage type) in late-game for non-military.
- Offenses probably need a boost, topping out at around 50-60 of each damage type at the upper end for a non-military starbase.
- There is currently no upgrade path to increase the hit points on a starbase, the first constructor should add 50 pts, then 100 pts, then 200 pts, then 400 pts for a total of 950 hit points in late-game on an economic / cultural starbase.
- Military starbases, should be able to hit 1800-2800 hit points, with 100-150 offense and 150-250 defense. They should also have a higher logistics cap. Currently, they're not very useful (even with the area of effect bonus) compared to economic / mining bases.
At the start of the last age, I regularly have fleets flying around with 1500-2500 hit points and 250 offense (across all three types) and 250 defense (across all three types) that can move 12-15 turns (base speed) per turn.