So, I haven't played all that much, but the last game, I noticed that whenever I went to put a mining base near a strategic resource, the AI had already claimed it, and it was being sent quite far away to their mining base, even though mine was closer, and it was within my borders.
Now, in my new game, I put down my first mining base, and it is 4 or 5 hexes away from a resource, and it is not being mined. How can you tell how far away your station can be? The AI seems to have a huge range, getting resources that are nowhere near their bases.
Also, side question - First time mining a relic, and it says "All construction - Colony", does that mean all my colonies, or the closest one? I don't see anywhere that links the starbase to any particular colony.