We can all agree that player owned Starbases (SB) are not in the short term plan (. . . or, said more bluntly, a “non-starter’). That is not what this is about. This is about the Starbases that we choose to call, “home.”
What should a, “Home Starbase,” (HS) be?
Pilots should be provided a single free HS. Please understand that when I say HS that this is not an entire SB, it is simply a home on the SB (or planetary base). It should require that a pilot be, at least, friendly. If a pilot falls to unfriendly they should be required to pay rent. It they fall to hostile then it is reasonable that the home and all assets in it be seized (stored ships and modules may, merely, become unavailable).
Players pledged to a power should not be able to purchase a HS in a SB that is pledged to a different faction. The superpower of the players HS would determine the superpower flag of their ships.
What should a home provide?
First, something that has been called for by many players; a small amount of storage. I would consider about 40t (approximately the capacity of a 21st century shipping container) to be adequate. This would keep players from storing enough to unbalance economies.
Second, low cost, or free, module and ship transfer TO, and only to, the HS. It is reasonable that it would take longer to transport modules on a reduced, space available, cost basis.
A resident should, based on a combination of reputation and time as a resident, develop the contacts to access slightly better prices at his, or her, home SB. Ideally, a trusted resident would also be trusted with special, more delicate, missions. A Resident should also, by virtue of better contacts within their home SB be able to access slightly better prices for cartographic data; again, the exact multiplier would be based on a combination of reputation and time as a resident.
What it comes down to is that ship commanders should be able to apply meaning to the term “Home.” The actual details are just that. Details.
