Nebula starbase production

[Elestan]

Does taking out opposing starbases actually reduce the rate that the opposing factions get ships?  Anecdotally, it almost seems like their production rates are increasing as I take out their small bases.

[Pumpkin]

I think the spawn rate of ships in nebulae is constant, or at least it doesn't depends solely on base's quantity. However, less bases mean less defensive firepower.

[Toranth]

IIRC, you are correct:  As starbases are destroyed, the spawns of the remaining starbases go up.  It's to make it harder to snowball. 
However, none of those scenarios are "fair" to begin with, so while the rule applies to your allies as well as your enemies, it's won't save you.

[Elestan]

IIRC, you are correct:  As starbases are destroyed, the spawns of the remaining starbases go up.  It's to make it harder to snowball.  However, none of those scenarios are "fair" to begin with, so while the rule applies to your allies as well as your enemies, it's won't save you.

Hrm...while I understand the motivation to eliminate snowballing, I don't agree with it here.  The lack of any plausible in-world justification for it changes the feel of playing the scenario from "I'm trying to defend a spacefaring ally from attack" to "I'm trying to beat a puzzle contrived by the game designer".  The main game avoids this with the clever concept of having the AI's production facilities in another galaxy, so destroying its bases here can't really harm it.  But the nebula scenarios have no such explanation, so it just looks heavy-handed. 

I don't care if the starting conditions of a scenario are fair or not, but there shouldn't be "magic" happening for metagame purposes without a plausible in-world justification.

[Pumpkin]

Or at least the mechanism should be clear: destroy that and I'll rage up.

I'm more concerned by gameplay clarity than by narrative justifications, even if I appreciate the latter, but I approve your point.

[tadrinth]

I'm not sure if it actually reduces their production, but it does produce a one-time counter-spawn of ships when you kill a minibase.