I'm playing a 2v2v2 game, one star but lots and lots of planets, I'm useing Distance Star.
I always build starbases, some tines around planets some times just in neutral space. they are expencive, but once fully upgraded and one you upgrade armor, shield and hull they are monsters, in Distance Star mod, my upgraded bases have 21 000 hull, 10 000 shield and 16 or 18 armor.
I lost an epic battle in neutral space, I play as Advent, and a huge fleet from TEC attacks me, 5 capital ships, around 20 heavy cruisers, and sevral smaller ships, at first I had one fleet of 4 capitals and seval smaller ships, I fed in my second fleet with 1 capital and a myriad of smaller ship, I just couldn't win, I only took out 1 of their capital ships while all mine were taken out.
BUT I had my starbase, the enemy attacked it, and my starbase held ferm for along time, taking out 3 of their capital ships, severaly damanging their last capital, and taking out almost all of their cruisers, it finnaly died, but while it was giving the last full mesure, I had buildt a small fleet of 2 capitals and and some heavy cruisers, I brought vengens upon the last ships, So yes it had taken out both of my main fleets, but I had finnaly takend out theirs.
But I could not hold the neurtal space, I just got swarmed by enemies, because I never had time to build and upgrade my new space station, so I had to pull back to the next system, were I allready had a fully upgraded starbase.
Well a while later the same TEC attacked, their fleet was just a shadow of it's former selv, only 2 low and capitals, BUT they had leanred, they found that their capitals just didn't do the job on the starbases, so instead of lots of heavy cruisers, they had about half a dozen missles lauch vechicals, Spesific anti building ships. They did a hell of a lot of more damage to my starbase but by now my fleet was rather powerfull again, and it was easy to take out the enemy, but now I can no longer relie on a single starbase holding it's own if the TEC faction keeps making lots of missle ships.