Wow, pretty old necro on this one. But yeah builder680, starbase spam is pretty limited now by some new game mechanics in Crusade. You need administration points to build colony modules, constructor modules, and survey modules. There are various ways to gain administration points, but they are not acquired so easily that you can really afford to plant them all around your colonies. As a matter of fact, I have not built a single Economic starbase since Crusade started. Also starbases are upgraded instantly simply by buying the module, if you have the resources required for the upgrade. No more cranking out millions of constructors to make endless streams heading to starbases to upgrade them. I have some other issues with the quality of the game, but the starbase spam has been limited pretty well.