[rdouglass]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't know of many SciFi lines that have characters launching mines or sats from thier "backyard catapults". They always have some kind of infrastructure support to accomplish this. They sometimes launch fighters but usually from some kind of airstrip or something. I'm not looking to reproduce reality, just enhance the gameplay. Right now it's too easy to defend planets with mines and sats. IMO they need to have an infrastructure in place to support them (mines and sats). Also IMO cargo facilities just don't have the infrastructure. I mean, you can't launch 'em (sats, mines, and fighters) from a cargo ship without the proper components. Why would a planet be any different other than for ease of programming?

It may also make it more important to leave a fleet or two to protect the home systems behind enemy lines.