[Lastseer]

Well, you bring up two points.

The first about the AI, I already considered, even though I didn't mention it in my post. It may in fact hamstring me. Because the suggested mod would probably be very easy and quick to make otherwise. Testing would also not be so bad. If the AI handled it ok (it might, it does build space yards on space stations now) then I'd be all set. If the AI didn't. I'd can the project if there was no interest from anyone else. Modifying all the base AIs and all the specific races is more time than I'd otherwise spend.

The second point I disagree with. I see your point, not sure that 2 billion people can actually all help construct a frigate. There is some point near the end where only so many people are involved and that could (should???) take place off planet. Right now SEIV pays no consideration (other than Space ports) on how resources get from one location to another. And If the actual construction is going on in space (by your abstraction) with a planetary space yard, then I'd like to be able to attack those ships, or the partially constructed ships without having to wipe out almost the entire planet in the process.

Bottom line is I'd just like to create a new kind of flavor to some games. Play some with and some without the mod.

If space stations are the best way to produce ships and they become a lot more vulnerable to raids, it would change the strategy more towards building defense ships and creating limited raids. This would also tip the game a little more towards infrastructure building than large scale warfare. Possibly it'd make it harder to wipe out the AI quickly too, because it takes longer to build ships to blockade his world. People could also scrap their planet-side shipyards after they build a station-based one, and use the station one for ships, while building an extra facility planetside and then, since the planet queue is not needed for ships, build extra weapon platforms or planet-based defense with that queue.