quote:
Make a government/police facility which is available to everyone except pirates (They're not very good at law and order=-).
This facility is cheap but essential, beacuse it keeps order within the system it is placed in. It is also destroyed if the planet is taken over by troops. Any planet in a system without a friendly government facility will inevitably fall to rioting and revolt within say, 7 turns. Pirates can then conquer and colonise as many planets as they like, but they can't hang on to them. They can only get a few turns' worth of mining / research out of the planet before they have to strip it/ ransom (ie trade) it and leave.
I don't know if you can set things up so a planet will riot on its own automatically, yet not do that with a facility.
An easier way to implement the first parts of that would be to make a new troop size:
Name: Police squad.
Size: 2 kt.
Cost: 10 Minerals
Then you could make the AI pump out say 50 of them in one or two turns, and they would ensure the population is jubilant, Plus, they would provide more hitpoints for ground combat, giving the militia more time to fight back!
I already use Police units, but a major part of their cost is the built-in hull price (100 minerals). A 2kt unit with 10 mineral base cost +20 kt cockpit means I can build around 100 a turn, and even though they have only 1 ECM, or one armor, they can dodge shots or absorb them for quite a few combat turns. Even if the militia dies first, the police can usually hold out for reinforcements from the new militia next turn.
And they keep the population from rioting at the same time!