[Shadow99]

Actually fighters no longer slow down my strategic combat (except for when I fire large Groups, say 100+ with at least 2 guns a piece). & the problem with the AI is two fold:

1) Does not build enough fighters (Oh wow you ahve 16 fighters I am so scarred! Not...)

2) Builds crappy fighter designs, partly from lack of reasearch into fighter weapons... I've never seen them build more than a light fighter with say 1 gun mount several engines & the required control systems... (fighters armed only with say a Missile Pod I is something I see alot)...

If they were to do these things well they could take on much larger threats than they do, but as is they are under teched & under staffed compared to human opponents...

Btw as for the original question I build combat carriers designed to aid the fighters from behind in combat, so for me a heavy carrier with 6000 cargo, 30 fighter bays (or 15 of my hangar bays), with 1500 shield pts., & a massive weapon mount (or two) are what I use...