[douglas]

Mines I just launch directly from planets.

Satellites I don't think I've ever used for anything but detecting cloaked ships yet.

I have used defense bases exactly once, in the 11-player free-for-all first round of the Race to SEV tournament. I was in the unpleasant position of being the most powerful empire and being at war with the second and third most powerful simultaneously. I closed warp points until one of my opponents had only one way to get to me and then stuck a giant fleet on that warp points to guard it while I dealt with my other enemy. The two front war lasted long enough that I had added about a dozen starbases to that garrison before I could finally start attacking on that front.

Most of the time my warp point defenses are handled entirely by mobile fleets.