Why is being able to resupply by fleeting with a base an 'exploit'? Isn't that what a BASE is for? If you accidently have a map where there are several empty systems in sequence there may be no other way to cross the 'void' in the early or mid game and find other useful systems than to build bases and use them as stepping stones.
But I agree that ships are really stupid about planetary defense. Even unarmed ships. What transport captain in his right mind would run AWAY from a heavily armed planet with an enemy fleet approaching? Yet that's what unarmed ships will do right now.
It's easy to pick off all the unarmed ships present at a major military base by just sending some ships 'around' the planet to the far corners of the combat grid to wipe them out. Your ships ought to be intelligent enough to stay within range of a planet's armament without resorting to special tricks. And attacking ships ought to be smart enough to stay OUT of range of the planet's armament if other ships in the fleet have greater range weapons (missiles) and can use them.
[ August 14, 2002, 02:40: Message edited by: Baron Munchausen ]