[Ruatha]

I think it's well balanced. Attacking is easy and should be so!
If defences were better the game would never be finished.
Now you must venture forth with a fleet to take or defend your territory.
It's just as easy to defend as it is to attack if you both have the same fleets (Well, almost anyway).
Cheap defences as mines and sats should be weak and only protect against stray ships. A good fleet should be able to sweep away all minor opposition and only be countered by an equal or better fleet.
That is what makes this game great, you have to take an initiative.
You can't sit and wait for the opponent to madly send his ships into overwhelming minefields
(accept some AI:s ofcourse).

I hope this is preserved into SE5.