I agree, I find that taking over a home planet is about as difficult as any other planet. I've destoryed several, and quite frankly my home planet is extermely well defended. However it should be uber defended. Turrets that can touch anything in the gravity well, larger hangers, etc... \

When a enemy invaded a home planet it should be hell for them.

As long as it's just the homeplanet and the rewards aren't too crazy, it sounds like a logical idea. A simple option might be to just give all tactical structures at the home planet, say, +2 or +3 armor, representing the higher concentration on certain materials. Heck, it could be a level 1 military research item. That prevents a defender from being too powerful to immediately conquer during a well-executed rush, which is important in random large-map games where it turns out an enemy AI is just one jump away.

Giving the turrets the ability to cover the entire gravwell is way overpowered. You'd lose a capship just getting to them.

[edit: I'm an SP player, and after reading the post above, I could see how it would wreck MP if overloaded bonuses were given. However, a very small bonus like the homeplanet armor upgrade wouldn't change things that much, would it?]

-- Retro

the real solution would be to add tactical slots to a homeplanet. wont happen though

Its not really a tactical slot problem, its that defenses are pretty weak. The orbital defensive gun placements can simply be flown around, given their short range.

I think there's a happy medium between completely overpowered defenses and the current useless against anything but pirates ones.

I think the surface to space defense systems of Planetarion work really well (ION Cannon ect). I know Planetarion is all about stats and what-not but that game has some truly epic battles when it comes to the numbers!

I like the idea of Missle bases but they should come out of your Supply points.
So if you want a uber defended planet, you have to pay by lack of Offence.
It would work for me because I like to use mostly Capital ships for my standing fleets.

Missile defenses or planet based squads would be nice. I'd like to see this for all planets, maybe as a seperate research, or tied into the health bonus. As the planets health is lost, missiles would fire slower or less per barrage, and fighters wouldnt rebuild, since their base was destroyed. This would also make planets a better choice then asteriods, due to more "natural" defense. As a bonus, home planets could get this doubled, or something to make rushing them suicide.