Engine Shield Bonus

How much? At 100%, a ship with transwarp engines fights like a ship that is 300 kt more massive. The cost of one engine is added to the combat mass of the to ship take in to account of the effect of the higher tech engines powering the shields. 

This shield bonus is based on the tech of the engines and not the number of engines on the ship. The engine tech to not effect the charge rate of the weapons. The tech of weapons does not effect the rate of weapon recharge. The shield bonus does not apply to ships attacking planets. 

The engine tech shield bonus rate is set by the host. The host can configure the ground attack and defense factors of all races. Every 20 defense outposts add a defense factor to the planet. (100 defense outposts would make a planet 5 times stronger than it's normal defense factor.)

By default the Lizards have a 20:1 ground attack advantage. This means 1 Lizard colonist will kill 20 normal colonists on a planet with no defence outposts.

If a planet is left with 0 colonists any starbase in orbit will be lost. Any buildings on the surface of the planet will disappear slowly at a decay rate set by the host.