ORIGINAL: TulliusDetritus
Interesting thoughts, ideas Alpha77 [:)]
d) Also slow down building a bit or make engs a bit more rare.
This idea was already mentioned above: increase x20 or x100 [X(] times the construction time. I will disagree on this one, and here's why IMO.
The inmediate problem I see (taken from the real conflict). I had read the Espiritu Santo (Luganville) airfield was ready, in time when Guadalcanal was assaulted the 7 august. We're talking about the 11st Bombardment Group (B-17s). So I assume in game terms this means a 5 level airfield or 4 (reduced load, penalties).
It's not like engineers were sent 5 or 6 months earlier, to start an epic construction. When did they start? 2 months before Watchtower? The x20 thing would make the construction impossible. And yet the airfield was ready.
Besides, all the toys should be there (the construction engineers). So how to simulate this really fast construction? Perhaps huge -and I really mean
huge- amounts of supplies should be needed. The shipping is already there, doing nothing -well, the crews are depleting San Francisco beer stocks- I started this thread because I think it's er ridiculous [:D]
The level-5 at Espiritu Santo stand for two fighter strips, three bomber strips and a seaplane base which have been construced IRL on that island during the war.
But it 's not like the level 5 airbase at Espiritu Santo has been build in two months and was ready in time of the Guadalcanal invasion to support an entire HB group, plus fighters , patrol and transport planes.
All facilities except Fighter One have been constructed AFTER the Guadalcanal landings.
Fighter One was barely ready to allow for the take-off of a handful of B-17s in time for the Guadalcanal landings. It did not support the entire 11th HB Group, but only the 26th Bomb Squadron. Facilities were pretty basic, the B-17s preparing and supporting the Guadalcanal invasion had to be refueled from drums.
Construction times in AE seems to take into account only runway construction. A base also needed taxiways, revetments, hangars, repair facilities, weapon shops and storage, ammo dumps, fuel tanks, command and communication facilities, medical facilities, accomodation, kitchen and messing, laundries, water and electricity supply, officer and enlisted men clubs and other recreational facilities, and what else. Usually construction activities continued long after the runways were ready to be used.
All this is heavily abstracted in the game. Furthermore, runways and facilities also need upkeep and maintenance by construction troops for wear-and-tear by use and deterioration from the elements - not modelled in the game.
