Suggestions from a Rookie

[Taxman66]

I have some suggestions, and I'm a rookie, so take them all with small grain of salt. [;)]
Some of these could be implemented easily, others would probably require an expansion or DLC level commitment.
I'll add more if I think of any.


Greenland
German units should not be able to use the ports in Greenland, without invading them first.
In (admittedly what little bit of) research I've done the only thing Germany did in Greenland was to sneak (via planes) weather stations that would report back. The Commonwealth would
hunt and raid them, and Germany would occasionally install new ones.


Milch Cow
Germany should start with (or start on the production table) a special sub unit that can resupply a sub or two then has to go to port itself to resupply.
This sub should have no or very low attack value, and a lower defense value and be a bit slower. Perhaps they should also be allowed to build a 2nd one.


Sub Diving
Subs should suffer a penalty reducing dive %chance values for each successive dive they make in a turn. Perhaps
something like -5% for each dive.

I would also suggest a dive penalty versus plane attacks as well. Planes almost always spotted subs before the subs spotted the planes.


Sub Sneaking
Subs should be harder to detect when sneaking.
Alternatively or in conjunction they should have an easier time breaking out of the North Atlantic.


Research
There needs to be some form of 'Ahead of Time' Penalty. Perhaps a MPP premium if certain fields are researched before a certain date along with a reduction of the maximum amount that
can be gained in a turn and a reduced chance of Breakthrough.

Breakthroughs should be nerfed (at least as a startup option). I would suggest a breakthrough add an immediate 10-20 point/percent bonus instead of giving the Tech outright.

There should be a small (say +1%/turn) bonus to research for higher level tech being fielded against you (or maybe a +2% per turn when engaging (regardless of the number of engagements that turn) a unit with higher tech). You would
only get this bonus if you are currently researching said tech. e.g. German lvl 2 fighters engage UK lvl 1 fighters, the UK gets +2 Adv aircraft that turn if and only if the UK is researching advance aircraft.

The USSR and the Wallies shouldn't share research with each other.

I would also like to see (or have as an option) Research be a per turn expense instead of an 'all upfront' expense.


Individualize 'Class' Naval Units
Each ship or rather ship class should have individualized stats.
For example interwar Battleships (e.g. Texas & New York) do not compare in anyway with later models (e.g. North Carolina class or Iowa Class).
No level of 'Tech increases' are going to change that. Each class is also different from Nation to Nation. All sorts of stats are different from
class to class as well including sighting (presence of scout planes, radar, etc..) and of course speed/range.
There aren't that many naval units in the game, and fewer 'classes'.


Stacking and Merging
I consider Armies to be (simplified) 2 corps in the same hex. So I don't see any need to allow more than 1 land unit
in a hex. However, it would be nice if 2 individual corps (presuming exact same tech levels) could form into an Army (simply average exp, supply & strength), or split into 2 Corps. Unit limits would have to float/be adjustable based on a effective
maximum number of corps (i.e. reduce it by 2 if you build an army). This would only apply to INF Corps and Armies, no other units.

A single air unit should be able to stack with a land unit. I can see all the potential headaches for allowing this, so this should be limited to only certain critical hexes (Malta, Gibraltar, perhaps a few 1 hex port islands as well). Unit Damage done to these hexes would
be increased by 50% and then split between the ground and air unit, play testing should determine rounding (up or down). e.g. Malta has an AA and a FTR and is bombed for 2 unit damage (after air-to-air combat), the AA and FTR each are reduced by 1 and one of them (randomly determined) would
take an additional 1 dmg.


Canada
There should be 1 port in Canada that can fully repair ships.
It makes no sense that Canada can build and launch fully operational ships, but can't fully repair them.
At the very least make it a small cost DE to allow it.
If the UK has to move to Canada (or Egypt) they should also be allowed then too (if not already I haven't had the displeasure of that experience).


Transfer Control of Conquered Minors
You should have a 1 time chance, perhaps the turn immediately after conquest, to transfer control of a conquered minor.


Spying Results
In addition to seeing units, Spying results should occasionally give glimpses at items on the opponents build table (particularly ships!) and perhaps
occasionally what the opponent is researching.


German Monetary Support for Italy
There should be an 'overland' convoy route from Germany to Italy where Germany can ship some (max 5%, maybe 10%?) MPP.


Oil
There should be some form of need of oil beyond raw MPP. In reality Italy had only enough oil to sortie her fleet a handful of times so it almost always stayed in port.
Germany was a little better off, but was restricted as well.


Supply Ships/Air Supply
There should be a Supply Ship and an Air Supply unit in the game. These would be units that could increase
the supply level of a hex (much like bombing reduces it). A great number of nasty battles were fought over supplying
Malta (via ships) and the German units cut off by the Stalingrad encirclement.


Lend Lease Units
The US lent a great number of planes to both the UK and the USSR (and China for that matter as well). Germany lent some (and could have easly sent more) to Italy.
I propose there be a few DEs to allow this. The unit would be paid for by the lender (and count against his limits) and be
given to the receiver. Better yet the unit would have the lender's tech level attached to it. Visually, the unit should probably
be given a color stripe from the loaner. The receiver would pay for any repairs an any additional upgrades they want. If the unit
gets destroyed the limit count from the lender is returned and the receiver has to do without.


Defensive Ground Support Mission for TAC
It would be nice if you could designate an unused TAC to defensive ground support of a particular hex and have it
fly (presuming weather and supply allow) a preventive (perhaps moderately reduced effectiveness) strike much like
Artillery can preform.


Motorized units
I suggest removing the motorized tech indicator from units (there's only 1 level anyway) and simply change the unit
icon (e.g. for nato units it would add the two small dark circles on the bottom corners of the rectangle).
Additionally I don't think Tank or Mech units should be allowed the motorized 'upgrade' it should already be presumed they have
trucks and halftracks for the INF elements to keep up with the tanks, and is presumed for Mech INF anyway.


Naval System
Completely remove the hex based naval system in favor of a sea zone based system.
I'm only half kidding.


UK Iraq Convoy Line
The UK should keep the convoy line from Iraq to the UK until the port is lost, not when Bagdad falls. The MPPs should
be reduced to what can actually ship out of course. Why would the ships stop sailing?


Liberated France
When France is liberated, all the Free French units (fighting with the UK) become French units.

That means that suddenly they go back to French Tech levels (i.e. level: 0).
*Silly Monty Python French Accent* "Noh, we don't need your stinkin' Spitfire VII and IX fighters. We 'ave our
own perfectly good planes from 1939. Go away you silly English Ki-nig-it."

Additionally, with French Tech level at 0 the French MPP are basically worthless (other than maybe diplomacy, which
by that stage of the game is nearly worthless itself). Heck, even liberated Italy makes better units (as they keep the
Tech they acquired while Axis).

There should be some mechanism for Free France to gather tech (a few months behind UK), and to either semi-occasionally build a unit
or have a few show up on the build chart. There were, relatively, significant Free French forces involved in the liberation of France.

[sPzAbt653]

Lots of interesting thinking there, thanks for all of that. One thing that I will comment on immediately:

Defensive Ground Support Mission for TAC

There is something here, but I'm not sure what. I have determined that if I am planning an offensive in an area and I don't have or can't achieve Air Superiority in that area, that I am better off having no Air Units in that area, or in keeping air units out of the offensive. The defender gets no benefit from any air units that it has in an area if the attacker doesn't use it's air units. I have put a little thought to a solution, but have come to nothing reasonable.

[Icier]

I would also make the German Stuka more effective @ the beginning, but having their effectiveness reduced by either
a) creating a new study for the allies say radar & with each level developed A corresponding drop in the effectiveness of the Stuka/
or for each level AA developed by the Allies.

[KorutZelva]

Regarding the Oil, I had sometimes wondered the impact lets say you bill 2mpp per capital ship move (and 1 mpp for subs, destroyers, motor boats and transports). You could also bill mpp for moves of mechanised and air units too.

[Taxman66]

Added one about the Iraq convoy line and the fall of Bagdad.

[xwormwood]

Nice ideas!

My comments:

Milk Cow could become a sub command, where one sub transfers 3 - 5 of its own suply to an adjacent sub, wouldn't need a new unit to get this feature. Could become avaiable from one or more tech advances.

I like the sub diving ideas, not so sure about the sub sneaking though.

Research: it should be more of a gamble to research while you are leading the tech race for this tech.

Naval: Upgrading naval techs should be as expensive as in SC WW1.

Canada: Not sure if this is necessary while the USA has lots of big ports. On the other hand, it wouldn't hurt either.

Iraq: they wouldn't. But I like the current solution.



Naval System: I agree. And than I come back to my suggestion to use the SC engine for strategic movements, and an ingame a la Panzer General for all battles (optional). Total War, with round combat battles instead of real time combat.



TAC: would be a nice tech. For land units (SILENCE, no more mentioning of Storm accross Europe!)

Raw materials: yes, the game would benefit from population, raw materials, oil and industry. Did anyone coughed Storm accross europe (SSI)? SILENCE!



Minors: i like that. Even the option to neutralize a conquered country would be nice (bring it back into the diplomatic game, true neutral, or pending toward an alliance. But again, not sure if the game engine is able to introduce this.

Stacking / Merging: not sure, if the game engine can ever do this. Not sure, if it is necessary. I would prefer more techs per units and the option to return strength points / techs back into a pool.

Spying: i like that. Even wrong infos should be come out of spying (because of decision events, or while not leading the intelligence tech race).

Italian support: not so sure on this one. Germany pressed everything out of her Allies and conquered nations. Not sure if the "let me help YOU" attitude should be an option, at least not one without a severe punishment (example: constant NM loss).

Supply: same as with the subs, I'm all in favour (since over a decade)

Lend Lease: one or two more decision events for the allied would be ok, the germans didn't provided much equippment, and if they did, it was usually outdated stuff.

[KorutZelva]

Air supplies is a HQ providing supplies without the benefit of a town.

it's fine temporarily but you better restore supply post-haste

[Taxman66]

Yes, it worked for Malta, but was expensive in lost ships. It didn't for the cut off Germans. Of course Malta didn't need nearly the amount of supplies thw cut off Germans did.

For air supply I was thinking something along the lines of the opposite of strat bombing. So it would only be adding 1 or 2 if it got through.