Cantarell Oilfield and General Oil Production

[Chernobyl]

According to Wikipedia Cantarell Oilfield wasn't discovered until 1972. It's also an offshore field.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantarell_Field

Mexico gets two full-strength oilfields (Cantatell and one next to Mexico City) producing 30mpp each for the USA once Mexico joins. This seems a bit high to me. According to my sources, Mexico produced about the same amount of crude as Romania (which gets one oilfield) and only about 1/3 as much as Venezuela. Perhaps the map should be slightly altered?

https://wayback.archive-it.org/6321/201 ... 0277ah.pdf

Above is a cool document where you can view crude oil production by country in 1939 on page 131.
TLDR here is a select list of countries in millions of metric tons of crude produced (rounded):
Iran: 10
Iraq: 8
Egypt: 1
Canada: 1
Mexico: 7
Trinidad: 3
Romania: 6
India: 1
British Borneo: 1
Burma: 1
Dutch East Indies: 8
Venezuela: 30
Colombia: 3
USA: 123
USSR: 30
Japan: 0
Germany: 1

[ThunderLizard11]

Always room for improvement. It would be interesting if oil were a special resource that effected armor/air readiness like in WarPlan rather than just generic MPP.

[OldCrowBalthazor]

ORIGINAL: ThunderLizard2

Always room for improvement. It would be interesting if oil were a special resource that effected armor/air readiness like in WarPlan rather than just generic MPP.

I second that notion. Maybe it will come in a SC-4 [;)]

I wonder is the extra oil Mexico has is just a balancing deal here.

Nice chart Chernobyl btw. Reminds me of the SC-WW1 insights you brought to the table and helped forward some changes, many which were critical imo..to that wonderful game.

[Bo Rearguard]

Interesting article about the Cantarell Field.

To tell you the truth I think US oil production in the game is vastly understated. The giant Permian Oil Basin in western Texas according to some sources accounted for almost 25% of US production by 1944. And yet it's not even on the map. Perhaps the Cantarell Field could be swapped for one somewhere south of Amarillo?

I also would be inclined to move one of the California oil fields to Oklahoma which currently isn't represented at all. California only accounted for 15% of US production in 1941. Right now, it seems more like 40%. Plus, the usefulness of California oil was always hampered by the fact that there was no transcontinental pipeline connection with the eastern US, so its oil was mostly refined and used on the West Coast and in the Pacific Theater. This left Texas, Oklahoma and Gulf oil to power the Eastern US.

The US was an oil behemoth in the 1940s. Just for comparison, California alone at the time was producing a little more oil than the entire Soviet Union, and New Mexico was producing a little less than Romania. Even midwestern Illinois was a rather large oil producer then. I imagine if these numbers were accurately reflected, it would really unbalance the game.

[Chernobyl]

Take into account USA oil production isn't really "worth" as much as would be to the Axis. Giving the USA 10x as much oil in WWII wouldn't have made much difference, but give Hitler 10x as much oil and there could have been a real difference.

Also MPP is abstract. It covers everything from troop reinforcements to battleships to "political points" for replacing leaders. You can't do all those things with just oil.

Therefore, it wouldn't be a good idea to give the USA more MPP from oilwells, although a rearrangement might make some sense.

[Torplexed]

ORIGINAL: ThunderLizard2

It would be interesting if oil were a special resource that effected armor/air readiness like in WarPlan rather than just generic MPP.

I'd be in favor of that as well. As it stands Japan can run its fuel hungry navy in fleet operations until the end of the game without ever having to step a foot into the oil rich Netherlands East Indies. In reality what was left of the IJN in 1945 was pretty much immobilized due to lack of oil.

[OldCrowBalthazor]

ORIGINAL: Chernobyl

Take into account USA oil production isn't really "worth" as much as would be to the Axis. Giving the USA 10x as much oil in WWII wouldn't have made much difference, but give Hitler 10x as much oil and there could have been a real difference.

Also MPP is abstract. It covers everything from troop reinforcements to battleships to "political points" for replacing leaders. You can't do all those things with just oil.

Therefore, it wouldn't be a good idea to give the USA more MPP from oilwells, although a rearrangement might make some sense.

Maybe the rearrangement like Torplexed suggested...The Permian Complex in Texas for the extra one in Mexico?

[Chernobyl]

Well just take note that Mexico doesn't start allied so it might affect how many MPP USA gets early.

[OldCrowBalthazor]

ORIGINAL: Chernobyl

Well just take note that Mexico doesn't start allied so it might affect how many MPP USA gets early.

Yeah I know that...perhaps that's why the extra oil well in Mexico was placed for balance reasons mid game.
Still an interesting discussion that you started...with charts and links provide on this thread. Nice reading and musing over for those that like this subject matter. [:)]

[Torplexed]

ORIGINAL: OldCrowBalthazor


Maybe the rearrangement like Torplexed suggested...The Permian Complex in Texas for the extra one in Mexico?

Actually that was Bo Rearguard's suggestion. However, it does seem odd that there is currently no oil production to speak of in Oklahoma of all places. Oil gushers were practically the state symbol in the early 20th century.

I've also noticed that some US oilfields start the 1939 game at zero MPPs. I've always wondered what is the rationale for that...the lingering effects of the Depression?

[BaggieMania]

As far as I know its like this.
It represents the US industry gearing up for war, as it took some time for the industry to go from civilian goods to military production and since oil wells are like mines (just better) and contribute to mpps i reckon that was the easiest way of doing it.