Matrix Games Forums

Some good points by all the posters.

I like WanderingHead's idea, maybe with a slight variation. Perhaps we are using the wrong nomenclature here, not that scrapping shouldn't be allowed, but dedicated to the production queu only.

Perhaps we should discuss the ability to "convert" units. Units in the field could be selected for conversion, returning them to the production queue where ultimately they could be scrapped.

Like WH suggests, there should be a loss of resources when converting and a subsequent loss for scrapping as recycling is usually inefficient.

I am in agreement though, about population reusage, unless a combat loss has been sustained the population should be elligible for re-allocation at 100%.

I like the ideas of being able to redistribute manpower, but I would offer one caution ... not all manpower is created equal (my apologies to Thomas Jefferson and John Locke).

Militia formations in W@W drew on two sources: (1) - rapidly drafted/trained stocks of raw recruits from the general population (think Russia 41) and (2) - carefully selected populations of "marginal" recruits including old men and young boys (think Germany 44/45).

Neither of the manpower pools mentioned above could easily be transformed into the manpower requied for a CV battlegroup; i.e., all of the skilled pilots and technicians that kept ships and aircraft operating across the vast ocean combat zones of WWII. When a WWII major power created those kinds of units they weren't just using generic bodies; they were tapping into "the cream of the crop". I believe the US Army's personnel system during WWII segregated recruits into five categories called (with great imagination) Categories I - V, based on the mission areas they could be assigned to.

So to rephrase my point ... not all population pool points are created equal.