ORIGINAL: Sultanofsham
ORIGINAL: Culiacan Mexico
2by3 is using a point system to restrict the movement of leaders and land units between commands. A similar system could have been designed for:
Changes in aircraft production type. Changing Claude’s to Zeros give a small hit, but Claude’s to Sallys’ would be huge.
Changing aircraft production levels. Increasing the production level of any aircraft would cost.
Researching aircraft. The Ki-84 would consume large amounts of points.
Changing group aircraft type. Army fighter for army fighter would cost either going up or back.
Bam! There you go. The best way to fix both selection, research, and production using part of the system in the game already. [&o]
I agree too (indeed suggested similar earlier, but then I'm not an Elite Guard and my programming extends to just getting the SUM function to work in excel, so nobody noticed...)
My option would be (taking on board Frags demand for reality checks);
1. Changing production at a factory costs PP to reflect the industrial-miltary complex issues ie paying of grumpy manufacturers. Lots for Japansese , less for USA, some where in middle for Brits (as US could forceably streamline more effectively).
2. You have to produce at least say 10 aircraft of every type before progressing to next - this represents prototype testing. That cuts 20/20 hindsight as you need your test pilots to say model is rubbish before binning it (which cost you PP points). Or perhaps you have to fill up a squadron and engage in a combat before you can switch freely (bar PP cost) to production of that model. SO you still have to pour research into all models on 'path' to next. A bit of testing should allow the research levels to be set so that nothing comes in TOO ridiculously early, and combined with any sensible player using 'horses for course' eg keeping leggy fighter as escorts even if not top dogfighters, will stop the mythical early hordes of Franks problem. Can apply to Allies too.
3. Every new generation Japanese aircraft cost more to build - quality vs quantity decision time. So should US but why would they care!
4. All this uses up resources right? So if US player want to stop this happening PLAY BETTER THAN THE JAPANESE and stop them getting resources. And, without joining up the two biggest threads going, the Japanese will have to have spent a lot of time and effort on the ASW game (including moving to beter patrol aircraft...) to actually get enough resources, and have captured them ahead of schedule too.
5. Give AI version a set path, maybe increase its abilty to bin earlier models at protype/combat testing stage at harder levels, or randomise what it bins early.
6. All the stuff about restricting like for like aircraft in units should be in. Not cost PP costs - why? A command decision, it is which company gets contacts builds and how many that is 'politics'.
7. Maybe only open up access to new model when US introduses a new plane, OR keep research cost very high on a plane until US flies a new model in combat. Would reflect some of the reacting to changing needs issues? Surely Japanese designers looked at shotdown US planes?
So that covers - political lack of will/politics of aircraft production, 'jumping' models due to hindsight, the 'only works on PBEM' thing, the 'Japan historically couldn't do it due to resources'. Does not cover theories that even with strong political, Speer like direction, designers were not up to it. Who knows , but they did produce a Ki-84 despite it all, flawed though it was that seemed to have been mainly lack of resources for quality build.
No programming answers please....
