I had an idea which I drew from my experience with HoI 2. Remember you could equip ships with all kinds of upgrades? Like Radar systems, ASW equipment and stuff? Why not do something like that for land units and Air units as well?
There are some threads concerned with stuff like fighting in deserts or other terrain and whether unit XP should solve the things or doctrines or a combo.
In my view a combined approach could be made. Let's try to talk about desert equipment as example.
First, you want to research a desert fighting doctrine if you do not have it already because of colonial background and/or living just there. This doctrine will unlock the equipment 'desert gear kit '36 (Infantry)', 'desert gear kit '36 (tank)' and desert kit '36 (air)'. The doctrine will unlock certain tactical decisions for the commanding general present at corresponding battles. Maybe this also will reduce attrition to a certain rate. Now this is what the doctrine does. Colonials or countries which happen to have deserts could have auto-unlocked 'Desert kit '18 (Inf)' but need to advance in doctrines to unlock higher tiers. This might give colonials a sligth edge as existing militia/inf could be already equipped with this from start.
I was always intrigued, why newly built units automatically had the correct equipment for free and existing units were upgraded, wherever they happen to be. Sure, you could prioritize or block upgrading but you might concur, that this is silly if you research the skiing kits at the same time as desert equipment. So your mountaineers located in Bergen, Norway would also be equipped with desert gear or not at all.
Now the kits come into play. You could build them and assign them to units in the field. They should raise the supply/fuel demand of the unit by an appropriate margin and add tonnage for transport purposes as the new stuff also needs maintenance and replacements and weighs something. So in that case, you will be able to decide efficiently, what units will have certain kits and modify later like removing kits into strategical reserve and redistribute. This comes with an extra micromanagement penalty.
And now for the wonderful, optional stuff: Now what if you can research the desert kits, but the refinement will go automatically? And will not work magically at once? Imagine this scenario.
A unit freshly issued with the new gear will not profit from anything. 'Huh?! Doc's crazy?' you might say?
Now, for each day in service a kit is in service with the unit the improved stats will raise from 0 to the maximum that piece of gear offers. Like 'reduce attrition in deserts by X, speed in deserts + Y, desert fighting penalty -Z%'. It also will have an increased supply demand as new things break down more often because the soldiers using it make mistakes as it is new. Let's start at 200% supply demand and trickle back to 100%
This simulates that the unit's soldiers need to get used to that kind of stuff to use it properly and cannot do that magically at once. Each day in combat might speed this up by some % as the guys are forced to do something with that finally reaching optimum efficiency. This also might put a lid on the tiring discussions elsewhere whether a unit should have terrain related skill or skills at all.
Now let us talk about improving it. Each day some XP trickle into a certain hidden pool and will unlock the next tech tier once a threshold is reached. The the next tier of equipment is unlocked and can be built like 'Desert kit '39 (INF)
You get points for:
- Having a kit in the field - the more kits are used simultaneously, the quicker will be the advancements as more are produced which stimulates industry where that stuff is bought to improve (capitalism for dummies, lection I), flaws are ironed out and soldiers giving feedback.
- Having a General with the 'desert fox' trait. This could open some improved tactical decisions for the genral, but mainly improves tech advancement as the commanding general of an army is required to evaluate the performance of his troops and can give his XP for fighting in that terrain to research - figure of speech-wise. Let your generals fight in different terrain to let them learn something those guys in the lab-coats could use.
You see, nations employing certain tactics and favoring certain terrain wil improve more quickly than others in certain fields. But you do not need a tech team for everything and this 'magical unlock skill nonsense' stops. War is not a computer game...waaaaaaaait o_@
The question would be: how will units upgrade? Is IC-wise possible?
This could give raise to other upgrades nicely ironing out some 'balancing' issues like AT ammo for AA-units. HEAT-Ammo for certain tank divisions. Improved AT-Equipment for Infantry clearing the need for having all explained by having 'specialist battalions' giving raise to trollfests of discussion why such units did not fight as battalions and bla.
And yes, go ahead and mod your 'giant rocket bicycle upgrade'
This for starters, constructive feedback encouraged
There are some threads concerned with stuff like fighting in deserts or other terrain and whether unit XP should solve the things or doctrines or a combo.
In my view a combined approach could be made. Let's try to talk about desert equipment as example.
First, you want to research a desert fighting doctrine if you do not have it already because of colonial background and/or living just there. This doctrine will unlock the equipment 'desert gear kit '36 (Infantry)', 'desert gear kit '36 (tank)' and desert kit '36 (air)'. The doctrine will unlock certain tactical decisions for the commanding general present at corresponding battles. Maybe this also will reduce attrition to a certain rate. Now this is what the doctrine does. Colonials or countries which happen to have deserts could have auto-unlocked 'Desert kit '18 (Inf)' but need to advance in doctrines to unlock higher tiers. This might give colonials a sligth edge as existing militia/inf could be already equipped with this from start.
I was always intrigued, why newly built units automatically had the correct equipment for free and existing units were upgraded, wherever they happen to be. Sure, you could prioritize or block upgrading but you might concur, that this is silly if you research the skiing kits at the same time as desert equipment. So your mountaineers located in Bergen, Norway would also be equipped with desert gear or not at all.
Now the kits come into play. You could build them and assign them to units in the field. They should raise the supply/fuel demand of the unit by an appropriate margin and add tonnage for transport purposes as the new stuff also needs maintenance and replacements and weighs something. So in that case, you will be able to decide efficiently, what units will have certain kits and modify later like removing kits into strategical reserve and redistribute. This comes with an extra micromanagement penalty.
And now for the wonderful, optional stuff: Now what if you can research the desert kits, but the refinement will go automatically? And will not work magically at once? Imagine this scenario.
A unit freshly issued with the new gear will not profit from anything. 'Huh?! Doc's crazy?' you might say?
Now, for each day in service a kit is in service with the unit the improved stats will raise from 0 to the maximum that piece of gear offers. Like 'reduce attrition in deserts by X, speed in deserts + Y, desert fighting penalty -Z%'. It also will have an increased supply demand as new things break down more often because the soldiers using it make mistakes as it is new. Let's start at 200% supply demand and trickle back to 100%
This simulates that the unit's soldiers need to get used to that kind of stuff to use it properly and cannot do that magically at once. Each day in combat might speed this up by some % as the guys are forced to do something with that finally reaching optimum efficiency. This also might put a lid on the tiring discussions elsewhere whether a unit should have terrain related skill or skills at all.
Now let us talk about improving it. Each day some XP trickle into a certain hidden pool and will unlock the next tech tier once a threshold is reached. The the next tier of equipment is unlocked and can be built like 'Desert kit '39 (INF)
You get points for:
- Having a kit in the field - the more kits are used simultaneously, the quicker will be the advancements as more are produced which stimulates industry where that stuff is bought to improve (capitalism for dummies, lection I), flaws are ironed out and soldiers giving feedback.
- Having a General with the 'desert fox' trait. This could open some improved tactical decisions for the genral, but mainly improves tech advancement as the commanding general of an army is required to evaluate the performance of his troops and can give his XP for fighting in that terrain to research - figure of speech-wise. Let your generals fight in different terrain to let them learn something those guys in the lab-coats could use.
You see, nations employing certain tactics and favoring certain terrain wil improve more quickly than others in certain fields. But you do not need a tech team for everything and this 'magical unlock skill nonsense' stops. War is not a computer game...waaaaaaaait o_@
The question would be: how will units upgrade? Is IC-wise possible?
This could give raise to other upgrades nicely ironing out some 'balancing' issues like AT ammo for AA-units. HEAT-Ammo for certain tank divisions. Improved AT-Equipment for Infantry clearing the need for having all explained by having 'specialist battalions' giving raise to trollfests of discussion why such units did not fight as battalions and bla.
And yes, go ahead and mod your 'giant rocket bicycle upgrade'
This for starters, constructive feedback encouraged
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