Here's how the current "Invite to Faction" process works in FTM:
To enable the option to invite a country to your faction:
After you spend all those leadership points, the option to invite to faction becomes available; however, whether or not your target will accept your invitation is based on another set of criteria completely.
First Criteria: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
If you and your target are at war with the same country, they will accept your invitation to the faction automatically. This criteria overrides all other effects. If this is not the case, we go to the second criteria...
Second Criteria: Acceptance Chance Calculation
The game calculates an acceptance "score" from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates a 0% chance the country will accept the invitation ("Impossible"), and 100 indicates a 100% chance of acceptance ("Very Likely"). We will call this score AcceptChance from now on. AcceptChance is based purely on three things:
Things that do not have any bearing on AcceptChance:
The Nitty Gritty: How AcceptChance is Calculated:
Implications
FTM seems to discourage diplomatic faction building. Inviting countries to your faction is made much more difficult: there is no way to adjust Base Neutrality, Threat and Relations have no impact on your target's willingness to accept, you must expend espionage points to nurture (or force) your governing ideology in your target. In fact, given the Leadership Points required to enable inviting a country to your faction, and then further expenditures to simply give you a chance that they'll eventually accept, it seems to be much more efficient to just invade a country and puppet it. This is (I'm sure) the option most players opt for in lieu of this frustrating diplomatic system.
I'm not saying that inviting to a faction should be easy, but I think that it's a little disheartening how simple it is to reduce effective neutrality by increasing a neighbor's threat, and then just DOW/Puppet; meanwhile, the diplomatic (and arguably more historical) option requires you to jump through much MUCH more difficult hoops.
This also has some distinctly ahistorical effects too. It's difficult to get Romania into the axis, for example.
Proposed Changes
I have a few changes that I'd like to implement for my games. If this idea catches on, perhaps I can share the script lua files and everyone can benefit. I think relations should matter somewhat (though not too much). I think there should be a little more of a bonus if political ideologies are the same, or that bonuses/penalties should be based on political separation (Fascist inviting a Commie nation would incur a larger penalty than inviting a socially conservation nation). On the more complicated level, I think threat should be considered. If the inviting faction can show that it has the strength to protect the target against their biggest threat, then they should get a bonus (determined by threat level, etc). If the target's biggest threat is of an opposing ideology, they should be more willing to join a faction of similar ideologies (even if they aren't exactly the same).
I'm open to suggestions. Anyone have any constructive criticism or ideas to adjust the faction-building system for the better?
To enable the option to invite a country to your faction:
- The target country must be closely aligned to your faction (use Influence Nation)
- The target country must have an effective neutrality less than 25. (use Increase Threat on one of their neighbors)
After you spend all those leadership points, the option to invite to faction becomes available; however, whether or not your target will accept your invitation is based on another set of criteria completely.
First Criteria: The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
If you and your target are at war with the same country, they will accept your invitation to the faction automatically. This criteria overrides all other effects. If this is not the case, we go to the second criteria...
Second Criteria: Acceptance Chance Calculation
The game calculates an acceptance "score" from 0 to 100, where 0 indicates a 0% chance the country will accept the invitation ("Impossible"), and 100 indicates a 100% chance of acceptance ("Very Likely"). We will call this score AcceptChance from now on. AcceptChance is based purely on three things:
- Your target's base neutrality, which is independent of how threatened they feel.
- Your target's governing ideology.
- Country specific modifiers.
Things that do not have any bearing on AcceptChance:
- Your target's relations with you.
- How threatened your target feels.
- Your target's proximity to you.
- The popularity of your ruling party in the target country (only that your governing ideology is the same as theirs).
- Your target's national unity
- Your target's diplomatic alignment with your faction (as long as they meet the minimum requirements, further influencing is pointless).
- etc.. (Nothing but the aforementioned three items affect AcceptChance).
The Nitty Gritty: How AcceptChance is Calculated:
AcceptChance starts at 0.
Target's Neutrality Effect
AcceptChance is increased based on your target's base neutrality. Base neutrality is different from effective neutrality. Effective neutrality is defined as base neutrality - greatest threat . Effective neutrality is the "neutrality" listed in the diplomatic screen. There is no way to affect your target's base neutrality, though it can be changed through scripted events. The calculation is:
If Base Neutrality > 70, then AcceptChance is increased by (100 - Base Neutrality) / 2. (Maximum increase of 15).
If Base Neutrality > 60, then AcceptChance is increased by (100 - Base Neutrality). (Maximum increase of 40).
Otherwise, AcceptChance is increased by (100 - Base Neutrality) * 1.25 (Maximum increase of 125).
Governing Ideology Effect
AcceptChance is increased by 10 if your target's governing ideology is the same as yours. Otherwise AcceptChance is reduced by 20. It's not clear if the governing ideologies need to be exactly the same, or they just need to be in similar areas of the political spectrum. You can use "Support our Party" to try an win an election in your target, or (if possible) you can also "Attempt a Coup."
Country Specific Effects
Some countries have specific effects written into their scripts, others do not. For example, Nationalist Spain will NEVER enter accept an invitation if it is still at war with Republican Spain (AcceptChance = 0). Trying to invite Nationalist Spain to the Axis will incur a penalty unless the Axis controls London and Gibraltar (reduces AcceptChance by 50). Republican Spain is the same. Here are the others (this list should be complete as of FTM):
Clamping Effects
Finally, after all the other calculations shake out, AcceptChance is "clamped" up or down. If AcceptChance > 60, then it is set to 100, if AcceptChance < 20, then it is set to 0.
Example 1
Your target has a base neutrality of 65 and your ruling ideologies are the same. They always incur a 10 point penalty as a country specific effect.
AcceptChance = 0 + 35 (Neutrality) + 10 (Ideology) - 10 (Country Specific) = 35
Your target has a 35% chance of accepting your invitation.
Example 2
Your target has a base neutrality of 20, and your ruling ideologies are different. No country specific effects.
AcceptChance = 0 + 100 (Neutrality) - 20 (Ideology) = 80
AcceptChance is over 60, so it gets clamped up to 100.
Your target has a 100% chance of accepting your invitation.
Target's Neutrality Effect
AcceptChance is increased based on your target's base neutrality. Base neutrality is different from effective neutrality. Effective neutrality is defined as base neutrality - greatest threat . Effective neutrality is the "neutrality" listed in the diplomatic screen. There is no way to affect your target's base neutrality, though it can be changed through scripted events. The calculation is:
If Base Neutrality > 70, then AcceptChance is increased by (100 - Base Neutrality) / 2. (Maximum increase of 15).
If Base Neutrality > 60, then AcceptChance is increased by (100 - Base Neutrality). (Maximum increase of 40).
Otherwise, AcceptChance is increased by (100 - Base Neutrality) * 1.25 (Maximum increase of 125).
Governing Ideology Effect
AcceptChance is increased by 10 if your target's governing ideology is the same as yours. Otherwise AcceptChance is reduced by 20. It's not clear if the governing ideologies need to be exactly the same, or they just need to be in similar areas of the political spectrum. You can use "Support our Party" to try an win an election in your target, or (if possible) you can also "Attempt a Coup."
Country Specific Effects
Some countries have specific effects written into their scripts, others do not. For example, Nationalist Spain will NEVER enter accept an invitation if it is still at war with Republican Spain (AcceptChance = 0). Trying to invite Nationalist Spain to the Axis will incur a penalty unless the Axis controls London and Gibraltar (reduces AcceptChance by 50). Republican Spain is the same. Here are the others (this list should be complete as of FTM):
- Belgium will always reduce AcceptChance by 10, making them harder to invite.
- Communist China will only join the Comintern (AcceptChance = 0 for Axis and Allies).
- Nationalist China will never join any faction (AcceptChance = 0). Note, this is overridden if you and Nationalist China are at war with the same country.
- Netherlands will always reduce AcceptChance by 10, making it harder to invite them.
- Italy will not join your faction unless your governing ideologies are the same.
- Japan will not join your faction unless your governing ideologies are the same.
- Portugal will never join a faction if the Spanish Civil War is still raging. Portugal incurs an AcceptChance penalty of 50 when being invited to the Axis, unless they have a neighbor in the Axis whose capital is in Europe. Usually, this means Spain has to be in the Axis before Portugal will consider joining the Axis.
- Switzerland will not join your faction if you are at war. This is overridden if Switzerland and you are already at war with the same country.
- Sweden will not join any faction if Oslo and Copenhagen are under Axis Control. Otherwise, they will always reduce AcceptChance by 20, making them harder to invite to a faction.
- Turkey will reduce AcceptChance by 50, making them considerably harder to invite to your faction. This penalty will be removed for the Axis only if the Soviets no longer control Moscow or certain Turkish border provinces.
- The US only will get bonuses for joining the Allies. It will get bonuses the later the year is (maximum of 30 AcceptChance bonus if after 1943), and will also get bonuses if Japan is being aggressive in China or if China has fallen (Maximum AcceptChance bonus of 50). There are a few other allied bonuses too. Needless to say, the US is encouraged to join the Allies, and this will become more of a certainty as the years progress.
- Vichy France will not join your faction if you are at war. This effect is overridden if you and Vichy France are at war with the same country.
Clamping Effects
Finally, after all the other calculations shake out, AcceptChance is "clamped" up or down. If AcceptChance > 60, then it is set to 100, if AcceptChance < 20, then it is set to 0.
Example 1
Your target has a base neutrality of 65 and your ruling ideologies are the same. They always incur a 10 point penalty as a country specific effect.
AcceptChance = 0 + 35 (Neutrality) + 10 (Ideology) - 10 (Country Specific) = 35
Your target has a 35% chance of accepting your invitation.
Example 2
Your target has a base neutrality of 20, and your ruling ideologies are different. No country specific effects.
AcceptChance = 0 + 100 (Neutrality) - 20 (Ideology) = 80
AcceptChance is over 60, so it gets clamped up to 100.
Your target has a 100% chance of accepting your invitation.
Implications
FTM seems to discourage diplomatic faction building. Inviting countries to your faction is made much more difficult: there is no way to adjust Base Neutrality, Threat and Relations have no impact on your target's willingness to accept, you must expend espionage points to nurture (or force) your governing ideology in your target. In fact, given the Leadership Points required to enable inviting a country to your faction, and then further expenditures to simply give you a chance that they'll eventually accept, it seems to be much more efficient to just invade a country and puppet it. This is (I'm sure) the option most players opt for in lieu of this frustrating diplomatic system.
I'm not saying that inviting to a faction should be easy, but I think that it's a little disheartening how simple it is to reduce effective neutrality by increasing a neighbor's threat, and then just DOW/Puppet; meanwhile, the diplomatic (and arguably more historical) option requires you to jump through much MUCH more difficult hoops.
This also has some distinctly ahistorical effects too. It's difficult to get Romania into the axis, for example.
Proposed Changes
I have a few changes that I'd like to implement for my games. If this idea catches on, perhaps I can share the script lua files and everyone can benefit. I think relations should matter somewhat (though not too much). I think there should be a little more of a bonus if political ideologies are the same, or that bonuses/penalties should be based on political separation (Fascist inviting a Commie nation would incur a larger penalty than inviting a socially conservation nation). On the more complicated level, I think threat should be considered. If the inviting faction can show that it has the strength to protect the target against their biggest threat, then they should get a bonus (determined by threat level, etc). If the target's biggest threat is of an opposing ideology, they should be more willing to join a faction of similar ideologies (even if they aren't exactly the same).
I'm open to suggestions. Anyone have any constructive criticism or ideas to adjust the faction-building system for the better?