Learning New Things About the U.S.

[piratefish]

For instance, did you know that a little town called Deming, New Mexico produced far more steel than some unheard of place called Pittsburg, Pennsylvania?

I have seen more things incorrect and inaccurate with the U.S. map, including location and distribution of resources, relative industrial strengths of various cities, and the seemingly arbitrary selection of little towns after which the devs have chosen to name entire areas.

Whoever put the U.S. map, geography, resources, and population/industrial centers together obviously does not know the first thing about the U.S., nor did they bother do any research at all.

I am shocked and a little appalled by the gross misrepresentations. It's as if a third grader put the U.S. together.

Wow!

 

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That's true for all countries,, but the layout is not too bad. Some of the difference was effected for balance, I suppose. That's why there's so much industry in the interior of China, and so much in the Soviet far east.

 

[piratefish]

I'm sure you are correct. I am just not as familiar with the location and distribution of resources and population in other nations like I am the U.S. (which I have called home for almost 40 years).

I think it would add a lot to the game in richness and realism if distribution and location of resources and population paralleled reality as much as possible. I'm not saying reams of data need to be collected, but what I am saying is at least bother to learn where significant sources of a given resource are concentrated.

To my knowledge, there is precious little iron ore being mined in Deming, New Mexico (I had never heard of the place until HoI/IC). It certainly is NOT associated with metal production in the U.S. - especially compared to the area surrounding Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. Hell, that place is famous for its iron ore around the world...and there is only a resource level of 2 for metal there???? That's just plain ridiculous and absurdly inaccurate. I mean, if somehow Deming was bombed flat, it wouldn't even cause a blip in U.S. steel production in real life. But bomb Pittsburg flat and you've seriously damaged the U.S. steel industry.

(Incidentally, I am just picking on the Deming example...there are literally dozens of examples in the U.S. alone that are just as ridiculously innacurate).

Also, there are data easily available for the populations of MSAs (Metropolitan Statistical Areas) of the U.S. and a number of other countries by the decade, going back centuries. That's the great thing about census. Easy and readily available data...just pick up an almanac for about $12 at a bookstore.