"Maybe should add Iron ore to the game. And Iron/Steel plants." -- Riekopo

[davidc929]

If you add coal, then it can't be just for the sake of producing steel. Coal should then be required for other processes as well. Like operating factories. Raw input for synth plants. Running the trains. In short, provide a balancing act for a player.

Not that I'm against it (far from it. Right now both CiC's and Synth plants give resource free, limitless production, which is a tad unrealistic), but it does open up a can of worms, and a major balancing headache.

A lot of mods introduce iron ore and coal and bauxite. It can be very good. But can also get a bit tedious.

 

[Cpt Crash]

There are a few mods that use iron ore--in a big way. One of my favorites is World Aflame (available at Steam), which has been updated for BBA and recent patches. You need iron and coal to make steel. Steel is consumed by civilian factories and military factories with the typical associated costs--along with coal. Bauxite is also included for aluminum. production.

Although it certainly adds to the realism of the economic realities, it can be a real pain for some nations to maintain a supply--especially Italy. If anything disrupts trade for iron, which happens, steel mills just shut down. If shortages are corrected, you can reopen the mills. The Battle of the North Atlantic takes on a greater importance also.

There are others, like Ultra Realism mod that go to even greater extremes, not just with resources, number of factories as well. The base game tries to have a balance of power between the majors for playability. Reality is far harsher. The economic power of the USA is more like 10 times that of Italy (BEFORE USA wartime buildup) without even factoring natural resources. U.R. is currently broken from the last patch but should be back soon.

If a player appreciates the true economic challenges of that era, there are mods that can give that to you. No nation is totally immune to shortages, but some are far better off than others. Italy building steel mills? No, just no.