Resources

[Celdur]

Expansion of Resources

Maybe there should be the option (very simplified) to expand your nation's resources, for example, if there is the need for more electricity then one should be able to construct more power plants (abstracted), develop new mining proyects, drill more oil wells, expand the production of rubber, etc.

If i am Germany, then i wouldn't have provinces that have much oil so the possible expansion is of course limited, but it could be possible to fund proyects in other countries, for example more oil production in Rumania or more rubber in Brazil.

With the information available now, it is easy to know wich parts of the world contain deposits of all kinds of materials, so for instance, in Bolivia there are huge deposits of Iron (and manganesum) , only now (2008) ArcelorMittal has begun to exploit it, but those deposits were discovered in 1848.

Now, what if a German player (or the Bolivian AI) decides that it would be a good idea to exploit those resources, somehow there could be a diplomatic option to "fund natural resources exploration and exploitation in X country" one could choose a country allocate funds and then let it run in auto while waiting for results then "resources found" "commence trade yes/no" and have a secure trade agreement for a few years of X resource .

I would like input in this. Basically if one agrees that it would be good to expand the resource base of a country, then please contribute with your ideas.

 

[Lazy_Boy]

Yeah that's been the biggest flaw with the resource system. It's all balanced to match the beginning IC and can't change. The max potential should be as realistic as possible. Then have upgradable levels of how exploited it is (with diminishing returns). Europe's resources would be near maxed from the start. But like China would have vast untapped resources. Just find it really unrealistic and annoying when playing a small country.

 

[von Sachsen]

If nothing else, at least have infrastructure affect resource production. But something more in depth would be preferable.

 

[daemonofdecay]

I don't know about you guys, but one thing I would like to see would be a few more resource types.

While the idea of there being a "Food" resource has been kicked around for a while, I was thinking more along the lines of there being different kinds of 'rare resources': rare metals could be one (a large group which could include uranium, which would be needed for nukes), which would be seperate from rubber and whatnot.

1 or 2 new resources could help make fighting for resources a little more important than just needed to find a place that makes either oil or rares.

That would also be able to better represent the spread of resources in different regions (Turkey would have some deposits of rare metals, but not alot of rubber) without over complicated the game by trying to impliment a clumsy Vicky-like system.

 

[Celdur]

Ya, more resoruce types would be great, a least a few more.

Also, that every province has some sort of resource. I don't enjoy taking over provinces that have absolutly nothing on them, i mean that's pretty unrealistic!

It would add a lot for strategy too.

 

[Kruz]

If nothing else, at least have infrastructure affect resource production. But something more in depth would be preferable.

I still remember my dissapointment when I realised that building infrastructure had no affect on resource production in HOI1. It just seemed so logical to me at the time.

 

[Arkas]

Improving inf. should improve resource production by a small precentage. This would simulate the improvement of the ability to extract and transport resources from the mines/oil fields to the appropriate processing plants, like metal works, power plants and refineries.

I think food can be ommited as a resource, as it can be simulated by military supplies that are being produced and keep a unit in optimal org and current strenght. Supplies can be thus interpreted as : ammo, spare parts, and packed food for the fighting force.

There could be an option to search and upgrade current mines/fields etc at some province, simulating any efford to exploit any existing resource field. That should cost money and provide with 0-5% increase of some resource, and/or initiate the exploit of a resource the province didnt produce before. And it should take some time to finish, like a few months.

 

[Tornadoli]

Maybe there should be something like 12/15 rare materials, and you could only get the rest 3 by investing IC in improvements. You could click on the rare materials button in the province screen just like on factories, and it would go into the productions screen. Depending on resource & province the IC cost would vary of course.

 

[Lazy_Boy]

Just needs to be a like a max possible of every resource and a 0-10 level of extraction. Cost IC to upgrade like a factory. Just set the defaults to realistic levels. Europe would be highly developed and you wouldn't be able to upgrade much. But like China could actually be developed into a major IC power without severely lacking resources.

 

[Wolfhead]

I don't know about you guys, but one thing I would like to see would be a few more resource types.

While the idea of there being a "Food" resource has been kicked around for a while, I was thinking more along the lines of there being different kinds of 'rare resources': rare metals could be one (a large group which could include uranium, which would be needed for nukes), which would be seperate from rubber and whatnot.

1 or 2 new resources could help make fighting for resources a little more important than just needed to find a place that makes either oil or rares.

That would also be able to better represent the spread of resources in different regions (Turkey would have some deposits of rare metals, but not alot of rubber) without over complicated the game by trying to impliment a clumsy Vicky-like system.

Yes, I definitely agree. It doesn't have to go to extremes but I would really like to see rares divided, at least having rubber separated. Maybe split it in three resources: "common rares" (better name needed ) representing things like aluminium and zinc, "rare rares" which could be for example uranium and wolfram, and finally rubber on it's own. Should add some better representation av different countries actual resources, some more need for strategic decision making (regarding resources) and trading. This could be even more interesting if the actual amounts of resources needed for production was different for different kinds of units, but that's another story.

One (or two) more thing that maybe could be nice is the addition of things like gold and silver deposits, I don't know if it's really necessary to add this as new resources but perhaps it could be represented as a money income from a province. Surely such things as gold mines must have existed during ww2 and have ment a source of money, just like an ore mine a source of iron, for the owning country. There's also other things like coffee, sugar, tobacco and cacao (things that could add some value to many african provinces) that's not, as i can see, represented in the game. I don't mean that I want a vicky-style system in hoi3 but since such things could be counted as consumer goods maybe that also (like money) could be added as a resource that could be produced in provinces. At least make it possible to mod in money and consumer good (and supplies) as province resources for modders to take advantage of.

 

[Shadow Master]

Just needs to be a like a max possible of every resource and a 0-10 level of extraction. Europe would be highly developed and you wouldn't be able to upgrade much. But like China could actually be developed into a major IC power without severely lacking resources.

And Africa, India, and the middle east, could actually be made to have realistic resources as well. If this were done, we could actually see why the heck all the European colonial empires were built in the first place.

 

[Kruz]

And Africa, India, and the middle east, could actually be made to have realistic resources as well. If this were done, we could actually see why the heck all the European colonial empires were built in the first place.

Especially Africa! I never find it worthwhile to bother meddling down there until it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Alex_brunius]

If nothing else, at least have infrastructure affect resource production. But something more in depth would be preferable.

Infrastructure would be the easiest, best and most realistic approach imo. There is a massive correlation between the two of them. All resource extraction need infrastructure to transport the goods. And all infrastructure is built to aid the flow of goods (resources or refined forms of them) from one place to another.

I think this old system from Victoria is as simple as it is genious.

Now some more events like those Germany have with China (can't remember in which version or mod) would be nice aswell. Basically Major fund resource expansion in friendly Minor and gets their fair share of the cake.

Most important thing with resources is we need a storage cap to limit prewar buildups. Especially on oil and rares.

 

[Shadow Master]

Most important thing with resources is we need a storage cap to limit prewar buildups. Especially on oil and rares.

If you mean unlimited (free) storage is bad, then I agree with you.
If you mean unlimited (player built at IC cost) storage is bad, then we disagree.

 

[Alex_brunius]

If you mean unlimited (free) storage is bad, then I agree with you.
If you mean unlimited (player built at IC cost) storage is bad, then we disagree.

Player built would never be unlimited since your IC never is unlimited right? So in both cases you agree with me

The only thing Im trying saying here is that some kind of storage cap needs to be in place.
Infact I just posted another thread named Stockpiles & Bases where I elaborate suggestions around this.

 

[Waffen9999]

If you're going to put a cap on resource stockpiles which is fine then an issue that would need adressing is what happens when you run low/out of supplies. Historically when Germany and Japan ran out of their supplies, their industries didn't stop producing as they would in the game, the things they produced just came out with inferior quality. This could be modeled in game by perhaps halving the IC value of any factories that run out of resources. Ie. you have enough resources to supply say 300 IC but you have really 350 IC, so you'd be running at 325 instead.