Most times simple is better. Production and economics with AA although simple, provide enough richness to allow for economics to be part of a war game without putting us to sleep.
So an IC built in Egypt can build two units for an infrastructure investment of 15 IPC. But that same 15 IPC when spent in Western Europe allows the owner to build six units. The same 15 IPC provides for two different results. Why? Is this fair? I’ll use the map for '42 for examples.
Fair enough.
The argument that because the host territory has a value of six versus two provides for the basis of my defense of this. The sizx income represents a pre-existing level of infrastructure versus that of Egypt’s two. The 15 IPC investment leverages the pre-existing level of infrastructure.
But…
There is a big difference between an IC in Egypt pumping out two battleships per round for the current owner Japan compared to an IC in Western Europe owned by Germany pumping out 6 infantry per round.
What about factoring in the value of what is being produced at the IC? Allow a base multiplier to be spent say (3-5 IPC) * (Max # of units that can be built at the IC in this location). This value would represent what could be spent at that IC with no production penalties. A couple of brackets larger than this value would be created to allow for more money to be spent at this IC with a financial penalty increasing per bracket. This penalty would represent the loss in productivity per IPC spent to ‘over-drive’ production levels ie over-time etc. A top end cap could be established. Japan can spend 20 IPC in Egypt for example but not 40. Yes, you can build one battleship or two fighters per turn in Egypt, but the infrastructure there would never support two battleships per turn in production.
It would make it a bit more expensive to save up your money then drop several turns worth of savings down in one build of 12 bombers in Western USA, indeed, you could build 12 fighters but only 10 bombers, your IPC cap there might be 120 IPC of production costing you 125% of 120 with the 25% production overdrive penalty. You could still spend 60 IPC per turn with no penalty.
It would make SBRs a bit more effective. It would cost the victim of SBRs a bit more to just save money for 2-3 rounds then max repair the IC and build a stack of tanks and fighters. Indeed, the repair costs to the IC could be included in the totals and caps.
I would be interested in what others think about this.
