Well, look at how the thing came about: the ENY de-evolution bit was a stop-gap measure used to stop the horde in its tracks. Surprise! Hastily-built solutions rarely work. Forcing folks to fly early to mid-war aircraft instead of the uber rides is not much different than forcing a side change based on numbers. Some will get mad, some will give up, and some will swap rides. To fix the problem you have to work at it, not think up a 10-second solution to a problem that's been around for years.
A permanent fix to the horde:
Forward bases have 5 drunks, require 15 to capture
Medium bases have 8 drunks, require 24 to capture
Large bases have 12 drunks, require 30 to capture
Why the funny numbers? Logic: bigger fields have more fuel pumps, more hangars, more AA guns, and need more personnel to operate them.
Forward bases have limited munitions and fuel re-supply times. No more unlimited everything from every field. The more the horde pushes out from a forward field, the less gas, bullets and bombs they can use due to supply shortages. Obviously this will take a little tinkering to get just right. You want to allow operations up to, say, half a dozen bombed-up aircraft at once with another four fighters from any given field on the front. Call the resupply time as (a SWAG here) 5 minutes.
Medium bases, being a bit further from the front, have bigger stockpiles giving much more fuel and a lot more HE to play with. Call it 1.5x the fuel and ord of a forward base
Large bases obviously have the largest munitions and fuel stockpiles, being so far from the front. Call it 3.5x the fuel and munitions of a forward field.
Troop availability would ramp itself up or down based on the distance from a troop factory and intensity of local operations. If you're a long ways from the drunk maternity ward, but are conducting a lot of operations, obviously high command would send more troops if they were available. It could also add the ability to shuttle drunks in from other fields to mount a heavy assault.
Why change the supply system? It's been around in the same form for the past ten years with little or no changes. True, troop and ord factories didn't exist ten years ago, but then again they don't serve any real purpose. If you blow 'em up, what happens? Nothing, really, since a few guys with goons can whiz in and rebuild the place instantly. The supply system needs limits based on actual lag time from shipping dock or truck park to the field. It would also mean supply dumps would become valid targets once again, because those control how limited operations are at a given location. GV and AA defenses would be exempt from this limitation for obvious reasons.
Another aspect that would greatly influence things is ports. Instead of a single port, give each country two or three of 'em. Use freighters to ship supplies from the main port (close to Factory Central) to the outlying ports. By doing this you can...
Increase the number of targets available for not only aircraft, but also player-controlled subs or PT boats
Actually put a dent in the enemy's ability to wage war
Capture a port so your ships can supply your own offensive strikes into enemy territory
Let the enemy blast your supply ships so you run out of gas (literally) and he can take the darn thing back
Cut down the amount of supplies the enemy has stockpiled in a given area. Trucks would take up some of the slack, but a truck convoy can't haul as much as a 2,000 ton freighter.
Another standing gripe is the fact cannons are too effective against land targets and ships. Especially ship guns! Seeing a carrier stripped of all weaponry in a single Bf-110G firing pass means somethin ain't right in Muddsville.
Time to stowe the soap box and exit stage right...
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Flakbait [Delta6]
