We’ve had this discussion innumerable times in the past. The current strat situation is a direct result of HTC listening to the players and trying to find a solution that would satisfy both the bomber cult (to steal a phrase from history) and the fighter cult. Unfortunately, it proved inadequate to the former, and irritating to the latter. TOD is supposed to be HTC’s next attempt at providing something for the immersion crowd; i.e. those who like to fly in a more historical context, whether in fighters or bombers. I look forward to TOD, but also wish the MA had a slightly more historical feel as well.
However, in the mean time I will wax philosophic on how I’d change the MA in the absence of TOD. First, in addition to being able to pork the supplies at a field/base by direct attack, I’d also make it possible reduce them over time with attacks against the strategic source of that supply (factories/facilities). It’s a question of cause and effect. Attack the source, and you create a temporary shortage of that supply for all fields in that zone. Damage or destroy the fuel depot for instance, and in a short period of time all bases in that zone would have reduced fuel, just as if someone bombed it. Say, 25% damage to the fuel depot would reduce fuel at bases in that zone by 25% after 10 minutes. Damage the depot 50%, and fuel would drop to 50% at bases. Say you were only concerned about one base? Hitting a base’ supply convoy would have a similar effect, but only at that base. A minimum of fuel and gun ammo would still always be available (as it is now).
I would also tie rebuild times at base towns (which control whether a base is “capture-able”) to safe arrival of trains. Each base town would have a train track leading to it. Kill the train, and it slows the town’s rebuild. You might also tie the number of troops necessary to capture the maproom in the town to safe and timely train arrivals, making it easier to capture a base if you cut its supply line. Any bridge used by a train or truck convoy would be destroyable, though it would require several thousand pounds of bomb damage to do so. Cutting the supply route in this way would stop the train or truck convoy from continuing.
The remainder of the strat system would remain in place, i.e. the capital city of a zone would still control rebuild time of factories and such; however, it would also control rebuild time of bridges.
This would not change the situation for furballers, but would give strat-guys the means to affect the war in a unique and (perhaps slightly) more realistic way.
