Trains, barges, and trucks have always been virtually ignored in the game from their very inception. The impact on an enemy country’s ability to wage war has never come close to justifying the effort needed to hunt them down and kill them. Take truck convoys, for example. For killing the convoy to have any effect, one or more targets at a base must first be destroyed; killing the convoy only slows the rebuild time, it doesn’t actually harm the base in any way. It’s far safer and more effective to simply kill the object after it respawns, rather than killing it and they go hunting (at low level by necessity) for the convoy and killing it…over and over again. Historically, disrupting lines of communication (LOC) was as effective (sometimes more effective) than trying to kill the units or installations they were supplying. As often as not, disrupting LOCs wasn’t (and still isn’t) so much about killing the trucks and rolling stock themselves, but instead cutting the LOCs at crucial junctures such as downing bridges and blocking natural chokepoints like passes and rail yards. This would limit the enemy’s mobility and hence his options. This is what is missing from AH.
I would make a number of changes to how AH uses resupply. First, I’d add an effect when a truck or barge convoy is destroyed. Not only would it slow the rebuild time, by it would also reduce stocks on hand over time. What I mean here is, killing a convoy would have the effect over time of reducing troops, fuel, and ordnance availability, without ever physically attacking the base’ bunkers. Kill on convoy, and at the moment the convoy should have arrived (but doesn’t) reduce maximum fuel allowed in the hanger by 25% (and of course, disable drop tanks). The maximum bomb size for any a/c would likewise be reduced, or perhaps the number of bombs and rockets in any load-out would be cut in half. Troops would not be affected by the first missed convoy, but perhaps would be unavailable after two missed convoys in a row.
Next, I’d change it so that destroying a road bridge or RR bridge between a convoy/train and its destination would stop the convoy or train from moving for some preset amount of time (until it is repaired).
I would also add rail yards to the cities. Destroying it would have the same effect as destroying a train, but the effect would be longer lasting.
Finally, I’d tone down the train flack; it’s simply too deadly. First, not ever train was a flak trap; some had no protection at all. Secondly, it’s harder to hit something from a moving platform.
I had also considered adding an effect on ground-vehicle availability when a convoy or barge is delayed (planes can fly in, but armor has to be shipped in by road and rail); however, that would make it too easy to restrict vehicle availability, unless taking out a bridge or convoy was at least as tough as taking down a hanger.
