Zone system.

[AKP]

+100   

I LOVE it!!!!  One small step for AH, One Giant leap for bomber pilots!  I have been wanting a better strategic system since I started playing.  I wasnt around for the old system, but this sounds like a great idea.  Makes sense, and gives meaning to the factories besides buffers using them as perk factories.

Besides, it will give the AI Puffy Ack Gunners more practice!   

[LLogann]

But will we also add the math for resupplying a smaller stock of fields?

As a country losses more and more bases, will it take a shorter time for the kept bases to be resupplied........  More resources for fewer bases..........

THe large country now has so many bases to resupply that it may take an 1.4 hours for the dar to pop instead of 45 min.

[Delirium]

Sounds good! Anything that gives the bomber guys more to destroy, besides hangers at fields, is great. Currently, bombing those hangers is the only way the bomber guys can really make an effect in AH, if the strat system was changed they could have their own 'war' so to speak.

I am a little concerned because many of the current strat targets end up near the front and it may require some map reworking.

[Lusche]

It's been years since I tried it, but does player resupply of the factories and the City still work? I'm basing my position on having player resupply.

Factories yes, city no.

[Easyscor]

I wonder why you can't resupply the City? IMO it should be just like the factories.

Hitech?

[bozon]

I bet most players didn't even know there was a zone system or any resupply system at all.

One problem I remember from the old system was that at some point half the factories of one chess piece will end up in enemy territory where player will up an occasional lanc milkrun to keep them flattened. It would be nice if the resupply rate will depend on the number of fields that the country owns - less fields -> less national supply required -> less factories required. The loosing side will not be shut down by bombing its factories in lost territory.

However, if I may offer another POV:
I don't think that AH players are very into large scale strategy. This is why strategic targets are not favored targets - people do not see the effects of their efforts. One driving force is the "attaboy" factor. For example, if a factory destroyed would generate a server message in the spirit of "factory XXX destroyed, <chesspiece> resupply down to YYY" it will result in a series of "WTG" and pat on the ego of the bombers. I bet this will generate more strategic bombing than any strategy system.

Scores are an even greater motivator that is nearly absent or twisted, even though players keep looking for it. I made a suggestion a while ago to combine strategy with mission team play and with scores as a driving force:
http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,256300.0.html

[ghostdancer]

If I remember the pre-zone system correctly when you siezed bases it didn't affect the ownership of strat objects. Resulting in cities, ammo factories, fuel, etc. being left behind enemy lines as the front shifts. Which of course lead to milk running. Right now we have that to some extent to but pre-zone you could end up with one of your cities several sectors back behind enemy lines.

I am not sure something like this would work on a 512 by 512 map since designers would then want to concentrate strats near the countries capital only. Which would could result in them being say 8 to 10 sectors (200 to 250 miles) from the front initial front lines. Making bombing of them basically non existent in the MA. Who would want to fly 1 hour to target and back from target. So until the font lines got closer I don't think you would have strategic bombing on new maps.

If the strats stayed in place on the current maps then once the front moves people would constantly be able to smack strats with nobody to defend them since the front could have moved multiple sectors away from them.

Things could get even more messy for special events where we simulate the fall of certain parts of a country while the rest fights on. This thought might be avoided by reducing the amount of strats and their positions and shouldn't have to much of an effect because in most Special events the goal is not bombing strats.

[BlauK]

Would this mean that all starts would be located in the rear areas of each country? If they were spread out, they might end up isolated and surrounded and as continuous undefended "offline" type of targets like it sometimes happens even with the current zones.

What if the resources were capturable
This way a country could increase its resourses over the initial maximum, not just only decrease enemies' resources.
The strats would (might) become more valued, bombing would mean more and defending them would mean more. Even nice furballs and GV fights might develope around the strats.

There could be several strat clusters around, but maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of them should be closer to rear areas?

[AKP]

I am not sure something like this would work on a 512 by 512 map since designers would then want to concentrate strats near the countries capital only. Which would could result in them being say 8 to 10 sectors (200 to 250 miles) from the front initial front lines. Making bombing of them basically non existent in the MA. Who would want to fly 1 hour to target and back from target. So until the font lines got closer I don't think you would have strategic bombing on new maps.

That is exactly how it should work... and DID work in WW2.  The deeper the allies pushed into enemy territory, the deeper they were able to conduct strategic bombing missions.  Strats would need to be located near the teams capitol and untakeables.  Yes, it would require long, and dangerous missions over defended territory to get to them, but that is exactly how it should be.  And rightly so, given the impact getting them flattened will have on the total team.

[waystin2]

What if the resources were capturable
This way a country could increase its resourses over the initial maximum, not just only decrease enemies' resources.
The strats would (might) become more valued, bombing would mean more and defending them would mean more. Even nice furballs and GV fights might develope around the strats.

There could be several strat clusters around, but maybe 1/3 or 1/2 of them should be closer to rear areas?

My thoughts exactly Blauk, and I would certainly like more information.  I like the premise, but not quite sure I understand the whole enchilada that I may be taking a bite out of by saying yes.

[hitech]

Resources are capturable now via capturing there controlling air field. Hence the zone concept.

With fields now that can not be captured, the problem of strat being in enemy territory can easily be fixed simply by moving the strat objects .

The main thing this will effect is that strat will again be more of a value when hit, because it will always effect the entire country.

HiTech

[5PointOh]

I love it.  But would also like to see the factorys nessled in lager (non point giving) cities.  Like the tank town area on ndisles.  

[hammer]

Is this a re-use of the old code or new code using the old system? If it's new code, how about a combination of the two?

Have factories near the rear (representing a country's industrial base) with cities throughout the map representing distribution hubs. The closer a base to the distribution hub, the faster it gets resupplied (assuming the city / distribution hub is operational). Destroy a city / distribution hub, supplies have to come from the next closest one. Some percentage of supplies goes to rebuilding the distro hub, thus increasing the down time of the fields. Destroy a factory, all distro hubs are affected for that commodity.

Rebuild times are dependent on how much damage needs to be repaired, how much a convoy can carry, and how far the field is from the nearest distro center. Trains run from factories to the distro hubs, convoys from the distro hubs to the fields. Trains and convoys depart at some regular intervals and have travel times based on the distance to be traveled.

If time intervals for travel is too great, some partial functionality (for example fighters with 75% fuel and no ords) could be re-established at a field after some fixed amount of time while waiting for full functionality of the field to be restored.

Lots more details to work out, but I think this gives the general idea of where I'm thinking. Now, if this is simply re-inserting old code, disregard!

Regards,

Hammer

[BlauK]

Resources are capturable now via capturing there controlling air field. Hence the zone concept.

Yup, but the fight is at the air field, not at the factory, which might be tens of miles away.

I meant, that there could be a map room at each factory ... or maybe there should be even towers and VH:s at factories. That V-base would own the surrounding factory area.

[waystin2]

I assume that this would also make convoys, trains, and barges very strategic targets?