1. Restrictions will practically only kick in when the players bring it on to themselves. It would take some time and effort, but I believe the average numbers of aircrafts taking off per certain time can be measured and rounded up.
So, a field will be given resources that will sustain certain numbers for about for a certain time without resupplies.
So the numbers of available material will be set according to the results of the analogy. At balanced situations, the amount of supplies and resupply "ratio" would be set to levels where people most usually can enjoy furballs or prolonged fights without worry of supplies running short.
But, uneven the balance, when one coutry starts gaining large numbers, chooses to gangbang their enemies with the Hoarde - then that country will start using up resources more rapidly then the standard set rate.
People say restrictions limit people's choice, so that it limits their 15 dollars worth of right. But then again, heavily unbalanced numbers also deprives 15 dollars worth of fun and enjoyment of the pilots of the consistently outnumbered country. Therefore, whether they will bring the restriction onto themselves is also their choice: Pay the price for being in the largest country.
Some say, "hey, if you are so frustrated, then just join the other team".
I say, "NO. YOU guys join the lesser teams. Why does it have to be us leaving our country in times of peril when its not us who are breaking the balance?"
2. Bringing out howels of disapproval is exactly what this is aimed at.
AH has grown out of the stage where one~two squads rotating will effect game balance. The reason for this heavy unbalance is at some point(the months following these events that have transpired in consecutive turns: AW being dumped, AH upgraded, servers being renewed and finally, commercials going out in public television), new people came to pile up in AH and they weren't "distributed" in any sort of way(because, which country they would fly for is naturally their choice).
People chose the countries they want to fly for, and as newbies learning the game, they won't want to be in a outnumbered country. So, people avoid being in the Rooks, they choose Bishops and Knights. I'm sure the "image" and "name value" of how the countries are named also had to do with the numbers. "Knight" or a "Bishop" is always more cool than a "Rook". So, a vicious circle has formed. Rooks were first(last November) outnumbered by a little. Then, new players started joining the game, they avoided the Rooks. More people see the potential of AH and decide to sign up, and the Rooks are outnumbered even more.
With limited supplies kicking in, at some point Bishops or Knights might start encouraging newbies to go to Rooks, or consider moving their squad to Rooks.
Hey, are you in a population crisis? "Generals" start commanding people around so they don't 'waste' resources? Then COME to the LAND of OPPORTUNITY, the RICH LANDS where resources are plenty - just cross that border to the land of promise, outnumbered country!
3. If a super large country wants to fight and keep that numbers and still have fun, they would need faster resupplying. Considerable number of C-47s in "trains" would be needed. People might actually start 10~20 goon missions to move supplies from a depot(yes, the depot concept can be resurrected again) to frontline fields.
Remember, the ultimate premise is "more people = more resources used".
If they don't want to suffer the drawbacks of keeping a Hoarde, then at least they would need more numbers of regular "maintenance crew". More people will be required to supply fields in need at a regular rate, not just occasional 1~2 goon supplying fileds, or occasional HQ resupp. Therefore, that number of people will inevitably have to stay a non-combatant during the time they choose to run resupp duties to their country. This will help even out the numbers at the combat frontline - effectively 'balancing' the situation without 'balancing' the numbers.
What's that you say? No one wants to play a truck driver? This won't work? They'll be supply shortages because of this?
So what? It's the price you have to pay, not us. Be organized and make 10~20 man supply missions, instead of making dweebey 20 man kamikaze Typhoon missions. If you can't stay that organized, and you continuously suffer the pain of shortage...
Then come to us, Rooks!
4. Here's how an example of balance goes:
Basically, the strats will be laid out in this order:
HQ - factories - train station - depots - convoy - town - field.
Factories produce material, produced materials are first piled up train stations. The trains regularly travel back and forth depots and factories, piling up produced material at the depots. Truck convoys move material to the town... and the town will distribute materials to the field automatically.
1) If factories are hit, their production efficiency will go down maximum 25% Factories transfer materials to directly to the train station which is nearby very close.
2) If train stations are hit, the amount of produced material piled up at the station will be destroyed. If a factory has produced 100 materials, when train station is 75% destroyed the materials will be down to 75. In the case of train stations going completely down, it would still be 25 materials. The materials will never be comletely destroyed.
3) Depots work same as train stations. If depots are hit, the materials trains moved from the station to the depot will be destroyed in percentage. 50% depot destroyed, 50% of total material piled up destroyed. Never down to 0%, minimum 25%.
4) Towns will distribute material. Materials that pile up at the town will not be destroyed at all - instead, towns control the supply distribution. Materials keep piling up at the town, and every 1 hour, all the materials at the town will be directly transferred to the field.
5) Fields use up materials. The material count at the field can run to zero. The field strats will represent the capacity of the base to "contain" materials, not "the amount" of the materials. Therefore, when a base is resupplied 100 fuel per hour, if fuels are porked and down to 25%, the base only gets 25 fuel per hour.
*So, let's say it is 60 miles from the factory to the front line.
30 miles from the station to the depot
30 miles from the depot to town.
* Planes use 1 fuel for 100% fueled flight.
* It takes 20 minutes for the train to get to depot(90mph)
It takes 30 minutes for trucks to get to the town(60mph)
* Therefore, towns supply 600 material to field every 5 hours, because logistics cycle is 50 minutes, and town distribution cycle is 60 minutes.
....
So, if average skill level pilots fly and survive 15 minutes per sortie, they fly four sorties per hour. Since every 100 fuel is resupplied per hour(and 200 fuel per fifth hour) when there are like 50 people swarming in one base - the Hoarde - the base is going to run out of fuel supplies in 30 minutes(two sortie time for average pilot), and the hoarde will wait for 30 minutes to get resupplied.
However, if only 5 people defend the base, they spend 20 fuel per hour. Even less if those five are capable of flying long sorties and survive. Even if all the fuels at base are porked, they still are resupplied at least 25 fuel. They can practically never have to worry about having to fly with 25% or 50% fuel since resupply overweighs the spent. If the attackers want to pork the base where low numbers are defending, they will have to either hit the depot(30 miles behind base), hit the train station, or the factory itself(both 60 miles behind base).
... As you can see, the drawbacks are clear for the numerous. More numbers will mean more responsibilities the people should think about. They better use the numbers advantages wisely, and manage it good, or else if they keep insisiting on lame-prettythang gangbangs with 30~40 guys taking off from a single base and moving around like locusts of armageddon, they gonna regret it.
...
There are some things still needs to be worked out.. such as unused bases that keep piling up on supplies.
But I can say it's a good start.
