To increase the importance of the status of the factories with the new country-wide strategic system, make it so the availability and functionality of a local, base-level strategic element is dependent on the status of controlling factory.
Radar Example:
Currently, Enemy Radar (the ability to see enemy dots on the clipboard) is enabled when the field's radar tower is up AND the HQ is not destroyed. This proposal would add the status of the radar factory as another variable in the equation so that Enemy Radar is enabled when the radar tower is up AND the HQ is not destroyed AND the Radar Factory is greater then 25%. (The 25% is just a number and it can be something else like 15% or 5%. I do not recommend zero because it is very hard to take a factory down to that level but very easy to resupply above that level.) So, if the radar factory drops below 25%, all Enemy Radar is disabled country-wide. The only exception is for the non-capture fields (the ones with the red squares around them). Their functionality will only depend on the status of the field's tower and the HQ. This proposal does not effect rebuild or supply aspects which remain as they are now. The country can resupply the Radar Factory as they do currently to restore Enemy Radar functionality at fields with towers that are up.
This concept would apply to the other strategic elements as well:
AAA Factory:
If AAA drops below 25%, all auto ack guns (and maybe the flack too) country-wide will stop firing except at the non-capture fields. The actual destruction of the gun should not be required for field capture. Capture criteria should be based on whether the auto guns are functional or not. This would really increase the importance of defending and maintaining this factory.
Ammo Factory:
If Ammo drops below 25%, no bombs will be available except at the non-capture fields. Rearm pads will continue to work.
Fuel Factory:
Fuel availability is down to 75% country-wide except at the non-capture fields. Rearm pads will also continue to work.
Radar Factory:
As explained in the above example.
Troop Factory:
Troops and supplies would be disabled country-wide if the factory drops below 25%. Player controlled supplies would still be available from the non-capture fields and rearm pads would continue to work. This has a greater impact when the city is in a forward location on large maps.
A modification to this proposal would be that all fields in Zones 1, 2, and 3 are not impacted instead of just the non-capture fields. This would give greater flexibility for map design. Smaller maps that typically only use one zone per country would have to add zones if they wanted to implement this system on their maps. Fields in Zones 1, 2, and 3 could have a blue box around their icons to show their exempt status.
I believe this proposal will increase the incentive to attack, defend, and maintain the factories without increasing the burden on an under-strength country or overly impacting the player that is not interested in the strategic elements of the game.
Thank you for your attention.
MachNix
