Various thoughts and ideas

[snip]

I would prefer to keep paying for guns and mountings on a separate basis with cash.

Not suggesting the actual guns come from there, but that IC's be dedicated for the research of new types of guns. We had to pay similarly in N-verse 2.0 to develop new weapons.

What I am thinking about useing right now is a "gun tech" sort of like that from N3 that would need these points assigned to it to be able to construct larger weapons. Then to develop said weapons, you would need to pay cash, again ala N3. Is that what you are refering to?

Also there should be economic bonuses for un-delegated IC's. So technologically advanced countries would grow less rapidly than those less advanced. Also there would be penalties if you wanted to switch an IC from one tech to another. Say the IC would be offline for a year, this would represent say a factory converting from say making torpedoes to guns.

The system I have in mind would have the points based on IC or BP. There would not really be a assigning of the IC/BP to research. The points would just come from there. Still working on a way to make growth less linear, but having a hard time with it.

[Darman]

Also there should be economic bonuses for un-delegated IC's. So technologically advanced countries would grow less rapidly than those less advanced. Also there would be penalties if you wanted to switch an IC from one tech to another. Say the IC would be offline for a year, this would represent say a factory converting from say making torpedoes to guns.

The system I have in mind would have the points based on IC or BP. There would not really be a assigning of the IC/BP to research. The points would just come from there. Still working on a way to make growth less linear, but having a hard time with it.

I think that DF's idea would help make growth less linear.  An alternative to shutting down the IC for a year would be allowing a minimum of one IC to be transferred yearly or say, 5% (rounded up?) of IC whichever is more.  Does this make sense?  So that a nation with a 50/50 split between economy and research doesn't all of a sudden have 90% in research after a 1 year hiatus. 

[snip]

I think I get it now. Each IC would ether generate $1 or 1 Research point per turn. That would also help with limiting BP as the big factor in shipbuilding... Im fond of this idea.

[Delta Force]

My order of preference for staking a country is Russia then Iberia.

Depending on the start era I might be willing to let you have Russia.

[Darman]

Just a random thought.  I know this is primarily a Naval Sim, with all the emphasis the Navy deserves.  But there is definitely a need for Military/Air Force rules (Air Force eventually).  I liked the N3 system for armies with one minor nit.  A corps (50,000 men) could be divided either in half or into tenths.  So half a corps was a division (25,000) and a tenth of a corps was a brigade (5,000).  In my humble opinion a brigade is too small a unit to be keeping track of, and in 1900 very few European armies were prepared to deploy independent brigades, they would have deployed a division.  So I advocate eliminating brigades or the option to use brigades except for roleplay purposes.  Instead, I offer a half-sized division. In 1914 most European armies had divisions numbering closer to 10,000 than 20,000.  American divisions later in that war were roughly double the size of a European division at 25,000 men.  I advocate an army corps having four divisions of 12,500 men apiece.  Most players arent even going to use them but for smaller players or those with smaller armies can use them. 

[Delta Force]

Brigade sized units are useful for colonial actions and troop transportation. It's hard to keep a division supplied in undeveloped colonies (not to mention being a waste of manpower) and also difficult to do a sealift of that many soldiers at once.

[Nobody]

If we keep the "army"/"corp" size at ~50000, how about dividing it by 5 to get the smaller units if needed? --> 10000 and 2000.

The disadvantages of the N3 system (IMHO):

• too linear, especially the linear upkeep is overkill
  
• too simple upgrades
  
• btc
  
  My army ideas:
  
  
  
  • make upgrades twice as expansive as the difference between the new and the old level:
       Upgrade_Cost = (Cost_NewLevel - Cost_OldLevel) * 2
  • a newer units effectiveness should be higher, that is the build cost should grow faster than the upkeep and/or the fighting power

[Tanthalas]

I intend to stay largely out of this discussion because if you let me get going I will end up pushing for so much detail it becomes insane... Personaly I say we just kidnap the Wesworld land system and call it good.

[KWorld]

For colonial work, a regiment's more appropriate than a brigade in most cases.  In an established colony, very often in period you'd recruit local soldiers to fight under your flag.

[Darman]

Brigade sized units are useful for colonial actions and troop transportation. It's hard to keep a division supplied in undeveloped colonies (not to mention being a waste of manpower) and also difficult to do a sealift of that many soldiers at once.

I don't disagree but from a book-keeping perspective I believe that being able to divide a corps into tenths it too tiny.  At that level we may as well start getting into details.  Divisions are more likely to be combined arms units.  A brigade might have units attached but they wont be organic to the brigade.  I just feel that it simplifies the book-keeping and yet you have a division.  If you want to divide the division up for colonial defense then just mention that 1st division, 7th infantry corps is on colonial defense duties in Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia.  There is not going to be any simming of battles (from what I understand), at least not on land, unless we really cant figure it out between ourselves.  So with no simming the two powers at war can talk amongst themselves and discuss what is feasible and what isn't.  So exact details of who is where down to brigade or regimental strength isn't necessary.  You can do that prior to your wars. 
As far as sea-lift goes... well its not really feasible to be shipping out an entire brigade on one ship anyways.  So you just say that it takes X tonnage to move a corps or a division or however we want to handle it and you build ships or hire merchant ships.  You already know that only a fraction of your brigade or corps is going to be on each ship.  I just don't see transporting troops as being an issue here for unit size.  If you are trying to capture an island from a hostile force you probably want a division to be going in no matter what anyways.