The more I play, the more I realize one thing is missing from the tech tree.
I'll explain it this way since it was most visible in two specific unit "Classes"
Armour and Air-Power
Armour;
The research (often by trial and error or failure on the field), resulted in huge advancements in these two Classes during the war years. Things such as sloping edges on a tank to artificially increase wall thickness without adding weight, to switching from silk/material cover from airplane wings with wood frames, to metal covered frames with plastic components, these advances were HUGE, and represented in "quite well" in current game mechanics (topic for another discussion... but not here).
The missing component of the current Tech tree is that it doesn't recognize just how much those Technological advanced meant in each class. Namely, how these advances made previous units OBSOLETE.
When armour improvements were introduced in the field, the older tanks with smaller guns which were effective yesterday, all of a sudden were useless against the newer armour. Their effectiveness against infantry did not change, their speed or ability to pull an artillery piece into place did not change, but they were firing blanks against the new armour.
Air Power;
The Bi-Planes (2 sets of wings) of WWI, showed promise in WWII but were immediately Obsolete when fighter travelling at much greater speed started showing up. In fact not a Single 2 wing air frame went into production AFTER 1939 when the two started going against each other. On the German front against Russia, the 3 highest Aces of all time were BF 109 pilots facing antique Russian aircraft, scoring over 900 kills ! Thats 3 pilots destroying over 900 planes ! If that's not a definition of Obsolete, I don't know what is....
Armour plating under fuel tanks, and steel pates around the pilot seat, made the planes more resilient, forcing enemy aircraft to upgrade larger and more powerful guns, requiring strong engines, in turn requiring stronger air frames to be able and hold up that much weight.
PROPOSAL
========
Units of same class, receive a bonus in form of taking reduced damage from units of same Class if lower Tech Level.
For example.
Lvl 1 Light Armour vehicles only do 75% damage Vs Lvl 2 Light Armour vehicles
Lvl 1 LA -50% Damage VS Lvl 3 LA vehicles
Lvl 1 LA -75% Damage Vs Lvl 4 LA Vehicles
Lvl 1 LA -100% Damage (Obsolete) Vs Lvl 5 LA Vehicles
This would encourage investing in Tech upgrades. While not completely invalidating lower Tech Lvl units immediately.
NOTED- This would be a natural buff the Comintern Doctrine which benefits from dumping many Lvl 1 units onto the field early in the game.
I'll explain it this way since it was most visible in two specific unit "Classes"
Armour and Air-Power
Armour;
The research (often by trial and error or failure on the field), resulted in huge advancements in these two Classes during the war years. Things such as sloping edges on a tank to artificially increase wall thickness without adding weight, to switching from silk/material cover from airplane wings with wood frames, to metal covered frames with plastic components, these advances were HUGE, and represented in "quite well" in current game mechanics (topic for another discussion... but not here).
The missing component of the current Tech tree is that it doesn't recognize just how much those Technological advanced meant in each class. Namely, how these advances made previous units OBSOLETE.
When armour improvements were introduced in the field, the older tanks with smaller guns which were effective yesterday, all of a sudden were useless against the newer armour. Their effectiveness against infantry did not change, their speed or ability to pull an artillery piece into place did not change, but they were firing blanks against the new armour.
Air Power;
The Bi-Planes (2 sets of wings) of WWI, showed promise in WWII but were immediately Obsolete when fighter travelling at much greater speed started showing up. In fact not a Single 2 wing air frame went into production AFTER 1939 when the two started going against each other. On the German front against Russia, the 3 highest Aces of all time were BF 109 pilots facing antique Russian aircraft, scoring over 900 kills ! Thats 3 pilots destroying over 900 planes ! If that's not a definition of Obsolete, I don't know what is....
Armour plating under fuel tanks, and steel pates around the pilot seat, made the planes more resilient, forcing enemy aircraft to upgrade larger and more powerful guns, requiring strong engines, in turn requiring stronger air frames to be able and hold up that much weight.
PROPOSAL
========
Units of same class, receive a bonus in form of taking reduced damage from units of same Class if lower Tech Level.
For example.
Lvl 1 Light Armour vehicles only do 75% damage Vs Lvl 2 Light Armour vehicles
Lvl 1 LA -50% Damage VS Lvl 3 LA vehicles
Lvl 1 LA -75% Damage Vs Lvl 4 LA Vehicles
Lvl 1 LA -100% Damage (Obsolete) Vs Lvl 5 LA Vehicles
This would encourage investing in Tech upgrades. While not completely invalidating lower Tech Lvl units immediately.
NOTED- This would be a natural buff the Comintern Doctrine which benefits from dumping many Lvl 1 units onto the field early in the game.
General Maximus Decimus Meridius - "Are you not entertained?"
