Maybe if you protected the AI a little better instead of killing it you wouldn't be in this mess.

You can buy in the market or trade with other nations.

Be a civilization player...build build build!!!

Build Factrories whenever possible...and Infrastructure...especially in Food and Oil provinces. Rare Materials are important too. Don't worry about expanding Metal and Goods too much and here's why: if you capture lots of territory very fast (using careful strategy, not just blunt rampage), then you can keep up with Metal and Goods via captures. But do build them up where they provide a better return on your investment.

Also, if being invaded, start level 2 or 3 Factories in provinces with lesser Factories that are about to be overrun. This way, after re-taking the province later on, you won't have to rebuild the Factory from scratch (which is far more expensive than just repairing a level 2 Factory or higher).

Don't be afraid to horse-trade with non-allied players and -- when first starting -- buy and sell for the advantage of the market fluctuations while also hoarding the Oil and Rare Materials.

Here's another tip: Don't build all tanks...build a variety of units -- bother mobile and non-mobile -- such that you don't spend all your Oil on up-front builds and on heavy maintenance. Here's a good model:

Each army should consist of 1 or 2 types of tanks of not-too-dissimilar-speed (i.e. light and medium or else medium and heavy) with a total of about 5 to 8 total tanks. The army should each have about 3 Anti-Tanks and 2 Anti-Air Cannons. If the tanks are mostly light or medium sized, then mobile Anti-Tanks and mobile Anti-Air are preferable to their slower counterparts.

Earlier in the game, Infantry should accompany most armies but you can sub in light Tanks instead to accompany larger battalions of stronger forces. And, when needing a quick capture of some outlier terrain, the light tanks can break off to take those and then return to the main battle group. However, in spite of your preference, it is a good idea to have some infantry with every army but they will slow down faster groups. Militia will greatly slow down faster groups.

Having balanced forces will allow you to stretch both your Oil and your Food as well as increasing your odds in surviving combat engagements.

And don't fall into the maintenance hole. Too many infantry or too many anti-tank guns will ruin your Food production and too many tanks will ruin your Oil production. In addition, too many active barracks will ruin your Food production while too many seaports will ruin your Oil production, also.

1. There's nothing wrong with having money and "nothing to do with it" (though I don't know why you don't use it to recruit spies).

2. Since you know Food and Oil become scarce in your games; you might consider stockpiling them early and often while not using them quite so much.

I know, you're going to say your current way of playing the game makes this difficult. And I would say, "then change the way you play". I do just fine without this problem (to any great degree).

3. Therefore, yes, "it's just you".


[Edit: Thanks, Quasi-duck, your "like" just now promoted me to Warrant Officer]