For the Mod-er Par Excellence - SUPPLY

[Nuh Uh]

While its not as much an issue in the ancient battles, the progression of Tech makes the issue of supply a glaring hole in the war venue of Civ as a viable option. As technology advanced, so has the need to maintain coherent and unbroken supply to the war unit. Blitzkrieg, as a war tactic, exploits this reality, and therefore its not possible to simulate it past the innate abilities of mechanized armor. For this reason alone, WW2 is out of the question. My position is that supply should be mandatory throughout all historical periods, and at the very least should be an Advanced Option in the standard game.

Therefore, is it possible to mod supply? Rules are simple: if a unit is unable to trace a path clear of an enemy unit, obstruction (whatever that might be), or city, to any friendly city, assigned air-lifted supply, or BridgeHead, its strength is halved. This one simple rule adds 100% to the strategy potential of the game.

 

[Dom Pedro II]

Here are some previously discussed ideas on the subject of supply lines.

I also think that resources should be broken down into units produced per turn and stockpiled in cities... so that units would actually consume X number of units of a resource per turn (Gasoline, Food, Ammunition, etc.)

This would allow the ability to not only cut off an invading enemy's supply of fuel in the field, it would also enable the player to cut the enemy's production and importation of said resource and thus cripple their troops and weapons at home as well as abroad.

 

[Civivist]

I like this idea of supply lines. But if you brake down resources in units, then I think you'll also have to bother with where these units are going: "5 units of steel per turn from source X to Rome", and you'll need to have some control over how the units are distributed over the cities. Furthermore, the capacity of the sources should be finite. All this makes the concept of resources more difficult, but also much more interesting (and realistic)!

You'll even have the possibility of creating "strategic reserves" in cities, for times of disaster. But again, if you want to use them you'll have to be able to control where the units are going. (the strategic reserves then act as "normal" resources)

 

[Nuh Uh]

I like this idea of supply lines. But if you brake down resources in units, then I think you'll also have to bother with where these units are going: "5 units of steel per turn from source X to Rome", and you'll need to have some control over how the units are distributed over the cities. Furthermore, the capacity of the sources should be finite. All this makes the concept of resources more difficult, but also much more interesting (and realistic)!

You'll even have the possibility of creating "strategic reserves" in cities, for times of disaster. But again, if you want to use them you'll have to be able to control where the units are going. (the strategic reserves then act as "normal" resources)

Yes, Civist, I would be content with an automated supply system. I wouldn't personally enjoy the added feature of micromanaged supply, although, it would be nice to see Automated Supply (lines) as an either a Standard or Advanced Option as well as Manual Supply (resources + lines) as an Advanced Option only.

 

[Nuh Uh]

Any further thoughts, anyone?

 

[DarthCycle]

Supply is a feature for wargame. One of the few games that implemented a pretty good supply model was Heart of Iron (1 & 2). You should check it out to get some interesting ideas for a supply model.

However, I wouldn't consider CivIV a wargame. Like many other posters, this game tries to simplify a lot of concept. Implementing such a feature will require a lot of thoughts, research, testings and the SDK. It will be interesting to see if someone is up to the challenge, but it will be a huge task to take.

The thing is, even is someone is able to implement a supply model, how will you "teach" the AI to defend its supply line and to try to cut yours? Good luck... HOI was built from ground up with a supply model and it doesn't achieve this too often.

 

[Penitent]

It's already difficult to conduct an invasion against a prepared enemy, will the attacker get some sort of bonus too to balance it out? Especially crossing an ocean makes things difficult already, you are already balancing military unit production with improving your culture and economy, so it seems the attacker has to put in yet more work than the defender to keep the invasion going.

 

[sovarn]

I think thats the point, after all you are invading their territory.
However attacking does become harder so won't the AI be even more rubbish at waging war?

 

[Nuh Uh]

The issue of supply, as a formal aspect of the game, is addressed by making it an advanced option. As a formal aspect of the game, it would of course be up to the programers to work the AI into the feature.

Its a wargame to some, when they play it that way, and in the instance of those who want to recreate WW2 and other historical war scenarios. The question is raised by yourself as to what constitutes a 'wargame' as compared to a 'civ' game, and the answer is that such delineations are arbitrary. By my own definition the answer is based upon the 'traditional' wargame. A traditional wargame doesn't include any component outside of war, and it is therefore exclusive. Civ, on the other hand, is inclusive in allowance for a variety of venues of play. As far as this or that being more difficult, I wouldn't consider that abstraction to be the base compass for the institution of supply, but rather the question of "does it make for a better simulation or representation?".

My primary interest is WW2, and which is out of the question the way Civ stands. Blitzkrieg capitalized upon two very simple principles of warfare. 1 - the ability to cut the enemy off from supply. 2 - the ability to surround the enemy for a tactical advantage in combat.