Second on business, I asked JWE if we could modify the supplies amount needed to repair devices, and after a brief delay the wizards come with:
This requires the latest beta tweak 1108m9.
Devices from 518-Oil to 528-Refinery can adjust the supply cost, to repair 1 point of damage, up to 5000 per point by entering the desired number into the Load Cost field. If Load Cost remains = 0, the repair cost will simply default to the normal value.
Originally some of these devices could have their repair costs decreased, but a way was found to get them to increase, and it was extended to all Devices in the list. Only thing you can't tweak is aircraft factories.
So just put 5000 into the LC of Device 521-HI and there you go. Don't forget this will apply to all HI everywhere, and for both sides.
Main ideas
Allies
I would like to increase the production, CONUSA should start in 1941 with little supplies/fuel surplus, and peak in late 43/early 44. The way of doing this is adding damaged resources/oil/HI to CONUSA. I could add some in Britain to boost CBI theater late in war.
Japan
Here lie the main problem, and adjustments. Basically by all accounts Japanese Economy was run on a shoestring, but in AE, managed properly is on steroids, and no trade offs are needed, because you can out-produce the Allies, while accelerating all the important capital ships.
I want to crunch the numbers backwards, but didn´t have time to do it, but what I want to do is to calculate a “reasonable production levels” and put the needed factories around.
Japan should produce X airplanes and Y ships, thus needs Z HI points, not the currently way is done.
Correction Measures (Proposals)
OIL/FUEL
The refinery supply production needs to be eliminated.
As JWE suggested, until 60s or 70s you couldn´t get 1 ton of POL from a ton of oil.
Currently 10 oil is 1 supply and 9 fuel.
An approach could be 60% so the result would be
10 oil = 6 fuel
Increase the oil production and refineries to compensate. A plus is to have Japan to use his tanker fleet more.
Aircraft/shipyards
I would put all the R&D airplanes and engines at 0x1, Japan must pay for any R&D.
Increase the supply costs for repairing Aircraft/Engines/Merchant/Naval shipyards
HI/LI
While maintaining (or increasing) the supply production I think that the mix of LI/HI should be changed to favor LI.
Second, I feel that Japan has too much HI to work. After 2-3 months, you can stop armament industries and run on a surplus accumulating HI from day 1.
Third currently LI expansion is not profitable. Players only expand HI. Make LI expansion profitable.
I have thought about increasing the input to the HI, but not the HI point output.
Something like 5x the input, and an HI output of 4x. This would need a reduction of 80% of HI to match the production.
I want to make the LI expansion profitable. The rationale is while LI is less optimal production wise, also it requires less supplies to setup.
After the brainstorming, I need input and ideas !