A discussion of the CEAW research model

[veritas]

I'd like to talk about the research model in CEAW. From a gameplay perspective, the existing system works extremely well. From a realism standpoint, though, it could be better. The CEAW model only reflects upfront research investments, not recurring expenses. As a result, the percentage of total PP's a nation typically dedicates to research is initially very high, and then it tapers off to almost nothing. I believe that historical research spending was a more consistent fraction of total military budgets over the course of the war, particularly for the Allies. Another downside of the existing model is that Germany can build a large number of labs earlier than the other powers, and then "coast" for the rest of the game. Often, the Allies can't "catch up" until both sides max out at level-6 technologies.

I've thought of a simple way to modify the CEAW research model to be more realistic. Mind you,this change would alter game play and balance, so I am not sure it could or should be implemented from a practical standpoint. The variant would reduce initial lab cost and escalation factor, but would introduce a recurring upkeep expense for each lab. The lab limits and focus points would be adjusted by country, year, and industry tech level to keep expenditures within realistic bounds. Level-up costs for individual tech research areas would also be adjusted. Effectively, players would have to decide what portion of their economy they want to dedicate to research over the long term. As Germany experiences economic hardship toward the late game, research expenditures and progress would likely go down in a realistic fashion.

Again, I am not saying that this variant would necessarily result in better playability, just more realism from a resource allocation standpoint.

[veritas]

The "recurring upkeep expense" would be some number of PP's for each lab subtracted from the power's total income each turn. Therefore, the more labs you have in play, the less income you have available to purchase units. Labs could still be sold to adjust this balance.