| Tom Willard | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 02:58 pm 
This was already announced on the game news in June.
Simcountry will be extended with a professional army feature that will make it possible to build an army without any influence on the country work force.
Currently the army is recruiting soldiers and officers from the ranks of low level workers and medium level managers in the age groups of 18 to 50.
When the army is extended, workers and medium level managers are recruited and leave the corporations where they work, to join the army.
As a result, some countries experience a decline in their corporations and shortages of workers.
The new feature will make it possible for countries to purchase professional soldiers and officers.
The professional army stands separate of the country population. It does not have age groups, soldiers are never sick or disabled. when they become too old to fight, they are automatically replaced by new recruits.
The army always recruits these professionals first. as long as there are professional soldiers and officers available to the army, it will not recruit anyone from the population.
once all professional soldiers and officers have been recruited, the army will start calling workers and managers as before.
In war, when there are casualties, these will always be subtracted from the numbers of the professional army.
In many countries, there will be no need for the professional army but if you consider building a very large army, you could consider the purchase of some professional to prevent too much damage to the economy.
The professional soldiers and officers will be essential for the planned mobile units.
Mobile units will be a new type of army units that will have the capability to load on a cargo shuttle and move to a different place and participate in war.
The mobile units will also be traded and will change hands including all weapons, ammunition and the professional soldiers and officers that are part of the unit. |
| Parsifal (Kebir Blue) | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 03:11 pm
before this change, many of these soldiers were working in industry and being productive. with the new system military personnel will only "work" when a war is underway or when defending a target. will this lack of productivity have an effect on country profits? |
| Tabula Rasa (White Giant) | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 04:20 pm
Where will the professionals come from, if not from someone's population? Will it be possible to create military schools to turn your population into professionals, or some way to market them to other countries? |
| Tom Willard | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 04:48 pm
If some of the professional soldiers and officers are sitting around because the army does not need them, they will cost nothing.
There will be an initial cost to purchase them and then there will be the usual salaries for soldiers and officers as paid now but only when they are active in the army.
The professionals will come out of the blue, like the population that is purchased from the game master.
Building schools is an alternative but both the development time and the complexity make it unattractive.
the professional army is much simpler.
Check the back to work schools and special hospitals.
These are great features that make it possible for you build many more corporations with the same population, increase your income and decrease cost for social security.
how many players use it?
very few.
It requires several clicks on different screens and an understanding of the concept. it does not happen.
The professional army must be simple to use, buying and selling them should be easy and their availability should and will be immediate. |
| Homerdome (Fearless Blue) | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 05:16 pm
Your're right tom. Thanks.. I completly forgot about back to work schools. I built all kinds when i first started and I simply forgot to build them in my new countries. |
| Green Paws (Little Upsilon) | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 07:18 pm
I like the idea of professional soldiers, seperating them from LLWs and MLMs.
I would be concerned that the professional army is exlcuded from all costs when not active. Population of all kinds affect all kinds of inxdexes, markets and finances.
I'm not sure about having pop just sitting around not particpating in the game when not used, as though they don't exist. How would these people live in the meantime?
If they were robotic army personnel, they could have a basic maintenance cost and then require much more operational/maintenance costs when active (provided by corps) rather than having salaries when active.
Salaries only paid when active could skew things wierdly. |
| Solaris | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 07:54 pm
Tom, will players be able to produce professional armies for sale to other players?
I ask as somebody looking for a new revenue stream since a certain other player aquired enough nukes to flood Carina with cut price bombs and missiles for the foreseeable future and well beyond, thus spoiling it for anybody else. |
| Jo Salkilld (White Giant) | Friday, August 26, 2011 - 07:56 pm
Thankyou Tom. This is a great idea and will go a long way to solve the problems with random garrison deactivation due to population bubbles.
Are you able to let us know when the feature will be implemented?
Hugs and respect
Jo |
| Homerdome (Fearless Blue) | Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 05:04 am
Can anyone say... "Slave Trade"  |
| Josias (Little Upsilon) | Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 05:58 am
i'm wondering the same thing as Jo. I'm already trying to save up to buy into it. I'm excited about this change. |
| Tom Willard (Little Upsilon) | Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 11:57 am
The cost for the countries will be when they purchase them.
when they are not used, they will be just inactive and they will not count as population or unemployed.
I don't think they will be sitting idle at all.
if you have a very small army and you don't plan a big one, just don't purchase them.
you only need them if:
1. You want a large army and you do not want to have your workers be recruited.
2. You want to setup mobile units.
There will be no way to produce them. I explained this here before. you can purchase them.
There will be a market. if you suddenly decide that you do not need them any more you can offer them for sale.
There will also be a market for mobile units and making mobile units will require professional soldiers and officers.
I don't have a date yet.
it is very high on our work list as we need it for many follow up features.
I hope to have it late September but it may be delayed a bit as we also have a little list of bugs and improvements on current features.
slave trade? no. Mercenaries? |
| Maestro2000 | Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 04:16 pm
I'd like to see some new companies created that can produce professional armies. |
| Blueserpent (White Giant) | Saturday, August 27, 2011 - 05:11 pm
"There will be no way to produce them. I explained this here before. you can purchase them.
There will be a market. if you suddenly decide that you do not need them any more you can offer them for sale". ....Tommi |
| Tom Morgan (Kebir Blue) | Sunday, August 28, 2011 - 12:50 am
lol maestro |
| Crazy Eye (Fearless Blue) | Monday, August 29, 2011 - 08:14 am
Tom since the new soldiers would be professionals do they have a high quality level and effeciatcy. doing they automatically come with say a 300 fighting level??? |
| Tom Willard | Monday, August 29, 2011 - 10:35 am
Fighting level depends on the quality of the weapons and ammunition. |
| SuperSoldierRCP (Little Upsilon) | Monday, August 29, 2011 - 07:28 pm
"Tom since the new soldiers would be professionals do they have a high quality level and effeciatcy. doing they automatically come with say a 300 fighting level???"
When are navies getting updated lol |
| Tom Willard | Monday, August 29, 2011 - 09:39 pm
We will eventually do it. It is a lot of work compared with the net effect.
for now, the navy is becoming relatively more powerful because all other units are becoming smaller.
Next reduction in a week time.
it will be announced in the game news tomorrow. |
| Quetzalcoatl (Little Upsilon) | Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - 05:25 am
I like Maestros idea of companies that produce professional armies. |
| Open Sesame (Little Upsilon) | Tuesday, August 30, 2011 - 06:14 am
Shortages are the logical conclusion of corps. |
| Matt Patton (Golden Rainbow) | Thursday, September 1, 2011 - 09:13 pm
interesting idea a few questions
1 where do they come from Like will there be a mercenary company that trains em or will it be a GC item
2. us existing users so when we buy em our regular army people will go back to work so like a million people go back to work |
| Tom Morgan (Kebir Blue) | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 02:59 pm
Apart from Matt's grammar, I agree. Will purchasing soldiers immediately replace existing non-professional soldiers, or will it need to be done manually? |
| Maestro2000 (Little Upsilon) | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 03:37 pm
Just a quick question.
This addition of a mercenary army is supposed to make the game more realistic? |
| FattyMcButterPants (Fearless Blue) | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 03:40 pm
More realistic than you sitting in free war protection on all worlds, yes.
Qaddafi's Army is largely comprised of mercenaries, that would be realistic then. |
| Maestro2000 (Little Upsilon) | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 03:42 pm
Hi Wendy
You are always such a breath of fresh air, especially before a holiday weekend.
Cheers,
Maestro |
| Tom Willard | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 03:43 pm
the professional soldiers and officers, when purchased, will automatically replace workers and managers.
the replacement will take place during the following month run.
This addition is not intended to make the game more realistic. |
| Jo Salkilld (White Giant) | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 04:53 pm
Sorry Tom, two more clarifications please:
1. Will the LLWs and MLMs replaced disappear, or return to the workforce?
2. Will the professional soldiers count towards the country population?
In other words, if I buy 100,000 professional army, will I have 100,000 extra workers? and will my population increase by 100,000, reduce by 100,000 or stay the same?
Hugs and respect
Jo |
| FattyMcButterPants (Little Upsilon) | Friday, September 2, 2011 - 08:42 pm
Quote:This addition is not intended to make the game more realistic. ~Tom Willard
Not intended, but it sure does make it more realistic....
...and for that, WE Thank You |
| Tom Willard | Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 03:20 pm
Jo,
LLW and MLM if not used by the army always return to the workforce like they do when you reduce the size of the army.
The professional army does not add to the population. I think I clarified it before.
Their numbers will show on the defense page.
They are no workers, they are just soldiers and officers. They are the first to be recruited by the army, the first to die and the last to leave the army.
When the professional army is in place, we will move on to introduce mobile units that can only be manned by professionals. (optional, do make them if you don't need them).
These units, if available in the country will use professionals first, then the other units and weapons.
these units will be able to move between countries, will be traded for gold coins, will be transported and fight for whoever owns them. |
| Jo Salkilld (White Giant) | Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 03:28 pm
Fantastic Tom. Thank you! This means I can plan my strategy much better. Employment and defence are the two big factors for me at the moment.
Can't wait for the professional army to be implemented!
Hugs and respect
Jo |
| FattyMcButterPants (Little Upsilon) | Saturday, September 3, 2011 - 03:44 pm
Yes! |
