Ikeaboy33 wrote:

is there any way to represent this in-game and make it meaningful. also, irl, in any relatively plausible universe, would supplies matter at all?

talking about war supplies and logistics regarding fleets mostly (they carry troops aswell)

Since manpower is created from food,  I guess that also counts as the "supply" for soldiers.  

Ikeaboy33 wrote:

is there any way to represent this in-game and make it meaningful. also, irl, in any relatively plausible universe, would supplies matter at all?

talking about war supplies and logistics regarding fleets mostly (they carry troops aswell)

IRL, supply lines are vital for any force that cannot/will not pillage and convert new material captures. Ammunition, fuel, medicine and other quantifiable resources will always run out, and require a solid line of supplies to maintain.

If you were a force that could convert every enemy loss into your own quantifiable resources (including commonly difficult resources like manpower), then you wouldn't need a supply chain for as long as your front-facing forces continue having the upper hand. For a force like this to remain viable, it is paramount that the initial force have a massive advantage in the opening of a war and can properly use an element of shock and/or surprise to launch itself from.

Ikeaboy33 wrote:

thats what i was kind aiming at, managing supplies.  currently as far as i saw we just need to enter one of our systems and manpower refils automatically if we have enough manpower, which is kinda dissapointing imo. somehow all the manpower is concentrated in the first system we enter instead of being located elsewhere aswell.

maybe  at least we could have some mechanic for alocation of manpower in our systems or something to make for some strategic decisions or operational decisions

also if i am not wrong it seems that when changing composition of armies or whatever they are called, for example changing ratio of infantry/armor/air planes , it gets changed automatically? thats kinda too simple/unrealistic

IIRC manpower refill is dependent on the control you have over the system, its approval rating and how much food it generates, plus empire-wide manpower reserves. Unless you have powerful approval fallbacks to boost control over newly captured systems, your fleets will have to do back-and-forth between happier/in-control colonies and the front line to refill their manpower. I think this was a balancing decision to keep invasion juggernauts from dominating too far too quickly, but also to simplify troop management because it becomes more and more complex the more fleets (and constituent ships) you have.

I do agree with the army composition changes thing. That should be something that requires a retrofit.

SirBagel wrote:

Manpower exists in the game. Although I think the reason most people don't notice or care much is because it's so abundant once you have a decent population. Plus the weapons that do crew damage are locked behind higher tiers and strategic resources.

Now that I think about it, it would be cool if each fleet could have a new button that requests a manpower refill, and the nearest system able to do so sends a civilian ship (just like how civilian ships currently send food to outposts automatically). Make manpower generation slower and manpower loss from battles greater, combined with current ship damage reduction from lack of manpower, and you've got a new resource management aspect to the game. Whether it's actually fun or tedious is another matter

I'd argue part of that has to do with the current exploding pop growth issue. It's very unlikely that non-Riftborn factions ever have manpower issues past the early game largely because it takes very little to get flooded with food from buildings and bonuses. Even with Riftborn, I find that within 30-40 turns I have a couple of systems doing nothing but churning out manpower because there is nothing left to build.

That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing manpower being a bit more scarce, as well as more places to spend it and manpower "costs." For example, IRL leaving behind garrisons in newly conquered territory was pretty important if you didn't want the inhabitants to overthrow whatever authority you set up moments after you left. This meant that even if the campaign was going flawlessly, invading armies had to be constantly reinforced with new troops to replace those that had to be left behind to police the latest conquests. If it doesn't exist already, newly conquered systems (as well as Vodyani hunting grounds) should probably have a manpower drain until you've taken complete control of the system, perhaps with civy ships involved.

SirBagel wrote:

Manpower exists in the game. Although I think the reason most people don't notice or care much is because it's so abundant once you have a decent population. Plus the weapons that do crew damage are locked behind higher tiers and strategic resources.

Now that I think about it, it would be cool if each fleet could have a new button that requests a manpower refill, and the nearest system able to do so sends a civilian ship (just like how civilian ships currently send food to outposts automatically). Make manpower generation slower and manpower loss from battles greater, combined with current ship damage reduction from lack of manpower, and you've got a new resource management aspect to the game. Whether it's actually fun or tedious is another matter

Are you kidding?  Unless I'm playing as the Cravers, I'm usually desperate for more Manpower!  It might be that I play small maps, but goodness, it can be hard to get, especially in the early game