Crushing your enemies... And the disadvantages thereof.

[stevethecat]

It's pretty easy to get carried away at times, finally after 5 years of war the battle generator has picked something other than a single CL and you can now crush the enemy fleet under the weight of [insert nation here] steel. The enemy reeling from the defeat come to the negotiating table.

Push for hard terms! We declare, and swallow up territory and maybe the remnants of a fleet.

But is this actually a good thing.

Your enemy is now free of the financial burdern of that old and always obsolete fleet and can pump *all* of the money into the latest designs. You are stuck trying to pick which ships to refit and which to mothball, trying to scrape a few pennies back following that 'budget reduced screen'. The enemy has lost territory but has also lost the burdens that come with it, you are having to pick out some spare old ships, or reactivate a hugly expensive CA to fill up the missing tonnage for colony requirements.

You have won decisvely but how much has it cost?

So is war for blood the only true way to serve the Emperor or do you go for peace when possible to minimise wars immense costs for yourself, and keep the burden of old ships on your rivals?

[anthropoid]

The fact the budget is ALWAYS reduced after war is disappointing. In my first three wars, I made some decent territorial gains (Malta, Libya, Formosa and something else I gained . . .). In my two most recent (from a restart with some additional insights on ship design based on suggestions here): war with Russia, I'm kicking their butts from the start. They are already hurting after 9 months and start whining for peace. I say "No, hold out for better terms." But NOPE, peace and budget cuts. Ah well, we get 'em next time. Then a year or three later: same thing with Italy! Crush them by 650% in war VP within a few months, "No, hold out for better terms." but NOPE, peace and budget cuts.

The travails of Middle Management serving under bone-headed Executives . . .

[samweston]

That isn't the most of the bone-headedness. The "You must build so many of this particular type of vessel that you don't actually need to be building, or even actually afford at the moment, or you will lose prestige" segments are. If the person above you knows so damn much about naval requirements what purpose do you even serve.