Malevolence
Posts: 1781
Joined: 4/3/2010 Status: offline
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My personal feelings aside about how the sphere is actually calculated, I think looking at the issue from a purely military standpoint is a bit off. It's not, in my mind, the eastern front. I think it has more to do with hegemony. The idea of a sphere of influence comes from an extension of power (coercive, institutional, ideological) and not specifically a military frontline like an "Eastern Front". The United States doesn't occupy Canada, Mexico, Central America or South America, but I think U.S. power is certainly felt there. Someone coined the term "Finlandization" once a while back. For example, some years back (2008) Russian warships decided to make a port call and conduct a brief naval exercise with Venezuela. I think we can all agree the U.S. and Russia are on fairly good terms, however, I think you might also be surprised (even alarmed) at the U.S. Navy's reception and escort of the Russian ships... an event that was eventually down-played and not repeated by either nation. I also think this why scaling with the size of the map is wholly justified. On a large map, if the sphere's don't cover more than the "center" system then what's the point of a sphere at all? Are you simply influencing empty space? NOTE: as of the latest patch I'm testing, you can ignore the sphere in terms of colonization if you are at war with the faction. I personally never liked the actual game rule restrictions given the spheres, and expressed an interest in more of a consequence-based reaction.
< Message edited by Malevolence -- 12/1/2011 6:25:09 AM >
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Nicht kleckern, sondern klotzen! *Please remember all posts are made by a malevolent, autocratic despot whose rule is marked by unjust severity and arbitrary behavior. Your experiences may vary.
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