Step 8 Balancing the Game
Balancing Axis & Allies style games is a difficult task. For example in V3-1941 the Allies are ahead in every measure, but the game is reasonably balanced.
Production 120 to 58
Starting PU 113 to 58
Units 124 to 105
TPV 696 to 645
Objectives 12 to 6
This is typical of A&A games, that units and TPV are close between the sides. However income obviously matters in the long run. Furthermore, vulnerable territories of the Status Quo players may actually work to the benefit of the Aggressor.
As a starting formula I have:
Production x 3+ Starting PU's + Units + TPV - vulnerability penalty - delayed entry penalty
The vulnerability penalty is x3 the income of vulnerable territories + factories in vulnerable territories.
A territory is vulnerable if they are owned by Status Quo country that is active at the game start and that is adjacent to an Aggressor country that is active the game start.
The delayed entry penalty is 10% of the TPV for each turn past 1 of delay.
To balance the game additional units (and starting PU's) are added to the aggressors if they are behind and additional income to the lead status quo power if they are behind.
Units will be randomly added to territories with a weighting equal to value+1. The chance of a specific unit will be proportional to the inverse of its cost.
In either case units will have the build caps equal to 120/cost to prevent ridiculous builds by the AI.