UK Rationing

[Matti-96]

The UK's post WW2 rationing... or at least, an abstracted version of it.

The system works like this:

1. Game starts and checks the UK's national market for the current price of 35 different goods across the range of staple, industrial, and luxury goods. Any good that has it's market price 10% above its base price or higher, while be deemed a rationed good.
2. Every week, the game assesses the characters, the interest groups, what buildings currently exist, the government legitimacy, and the current market price of the rationed goods, to determine hoe much risk there is of that good causing an inflationary effect. If there is an inflationary effect, it increases the good's progress, which is bad, as ideally the progress should be kept at 0 or as low as possible.
3. As a good's progress gets higher, it causes the "Goods Demand Inflation" value to increase, which applies an inflation modifier copied from the original inflation modifier, but renamed, to simulate the effects of inflation. The higher the progress, the higher the rate that inflation increases at. A rationed good with a market price below its base price will decrease the goods demand inflation, though only for so long.
4. To end the rationing of a good, 1 of 2 conditions must be met. Either, the consumption of that good drops below a set value or, the rate of progress increase is kept below 0 (i.e. negative) for a number of months continuously, each month passed increasing a counter by 1. The higher the progress, the more months this needs to be done for. If at any point the rate of progress increase goes above 0 when the value is checked, the counter is reset to 0.
5. If the goods demand inflation gets too high, it can be reset back to 0 by devaluing the pound sterling, which applies a decaying negative modifier and devalues the £ in the currency value mechanics that exist in the mod. There is a chance that this is forcibly done, either by monthly chance that increases as the inflation gets higher, or immediately when the goods demand inflation reaches 50.
6. There are 3 ways that the rationing ends: First, no more goods are being rationed, which ends the journal entry and gives a inverted inflation modifier as a reward for a short term boost to the economy as the rationing is considered a success. Second, the journal entry times out after 10 years which applies a negative decaying modifier with the multiplier being equal to the number of goods still being rationed, due to the rationing being considered a failure, unable to prevent the negative economic consequences. Thirdly, the rationing can be ended early after a number of months and having enough government legitimacy. The higher the government legitimacy, the earlier the rationing can be ended, with the price being a decaying negative modifier similar to the previous negative modifier being applied, with the duration and multiplier being dependent on the number of goods still being rationed, and how long the rationing had been going on for.

[JackEPepper]

I like the bones on this JE, but think it needs improvement in a couple areas:

1. Transition the main mechanic away from inflation. I know you started this before the main inflation mechanic, but a new player starting the game is going to be confused at how the rationing inflation and main inflation differ. Simply labeling it something else, such as 'shortages' or the like it fine.

2. Clearer tooltips and localization in general. There's a lot of text, but no rich formatting, and no clear explanation on mechanically what needs to be done and why. How does popularity influence shortages? What causes clout to have an effect? What should I do to buildings to make line go up (down)? In a similar vein, its unclear what progress is and represents, or how to change it.

3. I like the general idea of the weather system, tying it to a UK-excusive JE feels gimmicky. Personally, I'd prefer to see it either as a more general system with some tie-in to the JE, or shelved for the time being, but I'd be willing to accept an argument either way.

[Matti-96]

Made changes based on Lack's comments:

• All references to inflation has been removed. Now called Demand Pressure
• Weather system has been removed
• Multiple localization changes to provide information to the player on why stuff is happening and how they can change it. Also provided clearer information on how to complete the journal entry. Improved how information is displayed to allow the player to see in more detail what the source of the effects are regarding characters and interest groups, as well as what is causing the increase in the overall Demand Pressure