Supreme Ruler has the view from space down to earth right...
So you as the supreme ruler are the one doing the broader grand strategy not the tactics..
the game engine itself though, due to the lack of country building, is more like tactical warfare and not so much strategy..
basically I think a game like civilization is more focused on long term planning, thus strategy..
tactics in civ ehm, non existing I'd say. Their AI is basically non-existing. There is no way the dumbest most stupid idiot
on this planet could loose from the AI in civ when it comes to combat tactics.
Supreme Ruler is all about tactics. So the choice of the name for this game is kinda weird, as the engine SR is the best
AI engine when it comes to tactical warfare. The closest tactical AI any other game in the world has is not even 1% compared
to Supreme Ruler tactical AI.
BUT.. it's tactics.. not strategy!
Scrapping units, etc. is strategy.. do I plan large numbers of cheap units but less powerful or less but more expensive specialized
units each on their own much stronger for their specific tasks..
This is not the main aim of Supreme Ruler..
So units obsolete or not, is really a human specific thing the AI never was designed for really as this game lacks long term strategy
planning and development of the country.
This is what I believe the weakness of SR, it's the ultimate tactical AI on the market, but used on a large strategic map..
I think the ultimate expansion for Supreme Ruler would be a complete new development ALONGSIDE the current tactical warfare engine
with strategic long term planning.
Thus I don't think this question of obsolete units actually belongs to the current game. After a few decades every game of mine economy
is screwed, country development halts, and costs of military explode versus income... even scrapping 100% of the units you run negative.
Because there is NO strategic planning in the game.
So the game isn't designed for long term gaming over decades.. thus no strategical decisions as it's a tactical engine.
Battlegoat should continue the tactical engine especially naval warfare, carrier group AI, bombing campaigns, bomber command AI, etc..
all kinds of WWII tactics not yet implemented in the game.
But at the same time we need a 2nd development for long term strategic planning and building up the country.
So we need 50+ resources to start with, not just the few we now have
industries building up, not just small, midi, large.. but I mean reall different industries like paper, steel, chips, etc..
building up from simple water and wind mills in 1500 to modern wind mills.
But that's a whole different development really.. that's strategy.. and the current tactical engine of SR would be SUPER to be integrated
into a strategic engine, or not integrated but alongside..
strategy planning for building up economy over centuries
building up infrastructure over centuries
but also addressing your units.. like during WWII when the president decides 30% of naval forces for atlantic and 70% for pacific
but land forces 80% for European teater and 20% for pacific
or like saying: troops for European theater 50.000 combat ready, 1000 main battle tanks combat ready (that's like 100 battalions or 3-5 divisions of which 2 light infantry, 2 heavy tanks and 1 medium armored)
150.000 troops in reserve back in US, but ready to be send over any time soon while storing 2500 main combat tanks in depots in Europe for the 150.000 additional troops in the USA so I only have
to send over the troops and not the equipment should I need it.
Such thoughts how to deploy troops isn't about tactics, you leave that up to the generals.. that's strategy..
I think SR is really focused on tactical warfare and doing GREAT!!!
But the strategic decisions are actually what a "supreme commander" would be involved in as tactics is for the generals in the field.
So to live up to the name, Battlegoat should start a 2nd development alongside of SR for the real strategy
And in such a strategy engine, you get the real question about using a lot of old units versus modern units OR a combination.. because quantity is a quality on it's own especially to
cover the flanks or large regions..
I don't see 50.000 modern army troops with their modern night vision, body protection and supported by 500 modern M1A2 SEP 3 occupying Germany after WWII
but 1.000.000 ill equipped simple rifles and 5.000 Sherman tanks will do the job pretty well... However, 200.000 ill equipped troops with 1000 Sherman tanks combined with a small modern force
to break any uprising will do that job even better because you have the quantity to show force, but you don't have enough for it for the whole country but modern
fast mobilized heavy weapons can easily deployed anywhere within 12 hours to crack any uprising with the most deadly force to keep the country occupied.
So that's strategy.. HOW these units going to crack down uprising and keep occupation is tactics and for that current engine is well done!