Just to introduce players to a MP game balancing mechanisms that we have introduced for games with 15 or less players. The idea is that we know the engine has inflationary tendencies and that nations in the lead seems to get more and more in the lead as time passes, while it's harder and harder for the late ones to catch up.
The mecanisms triggers every 2 years, based on some nations reaching a certain VP threshold. First treshold is the 10,000 VP mark for 2+ nations, the next will be the 20,000 mark for 3+ nations, etc... (10,000 and one nation extra each time). Each time such a threshold is reached, a balancing mecanisms triggers, as follows:
Nations over the mark (i.e 10,000 first time): lose 10% VP, gain amount of VP lost in state funds
Nations not over the mark but more than half of it: lose 5% VP, gain amount of VP lost in state funds
Nations below half the mark and above 20% (i.e. less than 5,000 and more than 2,000 in first step): gain 5% VP and same amount of state funds
Nations below 20% of the mark: gain 10% VP and double the same amount of state funds (but capped at 300£)
Nations less than 10% of the mark: gain 50% VP (or 200, whichever is biggest), flat 200£
In such a way, the nations in the lead are a bit slowed down without being penalized, the ones in the trails get a little catch up, the ones really lagging a better catchup. Overall, we tried it and this is good because it does not alter much the rankings but really gives a chance to the late nations and makes the game both interesing and challenging.
Here is a simulation of the mecanism in the world in conflict game, November 1881 [showing nation tag (rank), VP]
Before Mecanism trigger
GER (1) : 12,085
GBR (2) : 11,427
FRA (3) : 7,634
USA (4) : 7,070
RUS (5) : 5,717
AUS (6) : 5,319
JAP (7) : 3,077
ITA (8) : 2,443
HOL (9) : 1,995
SPA (10) : 1,734
BEL (11): 1,595
TUR (12): 1,522
CHI (13): 1,383
POR (14): 901
SWE (15): 408
After Mecanism trigger
GER (1) : 10,877 + 1,208£ [color="#FF0000"](VP = -1,208)[/color]
GBR (2) : 10,285 + 1,142£ [color="#FF0000"](VP = -1,1142)[/color]
FRA (3) : 7,252 + 382£ [color="#FF0000"](VP = -382)[/color]
USA (4) : 6,717 + 353£ [color="#FF0000"](VP = -353)[/color]
RUS (5) : 5,432 + 285£ [color="#FF0000"](VP = -285)[/color]
AUS (6) : 5,054 + 265£ [color="#FF0000"](VP = -265)[/color]
JAP (7) : 3,227 + 150£ (VP = +150)
ITA (8) : 2,565 + 122£ (VP = +122)
HOL (9) : 2,095 + 100£ (VP = +100)
SPA (10) : 1,907 + 173£ (VP = +173)
BEL (11): 1,754 + 300£ (VP = +159)
TUR (12): 1,674 + 300£ (VP = +152)
CHI (13): 1,659 + 283£ (VP = +138)
POR (14): 1,352 + 200£ (VP = +451)
SWE (15): 612 + 200£ (VP = +204)
This is of course not 'decisive', but it's a way to help smaller nations that were not intended to be playable initially and thus give a sense of challenge in the game, although it is obvious that the game design was made initially only for the 8 major playable nations.