So, I finally played through the chain myself. Here's my results:
Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the nightly news reports prosaically on the government blindly throwing money at despotic kidnappers.
+2 Compassion (299 -> 301)
+2 Niceness (307 -> 309)
-1 Freedom from Corruption (159 -> 158)
+0.5 Safety (1342.681 -> 1343.181)
+0.5 Safety from Crime (366.693 -> 367.193)
Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the nation's coasts have been left unprotected while the entire navy sits in Brasilistani waters.
+2 Defense Forces (68 -> 70)
Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the might of the nation's air force has been deployed against people with sticks in boats.
-1 Compassion (301 -> 300)
-1 Niceness (309 -> 308)
+1 Defense Forces (70 -> 71)
+1 Happiness (14 -> 15)
-0.75 Safety (1343.181 -> 1342.431)
-0.25 Safety from Crime (367.193 -> 366.943)
Following new legislation in Trotterdam, the navy is playing the part of pirate hunter.
+1 Compassion (300 -> 301)
+1 Niceness (308 -> 309)
-1 Happiness (15 -> 14)
+0.75 Safety (1342.431 -> 1343.181)
+0.25 Safety from Crime (366.943 -> 367.193)
Net effect of full chain:
+2 Compassion (299 -> 301)
+2 Niceness (307 -> 309)
+3 Defense Forces (68 -> 71)
-1 Freedom from Corruption (159 -> 158)
+0.5 Safety (1342.681 -> 1343.181)
+0.5 Safety from Crime (366.693 -> 367.193)
I know that happiness (or its individual contributing factors) is tracked internally in much more fine increments than is displayed to the player. My happiness has been floating around the edge of 14 and 15 for a while now, but I have no idea how this particular thing managed to increase it, nor do I have a clue why the fourth issue ended up almost exactly reversing the effects of the third one.
There might have been other changes - I didn't check
all of the stats, but I checked most of the ones that interest me. I noticed no impact on civil rights, lifespan, or economy, for example.
I've known for a while this was the path I was going to take. I've pictured this nation as thriving on maritime trade, with a relatively small but efficient military that's mostly a navy optimized for keeping our trading routes safe.
Because we try to be friendly and prefer trade and diplomacy to bloodshed, and because our minmaxed-to-keep-costs-down military isn't so great at conventional warfare (as opposed to protecting the seas from pirates, smugglers, poachers, terrorists, and unspeakable horrors from the deep), we didn't rush right into a costly war despite the Brasilistani government's reprehensible actions. But once the opportunity to cut Brasilistan down decisively with precise maneuvers from the type of warfare we're best at arose, we took it to save the time and lives that a slower bleeding-to-death would cause. The fallout of piracy was perfectly within our expertise to clean up, and we did so with professional efficiency and courtesy.
Constaniana wrote:Has anyone decided to do a full-on invasion instead of tactical bombing yet?
Plenty, but I think not anyone who's posted here.
I think tactical bombing makes sense, though. If you
have tactical bombs, use 'em. Even if you're planning to invade, it makes sense to soften the enemy up first so your soldiers have an easier fight ahead of them.