Barracks and naval bases are the buildings that raise and support a nation’s armed forces. These buildings generate the battalions and flotillas that can be assigned to generals and admirals.
Unlike most other buildings in the game, Barracks and naval bases do not have a stacking throughput modifier for having multiple level buildings in the same state.
Barracks
Barracks can raise one battalion for each building level, as long as there are enough people in the state to ensure the building is at full employment. Each battalion requires 1000 working POPs.
Each barracks has five sets of production methods which set the base offense and defense for those battalions, and a range of different modifiers. Generally, as technology increases more advanced production methods are unlocked, but these methods generally require more input goods, and can also change the ratio of officers to soldiers, increasing the wage bill for a given sized force.
Similar to barracks, but for naval forces, each level of a naval base, as long as it is at full employment, provides one flotilla for use by an admiral. Each naval base has four sets of production methods which, again like barracks, set the base offense and defense for the flotillas from that base, as well as influence other modifiers. As technology increases, more advanced (but also more expensive) production methods are unlocked.
Maximum declared interests
One thing that naval bases do differently to barracks is that they provide an increase in the number of maximum declared interests a nation can have, representing the power projection that navies enable. The amount of maximum declared interest provided by a flotilla increases for more advanced flotilla types.
Equipment adjustment modifier
When production methods are modified, the unit (battalion or flotilla) receives a -75% penalty to offense and defense that persists for 12 months while it decays. Avoiding changes in equipment just before or during wars can make a substantial difference to a nation’s military capabilities in those wars. On the other hand, if one realises that the enemy is stronger than anticipated, it might be necessary to change production methods to win in the long term.
Goods shortages and unit stats
If adequate military supplies aren’t available for your units, they will suffer penalties to offense, defense and power projection (and, for flotillas, to declared interests). Penalties kick in if there are less than 50% of the demanded goods in the market, and the maximum statistical penalty for insufficient goods is 50%.
Penalties gradually increase and decrease over time, towards the target penalty, so even once sufficient goods are available, it will take some time before units will operate at full strength.
