If you ask about lack of raw materials, then "sugar beet" is totally missing in the game (even in the original game – I have no idea what the developers are thinking). You can find the average regional suger beet output here[upload.wikimedia.org].

Then there is this oil thing. Small amount of oil (like 0/1) should be available in almost all states, but with AI set to not to build them except for "Isolationism law". When you play an isolationist or you just happen to be the first one to discover "Oil Distillation", you are totally stuck (this wasn't so important in the original game, but in later eras you can't progress without it).

Talking about oil, "Synthetic Fuel" is a total game changer and I love it, but there are three problems with it:

1) Discovering "Synthetic Fuel" doesn't unlock all the cool things you can actually use it for, so you still have to spend a lot of time dicovering "Oil Distillation" too. I think the tree should change somehow or there should be some kind of event that gives you progress points into it if you have discovered "Synthetic Fuel" first.

2) "Synthetic Fuel" produces only "Light Fuel" and "Heavy Fuel", but no "Lubricants". Even if there were this 1 natural gas rig present in almost every state, you are going to end up with serious shortage. In reality, you can use literaly anything oily as lubricant, so I think there should be some another era V technology behind it that lets you change a huge amout of meat or fish into a small amount of "Lubricants" (but you should be able to choose what to use). Maybe discovering both "Synthetic Fuel" and this "Lubricant industry" could give you enough points through events to fully unlock "Oil Distillation" to make the current tree working.

3) In military tree, era VI, there is this "Modern Aviation" technology that unlocks "Kerosene". Again, if you don't have access to oil, it doesn't make sense you spend so many time researching previous technologies you can't actually use just to finally get the ability to fly. "Kerosene" should be unlocked together with "Synthetic Fuel" and "Modern Aviation" should be automatically discovered through event if you have both "Synthetic Fuel" and "Seaplanes" discovered.

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Huh, I guess this is it. I would like to mention that I am more into changing the tree than solving issues through events, but it is up to you.

Thank you for you working on this mod!

Hey, I just came up with a more elegant solution for that "Lubricant" issue.

You can introduce a new good called "Vegetable Oil" produced by "Olive Tree Plantations"[www.oliocentrica.it], "Palm Oil Plantations"[www.palmoilextractionmachine.com] and "Rapeseed Farms"[upload.wikimedia.org]. After researching "Cotton Seed Hulling Machine" (era III) you can get it also from "Cotton Plantations".

It should belong to "popneed_basic_food" and "popneed_heating" categories.

Changing base production method, adding "Vegetable Oil" to "Hydrogenation Plants", you will get more "Light Fuel" + "Lubricant".

With that you don't need a separated "Lubricant industry" and you can disconnected the "Conveyors", "Combustion Engine" and "Ethylene" technologies from "Oil Distillation".

Yeah, and "Synthetic Rubber" should be connected to "Modern Purification" instead. Also "Thermal Cracking" and "Mechanical Arms" should be disconnected from "Vacuum Distilation".

What do you think?