Argentinia is not your nation to mess
That may be so, but it is my neighbor and Chile and Argentina do not get along generally. Knowing what state it is in will deturming if the time has come to attack Argentina or wait and build up more forces.
this is not a historic game, it is about building warships
True, but one cannot just build warships. One must have the infrustructure to build said warships. One must also have a reason to build said warships. Chile's reason to build warships was to counter Argentina, so I have a big interest in why Argentina is as it is, and with the historically most populated centers in African hands, I need to know when this happened so I can gauge how Chile's fleet would have developed in this reality.
Perhaps you could say that the SAE played a role in throwing out Iberia
I'd thought along simmilar line, or that it was competing with Iberia (Spain and Portuagal before 1812 if I understand this correctly) for colonies, which could mean that the SAE had more territory at one point, but either the Independent nations pushed them back to where they are now (giving Argentina a reason to be stronger with less stuff), or pushed back by the Iberians before independance of those colonies.
As for the war, it should stay, but it really needs to be finished.
As for trying to change you game, I don't want to change it, I just want justification for what is there already. That's why I'm asking questions. I want to know why things are as they are and what others have already written or thought of in this region so I know where I should start. This isn't RISK where you just put your pieces down randomly, this is a naval construction/combat simulation. One needs to know these things before he has a reasonble idea of how he should build, where he should look for support, where he should hunt for prey, and who he should avoid at all costs.
While most of the history might seem unimportant, it some ways it is critical. Its like jumping into a game where you don't know the rules. You have to keep asking questions while you are playing, or you have someone explain it to you at the start (or you read the book). I know some of the rules, but these points I'm trying to clear up are the pieces I'm missing. Knowing how long South Africa has been in South America might seem trivial, but if your a South American country, it is really important to know. It defines the whole situation of the present. (I have a list of questions, but I'll send them directly to Hoo).
While if this stayed a passive sim, with just construction, none of this would be needed. However, if spice is desired, and war is what is requested, then this sort of information is needed to define the causes of war, and the justification for the fleets we desire.
You don't have to come up with a history, but the trouble starts when the stories come up and then, surprize, that idea in the back of your head as to why you have what you have turned around because someone writes something that contradicts what you had in mind, but never said anything about. Having Iberian colonies more or less as they where historically don't effect me at all...I have no problem with Iberia after getting the unification in 1812 line....its things that where not historical and not yet defined are what leave me with questions.
I need to stop writing so much....if I can.