Every port has an export materials index (emi) value of between zero and 10.
The EMI is a measure of the volume and value of materials available at the port for export. The export materials are also used by local export industry (if any) that is servicing the port to create RPs that are then stored at the port. The export materials can also be exported in merchant ship convoys to other ports for conversion into RPs by the industry there.
The EMI values at your ports, together with the industry levels (see setting industry levels for more information), are used by the computer when it calculates the total value of your economy. The value of every possible convoy route between your ports is calculated, and a weighting is also applied based on how short the route is: shorter routes are worth more because more goods can be carried in a given amount of time.
Changing the EMI levels can have a big affect on the value of a country's economy, and hence on the starting odds also.
As EMI values are changed you should notice the odds change also (unless the change is small).
Note that it is most productive to have a high RMI (and high industry level) at your home port, because this is where new aircraft and troop unit production and most new ship production is likely to take place. But this does not always accord with reality. In a simulation of a US vs Japanese contest in the Pacific, it would be more realistic to give higher RMI values to outlying ports in Malaysia and the Dutch East Indies. Raw materials from there can be convoyed home but this takes time and involves risk of course.
To change the EMI level for the currently selected port, just select a new value in the combo box.
Click here to return to the help page detailing what other port parameters you can change.