I prefer low drop rates tbh - whenever I see a crate now it's so exciting because it could be that one time I get something other than a duplicate white bulletin.
The opposite approach is something like the new Diablo expansion. If you load people with loot they absolutely adore you for a week, and then when they realise everyone already has everything and there's nothing to do it doesn't seem so great any more.
Of course you could ask why arpg drop rates should even be relevant to a strategy game, but well, for better or worse, it seems that now it is.
Fewer resources because history? I wonder what the purchase discount represents then. Seems to me these two factors cancel and simply add a little pointless complexity to unit comparisons.
Also I don't think it includes manpower, although I'm just working from that video so could be wrong.