@Thebuttkicker I'm definitely open to re-designing the numbers, so I appreciate the feedback!
As mytigio pointed out, all of the plot numbers are balanced around what I imagined an "optimal" configuration might look like at various levels of the settlement's life.
So to start, if you had three settlers, and had two on Agricultural and 1 on Martial, you'd still be shy on the defense requirements and would get raided, so from that perspective it looks like they are under-powered. Though that's intentional, because getting raided should happen more early on when your settlement is weak.
One of the things I considered when choosing the defense numbers, is that you needed a reason to sacrifice the space and a settler on a defense plot when that settler could be working on Industrial and producing you goods. So the defense plot has to be more powerful than turrets, or else you're always going to be better off just turret spamming (in fact, once you get late enough in the game, using only turrets is the optimal play- but it should take a while to get there if you are gathering resources manually).
I think the level 1 defense number is in a good place, the level 2 and level 3, might be a little high, though considering how much space they take up versus a turret - I think it may still be justified. Though I guess now with Settlements Expanded working with SS, space may not be the limiting factor it was when I originally designed everything.
How do you guys feel about the numbers when space is factored in? Considering two high-end turrets could generate the same amount of defense as a 2x2 Martial plot at L2.
I'm also looking for ideas for a "hardcore" mode, where things are even tighter - any thoughts on numbers/restrictions for a mode like that?
I think rather than looking at the Martial as being OP, you might look at it as you have too many of them and could put more of your guards on production instead. Though that's only if you're interested in min-maxing, which I think you might be if we're talking unbalance! Though you guys play the game way more than I do, so maybe I'm way off on this.