Fair enough, but I don't seem to be having that problem. Don't misunderstand: I'm selling supplies to the United States and using the cash to build large reserves of energy, metal, and rares. My goal by July 1, 1937, is to have 30k in energy, 15k in metal, and about 7.5k in rares. This gives me over a 3 month supply, assuming 152 IC and every unit of IC is going to new construction/building and that I'm suddenly not adding to my supplies at all.
Part of my overall plan in the 18 months prior to Marco Polo is stockpile assets to at least 10k in energy, metal, rares, and oil - although I hate to buy oil and will let this one go a bit if I have to. Supplies I really stockpile, often trying to achieve 30 to 40k reserve, including what I sell the U.S. Money? Money, schmoney - since I try to keep this less than 200, I buy everything I can.
Wouldn't be simpler just to stop selling supplies and use the extra IC to "build"? Not in my experience. Playing on normal, a single infantry division costs between 6-7 IC to build over 100 days. Using the same amount of IC for the same amount of time to make supplies, increases my supplies by a significant amount - enough to sell and use the money to buy Japan's much needed rare resources.
Exactly.
Which is why I posed the question.Maybe there are other parts of the map where you can "conquer" enough regions to provide a massive increase in IC or Leadership. Asia is not one of those parts of the map. As you say, the best you can hope for is some resources (about 40% IIR) and that will just stop the bleeding a bit back home.
No, the only way for Japan to accumulate resources between 1936-1940 is to buy, buy, buy. And to do that, they have to sell supplies - which means leveraging IC to make supplies to sell. From day one, I can sell 50 supplies to the U.S. for 8.21 (on normal). For the 10 IC I invest in extra supplies (whatever supplies are need + 10 IC), I can cover that 50 and more - and I don't believe it drains my resources.
Yes, there's not a lot of hope from the armament minister - or the rest of the cabinet.
What do I intend to do by 1940? Begin serious preparation for the inevitable war with the Allies. The following information is based solely on the two test campaigns I played.
Japan is "locked" into the start of the game. Sure, you can decide when you want to attack China but the longer you delay, the more resources you lose (even the 40% is better than nada). And, frankly, there's no reason to delay. So I start my war with China on July 7, 1937.
I use the time prior to that for three primary purposes: (1) reorganizing my army, navy and air force, (2) researching the most critical tech I can including naval tech, (3) stockpiling resources while recruiting enough land units to win the war in China (yes, you're right about Japan's army) - a bit of a balancing act. I also make sure my officer ratio is at 140% and that I'm recruiting my units on specialist setting. I want every advantage in battle I can get.
I haven't experimented with reserve units yet because I didn't really see the purpose and because someone told me they're statistically weaker.
In order for Japan to achieve victory, IMO, they must have the most powerful navy they can achieve. Sure, I can do some "gamey" things like spamming a bunch of cheaper, weaker ships and throwing them at the enemy in the hopes of getting a "critical" hit (what the Strategy Guide refers to as the "Rennslaer Paradigm"), but the only way to ensure victory over the United States is to destroy their navy with a better navy.
But we know that building ships stops up production like a toy in a toilet. Particularly between 1937 and the end of 1940, which I see as the optimum 4 year period for Japan to build their navy. Japan has to have carriers - and a number of them. Try building 4 carriers - with CAGs - in an unmodded version of HoI3 FtM in that time frame (I know some people mod the construction time) - while you're developing your carrier tech. They start at 19 months (assuming you upgrade the research, 17 months if you don't) and cost at least 14 IC with CAGs (and really - what's the use of a carrier without CAGs?) making them one of the most expensive units in the game (only a Tactical Bomber is more expensive).
(BTW, my game must be broken, because on a video tutorial I was told that the more units you build, the "practical" effect is you build them faster. Not so. I raised my infantry practical to 10 - 10! - and, get this, it took six days LONGER to build these units than the previous units. The same thing happened with artillery. And this is despite researching industrial efficiency. Of course, I also researched infantry elements during the same time, which resulted in better units which take longer to build. The same thing happened with artillery).
Once you roll into 1941, if Japan doesn't have a strong navy - it's really too late. And in the meantime, you have land and air units to recruit. Even 5 or 10 (or preferably 20) increase in IC would mean an extra battleship or battlecruiser to add to the stack. Yes, it will burn up resources, but that's why I stock pile them.
Anyway - yes, I get your point. Japan has this problem. Sure, Japan can attack Russia, but then Germany attacks Russia, gets all the good stuff, and you're stuck with a bunch of Japanese guys in Siberia (like shades of a merged Akira Kurosawa/Jack London nightmare).
So anything I can do - anything! - to increase IC will only benefit me. But I'm a near impossible time getting my IC up over 200 on normal difficulty.*
So, yes, thanks for your thoughts.
* Edit: this number reflects 1940 IC, not start of game.
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