Advise for a noob

[Pitas]

I bought this game a while ago and thought it was ok.
I recently started a game as Japan, but I didn't have a clue of what to do so I read some threads on the forum. A guy said you could turn farmers into clerks to capitalists and so I did. The capitalists started building stuff and my economy was exploding. Many years later I decided to invade Korea. I built some transports and invaded, simple and smooth and I took the northern provinces. Just a year later Russia DoWs me and I place 5 Regiments (Some with guards and arty) in the only bordering province. The russians invaded with 20 regiments but somehow i won and started a counter offensive. Smack! All my regiments disappear in a week long battle and russia occupies Northern Korea. In the peace treaty they grab 1 province. Attack Korea-annex and then Russia DoWs me again. Same tactic place 5 regiments in the bordering provinces and defend. After a few years trench wars I landed (with boats) 2 regiments behind their lines and I can advance a bit but still no peace.

So what should I do? About my economy, since I can only have about 10 regiments and revolts are popping up all over Japan? Even though I'm considered a great power I can barely take down China since i have so few regiments.

 

[Orm]

You have to turn farmer/labourer POPs into soldier POPs, then build more divisions.

 

[Pitas]

That doesn't lower the upkeep cost? Though you solved one of my problems...

 

[Orm]

That doesn't lower the upkeep cost?

No. You have to increase your income to afford a larger army. Lower the taxes for rich POPs so your capitalists can build more industries and railroads. Fill the factories with craftsmen and clerk POPs.
Also, an important point is that some of the brigades (especially artillery) are expensive, so build those with moderation.
Another thing you can do is to increase your mobilisation pool. Then you'll have plenty of reserve divisions to mobilise in case of war, but cost you nothing while they're demobilised.


You have had the Meiji Restoration event?

 

[henryjai]

Don't mobilize, it just turn your POPs into soldiers and died meaninglessly.

To combat Russia, you need a relatively good relations with Russia, and a fairly large army. You need at least 20 divisions as Japan.


try to have a troop ratio of 5 infantry + 1 arty brigaded infantry, or in case you're wealthier try 3 infantry + 1 arty + 1 guard + 1 engineer. Artillery is needed to defeat the Russians in case they invade. In my game as Japan, I field around 50 regulars artillery and they beat the crap out of the Russians in the 1930s. The Russian military power dropped by 300 in 3 years.


For Japan the best way to build up your economy is to appoint a Socialist party in power and take up the industrialization yourself (don't leave a single farmer working in RGOs). You should be rank #1 in industry by 1880 and your economy would allow you to do whatever you want. Oh, by the way, the pros of having a socialist party in power is that (full citizenship), you could convert the conquered Korean pops as soldiers to die for the glorious Japan, great, right? (the Korea RGOs are poor compared to the rest of Asia, so Koreans are naturally the #1 candidate as cannonfodders)

 

[gornard]

I've never tried the socialist root, but you can get on easily and a achieve similar industrial status with a lassiez faire/interventionist party if you prefer. You have a large population perfect for industrialization. Put one capitalist pop of a good size in every state with more then 5 pops and you'll soon be a power house. Keeping good relations with russia can help avoid them declaring war on you. Build up your navy and army as your economy grows. I'd advise that you use foreign soldier pops from conquered provinces instead of converting japanese. If you conquer anywhere in asia, make sure to make it a state and you can produce regular infantry just like your home grown ones.

Decide where you want to expand, conquering china requires man power, but you have a huge advantage against uncivilized Chinese troops (watch out for mountains though). Since most their heavily populated provinces require a large war score you'll probably conquer it piece meal, but the rewards in terms of manpower are high. Taking on the dutch or the Spanish will require a balance of naval power and land power, but you can gain large areas of land a bit quicker. Try and avoid Indochina until you are ready as you'll get in trouble with the French later on. I'd leave india alone until your army is quite large and you have a land border, it has similar benefits to Chinese land but you'll have to face a super power to get it.
I high badboy score will probably lead you to war with the british, russians or the americans so try and keep them happy until you want to fight them.

 

[henryjai]

I've never tried the socialist root, but you can get on easily and a achieve similar industrial status with a lassiez faire/interventionist party if you prefer. You have a large population perfect for industrialization. Put one capitalist pop of a good size in every state with more then 5 pops and you'll soon be a power house. Keeping good relations with russia can help avoid them declaring war on you. Build up your navy and army as your economy grows. I'd advise that you use foreign soldier pops from conquered provinces instead of converting japanese. If you conquer anywhere in asia, make sure to make it a state and you can produce regular infantry just like your home grown ones.

Decide where you want to expand, conquering china requires man power, but you have a huge advantage against uncivilized Chinese troops (watch out for mountains though). Since most their heavily populated provinces require a large war score you'll probably conquer it piece meal, but the rewards in terms of manpower are high. Taking on the dutch or the Spanish will require a balance of naval power and land power, but you can gain large areas of land a bit quicker. Try and avoid Indochina until you are ready as you'll get in trouble with the French later on. I'd leave india alone until your army is quite large and you have a land border, it has similar benefits to Chinese land but you'll have to face a super power to get it.
I high badboy score will probably lead you to war with the british, russians or the americans so try and keep them happy until you want to fight them.

The lassie faire path had a downside, it is way slower... you need to wait 2 years for a factory to be completed, you need like 40 years or more to complete the industrialization. While with socialist path the industrialization is complete in 20 years or less (that is more a money constrain rather than time, actually), the same applies for conquered territory, to industrialize a conquer territory as Japan (After you get rich), using socialist party it is done in around 5 years (To let the 100+ jobless pops working, that'd take hell long without state cappi/planned economy), but a lassie faire might not be able to do so till the end of game.

 

[gornard]

I didn't know it takes longer for a factory to be built in laissez faire. I've never really tried the planned economy root to be honest.

 

[Orm]

I didn't know it takes longer for a factory to be built in laissez faire. I've never really tried the planned economy root to be honest.

It doesn't take longer for the factory itself to be built. It's just that capitalists can only build one factory at a time, due to the factory being built being counted as an empty factory and thus blocking capitalists from building more.

 

[Pitas]

Thanks!

And what about revolts? How can I lower revolt risk? I tried to lower taxes but it didn't help much.

 

[Orm]

Thanks!

And what about revolts? How can I lower revolt risk? I tried to lower taxes but it didn't help much.

Increasing the crime fighting budget decreases revolt risk immediately.
But if you want to remove the cause for it and not just the symptom, it depends on what the cause is. If it's in newly conquered provinces, then it's due to nationalism and will disappear by itself with time. If it's because of militancy, you can hover your mouse pointer over the militant POP to get a tool-tip telling you if the militancy is increasing or decreasing and what is causing the increase/decrease and then decide what to do from there.

 

[Pitas]

Oh... It's increasing by 0.13 every month (for craftsmen) because I have no social reforms and stuff. I guess I'll have to start a new game since Russia (and rebels) control most of Japan... What's a good starter nation?

 

[Eärendil]

Brazil, Belgium or Sweden are usually considered good starting nations.