Hearts of Iron IV - 42nd Development Diary - 29nd of January 2016

[Wraith11B]

I swear that looks like someone tossed a shriveled up tomato onto an Altoids tin of rice.

 

[Alex_brunius]

Why would mostly western players playing the game associate Japanese food ( like a bowl of rice ), with civilian production or reduced consumer goods needs? ( which is what podcat wrote the symbol was for )

its the Imperial Austerity spirit. it reduces consumer goods need. We use toasters to symbolize civilian production.

 

[Haldan]

Before the perverted Anime, in the time of the suicidal charges...

 

[Gamengervi]

Technically, at this time, the area under communist control was called the Shaan-Gan-Ning Border Region because it straddled the borders of Shaanxi, Gansu, and Ningxia provinces. This was how it was legally referred to by the Nationalist government and by the communists themselves.

Honestly, it should just be "Communist China" with the switch to the PRC if they win the Civil War.

Yeah, "Communist China" seems like the best name for it and I believe that's what it was called in Hearts of Iron 3.

I was going to write a slightly longer post about China and how it would be represented in the game, but I don't think it's necessary. I just hope the region gets an appropriate amount of flavor and attention. If not in vanilla, then perhaps in future expansions.

 

[Daelyn75]

Yeah, "Communist China" seems like the best name for it and I believe that's what it was called in Hearts of Iron 3.

I was going to write a slightly longer post about China and how it would be represented in the game, but I don't think it's necessary. I just hope the region gets an appropriate amount of flavor and attention. If not in vanilla, then perhaps in future expansions.

I hope there will be a Dev Diary on Nationalist China, Communist China, and all the warlords soon.

 

[Gamengervi]

I hope there will be a Dev Diary on Nationalist China, Communist China, and all the warlords soon.

I hope so, too, but they might be only doing these country DDs for the majors.

 

[that-guy-is-it]

Could expansionist Japan befriend America? Even if the US goes all pro Allies, for freedom and democracy, could an Anti Soviet Japan not attempt to get US Support, as long as they stay out of the Axis?

 

[Sir Garnet]

I hope there will be a Dev Diary on Nationalist China, Communist China, and all the warlords soon.

One of each, please (looking at a long summer before release giving plenty of time) and a DLC if necessary.

 

[Daelyn75]

One of each, please (looking at a long summer before release giving plenty of time) and a DLC if necessary.

I doubt they would do one for each. I think they will just go over the entire China situation. I could be wrong though.

 

[The Wholly Thoc]

The carrier aircrafts are on the same tree, that's the small carrier on the top right of each plane (and that's probably the 5th time it's explained on the thread )

Woah, there's a perception filter at work here. No one can prove to me that Icon was there last time i looked!

 

[Gotomtom]

Can't wait to defend Glorious China in the "Peoples war of resistance against Japanese aggression and anti-Fascist war." Also known by those imperialists from the west as WW2.
for the republic! (which Chinese republic though?)

 

[Admiral Ciprian]

Regarding island nations, I play only with UK (i.e British Empire, Great Britain, etc) I was wondering if its possible as UK to assign Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa to your effort as AI controlled countries. Lets give an example, I start the scenario in 1936 everyone at peace with some exceptions but at least my UK is at peace. Would it be possible to send to the countries mention above sort of an order to start building factories and shipyards and by 1939 when the war start they will be able to help you more like assigning them to build destroyers, submarines, fighters, interceptors, in general light staff that you need in war and allow me to concentrate in UK in building up the heavier staff like strategic bombers, carriers, battleships, heavy tanks. And some how these countries to send the finished goods to you lend-lease act or via export? And if possible would also be able to lets say stockpile them to a certain number and then deliver them or just request a certain number of them to be build by them. I want these countries to make things separately rather then just add to my total amount of factories/shipyards much like in cooperative/multi player game.

Sorry if this was posted earlier and I haven’t paid any attention I am very exciting about the game I am playing like mad arsenal of democracy until I see a release date for this little baby all the best and looking forward to play HOI4 ASAP!

God Bless the Queen!

 

[RJL518]

Japan is ALWAYS a play with me with every version of HOI. The Pacific War is always lots of fun with great naval battles, stupendous air battles and tough island fighting.

 

[Porkman]

Can't wait to defend Glorious China in the "Peoples war of resistance against Japanese aggression and anti-Fascist war." Also known by those imperialists from the west as WW2.
for the republic! (which Chinese republic though?)

There is only one. The PRC does not exist until 1949... We went over this.

 

[silentsam5]

This game is looking better and better every DD. Japan will definitely be a fun play!

 

[loup99]

Great diary, thank you for sharing it!

 

[wisecat]

Couple of questions:
1. Will it be possible to re-create a British-Japanese alliance (on sort of pre-Washington treaty terms)? Could be especially useful if USA goes isolationist and UK has to grab for any ally against GER (and possibly SOV).
2. Will there be a Ketsu-go type AI for JAP that will ditch all positions outside the Home Isles in preparation for a glorious defensive battle of attrition? (IRL better units of Kwantung army were moved to Home isles in preparation for Ketsu-go).
2a. More general - will AI (at least of democratic combatants) be influenced by attrition in its resolve to continue war - will it be possible for JAP to bring USA to negotiations by successful prosecution of defensive battles of attrition, will UK be amenable to separate peace if Monty's army gets annihilated on the beaches of Normandy?
3. IRL when your existing ships are penned down in harbours (like SOV Baltic Navy) or run out of fuel (like JAP) or just plain impossible to due to enemy superiority (like GER surface navy) it is possible to move your navy personnel into erzatz-infantry and remove naval guns from ships for use in heavy defensive placements (or raiway-carriage mount guns like during defense of Leningrad). Will this be modelled/included in HOI4?
4. All JAP political focuses seem to be for quite early period. Also no mention whatever of The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere (大東亞共榮圏Dai-tō-a Kyōeiken) which was quite important. Are there any decisions/focuses intended for later-game victorious JAP? Also no mention of 2-26 Incident and other such JAP events.
5. Panama canal - a logical strategic goal for JAP - will it be possible to do anything about Panama and Suez in game aside from occupation? IRL a successful bombing raid could have put quite a spanner into US naval gears.

 

[chaostk]

For the CAs, the Mogami's still had 6" guns at game start, so if we're classifying cruisers based on the Washington treaty, then they're CLs, and shouldn't become CAs until 1939-40, although I'm happy if they start as CAs given there's no way of converting in-game (but, if this is the case, then Hiei should probably be in at the start as well). I get the same numbers of Furutaka, Aoba, Myoko and Takoa, but also the old coastal defence ships (which have traditionally been classified as CAs in the HoI series) of Yakumo (1), Adzuma (1), Izumo class (2) and Kasuga (1). That was a typo in my previous post though - it should be 12 if these aren't included.

For the CLs, I get the same as you, but with two more Mogamis (taking it to 18), then 3 extra for the two Chikumas and one Yodo if they were included. I wouldn't normally include the Yodo, but Axis nations in HoI tend to be treated very inclusively when it comes to their navies (eg, German torpedo boats getting counted as DDs), so mentioned it.

I checked HoI2 and 3, and both had the same starter CAs and CLs for Japan. For CLs it was the 19 I mentioned plus the two Mogami (no Yodo). And for CA's it was the 12 heavy cruisers plus two armored cruisers (Izumo & Asama). So they may be doing the same this time but putting the 2 Mogami as CAs. And maybe switching the Asama to Iwate or a different one, as Asama got the hull damaged in 1935 and became a stationary training ship afterwards. But then Izumo and Asama were probably there just to represent armored cruisers that were still left. Izumo and Iwate seems to be the two that were a bit more active later on, while the others seems to have been largely demilitarized and serving as training ships.

 

[Axe99]

I checked HoI2 and 3, and both had the same starter CAs and CLs for Japan. For CLs it was the 19 I mentioned plus the two Mogami (no Yodo). And for CA's it was the 12 heavy cruisers plus two armored cruisers (Izumo & Asama). So they may be doing the same this time but putting the 2 Mogami as CAs. And maybe switching the Asama to Iwate or a different one, as Asama got the hull damaged in 1935 and became a stationary training ship afterwards. But then Izumo and Asama were probably there just to represent armored cruisers that were still left. Izumo and Iwate seems to be the two that were a bit more active later on, while the others seems to have been largely demilitarized and serving as training ships.

Cheers for checking . I think I know what they've done, and that's blanked excluded ships that were classed as training ships in 1936, regardless of capacity (for example, Iwate, Izumo's sister ship, had been a training ship since 1923, while Izumo was flagship of Naval Forces in China from 1932 to 1942, despite being of very similar capability at the time. Thus, while Asama was considerably less useful as a warship in 1936 at game start, on paper she was still a commissioned, non-training coastal defence ship, so gets included as a CA. Just a guess, but it's the only logical way I can see Izuma and Asama being included and the other ships not making the cut (as the rest of the ships of that vintage were all training ships in 1936 - despite all of them being far more capable of actual combat than Asama and some, such as Yakumo, being returned to active duty later in the war).

 

[Onisuzume]

Seriously, the Rokujuu-Ichi-Shiki Sensha as the final tank? >_>
And while I suppose it is the closest thing they got to a WWII-era MBT, I still think that the Go-Shiki Chuu-Sensha Chi-Ri would be a better idea, with the Yon-Shiki Chuu-Sensha Chi-To in is old spot.
I'd also prefer to see the Hachijuu-Kyuu-Shiki Chuu-Sensha Chi-Ro as the great war/interwar tank instead of the renault since Japan had barely any renault tanks (22-ish?) used in the Manchurian Incident (1931) and subsequently for training only. On the flop-side, the Chi-Ro had some 400-ish units produced and in combat up until 1942. I mean, why should Japan get a foreign design that old when they got a native design of similar age as the German Leichttraktor?