How Will HOI4 Handle Kamikazes?

[Hippob4]

I don't recall HOI3 implementing Kamikazes. I know some mods did by either creating actual Kamikaze units or just added a buff to Japanese planes (+20% Sea Attack to planes).

Will HOI4 have Kamikaze units, a decision-buff, not include it, or something else entirely?

Honestly I'm not sure. On one hand having Kamikazes as units could be more immersive, like building a ton of planes and having them wait on islands, ready to launch during a naval or amphibious battle. But i dont know if kamikaze units could work in the new Air Warfare system.

As a buff it might be easier to implement though it wont feel as gratifying as having actual units designed to suffer high casualties to inflict damage on ships.

Thoughts?

 

[GsusNSV]

In the last WWW Daniel showed us, that it is a NF for Japan, which unlocks the Kamikaze mission for planes.
How exactly this works, I think, we did not see.

 

[BobbyDylan]

I would imagine it would add a +50% attack rating but a -100% defence.

 

[LordOfWar16]

Yes there are kamikaze in the game, but it has to be unlocked via national focus. I am sure the planes are used in the progess but deal massive damage to the enemy . There are also dedicated kamikaze units like the Ohka.

Their focus tree gets a pretty unique part called "Spiritual mobilization". It will both give more research options as well as improving the average soldiers morale, unlocking kamikaze missions, and if both research and warrior traditions tracks are completed unlock special rocket powered suicide crafts (MXY7 Ohka) which will be very hard to intercept due to their speed.

 

[Mannstien]

Probably similar to Rockets, they attack do a certain amount of damage upon reaching the destination depending on modifiers of the fleet such as AA and the presence of a CV with fighters then get wiped from your unit count from where they were dispatched from.

 

[Hippob4]

The problem with 50% Sea Attack would be that Kamikazes might be OP

Correct me if I'm wrong but a few large Allied ships did suffer major damage but not many were beyond repair. I think 20% Sea Attack is fine

 

[LordOfWar16]

The problem with 50% Sea Attack would be that Kamikazes might be OP

Correct me if I'm wrong but a few large Allied ships did suffer major damage but not many were beyond repair. I think 20% Sea Attack is fine

You certianly wont be able to affort an large scope kamikaze campain. Overall it is an last desperate defense type thing.

However, that said it is extremely effective and deadly for ships, no matter how you look at it. If we talk Zeros doing kamikaze missions they do quiet alot of damage with those attacks to even capital ships which can infact sink from them. The japanese and to some extend even the germans (Rammkommando Elbe) used kamikaze quiet effectively. The germans only used it agianst enemy bombers like the B17 tho. Against ships the germans developed radar guided bombs, which were successfully used against enemy ships.

The Ohka for example was extremely deadly to enemy ships, since it was impossible to intercept due to its speed. The best thing you could hope for is that the pilot has such an bad angle and so much speed that he quiet literaly passes right through without exploding. In the end that still leaves an massive hole that goes right through the ship.

It is not even always about sinking the enemy ship, but simply forcing them back to harbor for extensive repairs which may take them out for several weeks or even months. You certainly wont see an Japan that is quiet literally mass producing Ohka suicide rockets to fight the US Navy, since they simply cant affort that for an longer periode of time.

 

[jackalope81]

The problem with 50% Sea Attack would be that Kamikazes might be OP

Correct me if I'm wrong but a few large Allied ships did suffer major damage but not many were beyond repair. I think 20% Sea Attack is fine

The early attacks sank 3 escort carriers. Then Thatch invented a new fleet defense tactic that pushed destroyer pickets and the air CAP out to 50 miles. After that a huge portion of the attacks were against the destroyer pickets. A fair number still got through and american wood decked carriers were very susceptible compared to british steel decked ones. Basically a few of them hitting a small ship would sink it but other than the escort carriers no large ships were sunk. A number of fleet carriers were put out of action for months by them though.

 

[panzerzombie]

I can´t put myself into the weird japanese thinking but it may be a "reasonable" tactic if Japan is heavily engaged on land ( e.g. russia ) and still may be able to field a powerful one-shot invasion defense.

I wonder if the usual Betty/Ohka combination is somehow implemented or rather the pure Ohka with its extremely limited range. Due to this the extended CAP shot down most Bettys when still out of launching range. If so, a range extended Ohka-variant ( Tsu-11) may help....

 

[Mannstien]

I can´t put myself into the weird japanese thinking but it may be a "reasonable" tactic if Japan is heavily engaged on land ( e.g. russia ) and still may be able to field a powerful one-shot invasion defense.

I wonder if the usual Betty/Ohka combination is somehow implemented or rather the pure Ohka with its extremely limited range. Due to this the extended CAP shot down most Bettys when still out of launching range. If so, a range extended Ohka-variant ( Tsu-11) may help....

I want to be able to use any plane in my inventory that can have a bomb stuck to it because the hit chance is gonna be low and if I have to go that far to unlock that focus than it's going bad and I need every plane I can get going after enemy invasion ships. So probably everything except transports (to slow anyhow).

 

[panzerzombie]

I want to be able to use any plane in my inventory that can have a bomb stuck to it because the hit chance is gonna be low and if I have to go that far to unlock that focus than it's going bad and I need every plane I can get going after enemy invasion ships. So probably everything except transports (to slow anyhow).

I don´t remember, was it a checkbox or a unlocked mission in HOI3 which enabled kamikaze for any air unit for Japan ? Was it a mod or a DLC ?

 

[Denkt]

Minors have also national focues that can give them the kamikaze ability.

 

[Grallak]

Personally, I don't see it making sense. Because you lose the unit regardless if you hit or not, we must assume that one kamikaze attack has the potential to cause let's say 20-80% damage, depending on what its' hitting, but the chance for causing major damage will decrease the higher the damage is. It must be able to cause more damage than if it wasn't used or have some kind of advantage over not having the focus, otherwise it would be useless.