Research of secret weapons

[unmerged(61118)]

Ok, so I have the rocket propelled technology and I want to build rocket propelled aircrafts but it tells me I have to "know" that rocket propelled technology. In one hand I have a rocket base but none of my aircraft technology has reached the last level 3; so I am assuming this might be a reason but I don’t know yet! On the other, it tells me that my last requirement to build rocket propelled aircraft is to have researched rocket propulsion, or whatever it is but I HAVE IT! Now I am researching turbojet and I fear I might not be able to use it!
So in general my question is, what are ALL THE REQUIEREMENTS to build these secret weapons?
As a matter of fact, all secret weapons...

 

[blue emu]

Vanilla HOI-2, Doomsday or Armageddon?

In Doomsday (for example), looking in the /db/tech/secret_weapons_tech.txt file, you find:

  # Basic Rocket Interceptor
  application =
  { id        = 7010
    name      = TECH_APP_SW_1_NAME
    desc      = TECH_APP_SW_1_DESC
    position  = { x = 296 y = 171 }
    year      = 1941
    # Basic Rocket Engine
    component = { id = 7011 name = TECH_CMP_SW_1_1_NAME type = rocketry difficulty = 10 }
    # Basic Rocket Interceptor Airframe
    component = { id = 7012 name = TECH_CMP_SW_1_2_NAME type = aeronautics difficulty = 8 }
    # 30mm Cannons
    component = { id = 7013 name = TECH_CMP_SW_1_3_NAME type = artillery difficulty = 5 }
    # Improved Centimetric Airborne Fighter Radar
    component = { id = 7014 name = TECH_CMP_SW_1_4_NAME type = electronics difficulty = 7 }
    # Basic Rocket Interceptor Prototype Tests
    component = { id = 7015 name = TECH_CMP_SW_1_5_NAME type = technical_efficiency double_time = yes difficulty = 10 }
    [COLOR=Yellow]required  = { 4090 5560 }[/COLOR]
    effects =
    { command = { type = new_model which = interceptor value = 5 }
    }
  }

It requires techs #4090 and #5560.

Tech #5560 is "Rocket Engine" (a 1939 tech), off the Industry page.

Tech #4090 is "Advanced Interceptor" (a 1943 tech), off the Aircraft page.

However, it also requires the following random event to trigger:

#########################################################################
#  Theoretical Breakthrough - Secret Weapon
#########################################################################
event = {
	id = 8000
	random = no
	invention = yes

	trigger = {
		technology = 4090
		technology = 5560
		NOT = {
			is_tech_active = 7010
		}
	}

	name = "EVT_8000_NAME"
	desc = "EVT_8000_DESC"
	picture = "scientist"
	style = 0


	action_a = {
		name = "ACTIONNAME3201A" # OK
		command = {  type = activate which = 7010 }# Basic Rocket Interceptor
		command = {  type = activate which = 7020 }# Impr Rocket Interceptor
	}
}

This is a random invention event... it will trigger once you have both of the required techs ("Rocket Engine" and "Advanced Interceptor") researched; with a random MTTH (Mean Time To Happen) of about three or four months.

 

[unmerged(61118)]

I see; I thought the technology will just be available as normal as the others…
So it means I have to finish all the three levels of tech plus the wait of some few months to randomly come across…
Thank you!!

 

[unmerged(61118)]

Oh, I forgot to say it was vanilla with the third, latest patch.
Thank you again!!!

 

[blue emu]

I see; I thought the technology will just be available as normal as the others…
So it means I have to finish all the three levels of tech plus the wait of some few months to randomly come across…

Correct.

All of the "Secret Weapon" techs work that way... you first have to research all of the prerequisite techs, then wait a few months for the enabling "Invention" event to randomly fire. If you run out of patience waiting for the random invention event, you can always just cheat and fire it manually, of course. In this case:

<F12> event 8000 <enter>
<F12> <enter>

Thank you!!

No problem.

 

[unmerged(17791)]

I don't like the idea that quasi-random events are required in order to begin R&D on all the coolest techs. Maybe it's just me, but my experience w/ Paradox games is that they frequently 'forget' about some events, and just keep going - oh, well! HoI2 seems much better than it's predecessor, though. In the original, you had to constantly be saving and loading to get the game to fire off certain events. Otherwise they'd often get left behind.

 

[Pro_Consul]

Most die-hard HoI players have noticed that. The Lend-Lease shipments are a prime example of an event that forgets to fire as it should until you save and reload.

On the other hand, many or even most of these secret techs did require breakthroughs that were as much the result of accident as design or which were so seemingly unrelated to the tech as to be impossible to include in the same research "area". For example, there were some advances in industrial metallurgy which enabled the transition of nuclear physics from purely theoretical laboratory exercises to practical applications. Or in a different type of case, the idea of air cavalry required not only the large scale implementation of helicopters in the military, but also required the idea to pop into someone's head, presumably one morning in the shower.

It is surprising really how many seemingly obvious inventions/innovations were late in coming for the simple reason that they failed to occur to anybody in a position to act on them. Don't believe me? Take a look at how long we had plastic squeeze bottles before anyone thought it might be a good idea to sell ketchup in them.