HOI4 Dev Diary - Man the Guns and PdxCon

[Splinter00S]

Can't wait to see how the ship design module works out, maybe it would be possible to get something similar for armored vehicles and aircraft in a future expansion?

 

[CINCFLEET]

When do we think this will be released (rough guess). I'm saying around October, November.

 

[pvt.conners]

When do we think this will be released (rough guess). I'm saying around October, November.

That's very optimistic, I'd bet on a December release at best, more likely February 2019.

 

[puppet on a string]

2019.

 

[Holdy]

2019, pretty sure. As a reference: WtT started with weekly diaries in August and was then released in march, makes 7 month. For MtG they even said they are far away from weekly diaries.

 

[Murtagks]

Does anyone know when the Dev Diary come back?

 

[Otto_Von_Mack]

Who doesn't like more alt history options? Anything to keep an already amazing game going that much longer!

So, what about the ability for countries to capture another country's naval assets tied up in port? Or even at sea? And, Mers el Kebir anyone?

Thanks for giving my favorite aspect of World War II; naval warfare, some much needed love!

 

[Otto_Von_Mack]

I'm very excited for this expansion, maybe the first time since release of this game... but the diorama... seriously...

Well if said diorama were part of a collection to sit on my desk in a virtual Reichskanzlerei office in Berlin? Or on your desk in Whitehall? Or on your Resolute desk in the White House? Or on your desk in the Kremlin? Or whatever capital you claim as your homeland! I sure could deal with that and think it'd lend a bit of something to the game. Show the map of your conquests on a wall in the background! I would love to have all of that as an option to have your virtual office filled with booty from your various conquests! Now, all of that would be worth paying something extra for! Or how about as a free thank you gift for making that amazing milestone marker?

 

[Ramage]

With regard to the
"New naval spotting system"
I sincerely hope that radar technology developments will be a significant part in this, and played a prominent role in the Pacific fleet engagements.

 

[JonS]

And the Med *cough*Cape*Matapan*cough

 

[Axe99]

And the Med *cough*Cape*Matapan*cough

And North Cape, and a few other smaller Med night actions . There were more surface actions in the Med than any other theatre (not to take away from the night battles off Guadalcanal or Surigoa Strait).

 

[Khevenhuller]

And North Cape, and a few other smaller Med night actions . There were more surface actions in the Med than any other theatre (not to take away from the night battles off Guadalcanal or Surigoa Strait).

Where radar was not particularly helpful, if my memory serves me well...island scatter.

K

 

[Hoi Neuling]

I think it will be in the end of the Year (maibe November, but I think more December), because the AI-tests were running before the PDXCon.

So the normal programming begun at the PDXcon or shortly before like the Hoi 4-Guarantor said (I saw the PDXCon Video on Youtube). And I found it very good, that the Gamers there were asking for not fixed bugs / not fixed integrated features. That should be fixed too in the new Patch / DLC. But we will see.

 

[Khevenhuller]

I think it will be in the end of the Year (maibe November, but I think more December), because the AI-tests were running before the PDXCon.

So the normal programming begun at the PDXcon or shortly before like the Hoi 4-Guarantor said (I saw the PDXCon Video on Youtube). And I found it very good, that the Gamers there were asking for not fixed bugs / not fixed integrated features. That should be fixed too in the new Patch / DLC. But we will see.

How about 7th December. Special ceremony in Hawaii?

K

 

[Axe99]

Where radar was not particularly helpful, if my memory serves me well...island scatter.

K

There was that time Washington used (I think, I'm going from memory, always dangerous) radar-directed fire to smash one of the Kongos (Kirishima I think, but I'm pretty tired so you/someone else may well tell me that Kirishima wasn't even at the battle!) Definitely agree night use of radar was still far from a perfect art at that stage, scatter or no, and that the islands wouldn't have made it any easier.

 

[Khevenhuller]

There was that time Washington used (I think, I'm going from memory, always dangerous) radar-directed fire to smash one of the Kongos (Kirishima I think, but I'm pretty tired so you/someone else may well tell me that Kirishima wasn't even at the battle!) Definitely agree night use of radar was still far from a perfect art at that stage, scatter or no, and that the islands wouldn't have made it any easier.

I was thinking of Savo Island (09/08/42). For Guadalcanal (13/11/42) there is a lovely bit in Edward's book 'Salvo' where he writes: 'As usual, the American ships were using their TBS with complete abandon. Consequently, when Helena's radar picked up VADM Abe's squadron thundering down The Slot towards them, the Japanese were already aware of their approach'. Radar certainly did not save poor Atlanta, she was plastered by Hiei and Kirishima while Callaghan dithered over what to do. Again, to quote Edwards: 'The American ships were in complete disarray and being attacked by the Japanese from all sides. Callaghan's commanders, still hopelessly inadequate in the art of night fighting, used their primitive radar sets rather than their eyes, screamed into their radios and fired on everything in sight, including their own ships, The chaos was unbelievable.' For example, San Francisco opened up on the already crippled Atlanta, and while she was doing so got a full broadside from Kirishima which killed Callaghan outright. Portland had her stern blown off by a Long lance torpedo and started to circle helplessly, all her steering gear destroyed. The destroyers Barton, Cushing, Monssen and Laffey all fell victim to Japanese gunnery or torpedoes whilst the light cruiser Juneau was badly knocked about.

The bright side was the damage to the Hiei, who lost her steering gear and was zig zagging using alternate screws away from the action, but US planes from Henderson Field found her the next morning and pounded her until her crew abandoned what had become simply a floating wreck. Note, these were not TBD, and so had a tough time trying to sink even an elderly unit like Hiei, but were able to make her useless as a fighting unit.

I think you are thinking of the 14-15/11/42 engagement, again at Savo Island where Kirishima crippled South Dakota, whose generators had suddenly cut out leaving her unable to fire, but Washington, using radar controlled salvoes, badly damaged Kirishima and she was scuttled by her crew sometime later. Washington's radar-directed fire seems to have been pretty good, but as the example of Callaghan and his cruisers bear out, it was hardly a panacea and crew training played a major part in making sense of what was very primitive equipment.

K

 

[Alex_brunius]

According to what I remember reading the Guadalcanal campaign was pretty much where the Americans learned how to use radar for purposes of surface engagements.

They went from being blind and getting ambushed by Japanese long lance torpedoes taking horrible losses, to consistently winning every time and becoming the ones that ambushed the Japanese ( after having mastered use of radar and night fighting ).

The US navy basically was at a huge initial disadvantage but were very quick learners. They also could afford and replace the attritional losses to both ships and airplanes that the Japanese could not.

 

[Ramage]

That sounds like a total overhaul of the Naval Doctrines to fit with the new mechanic.

 

[GermanDave]

According to what I remember reading the Guadalcanal campaign was pretty much where the Americans learned how to use radar for purposes of surface engagements.

They went from being blind and getting ambushed by Japanese long lance torpedoes taking horrible losses, to consistently winning every time and becoming the ones that ambushed the Japanese ( after having mastered use of radar and night fighting ).

The US navy basically was at a huge initial disadvantage but were very quick learners. They also could afford and replace the attritional losses to both ships and airplanes that the Japanese could not.

The really tragic thing is that Yamamoto saw this coming and knew that Japan couldn't win a war of attrition against the US. Goes to show how incompetence prevented rational decision-making during those dark times.

 

[Shaka of Carthage]

Goes to show how incompetence prevented rational decision-making during those dark times.

I would not call the Japanese leadership "incompetent". They had hard choices in front of them and came up with a plan they thought could work. There were no illusions about "beating" the US. Rather make it so expensive for the US that they would not pursue the war.