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Author Topic: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]  (Read 80022 times)

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Offline Spoon

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]


So I noticed that buying or selling technology is always initiated by the ai (or through some random event), I take it you can't give america a call to try to buy some of their gun designs yourself?
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
You have no idea how much I'd love to call Washington and say 'Those 14 inchers? Name your price."

What the game simulates is willingness to sell. It essentially presupposes that you're asking all the time. Every time you get a technology exchange message, that means that the AI is 'willing' to exchange that tech - that time.
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline StarSlayer

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Wait there was a Naval Regatta that didn't include a drunk Russian cruiser colliding with an IJN warship?

What is the world coming to?
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
 :lol:

That's why the Regatta was held in Sasebo. To make sure that no Russian drunkies collided with MuseumShip!Fuso. :p

EDIT: I am really curious to know what you guys think of the more 'fluff' / worldbuilding segments. Too much? Tone down a bit, move through the peace years faster and focus on ships going boom? Good enough? Fun? Offensive?
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline StarSlayer

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Im down with the fluff :yes:
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”

 

Offline JSRNerdo

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
A X turret usually weighs a lot more than a V turret, which is why I generally stick to AVY or ABVY configurations unless that was recently patched. Fluff is good and cool, keep it up.
Former Inferno lead, BTA fredder-ish and DE fredder. Driven out by ordinary fascists the_e, aesaar and general battuta. Will return if they're ever removed.

 

Offline Spoon

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Good enough and fun, but I must add a sidenote to that. I'm going to apologize for the small rant that's incoming.
Ever heard of Konpeki no kantai? I'm going to assume not, because its probably not very well known. I dont think any of the novels, games or the anime have been translated. I'm roughly half way into the anime.
The basic plot is that Yamamoto Isoroku gets transported back in time to 1905 after his death. With his knowledge of what happens in the future, he's going to make sure that Japan doesn't make the same mistakes that it made during WWII. Now you might wonder to yourself "like, not going to war with the USA?" nah man. Because this utter tripe is an imperial japan power trip, written by an author who has the mental age of a 10 year old. Or so I would assume from the way Konpeki no kantai plays out.

Yamamoto prepares Japan for war by developing technology far beyond anything WWII had, with super advanced submarines (the azure fleet, aka konpeki no kantai) that can launch planes and ****. They also develope countermeassures for everything the USA throws at them at record breaking speed. They redo pearl harbor but without the mistakes, then destroy the american pacific fleet, carriers and everything. And proceed to flawlessly beat every american fleet and airforce that follows. American generals and presidents are all portrayed as b-movie villians that laugh like evil overlords, are rude and scream and shout at everything and everyone. Meanwhile the Japanese are constantly portrayed as the heroic stoic goody twoshoes who can do no wrong and easily outsmart, outthink, outplan and outfight any enemy. The invasion in china and all its misery is conveniently glossed over and every place they conquer seem to have nothing but goodwill towards the Japanese.

It's laughably bad writing, and frankly kind of offensive in how they rewrite history to have the great imperial nation of Japan portrayed as the white knights of WWII.

It's a really interesting concept though. Just executed in the ****tiest way possible.

Your portrayal of Japan in this playthrough is in some ways eerily similar.
The nearly flawless Japanese alliance that is the most amazing tolerance open minded country that treats all of its colonies with amazing fairness compared to the foolish western nations and without any of the icky racism. Every race is welcomed into the navy and treated equally etc etc. It's uh, well, very unjapanese. And very unlike the timeframe it all takes place in.

But unlike Konpeki, your writing is always great. It's just that I'm getting a bit of an allergic reaction I guess :p It's really a personal gripe.
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Lorric

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
One of the first things I read when I began to look into Kancolle was something vaguely similar to what Spoon posted directed at that.

Speaking of which, I fired up Crunchyroll to have a look. And while maybe it gets better, I don't know, I watched the first two episodes, my conclusion is the (I presume) fanart Enioch is filling the thread with is far superior to the anime itself. Though maybe it's just that I don't have to listen to their screechy voices... :P

 

Offline Droid803

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
But KanColle's premise is baiscally X-COM: Terror From the Deep with girls channeling the spirits of WW2 warships instead of normal soldiers. That Abyssal Enoich uses for the Ikoma is basically an 80HP Sectopod (WHY WON'T YOU DIE?). I understand how there could have been confusion when the game launched and there was less known about the setting, but now it's pretty obvious.
There's nothing wrong with the player faction acting non-Imperial Japan if it's a modern-day multinational force assembling to combat an alien menace emerging from beneath the ocean.

That's the game I'm talking about though.
The KanColle anime's plot (when it tries to be serious) is trash and actually does kind of skirt that area because of how badly written it is. It's only good for watching the girls be cute.
« Last Edit: December 10, 2016, 11:59:46 pm by Droid803 »
(´・ω・`)
=============================================================

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Good enough and fun, but I must add a sidenote to that. I'm going to apologize for the small rant that's incoming.
Ever heard of Konpeki no kantai? I'm going to assume not, because its probably not very well known. I dont think any of the novels, games or the anime have been translated. I'm roughly half way into the anime.
The basic plot is that Yamamoto Isoroku gets transported back in time to 1905 after his death. With his knowledge of what happens in the future, he's going to make sure that Japan doesn't make the same mistakes that it made during WWII. Now you might wonder to yourself "like, not going to war with the USA?" nah man. Because this utter tripe is an imperial japan power trip, written by an author who has the mental age of a 10 year old. Or so I would assume from the way Konpeki no kantai plays out.

Yamamoto prepares Japan for war by developing technology far beyond anything WWII had, with super advanced submarines (the azure fleet, aka konpeki no kantai) that can launch planes and ****. They also develope countermeassures for everything the USA throws at them at record breaking speed. They redo pearl harbor but without the mistakes, then destroy the american pacific fleet, carriers and everything. And proceed to flawlessly beat every american fleet and airforce that follows. American generals and presidents are all portrayed as b-movie villians that laugh like evil overlords, are rude and scream and shout at everything and everyone. Meanwhile the Japanese are constantly portrayed as the heroic stoic goody twoshoes who can do no wrong and easily outsmart, outthink, outplan and outfight any enemy. The invasion in china and all its misery is conveniently glossed over and every place they conquer seem to have nothing but goodwill towards the Japanese.

It's laughably bad writing, and frankly kind of offensive in how they rewrite history to have the great imperial nation of Japan portrayed as the white knights of WWII.

It's a really interesting concept though. Just executed in the ****tiest way possible.

Your portrayal of Japan in this playthrough is in some ways eerily similar.
The nearly flawless Japanese alliance that is the most amazing tolerance open minded country that treats all of its colonies with amazing fairness compared to the foolish western nations and without any of the icky racism. Every race is welcomed into the navy and treated equally etc etc. It's uh, well, very unjapanese. And very unlike the timeframe it all takes place in.

But unlike Konpeki, your writing is always great. It's just that I'm getting a bit of an allergic reaction I guess :p It's really a personal gripe.

THANK YOU. :yes:

This is exactly the sort of feedback that I wanted (and feared) and this is exactly what I was trying to avoid writing - a weeaboo history fixfic. It's gratifying to hear that apparently my writing is decent enough to overlook the massive historical and social changes I've had to incorporate into the timeline of the Japanese Empire (changes I truly feared some people might find offensive) and I'm truly sorry for causing 'allergic reactions'.

While I cannot (and will not) deny that playing through the game gave me a sort of imperialistic power trip (it's hard to keep a good historical perspective on things when you're actually cheering your IJN forces to occupy Korea), I only started to write this after I had finished the game and I made it a point to write not just a game AAR but an actual narrative that makes some (admittedly skewed) sense. In that, I was actually thwarted by my success in the game. The bloody Japanese were actually doing too good for what one would expect of Imperial Japan.

Consider the OTL: in the beginning of the 20th century, Japan gets involved in her usual feuds with China; wins her first war against a 'European' (hahaha) power, enjoys some limited holdings in the mainland and in Taiwan, which only serve to highlight the Sino-Japanese tensions. And sits and broods.

Now consider the AU: Japan acquires a bloody colonial empire and naval bases in the Pacific thirty years before she would actually hold them in the OTL; smashes Germany and France in two major wars; is self-sufficient in oil thanks to Sumatra. Her fleet is superior technologically to those of many European forces. She is buddy-buddy with the bloody Americans.

Even better / worse, in subsequent years:

Spoiler:
She utterly dominates Africa. Not a single revolt in her holdings ever takes place. Foreign invasions are beat back in a hilariously short time.

Let's be honest. There's no way Imperial Japan as we knew her in the OTL (militarily, socially, ideologically or economically) would ever be able to pull that off; both because of her own failings and because of the inevitable international reaction to such blatant imperialism. Even trying to would probably spark a world war. I had to somehow change the Japanese saw the world - and how the world saw the Japanese. I found a divergence point in the Meiji and Taisho reformation periods, during the gradual democratisation of Japan, combined this with the sudden colonial expansion in Sumatra / Polynesia etc and tried to figure out how a Japan who suddenly had all of this new territory, resources and people to play with (instead of constantly butting heads with the Chinese) would react - and make sure that reaction would somehow facilitate the rise to a WTF-OP-PLS-NERF world power I knew was coming.

My answer? 'Let them administer themselves - keep them happy - treat them better than the Gaijin they're familiar with - take the wheel - make them prosper'.

If you really think about it, that is incredibly condescending. The Japanese nationalism is not extinct; but it expresses itself in being the provider instead of the taker.

'We are the best Power there is. Because we allow our allies to work in our Navy, our pride and joy. Because we provide for them when they, inevitably, have need of us. Because we teach them how to govern themselves in the proper manner.'

I'd also like to note that, with the exception of everybody's favourite, hawkish Fujiwara, every historical figure I have presented in this thread so far is recorded to have had the skills and the ideological beliefs to be major reformers and bringers of change - but they were denied, for varying reasons and under difficult circumstances. I just...discreetly removed those reasons and brought these people into power at the opportune time.

And this is my position on the matter. It is not a perfect answer, I admit, and it requires more than a fair suspension of disbelief from our internal historian. That said, it's the best I feel I could do with the medium. *apologetic shrug*.

I truly hope you still find this entertaining. And, like I said before, I truly wish to invite feedback of this sort in the future (it makes me happy). Or your own takes on the sociopolitical background. Or, if your inclination takes you that way, your omakes on the darker side of the Alliance (go on, Spoon, scratch that itch, I know you want to). :p
« Last Edit: December 11, 2016, 04:45:17 am by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline Lorric

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
With the early start, you can pretty much shape Japan into anything you want it to be within reason by the time WW2 rolls around. The way the Japanese people are today, I don't see why they couldn't be put on a path to something like that sooner.

Besides, it certainly makes it a lot easier to root for you than if you were having your Japanese butchering, raping, plundering and burning their way across their new empire, doing things like cutting people's heads off for not bowing deeply enough before their new overlords, and rounding up millions to power the new empire on the backs of their slave labour as Japan drowns the World in a sea of blood.

 

Offline Enioch

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In the Hague Convention, the support of the USA was crucial. Both the Japanese and the Americans were eager to further expand their navies and their spheres of influence, in contrast to the European powers, who were all too keen to maintain their relative lead and (in the case of Germany) limit their opponents' development while waiting for the opportunity to catch up.

However, with Japan and USA presenting a united front, the Convention came to naught in the disarmament front - although it did result in one of the first (and most well-known) codifications of the international laws of war.

In the upcoming years, Japan would bitterly regret not taking a different stance.



For now, however, the Japanese, satisfied by their success poured more money into their infrastructure. They could not yet afford the mighty Dreadnought they were envisioning; so be it. They would make sure that, when the time came, their ship would be the best and biggest of its kind in the world.



In August, with Kongou less than nine months from completion, the R & D people reported new advances in torpedo propulsion. The Japanese torpedoes now could reliably reach 9,000 yards - a spectacular range.



Meanwhile, the new trade routes opened thanks to the inclusion of Tanganyika in the Alliance contributed significantly to the development of Japanese industry. The first rubber shipments arrived in August; the Sumitomo keiretsu proceeded to buy out the Japanese branch of Dunlop enterprises and quickly developed into Japan's prime rubber manufacturers.





In a move that brought great joy and jubilation to the Admiralty, Military Intelligence surreptitiously acquired the blueprints to the new French battlecruiser, Lille. The ship was notable for its heavy armour but, in all other matters, it was inferior to Kongou - its speed in particular. The fact that Kongou was oil-fired meant that she could maintain her speed consistently and dictate the terms of the engagement.



In October, Sumitomo Enterprises funded further expansion of the Yokosuka dockyards, in order to manufacture their new cargo haulers. The Admiralty was quietly jubilant, despite the money being 'poured away' towards colonial developments.


The crew of Tsukuba voting in Formosa



This changed after the late October elections. Ōkuma Shigenobu came to power as the new Prime Minister: he was a reformer, a firm believer in the necessity to establish a constitution, a patron of the sciences and a supporter of the Japanese industrialists. Considerable funds were diverted from the Navy to the development of the Allied infrastructure; and societal reforms were implemented. The Navy grumbled and protested, but to little avail.



By December, concerning news had reached the Japanese Admiralty. Their one advantage over their European adversaries - the well-vaunted Japanese accuracy - was now in danger of being surpassed. The British were outfitting their ships with 'Fire Directors'; a new, revolutionary targeting system that would render Japanese technology obsolete. This was disheartening, to say the least. Japan had always depended on qualitative superiority over her enemies and now that advantage was being denied to her.



Small wonder. Ōkuma's reforms, while greatly benefiting Japanese society had gutted the Naval budget. Japan was spending less on her Fleet than Germany; who, by the way, had launched her new Dreadnought and had laid down a new battlecruiser.



Once again, naval designers brought forward the designs for a Japanese dreadnought that would literally and figuratively blow the competition out of the water. Once again, the response came from the Admiralty: "We can't afford it."



But in March, finally! Good news. R & D had caught up with the Brits. Japanese directors had made their appearance later than their British counterparts, but were every bit as good as them, if not better, given the Japanese technological lead in optics.



Even better, they could be seamlessly integrated in the construction of Kongou, for only an extra month of work. Other, older ships would require drydock time.



...which the Navy was more than willing to pay for. Ikoma received a fire-control upgrade, as did Tsukuba. Unfortunately, Ikoma's design allowed little room for outfitting her with improved engines or other modernisations. Changing her boilers to oil-fired designs would give her an extra knot of speed, but she was so compactly designed that the process of stripping out the old machinery and fitting in the new engines would cost as much as a brand new capital ship. In contrast, Tsukuba's much less cluttered design allowed for a massive rebuild, that raised her speed to 29 knots and completely overhauled her firing control. The 'elder sister' could now keep up with Kongou even if her guns were growing to be on the anemic side.



And in May, more funds were poured into Tanganyika. The German-begun railroad was completed by Japanese engineers and a local workforce; new rice farms were started in the Serengeti area; the rubber industry was expanded; the harbour was further expanded, schools were re-established and the training of local administrators was continued.







However, despite the general social improvements, it was a cold awakening for the Admiralty when Intelligence reported in with their new acquisitions: the blueprints for the new French dreadnought and Russian battlecruiser.

It was a very sobering thing to acknowledge that, even with their inferior firing control, these ships would outgun anything in the Japanese navy. The Russians were catching up, for the sake of all the Kami! There was a rather bitter undercurrent in the relations between the Admiralty and the Government at the time...



...which was only partially addressed by the commissioning of HIJMS Kongou.



Wait.

What?

« Last Edit: June 18, 2018, 07:42:45 pm by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline StarSlayer

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
It's worth noting that we are starting during the Meji era, before all the rabid hyper nationalism movement really took hold of Japan and sent it down crazy street.  If I recall correctly the IJA even received praise for their humane conduct during the Russo Japanese war, a far cry from were it ended up.  While I don't think Imperial Japan would ever be quite as warm and fuzzy as the LP, the successes of this timeline may have stalled out the radicalization of Japan and with a moderates in power the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere being more than just "replace European colonial powers with Japan."


Of course you can always take the stance that we are getting a view filtered by Imperial Propaganda and the official government line.   :drevil:
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”

 

Offline Lorric

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
a view filtered by Imperial Propaganda and the official government line.   :drevil:
That would certainly explain the anime girls! :)

 

Offline crizza

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
I know that anime Spoon is talking about.
To be fair, by the end of WWII, the japanese had subs capable of launching planes.

 

Offline Spoon

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
I truly hope you still find this entertaining. And, like I said before, I truly wish to invite feedback of this sort in the future (it makes me happy). Or your own takes on the sociopolitical background. Or, if your inclination takes you that way, your omakes on the darker side of the Alliance (go on, Spoon, scratch that itch, I know you want to). :p
Let me clear this up first, I absolutely still find it very entertaining. And I still eagerly read the new posts. I mean, my rant was mostly aimed at Konpeki's bad writing and the comparison is honestly just a trivial gripe, that I wouldn't even had expressed had you not asked for any kind of feedback.

I know that anime Spoon is talking about.
To be fair, by the end of WWII, the japanese had subs capable of launching planes.
I'm fairly sure Nagato wasn't equipped with CIWS and VLS somewhere mid 1942 though! :p (or whatever year it is in the calender they use in that show)

THANK YOU. :yes:

This is exactly the sort of feedback that I wanted (and feared) and this is exactly what I was trying to avoid writing - a weeaboo history fixfic. It's gratifying to hear that apparently my writing is decent enough to overlook the massive historical and social changes I've had to incorporate into the timeline of the Japanese Empire (changes I truly feared some people might find offensive) and I'm truly sorry for causing 'allergic reactions'.

While I cannot (and will not) deny that playing through the game gave me a sort of imperialistic power trip (it's hard to keep a good historical perspective on things when you're actually cheering your IJN forces to occupy Korea), I only started to write this after I had finished the game and I made it a point to write not just a game AAR but an actual narrative that makes some (admittedly skewed) sense. In that, I was actually thwarted by my success in the game. The bloody Japanese were actually doing too good for what one would expect of Imperial Japan.

Consider the OTL: in the beginning of the 20th century, Japan gets involved in her usual feuds with China; wins her first war against a 'European' (hahaha) power, enjoys some limited holdings in the mainland and in Taiwan, which only serve to highlight the Sino-Japanese tensions. And sits and broods.

Now consider the AU: Japan acquires a bloody colonial empire and naval bases in the Pacific thirty years before she would actually hold them in the OTL; smashes Germany and France in two major wars; is self-sufficient in oil thanks to Sumatra. Her fleet is superior technologically to those of many European forces. She is buddy-buddy with the bloody Americans.

Even better / worse, in subsequent years:

Spoiler:
She utterly dominates Africa. Not a single revolt in her holdings ever takes place. Foreign invasions are beat back in a hilariously short time.
This reminds me of this D&D story I once read. This one player had made a Zorro-like swashbuckler type of character. Full with romantic ideals about adventure, with the intend that he'd roleplay the character to be increasingly more realistic, grounded and cynical over the duration of the campaign when his ideals got shattered with failure and the like.
Except, that never happened. Because at every critical point and event, he'd roll insanely high numbers and was succesful at every silly daredevil action that he made. Only reinforcing his believes instead of breaking them.


Let's be honest. There's no way Imperial Japan as we knew her in the OTL (militarily, socially, ideologically or economically) would ever be able to pull that off; both because of her own failings and because of the inevitable international reaction to such blatant imperialism. Even trying to would probably spark a world war. I had to somehow change the Japanese saw the world - and how the world saw the Japanese. I found a divergence point in the Meiji and Taisho reformation periods, during the gradual democratisation of Japan, combined this with the sudden colonial expansion in Sumatra / Polynesia etc and tried to figure out how a Japan who suddenly had all of this new territory, resources and people to play with (instead of constantly butting heads with the Chinese) would react - and make sure that reaction would somehow facilitate the rise to a WTF-OP-PLS-NERF world power I knew was coming.

My answer? 'Let them administer themselves - keep them happy - treat them better than the Gaijin they're familiar with - take the wheel - make them prosper'.

If you really think about it, that is incredibly condescending. The Japanese nationalism is not extinct; but it expresses itself in being the provider instead of the taker.

'We are the best Power there is. Because we allow our allies to work in our Navy, our pride and joy. Because we provide for them when they, inevitably, have need of us. Because we teach them how to govern themselves in the proper manner.'

I'd also like to note that, with the exception of everybody's favourite, hawkish Fujiwara, every historical figure I have presented in this thread so far is recorded to have had the skills and the ideological beliefs to be major reformers and bringers of change - but they were denied, for varying reasons and under difficult circumstances. I just...discreetly removed those reasons and brought these people into power at the opportune time.

And this is my position on the matter. It is not a perfect answer, I admit, and it requires more than a fair suspension of disbelief from our internal historian. That said, it's the best I feel I could do with the medium. *apologetic shrug*.
That is an answer I can live with, no need to apologize. Please carry on!

Also, are we building Tosa-class battleships now?
Urutorahappī!!

[02:42] <@Axem> spoon somethings wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> critically wrong
[02:42] <@Axem> im happy with these missions now
[02:44] <@Axem> well
[02:44] <@Axem> with 2 of them

 

Offline Enioch

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OOC: A small but significant update today, mostly for therapeutic reasons, as I wrestle with deadlines.

-------------------------------------



The Kongou promptly set off on her shakedown cruise and crewmen loved her. In contrast to cramped Ikoma, Kongou had more spacious crew compartments, was quieter, nimbler and required less mainentance. Young Lieutenant Commander Yamamoto Isoroku, in his first posting on board the ship, would write in his memoirs:

"She was a silent and clean ship and kind to her crew. Reliable and true, above all. Despite her undeniable power, to us she felt comforting instead of dangerous. It is a feeling that is difficult to express in words, like the feeling of a mother's embrace"



In July, the R & D department turned in improved designs for torpedo mounts. It was a natural step-up from the twin launchers of the Nokaze Kai-class, but still a welcome addition to Japan's quickly shrinking list of options.

What also became clear at the time was that Germany might have been declining as a colonial power but would not go quietly into the night. Tensions between the two countries rose again, with boisterous declarations by the Kaiser making headlines in Europe.



It may not have been the best time to initiate the rebuilding of Tsukuba, especially since it was expected to take a full year, but the Navy was reasonably confident that Kongou would be able to fill the gap in the Japanese battle-line in the meantime. Funds were allocated - as Ikoma left the drydocks with her new directors installed, Tsukuba moved in, her new machinery ready to be installed.





In August, a plan was hatched to, perhaps, sabotage the German dreadnought in anchor and, thus, permanently cripple the German Fleet. A daring team of young daredevil intelligence officers were assembled and dispatched; unfortunately, the plan failed. The wire-guided, slow torpedo that they assembled on-site and used malfunctioned and struck a minesweeper docked next to the German behemoth. If anything, this worsened the situation - despite no actual evidence, the culprit was obvious. No other nation came close to the IJN's torpedo technology.





And then the Second Balkan War erupted, with Greece and Serbia beating up Bulgaria and the Japanese Government jumped on the opportunity. If war with Germany was, again, unavoidable, if the two countries truly could not reach a compromise solution, then war had to happen now, while the Japanese still had a competitive battle-line.





A formal denounciation of "Germany's imperialistic actions" was made public. The usual empty diplomatic niceties were observed. And, in the 20th of October 1915, Japan and Germany were, again at war - this time, with the Japanese playing a desperate gamble to capitalise on their current lead before the world caught up.

This is the point where historians of the future draw a line and say "This marks the beginning of the Grinding Years".
« Last Edit: June 18, 2018, 07:43:25 pm by Enioch »
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)

 

Offline crizza

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Send those germans packing :D
No place for them in the Daitoa Kyoeiken. :drevil:

 

Offline Lorric

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Will the grind be the trying to keep up with major powers? I don't see how it can be war with Germany since you crippled Germany already.

 

Offline Enioch

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Re: Enioch's naval shenanigans - RTW as Japan - [Image Heavy!]
Crippled, yes. Killed, no. The Kaiser is still in power and he's the same bitter, resentful bastard he used to be.

Spoiler:
It's gonna be me throwing good men away over the course of many, small, exhausting wars,  trying to convince Germany to stay ****ing dead, France that no, I am not weakened prey for you Baguettes to munch on and Britain that I am more use to you alive than dead.

And it will inevitably lead to two World Wars, which will leave many great nations of the world a shadow of their former selves.
'Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent'  -Salvor Hardin, "Foundation"

So don't take a hammer to your computer. ;-)