Hearts of Iron IV News

Hello and welcome to the latest Developer Diary for No Compromise, No Surrender. It’s me, CreamGene, and I’m here to take you through some of the new and shiny art we have done for you for NCNS that we hope you’ll enjoy as much as we do.

We’ll showcase some of the icons and portraits for this DLC we like the most, the new doctrines feature art and of course, 3D art, as well as showcase the upcoming Achievements for you to wonder about.


We’ll also show you the loading screens, yes, plural! We made two this time!

[h3]Focus Icons[/h3]
And here we dive into some of our favourite Focuses of NCNS! Anyone in particular catching your interest?

Japan

China

PRC

Philippines

[h3]Portraits[/h3]
And onward to our best choices in portraits! Which ones are your favourites?

Japan

China

PRC

Philippines

Some updated older portraits by popular demand:

Manuel Quezon, Before and After:

There were two portraits in the game made with references from post-war, after they had been in captivity for several years (commanders of the British forces in Malaya, and American forces in the Philippines, both of whom surrendered their armies to Japan). We felt that the old portraits were an unfair representation of their person, so we wanted to give them new portraits reminiscent of their pre-captivity. Below you can see how they used to look, and how they look now!

Arthur Percival, Before and After:
Look at him glow

Jonathan Wainwright, Before and After:
Just because he looks very nice in this glow-up!

[h3]Loading Screens[/h3]
We wanted to fit two versions of the loading screen this time around! And we want to make sure that you’ll not miss any of them, so here they are in all their glory.
Art done by our very own Max_Art

Use Responsibly Japanese themed
The Japanese loading screen shows a pilot climbing out of his crashed Zero plane, looking out at the air battle at the foothills of Mt. Fuji. Not depicting any particular battle, but rather a fun way to use some of our airplane models as a base for a dynamic composition!

Chinese themed
The Chinese loading screen depicts the Battle of Sihang Warehouse, where heavily outnumbered and battered Chinese troops held a key position for 6 days against Japanese forces during the Second Sino-Japanese War on October 26 1937.


[h3]3D Art[/h3]
Awesome stuff as per usual CreamGene!

Hello everyone! Slurpen_Paradox here to bring you a closer look at the new 3D assets!
Let’s have a look at what we are bringing to the table in terms of new 3D models this time around.

Let’s warm up with a closer look at some of the new infantry models featured in these pre-rendered images:


In addition to all of these models, everyone will also have access to all the models that were introduced in Waking the Tiger!

Now it’s time for one of my favorite segments, the landmarks!
This time we have added the biggest landmark yet, and I’m not so sure we will be able to top this one to be honest. I am, of course, talking about the famous Great Wall of China!



The wall is not just for show, it does have a small but noticeable entrenchment bonus for any unit that is standing on a province that is covered by the wall. It may be old, but it still provides some decent cover!

We have made sure that the wall follows the edges of the provinces with a bit of distance to the actual border to make it clear which side gets the entrenchment bonus. We have also made some adjustments to the way that the buildings are rendered so that the wall won’t cover up important front lines that may be drawn along the various provinces.



The Great Wall of China is not the only cool landmark that we have added. There are other historical landmarks that are interesting in various ways. Some of the Japanese landmarks can only be unlocked by going down a certain path in the focus tree.

Let’s have a closer look at all of these landmarks together!



There are of course a bunch of new planes added as well! It’s a nice mix between familiar planes sporting some unique paint schemes and brand new ones! To give you an idea of what to expect I have gathered my favorites below.



In terms of land based vehicles, you have some borrowed equipment that still looks quite unique.
My favorite is the M10 GMC with extra armor on the turret and a 105mm Type 91 field gun!

Some of the nations that already had existing 3D assets have also received some higher fidelity textures and minor touch-ups here and there!



There are also some new buildings for the Naval Headquarters and the Naval Supply Hub as well as a unique model for the submarine carrier, support ship and repair ship.



I think I will end it there so that we can all have a look at the next segment..
..the doctrines!!

[h3]The Doctrines Feature[/h3]
Hello everyone! marblemadness over here to talk about one of the UI features we’ve been working on in the HoI4 team, the doctrines. With this DLC we decided to retouch the land, naval and air doctrines that have remained untouched since virtually the release of the game almost a decade ago. Jaboth already covered updates to the game mechanics of the updated doctrines in a previous dev diary (link here) so I will take this opportunity to show an update of the graphics.

The Current Look

The New Look

The challenge with creating the updated look has been to keep true to what is at the core of HoI4 while still making something that feels refreshingly new. Some ways this has been done is by keeping the rectangular frame that is the standard appearance of HoI4 windows, as well as adding riveted decorations for that mechanical, practical feel. Apart from this, the team had a strong desire to keep the backgrounds from the previous doctrines, which were reworked to fit a vertical format instead of the previous horizontal one (while also making sure they look as cool as possible and don’t get obstructed too much by the new button layout).

Horizontally faced, neutrally colored backgrounds….

…land doctrine window with vertically facing, green-tinted backgrounds

We also wanted to make sure that it feels good to unlock the milestone once everything in the track has been completed successfully, so we came up with the idea of having milestone indications pop up once everything is done.

A photoshopped side-by-side comparison to show how uncompleted version (left) versus how a fully completed version (right) would look like

Every track has its own little milestone to unlock, so I hope you look forward to unlocking them all in your playthroughs.

Without any further ado, I’ll end my part here to let you take a look at the achievements that CreamGene has whipped up in this expansion.

[h3]Achievements[/h3]
CreameGene back again to show off, yes, here we are, finally… we reach the very anticipated Achievement.
How many do you deem respectable? Easy vs Hard? Get out there and try to get them all!

Disclaimer: Names and Descriptions of how to get the achievements may have been changed on release.

Genghis Khan't
As China, conquer all Mongolian cores


The Neverending Story
As a Warlord, proclaim a new Chinese Empire.


It’s all coming together
Unify China by either subjecting or annexing all warlords.


The Coast is Clear
As China, never lose a coastal state before 1945.9.2.


A Fullmetal Brotherhood
As Fascist China, control 300 Steel, Tungsten and Chromium.


Battle Royale
As PRC, go down the Diarchy path and defeat China and Japan.


The Winner takes it all
As PRC own and control all Chinese core states.


Master Infiltrator
As PRC, don't expand and take any states, AND infiltrate at least 5 Chinese states and have them flip to your control when attacking China.


Paradisus Paradoxum
As Japan, proclaim the creation of a Pure Buddhist Land.


An Equivalent Exchange
As Democratic Japan, complete the focus “Foreign Exchange Allocation Policy” and capitulate Fascist Germany.


The Sun Will Never Set
As Japan, proclaim the Eternal Empire and control all of your core states.


Doctrine of Choice
Fully master all sub doctrines in a grand doctrine.


Manifesting a Better Tomorrow
Reach 100% faction manifest fulfilment.


The Juannines
As the Philippines, have cores and control all of Spain.


Declare Military Emergency
Have a Military Emergency declared in the Philippines.


Cobalt Sea
As the Philippines, launch nuclear missiles from a nuclear submarine.


I Have Avenged You, Father!
As Zhang Xueliang, reclaim Mukden and revive the Beiyang government.


And with that, we want to thank you for reading this Dev Diary. We hope you’ll have a good time playing and conquering whatever you set out to do, and feel challenged doing so!

Generals!

With the release of No Compromise, No Surrender coming soon (20th of November!), we've gathered several members of the Allied Headquarters for an AMA over on the HOI4 Subreddit.

We'll be taking questions from the community and providing responses directly from the Developers starting from 14:00 CET, tomorrow on Friday the 14th.

Click the image above or HERE to prep your questions for tomorrow!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]


Hello! My name is Mordred Viking, also known as Gareth, and I am here to talk to you about the Philippines. First of all, I wanted to thank you all for the excellent feedback you gave in the Dev Corner. It was very enlightening and I really enjoyed seeing your questions and suggestions there. We did take those to heart, and you’ll find more about that below.

As always, everything we discuss here is work in progress, so things can change, especially values and layouts. With that out of the way, let’s get started!

[h2]Where are the Philippines in 1936?[/h2]


The Philippines gained their independence from Spain in 1898 following a War of Independence led by Andrés Bonifacio and later Emilio Aguinaldo. This effectively merged into the Spanish-American war through an American intervention in the archipelago. The resultant Treaty of Paris awarded the Philippines to the United States. The revolutionaries struggled on against their new overlords, but were eventually defeated in 1902 and the Philippines became an American colony.

Throughout the early part of the 20th Century, the Philippines remained under American rule. developing their economy primarily through agricultural goods, and continual negotiation with the American government about gaining more autonomy and eventual independence. This culminated in 1935 with an agreement to transition towards independence over the course of 10 years, leading to the establishment of the Commonwealth of the Philippines. During this period, the Philippines enjoyed a time of good prosperity, bolstered particularly by healthy sugar exports; they found themselves second only to Japan in the region in terms of wealth (but not industrialization).



[h3]It's The Economy Stupid[/h3]
And so we join the Hearts of Iron timeline, in 1936. The Great Depression is still crippling the economy of the United States and to a slightly lesser extent, the Philippines who still enjoy some competitive advantages in trade.



Yikes, that’s crippling! Yes, it is, but there are solutions to this problem.



Introducing the economic tree, roughly divided into 5 tiers;

• The Great Depression (Red): Mostly to reduce the most serious negative modifiers, and allow the economy to start working again.
  
• Shaken Economy (Orange): Reaching and in some cases surpassing the pre-depression economy, and the early rumblings of the Hearts of Iron snowball.
  
• Recovering Economy (Yellow): More specialization of the economy, and modifiers turning increasingly green.
  
• Economic Growth (Blue): Post-independence super charging of the economy.
  
• Pearl of the Orient (Green): Proving why the Philippines have a lot of economic potential.
  

Before the recovery can begin, however, you’ll need to make a decision whether to align yourself with the USA or with Japan, and each offers advantages over the other. As a minor nation stuck between majors, it's basically your job to play them off against each other and maximize your gains from each! Furthermore, your choice will unlock MIOs from either nation, and also change your equipment representation to be either American or Japanese.



Once you’ve aligned yourself with one side or the other, you’re free to start actually altering your economy. You do this by progressing through the aforementioned tiers. Within each tier, you have the central, generic economic and political choices available to all paths (the red square). You need to take 5 of these in order to complete the tier, and thereby gain access to the “milestone” (in green). You will also have some special benefits depending on whether you previously went on the left side or the right side (in blue), these usually pertain to either the USA or Japan, but these do not count towards the completion of a tier.

If you’ve chosen the pro-Japan side (right), then you will also increase the speed of some focuses from 70 days down to 35 days. This is denoted by the clock (highlighted here in yellow). This means that generally if you go with Japan then you can gain independence more quickly, as you can progress through the tiers and hit the “Treaty of Manila” faster which earns you diplomatic independence on equitable terms with the USA.



While economic recovery and eventually boom is the primary objective of this branch, the overarching pull is the quest for independence - and that can be reached in this branch through the Treaty of Manila. The design objective here was to make the path offer many choices and decision points to the player, while providing a big gameplay difference for choosing to side with the USA or with Japan.

[h2]Historical[/h2]
So if aligning with the Japanese provides some significant boosts, why would you ever choose to stay with the Americans? Well, as a reaction to the growing threat of the Japanese in the Pacific, the Americans established the United States Army Forces in the Far East led by General Douglas MacArthur.



This kicked off a massive rearmament program with literally millions of rifles, artillery, aircraft, trucks and more being requisitioned (and approved) for use in the Philippines. In fact, a huge portion of these goods were actually en-route when Pearl Harbour happened, and the transport ships turned around. MacArthur had guessed that a potential Japanese invasion was still a few months away - but what if the rearmament process had started earlier? That’s the kind of question we love to ask when making these trees!

Much like the tiers in the economic branch, you will need to align more closely with the United States to get some of the latter focuses here. The more loyal you remain, the more that will be rewarded. While the long branch is about requisition, the left is about command and control. As we mentioned in the Dev Corner, this is where Dwight. D. Eisenhower comes into play, and who knows what you can achieve if you have both MacArthur and Eisenhower serving at the same time!

Aligning with the USA is the canon Historical path, however, we wanted to leave the exact path open to the player (and the AI), so while on Historical, the Philippines will aim to get the Treaty of Manila, it’s open as to whether the left side or right side gets you there. The idea here is to be opportunistic, and get whatever advantages that get you closer to independence.

What if you don’t want to wait for the peaceful transition to independence though? What if you want to get a little more... radical?

[h3]Rebuild Sakdalistas - Fascist[/h3]


In 1935, the Sakdalista movement rose up en-mass with demands of independence, but were quickly suppressed by the American military. If the Philippines choose Leverage the Peso as their first economic milestone choice, they can Rebuild the Saksalistas. From there, there is a choice, the Slippery Slope of Fascism, or turning to old frenemies for help, starting with an Election Overturned.



Sliding down the slippery slope will draw the nation closer to Japanese fascists, and seek their future support. The first step of the process is to remove the legitimate democratic leader Manuel Quezon, and use his death to spark a national crisis, from which the militant fascist faction can rise.

The ultimate goal here, as with the other branches, is independence, which can be accomplished through the Treaty of Manila, but that can be a long, drawn out process. Alternatively, the threat of war is also an option. Prior to this, Japan can be approached to see if they will offer guarantees, which if granted makes it less likely that the United States will respond militarily.

[h3]Rebuild Sakdalistas - Spanish Reconciliation[/h3]
So those of you who joined us for the Dev Corner will note that there was no Spanish content, but quite a few of you asked for it. I think that this really highlights how useful that round of feedback was, and happily we’ve got something new for you!



The Spanish Reconciliation branch starts out also with Rebuilding Sakdalistas, which gives Emilio Aguinaldo the popular support he needs to call in to question the results of the 1935 election between him and Manuel Quezon. At the time Aguinaldo claimed that there were electoral manipulations, and raised the issue up with the United States. Nothing came of it historically… but what if it did?

In this scenario Emilio Aguinaldo claims victory, bolstered by the revitalised support from the Sakdalisas and sweeps into office. He then undertakes his true agenda- the undermining of American authority within the Philippines, and he reaches out to old “friends” in Spain to assist in this.

Wait. Wasn’t Emilio Aguinaldo the same dude who fought AGAINST Spain in the War of Independence? Yup! Turns out that he’s a complicated fellow.

As an example of this, he showed up at the funeral for King Alfonso of Spain, much to the surprise of the present Spaniards. There he declared that he was regretful in large part for having risen up against Spain, stating that under Spain, Filipinos were always considered Spanish subjects or citizens, whereas under the United States, they were nothing more than a consumer market for their exports. Now, those feelings will not have developed overnight, and by the time we hit the Hearts of Iron timeframe, he’s already been under the American yoke for 30 years.

So, under Aguinaldo, the Philippines can choose to send volunteers to Spain to fight in the Civil War, choosing any side they want. Even more, the Philippines can offer sanctuary to the many refugees fleeing the fighting, and this includes the deposed royalty of Spain, taking a particular interest in Infante Juan (father of the later King Juan Carlos) who can serve as a pretty solid admiral.

The Philippines can then begin work in earnest to rebuild relations with their Hispanic counterparts, mostly throughout Central and South America, for example Argentina, Mexico, Chile and Cuba. They can request support from them all in a potential war of independence against the United States, drawing them into a Hispanic alliance should that war break out. They can even appeal directly to Spain who will be far more favourably inclined if the Philippines supported the victor in the civil war.

[h3]Fascist and Spanish Reconciliation Independence[/h3]
So once the Philippines gains independence as a Fascist or Pro-Spain faction. What then?



If the Fascists or Aguinaldo wins, then the Philippines can go on to form the Second Philippine Republic. Alternatively, under the Spanish Reconciliation branch, the Philippines can choose to crown Juan III as King, and create the Reino de Filipinas (Kingdom of the Philippines), and start to restore Spanish control to the former territories of the Spanish Empire.

Why Juan? His father, Alfonso XIII had already been deposed (and would die in 1941). Of Juan’s elder siblings, Alfonso had renounced the throne, Jaime had been effectively disinherited by his father, which left Juan as next in line. Historically Franco passed him over because he considered Juan too progressive, and too much in favour of a constitutional monarchy- traits that are actually in demand for a Filipino king! If that’s not enough, he had a life-long passion for the sea, going to naval school and even serving with the British Royal Navy. He was even offered a commission (but refused as it would have meant giving up Spanish citizenship). If any nation needed a maritime royal ruler, it’s the Philippines!



A quick note on the Reino de Filipinas flag: We do actually put a great deal of thought and effort into the flags of our nations, particularly for the alt-history ones, and I think that this is a great example. This flag is very similar to the flag of the Philippines today, however the 4th, largest sun in the center has been replaced with the crest of Infante Juan when he was pretender to the Spanish Throne. This is particularly pertinent, because that 4th sun was a symbol of the revolution against Spain so it would make sense that the new regime would want to replace that part.

[h2]Maritime Communism[/h2]
This brings us nicely on to the final political branch open to the Philippines. Communism!



In 1932, the Philippine Supreme Court banned communism, or more particularly the Partido Komunista ng Pilipinas (PKP). In 1938, the government under Quezon lifted this ban, recognising it as a legal political organization once again. It is through this chain of events that Communism can be revived in the Philippines.

One thing about context, bear in mind that this is set before the Cold War, and while the United States was fearful of Communism it had not reached the McCarthyite fever pitch yet. Therefore, Communism can be allowed to grow within the Philippines- but the USA will notice, and they will threaten to intervene.

Once this happens, the clock begins ticking, and you must attempt to placate the United States through a number of sacrifices, ranging from offering permanent access to naval and air bases, exiling certain advisors, or just “lobbying” really hard. If you succeed, then the US is satisfied that you are not evil-incarnate and will offer independence, if however you do not. Good luck fighting them without allies!

When the Philippines has managed to slip from the capitalist grasp, options open up- though this is one spot where fun and gameplay trumps history (a little). The communist movement in the Philippines was mostly a peasant one (similar to Communist China) rather than one of the workers, and while they did tend to have support from the fishermen, they were not the primary driver. In this version of Philippine Communism however, it is the fishermen who take the lead because I thought it a really interesting option to play as a naval communist nation, the nearest to which currently being Communist Norway.

While most Communist states in Hearts of Iron tend to have enormous armies… the Philippines can get a massive navy instead, and the focuses here support that goal.

[h2]War for the Oceans[/h2]
Ok, so you’ve managed to achieve independence, either through the Treaty of Manila, or one of the other more creative (and dangerous) measures. Now what?



Well, this is a war game. So… war! War for the Oceans starts out by giving some more much needed naval production capabilities, which is expanded even further with Develop Naval Infrastructure. If this independent Philippines has managed to join the Japanese faction, then they can do Assume the Naval Burden instead which grants a portion of the Japanese fleet to the Philippines, under the understanding that the Philippines deals with the naval threats, allowing Japan to focus on their land-conquests.

After that, it’s all about expansion! There are a lot of choices here for the Philippines, and they get a whole bunch of claims on people all over the Pacific. A number of them can even be cored. This leads to another interesting topic, how do we actually decide who or what can be claimed or cored?



For the Philippines we looked to their Austronesian connections and used those. Geographical areas with significant Austronesian populations were considered for claims and cores- this is how Madagascar made the list! Oceania and Japan grant claims but not cores. They are strategically valuable to an expanded Philippines, but they do not share those cultural and ethnic connections.

[h2]Subject... Surrender[/h2]
All these dreams of conquest are wonderful, but as we all know, historically the Philippines fell to the Japanese invasion, and this is a likely scenario for the Philippines in-game too.




This is especially true for AI Philippines on Historical, because we do try to design content, particularly with minor nations, with AI use in mind. We think it’s valuable for AI nations to behave in a believable manner, using tactics and advantages they historically did.

I just think that it’s important to highlight that, because while I do expect this to be one of the less played paths (I know you’re all too good at HOI to lose ;) ), I still want to provide the Philippines with the tools they need even in defeat.

Historically, the Philippine resistance was one of the largest, most well organized and effective resistance movements of the war, and this branch reflects that, allowing the conquered area to become a major thorn in the side of their occupiers. This branch brings together the various organizations that fought the resistance, from USAFFE troops left behind, to the Hukbalahap, and even the Moro fighters in Mindanao. If the Philippines is still in a faction with the United States, MacArthur ensures that supplies continue to flow to those who fight on.

The Second Philippine Republic will be formed by the Japanese should a full state fall, and they will slowly core the other states over time as they come under occupation too, eventually leading to some Japanese support in the region, but they will have to fight hard to retain control.

[h3]National Defense Act[/h3]


The National Defense act stands as the gateway to most (but not all) of the military branches. As we discussed in the Dev Corner, this stands as the longest focus to complete in the game, 245 days straight out of the box. You will notice the clock there however, which denotes this as one of the focuses to be sped up- this one by completing any of the Economic milestone focuses, left or right side all the way down to just 35 days. It is therefore up to the player to determine when it’s time to trigger the Defense Act, and thus begin rearming the nation in earnest.

Why is this so important though? Well, the Philippine army was not in a good state, as heavily reliant on American protection as the state was, this is no surprise. However, MacArthur was astonished by just how bad things were, with infantrymen never having had firing drill, and artillerymen who had never seen a cannon.



The National Defense Act focus alone increases factory output by 75%, and dockyard output by 50%, leaving just -15% factory output, and entirely removing the negative dockyard modifier. Quite a big difference! Once that hurdle is overcome, access is gained to the Defensive, Army and Air Force branches… with an obvious branch missing from that collection. More about them later!

In the Defensive branch, you can build up the fortifications around Manila and Bataan, to create a fortified bastion from which to hold out from.

The Army branch further builds up the Philippine’s own military, giving a combination of combat and production bonuses that finally allows the Philippine army to come fully online.

The Air Force had only very limited presence in the Philippines at the start of the war, and what they had was American so this branch is not historical for this time period, but explores the idea of what if the Philippines had invested into a domestic air industry.

[h2]The Offshore Patrol[/h2]
So why was the naval branch separated out from the National Defense Act? In short, because we wanted the Philippines to have access to a decent fleet as it's just a more fun way to play the nation. The National Defense Act was quite a big gatekeeper to expanding the fleet, and we know that ships take a long time to produce.



The early part of the branch gives access to much needed dockyards and dockyard output so that you can put some ships out to sea before any conflicts begin in earnest. To progress further though, from the PT Boat Development focus onwards, you will still need to complete the National Defense Act.




We have toyed with a lot of different ways to represent Patrol Boats (PT Boats) in the game, from entirely new ship hulls, to an in-shore minlaying analogue, but ultimately decided to use the new Doctrine system - adding the Patrol Boat doctrine. The Philippines can really specialise in this, gaining a bonus to Patrol Boat doctrine mastery gain as well as adjusting how their destroyer hulls function.



All is not bad on the national spirit side either, whereas the other spirits tended to be quite (ok, very) negative. The Philippines also begin with the Island Nation spirit, giving a bonus to convoy production, convoy retreat speed, and a visibility reduction to enable more hit and run engagements. Speaking of convoys, the Philippines can trade in some of their maritime trade capability in exchange for infrastructure and weapons, if they complete the right economic focuses.

[h2]Characters[/h2]
[h3]Generals[/h3]


We’re looking into giving Jonathan Wainwright a new portrait, as his current one is from after his incarceration. Likewise for Arthur Percival (for the British).

[h3]Admirals[/h3]


[h3]Advisors[/h3]


[h3]Country Leaders[/h3]
I will leave it up to your best guesses as to how to get each of them!

Manuel Quezon, Manuel Roxas, Jose Laurel, Crisanto Evangelista

Pedro Abad Santos, Emilio Aguinaldo, Artemio Ricarte, Interregnum

[h3]Unit Art[/h3]
Philippine Infantry

Philippine Scout (Ranger)

Philippine Marine

And finally, some Philippine zoom zooms!



We actually had a little difficulty differentiating Philippine tanks and planes from American ones, because during this period they tended to use the exact same equipment, but we’ve reskinned a bunch of US models and added the Philippine roundel (without wings for the land units), and changed up some of the colours. We also took this opportunity to improve the texture quality of those Philippine units.



I think that’s your lot for today, please do leave feedback below - I always really appreciate the insight you all provide. While making big sweeping changes at this point is unlikely, we can always tweak this and that. Similarly if you have any questions about what has been revealed (and what hasn’t) then please do let us know!

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]
As promised, here is the video detailing the changes coming to China!​

Also, make sure to check in with the Developers Tomorrow, October 30th, for a Livestream where they will cover the complete China Experience~
/Chak

[p]
Hey folks, ImaginedPanda here! I’m one of the designers working on Nationalist China and will be taking you through a quick tour of the new content coming in No Compromise, No Surrender. If you don’t recognize the name it is because this is my first time writing a Dev Diary and if you do recognize the name it’s because I’ve been answering when you’ve reported bugs on the forums. Keep doing that, you guys are awesome! Enough of that though onto Nationalist China!

When we start the game we’re about to come out of a period known as the Nanjing Decade mostly understood as a more stable period than what preceded it. The country had enjoyed some levels of economic growth and important reforms had meant that a modern state was starting to take shape.

But the Nanjing Decade isn’t simply a period of growth and prosperity. In 1931 the Japanese invade Manchuria during the Mukden incident and have since been standing ready to march into the rest of the country. This shadow still looms large over the country…

At the head of the Chinese central government is the Kuomintang, the party founded by Sun Yat-sen two decades prior and the only fully legal one of the period. In 1936 it is governed by Chiang Kai-shek, the Generalissimo, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t opposing voices and opinions within the party. This means the nationalist focus tree is to a large degree a Kuomintang focus tree where the different paths are different groups within the party and some of the parts overlap.

But being the head of a state doesn’t mean that you exert meaningful control over the country, with the different warlords that are present around China. They are more or less inclined to collaborate with the central government. Not to forget the Chinese Communist Party having a small, but well defended, base area in the North. Playing as China your primary goal will be to subjugate these and unify the country by showing that you are the legitimate leader. How you go about this will depend on which political path you choose in the tree.

[/p][h3]Chiang - The Generalissimo[/h3][p]
We’ll start off talking about Chiang Kai-shek: a military leader through and through, Chiang asserted his power and assured loyalty through the army and the Whampoa Military Academy. What this means is that playing as Chiang Kai-shek you will focus heavily on using the new faction system where you will use your influence to force the different warlords into becoming your subjects.


The stronger a military leader you are the more you will be able to integrate.


As China was a big recipient of lend-lease so we also wanted to give you gameplay around this and have added a mini-branch for this where you will be able to build up both your economy and arsenal.



[/p][h3]Wang Jingwei - The Opposition[/h3][p]
Wang Jingwei can be described as Chiang Kai Shek's greatest adversary within the KMT of the period.


Unlike Chiang, Wang wasn’t militarily trained and more of a politician so we’ve taken to this difference to make this path feel different. In this path you will get rid of Chiang and start solidifying your power through taking over the central government institutions, known as the Yuans.

This is your way of proving to the rest of the country that your legitimacy comes from having a properly functioning bureaucracy. With that being said, it is worth remembering that Wang was as big, if not more, an opportunist as anyone else and this is more a question of regulatory capture than it is a founding of a fair and efficient state.

But this doesn’t sound like a quick way to prepare for the Japanese, remember that you have less than 2 years before they come knocking on your door, or is there something else you could do?

We have previously given you the option to hand over northern China to postpone the war, but we’ve wanted to expand on that to give you more gradual control. Thus you now will be shown how many days until the Kwantung Army says that your sovereignty is overrated which can be influenced by placating the Japanese with concessions. This gives you valuable time to build up your defences, but remember that anything you give the Japanese won’t be usable by you and they will come after you at some point.


When having thrown out the invaders and unified your country you get to help others to do the same, as well as punish the damn imperialists. Don’t worry though, you will be appropriately rewarded for helping your fellow asians throw off the yoke of colonialism.



[/p][h3]The Blue Shirts - A New Chinese Chapter[/h3][p]
Something that should have become clear at this point is that armed conflict will come to you earlier than you might have preferred. This might feel somewhat overwhelming for some players, but then you have the kind of player that prefers when every border is a frontline. At least you know what kind of relation you have with them then.

This is where the Society of Practice of the Three Principles of the People, more commonly known as the Blue Shirts, comes in. Organised as a paramilitary group of the KMT along the lines of their European namesakes they had a very minor impact historically, what if they didn’t?

We’ve imagined an organisation that rather than getting banned and remembered as violent brutes, got organised and turned into an effective fighting force spreading the light of the New Life Movement. This latter refers to an alternative ideology that Chiang Kai-Shek made an effort to spread among the populace as a modern alternative to western cultural thought, with a Chinese foundation.

Reforming the Blue Shirts will allow you to set up chapters in states spreading your ideology throughout the countryside solidifying your control. But having a presence in a state will make sure that the populace can support you by helping you take and hold the state.


When you’ve brought the revolution of Dr Sun Yat-sen to all of China you will strike outwards, taking control over areas in your vicinity and building a continental empire. By successfully conquering claimed areas you will be rewarded with more efficient resource extraction and, more importantly, the ability to integrate the states into your glorious empire. Proving yet again that the world revolves around you.

[/p][h3]The China Democratic League - A New Light in the East[/h3][p]So far we’ve talked about having different incarnations of the KMT and what paths the party could have or did take. As mentioned above, the reason for this is the overwhelming power it did have at the time, but that doesn’t mean we can’t imagine another world.


During the time period there were several smaller groups during the time that challenged the KMT, and some of them unified into what came to be known as the China Democratic League, which became the largest opposition apart from the CCP.

We’ve kept that idea, but imagined if more groups joined the CDL so you have a selection of different groups that you can bring into your movement. Depending on which groups you chose you will be able to select a different leader for your newfound democracy.


But just uniting small ideological groups does not make a movement and you still need the backing of the populace. To get them on your side you will be applying the teaching of Dr Sun guiding them towards a better future.


So that is how you make your country turn Democratic, but that wouldn’t be worth a lot if you can’t keep your sovereignty. As you might have guessed the Japanese invasion won’t be stopped simply because you have another party in power so you will have to deal with them.

As your project of spreading democratic ideals throughout a large country will take time you will need to find a way to resist the foreign invaders. As many Chinese had left the country prior to the timeframe we’re looking at, you will be able to draw support from different places throughout the world.

Getting support from expats isn’t going to save China and one place where a lot of people ended up would be the USA. If you’re able to hold out long enough you will be able to request to join the Americans in their faction, bringing them into the war earlier than they did historically.

Standing together against aggression will open up the possibility to bring the glow of liberty further throughout Asia and Oceania. By awakening the peoples yearning for freedom you will stand behind the independence of all colonized. Even if this brings you into conflict with the empires of old you will create a properly democratic alternative to the Allies.

[/p][h3]A Nanjing Century - Industrial Branch[/h3][p]While we know China today as an industrial powerhouse, that was not always the case. Many of the institutions that would come later are not present at game start and you will have to rectify the situation.


Chinese industry in the period had a large part that was foreign financed so we wanted to give you the option to do the same. If you have played your cards right you will be able to get large amounts of support from foreign sources.

While the Nanjing decade brought a lot of economic and educational progress to the country, it was mostly centred around urban areas. This led to a less dynamic economy and more importantly an opening for the communists to grow their base. In NCNS we wanted to give you the opportunity to solve this issue

Further, when the war comes you will be able to expand the Chinese Industrial Cooperatives which were small scale operations organised from the bottom up. These grew to be quite large and came to produce substantial amounts of war equipment, while also leaving an impact on language.

[/p][h3]The National Revolutionary Army[/h3][p]
The National Revolutionary army of the 1930s was not the most well trained, nor equipped, but in the 20s it became self-evident to many in the military that a confrontation with the Japanese was inevitable. Two strategies to solve this inevitability emerged, Protracted Warfare and Decisive Battles.


The former was based on the perception that the Japanese had no staying power and the longer the war took, the lower their chance of winning. This path gives you solid bonuses to your defence and the possibility to burn the enemy's supply lines from the rear. You will also be able to focus your defensive efforts in specific states to pin the enemy down where it is the most beneficial to you


Ironically, the concept of Decisive Battles was influenced by the Japanese themselves in 1905 against the Russian empire. The idea was formed that if you win key engagements you break the will of the enemy so quick and fast strikes wins the war. Here your ability to strike back at the enemy and preempt their attacks takes centre state from the more careful approach. Similarly here you will be able to target specific states with your offensive capabilities proving once and for all that you only have to break them once if you do it well.


As you can see we have chosen to represent these ideas in two different branches, but unlike how we’ve done in army branches in the past, going down one won’t lock you into that choice for the rest of your playthrough. When choosing one path you only lock yourself into that branch temporarily until you’ve taken the last focus in the branch. This means that if you are not ready for beating the invaders you can go down the more defensive branch slowing them down, and when you feel ready to strike back you start taking offensive focuses.

No matter what doctrinal leaning you’ve chosen you have some issues that need to be dealt with and thus you will be given the tools to do so. This is the part between both branches that the keen eyed of you would have found on your own. It allows you to deal with your structural issues

[/p][h3]The Aviation Affairs Commission[/h3][p]While many people think of the Flying Tigers when thinking of air warfare in China we didn’t want a Chinese air branch being dependent on foreign support, but unfortunately the ROCAF didn’t enjoy the same pace of development that contemporary countries did. Thus the air branch circles more around what the goal of your airforce is and what that means for its composition.


The main choice is if your airforce is going to be shaped into an offensive tool to project power and strike the enemy abroad, or if controlling your own backyard takes precedence. This ties into the changes we’ve done to doctrines of course.


You will of course also have options of which organisation should manufacture your planes either going with the Central Aircraft Manufacturing Company, CAMCO, with their focus on high-powered interceptors, or the Sino-Italian National Aircraft Works, SINAW, specialising in medium sized bomber aircraft.

And sometimes, there isn’t anything more important than making a statement…


[/p][h3]The Republic of China Navy[/h3][p]Unfortunately the ROCN of the period can not be described as impressive, but at least it did exist compared to some folks in the north. A significant part of the navy was inherited from the Qing and had switched sides to the revolutionaries in 1911. The vessels that were ordered for it during the 1920s were few and overall small so that when war did break out, the Japanese made quite short work of the fleet.


For these reasons we’ve leaned into more what could have been which means that the main option you will have as a player is if you have the need to control the oceans or if your resources would be better spent on denying the enemy the control, because sometimes it’s enough if the enemy doesn’t win.
We’ve also added some bonuses to grow your fleet quickly so that you will be able to catch up with the other global powers, because you know what they say: A battleship isn’t built in a day.

And now you actually get some Admirals!


For you who likes overviews, here is the tree in its entirety.

I hope I’ve been an adequate guide for this quick introduction to the Nationalist update for No Compromise, No Surrender and I’m looking forward to seeing where you bring the KMT revolution. Now I’ll be handing you off to D3vil to give you an update on the state of the Warlords

You may have noticed that we have added a few new warlords. And some of you have been asking whether we have reworked the Warlord focus trees, and the Manchukuo one. In order to be clear about that, we have not done that as part of this release. However, during the work with No Compromise, No Surrender, we did want to add some flavor to these trees to better work alongside the new Chinese and Japanese content.

To that end, the generic shared tree has been slightly expanded to better accommodate the new content, and a few of the warlords feature a minor subbranch representing the specific region and leader.


As examples of new sub branches, the Ma Cliques share a subbranch about unifying into one country, while the Sichuan Clique has a subbranch representing the divided administrations and nature of the province at the time, and the Khotan Ma Clique has a subbranch about attempting to unify Sinkiang province under their rule.


A few of the other warlords have received similar updates.

Similarly, Manchukuo has received a very minor touchup to allow for more flavor in the region, as well as improved compatibility with Japans and China focus trees.


And we added a new Field Marshal and potential country leader for Mongolia :)

[/p]

[p] Dàjiā hǎo (Hi everybody!) and welcome to Communist China’s the Chinese Soviet Republic’s proper Dev Diary, where we, I , PDX_Danne, and PDX_berthier will guide you through the changes that are coming to China with No Compromise, No Surrender.

[/p][h3]Please remember that all of this is subject to change as it’s still in development! [/h3][p]
The situation for the communists in China was dire at the start of 1936. The Long March saw the Red Army reduced from 100 000 to less than 10 000 before arriving in Shaanbei. The new headquarters is a remote, underdeveloped, and arid place - but not all hope is lost! The new base area is easily defensible, and the Communists are poised to rebuild and start the struggle anew if they work hard and smart. Except a new enemy is on the horizon… And former enemies may yet become uneasy allies.


On the political side, Zhang Wentian has become the new General Secretary of the Communist Party, after Bo Gu’s strategy led to the near destruction of the Communists at the hands of the KMT. Although Mao Zedong is the de facto leader of the Party, rivals are poised to strike.


Looking at Communist China’s National Spirits doesn’t really give any reason for optimism either; being forced to embark on the Long March and hunted by the Nationalists really did a number on the Communists:


All of this lines up with one of our major design goals for the content; to give the player the feeling of playing the ultimate underdog - down but not yet out. The Communists start in a weak position, with barely any military, industry, or tech. And somehow they still managed to win the Civil War and become a superpower. We wanted to hone in on this feeling of barely having anything to become equal to the other major powers - but before we get to that, let’s take a look at some map changes! Who doesn’t love maps around these parts, am I right?


[/p][h2]Map Changes[/h2][p]One of the major points of feedback we’ve received was a desire to have a more accurate map of China. Though there will always be compromises that need to be made for gameplay reasons, we’ve been sure to address most of the major feedback, as well as updating various names for regions and warlords, etc.

Old / New

Additionally, we’ve made terrain changes to be more accurate, such as mountains in correct positions.

Tied to this, the Chinese Soviet Republic now controls territory more accurate to the actual situation in 1936.

Old start position and new

The eagle-eyed observers of you who also read the Dev Corner covering China, will spot that the Communists now start with two states, but don’t get fooled into thinking both are equally good for you. The truth is that the CCP never had full control over these regions, as there remained Kuomintang-loyal troops in the area throughout WW2 and during the ensuing Civil War. We’ve represented this with a state modifier called The Yulin Garrison (which you can remove through a decision or focus effects):


Having familiarized ourselves with the new starting position, it’s time to dive into what we’re all here for; the new Focus Tree!



[/p][h2]Industry[/h2][p]The industrial branch

The industrial situation in Communist controlled Northern China is…. not great.

Did I mention we want you to feel like you are building from nothing?

But fear not! The Chinese Soviet Republic has the chance to not only recover from their dire starting situation, but also to quickly industrialize and become something of an economic snowballing powerhouse.

The industrial situation from a game in 1945, while still at war with Japan. While not on the scale of more industrialized nations, this represents a 4000% increase in factories from the start.

[/p][h3]Economic Planning[/h3][p]When it comes to central economic planning, we felt we wanted something slightly different from other focuses like in the Soviet Union or Germany. We wanted to introduce some risk/reward and give the player a choice in how risky they want to play it.

The focuses and requirements for the missions from the industrial situation in screenshot above

The missions

Both bonuses give bonuses to the industrial might of the nation, but with that comes expectations that need to be met. If you were to meet them, great things await. Should you fail… well, you will only have yourself to blame for not planning correctly.

[/p][h3]Rural Surveys[/h3][p]If the player joins the Second United Front with all the warlords and Nationalist China, the player can become surrounded by allies and (temporarily at least) locked from expansion. That meant the player could get locked from expanding their industry, so to solve this we added this focus. (The focus is a reference to how General Secretary Zhang Wentian conducted rural surveys during the war).


These unlock the decisions to spend PP to get building slots, thus allowing you to expand your industry even if you’re too busy fighting the Japanese to expand your territory.

[/p][h3]Rural or Urban development[/h3][p]We wanted the player to have a choice in the industrial branch whether to try to focus on developing the rural areas of China, or focus on urbanization.


The player starts with the idea Agrarian Society, which can be modified in the industry tree. The player can also change the idea to Agrarian Reform, or if they take the path towards urbanization, the idea can be replaced by Urban Society.

The player starts with Agrarian Society, but can improve it to Agrarian Reform. Later in the tree the player can turn it into Urban Society. The numbers and balance are not finished yet.


[/p][h2]Military[/h2][p]
[/p][h3]Generals[/h3][p]One of our priorities was focusing on increasing the number of characters available to the PRC, reflecting the actual situation in 1936. That does not mean we necessarily will have everyone, but we’ve tried to emphasize the most important ones.

Here’s a list of all the starting Generals. He Long and Zhang Guotao are on a road trip (they can join you later on) at the start of the game.

And yes, there are even a few admirals - though you will have your work cut out to create a navy. The first of these challenges being that you are playing a landlocked country 1200 kilometers from the nearest coast line (I checked with Google maps - that’s quite the roadtrip!). More on that later.

We wanted to synergistically (I stole that word from Zwirbaum’s hydrodynamics dev corner) tie the effects of the Long March to the Generals who participated in them, which became a national symbol of the Communist struggle. One way to achieve this is by the new trait associated with the respective Generals.

Survivor of the Long March trait

[/p][h3]Starting Military Situation[/h3][p]As mentioned in the intro, the Long March caused the Red Army to be reduced to a fraction of its previous strength. But more importantly, not all forces have arrived in Shaanbei yet, including veteran Generals He Long and Zhang Guotao (more on him later) and their respective armies. That means that the early focus for the player is to rebuild and rearm the Red Army to become a sufficiently strong force to guarantee the safety of the Chinese communist cause.

In the early part of the military, the goal for the player is to catch up and recover from the Long March.

After that, the player will have the chance to form the People’s Liberation Army, and all of its different branches (actually it’s most - you’re not getting a space force this DLC, I’m terribly sorry to disappoint).

The different late game military branches

[/p][h3]Army[/h3][p]The main choice the player will be able to make during this part is choosing whether to focus on a small, professional army, or one that deploys a lot of soldiers.


Additionally, we needed a way for the Communist player to be able to catch up in regards to armor, compared to nations who start with a tradition of a mechanized and armored army. We took inspiration from the 1950s, with PRC’s early tanks being primarily Soviet made T-34/85s before domestic construction of T54s started.

Tanks. Tanks.

[/p][h3]Navy[/h3][p]I may be in the minority (I probably am but I’m living in denial), but one of the most fun aspects of HoI4 is naval roleplaying. Ie, building up a navy from scratch, focusing on creating a balanced navy capable of sailing the High Seas (you should see my private excel sheets from my naval RP saves). So, what better nation to cater to that fantasy than a landlocked nation with no navy?

That’s right, folks! It’s time to look at the naval branch of the focus tree!!


The main theme for this branch, which mirrors the history of the PRC navy, is playing catch up. So I wanted to reflect that in the type of focuses you can pick. Obviously your first priority will be to construct dockyards.


Beyond that, the early PLAN consisted of a lot of Soviet era ships purchased in the 1950s (including the Anshan class destroyers, which were originally Soviet Gnevny class), so we reflect that in the focus tree while also expanding upon that with some alternative ship classes.

Soviet ships

[/p][h3]Air Force[/h3][p]“Okay, let’s see what planes were used by Communist China in the 1930’s and 1940’s…. Oh. Well. Oh. Hmmmmmmmmm.”


Well, what to do? We decided to focus on having the player playing catch up primarily in the forms of technology boosts. I wanted to ensure that the player would be able to build a proper late game air force.



As such, the focus is on research bonuses, establishing production to actually build planes, and having focuses that give radar and AA to help supplement your lack of air force.

Additionally, we wanted to have a more accurate representation of the possible air chiefs than previously. This is in line with our goal of representing more characters.

And here is a look of all the capstone focuses on the military branch, leading up to the creation of the Central Military Commission.

[/p][h3]MIO's[/h3][p]Before we go into the tech tree, I wanted to go through all the different MIOs available. Some are shared, but most of them are exclusive to the Chinese Soviet Republic.

Tank MIOs

Naval MIOs

Aircraft MIOs

Material MIO

Having gone through the Common Branches, it’s time to turn to….

[/p][h2]Politics[/h2][h3]Power Struggles in the Central Committee[/h3][p]While Mao had mostly solidified his leadership over the Central Committee and the Communists at large by early 1936, there were still challengers and rivals seeking to usurp his control. This is the basis for Communist China’s Balance of power.


The main rival(s) to Mao were the 28½ Bolsheviks (more about them later), but also another military commander, Zhang Guotao, who had attempted to establish a rival Central Committee in 1935 but ultimately failed. Each one of these three internal factions has its own bonuses based on its level of influence in the Balance of Power.


While not a central part of playing the Chinese Soviet Republic, the Balance of Power bears keeping in mind, because the bonuses you get from it might be very helpful in your struggle against both the Nationalists and Japan.

[/p][h2]Historical[/h2][p]
As already mentioned, Communist China is in a really tough spot in 1936 - and things aren’t looking up either. There are limited opportunities for early expansion, and Japan is *knock knock Kon'nichiwa* on the door. Time is not on the Chinese Soviet Republic’s side, but play your cards right, bide your time, and you’ll be able to become the undisputed ruler of all of China! Before you can go down the historical path and see Mao assume complete leadership over the Communists, or have one of his rivals ascend and claim power over the Central Committee, there are a few focuses you can take to help grow militarily and industrially before facing off against the Japanese.


You can engage in Border Wars with your neighbours with The Eastward and Westward Expedition, but these Border Wars will be hard-fought affairs with a tired and belligerent Red Army. Completing Know the Enemy will give you some temporary bonuses against your neighbours, but it will hardly be the only thing you have to do to quickly expand your territory. It will however unlock the Raid Border Defenses - helping you even further to gain control of your neighbouring areas.

Usurp Control over Yan’an works a bit differently, though; depending on when you do this focus, you’ll get another Border War, or you can get a state for free if you’re allied with the Nationalists (psssst maybe just waiting around for nothing might help you too because of some extra content exclusive to the Northeast and Shaanxi Army warlord directly to the south).


Having solidified your control over Yan’an, you can choose to either develop your new holdings or take a more aggressive stance against the rest of China.


With Burn the Paper Tiger, you can beat everyone else in China to creating a faction and invite the Nationalists - thus becoming the faction leader (even though several of the Warlords are likely to shun your leadership and refuse to join the faction and the Nationalists might usurp your leadership). Rally the Peasants and Guide the Central Committee will unlock decisions to push the Balance of Power in Mao’s favor so that you can Embrace the Change in Leadership and have Mao solidifying his grip of the Central Committee.


Having done all of this, you are ready to face the Japanese! From afar, that is; you’ll probably still lack a big industry and a substantial army, so you’ll want to play it safe and let the Nationalists do the heavy lifting. You can’t be too passive, though, since the front lines risk collapsing and you’ll be overrun, just like everyone else. To help you at least slow down the Japanese onslaught, you can pick a page from Mao’s book On Guerilla Warfare, which will strengthen your militias (which will work very well in synergy with the Infantry sub-doctrine Irregulars or Operations sub-doctrine People’s War) as well as unlock Guerilla Warfare Decisions.


From this side of the branch, you can continue down to Establish Bases Behind Enemy Lines, allowing you to Establish Sabotage Operations on your core states against any country you’re fighting. With Empower the Guerillas you’ll halve the cost for taking Guerilla Warfare Decisions and improve the effects of said decisions.


Going down the other path after Embrace the Change in Leadership with Propaganda Efforts, you’ll start to contend for the leadership within the United Front by increasing your Faction Influence contribution. With Secure the People’s Support, you’ll unlock the Rally Support in Chinese States Decisions, which will allow you to infiltrate Chinese states that you’re not at war with - whether they be allies or not. These decisions will help you in a potential future war later on, as they will give you bonuses for fighting in that state. You can even infiltrate the state so thoroughly that it’ll flip to your side once war is declared between your countries, with a militia unit rising up in support of your cause.


Beware, though, when you establish a Guerilla Cell, or launch a Sabotage Operation, or infiltrate Rally Support in a state, your opponent will be able to counter your actions - so don’t assume your job is done because you succeeded once.


Remember how we talked about the limited production capabilities of the Communists during this time period? Well, there is another way to get weapons without producing them - they might even be more modern than the ones you’re able to produce yourself! That alternative way is called Raid Weapon Depots and is unlocked through the…. Raid Weapon Depots focus…. Who’s coming up with these names?? Oh…. This unlocks a land raid you can launch on states with a supply hub where you have either established guerilla cells or launched sabotage operations. Depending on the success of the raid, you’ll receive infantry equipment from the targeted country.


With the Yan’an Rectification Movement, you’ll cement Mao as the supreme leader of CCP, giving him a new leader trait depending on where you are on the Balance of Power.


Having finally established Mao as the sole leader of Communist China, you can launch an offensive through the Hundred Regiments Offensive and Prepare for the Inevitable upcoming continuation of the Civil War against the Nationalists (if they still exists that is).

And that is more or less all there is to the Historical path for Communist China, but that doesn’t mean this Dev Diary is done yet. It’s time to look at the other political paths available to you, starting with the confusingly named….

[/p][h3]28 (and a half) Bolsheviks[/h3][p]The 28½ Bolsheviks, so called because of the 28-29 (depending on who you ask) Chinese intellectuals who studied in Moscow in the late 1920s to early 1930s. The two current leading figures (Zhang Wentian was a member of the group before becoming a closer ally to Mao) are Wang Ming and Bo Gu. Both have had strong positions in the party up to the Long March, when the party was led by Bo Gu. In 1935 he was deposed of that position, though he remains with the party leadership.

The focus paths for 28 ½ Bolsheviks

Both Bo Gu and Wang Ming can return to lead the Party, should the faction gain enough influence to take control.

Bo Gu and Wang Ming

The player can take a focus to upgrade the trait for all leaders and advisors of the 28 ½ Bolsheviks

Should the Bolsheviks take power, it will come with a different perspective on Communism, a more urbanized and intellectual rather than the rural perceptive advanced by Mao. Additionally they will seek a closer co-operation with the Soviet Union, where the 28 Bolsheviks studied in the late 1920s and early 1930s.

The strength of the modifier gained from Embrace Stalinism is based on the current Balance of Power value

The 28½ Bolshevik will have access to a unique mechanic that relates to the new Faction feature.


The Influence The Faction mechanic is a decision system where you can send Zhou Enlai on diplomatic missions to other faction members in the Second United Front to gain Faction Influence.

Tier one decisions

Tier two decision

You will still have access to the Infiltration and Guerilla mechanics, but they will be much weaker. However, if you then further progress down the branch you will be able to halve the cost of these decisions.

If you prefer diplomatic gameplay over infiltration, this path might be for you!

[/p][h3]The Unwilling Diarchy[/h3][p]
To go down this path, you’ll have to first wait for Zhang Guotao to arrive in the Chinese Soviet Republic, and only then can you form the Unwilling Diarchy between Guotao and Mao, sidelining the 28½ Bolsheviks in the Balance of Power.


With Gain the People’s Trust you’ll unlock the Rally Support in Chinese States infiltration decisions already discussed, and with Mobilization of the People you get an additional 4 units of militias and more manpower overall. But to be able to withstand both the rest of China and Japan, you’ll have to fight smart and Promote Guerilla Warfare, but also build up and Promote a Regular Army before ultimately choosing which way you want to take your strategy; will you lean into guerilla warfare with raiding weapon depots to supplement your meager military production, or will you decide to mimic the Soviet Union and truly reform the army and build a more conventional army? No matter what you choose, you will be favoring Mao or Guotao over the other in their power struggle to achieve control over the Central Committee, and ultimately the country - but it will not necessarily determine who will come out on top, but it will make it easier for them. Having decided in which direction you want to take your armed forces and strategy of war, it’s time to finally decide who to ascend to leadership over the country! Will it be the sly Mao Zedong or the more direct Zhang Guotao?


Having decided on what direction you want to take your country, you can finally focus on your external enemies; you can coerce and Demand the Loyalty of the Warlords, creating your very own faction, or you could go for the Preemptive Strike and stab the Nationalists in the back when they have their hands full of Japan. You could also bolster your limited production capabilities if you Secure Lend Lease from Soviet Union.


Having settled the internal power struggle and secured your position (either with a faction, lend-lease, or striking against the Nationalists), you can either Reach Out to the West or get Closer Ties to the Soviet Union - both with their own set of bonuses.


To help you in your war efforts, you can institute emergency protocols to either bolster your supply efforts or production efforts. You’ll be able to prolong these efforts and eventually make them permanent.


With that out of the way, the Unwilling Diarchy branch is almost done, and only two more focuses are necessary to progress further down the tree - namely Every Peasant a Soldier and The March to Victory.


What happens now, then? What happens once you’re ready to truly take to the offensive and become the sole hegemon over China?

[/p][h3]End Game[/h3][p]All the different political branches lead down to this shared branch focusing on the forming of the People’s Republic of China.

End game political branch

The player will be able to take focuses that unlock coring and integration efforts, retake old territories, as well as focuses aimed at providing content for a post-proclaimed PRC, such as improving Zhou Enlai’s trait to First Premier and moving the capital to Beijing.

In conclusion, the player’s main focus will be to rebuild and grow from a very delicate starting position while handling the warlords and nationalist China, with Japan at the doorstep. Should you decide to put aside your differences and form the Second United Front and fight against the common enemy, or do your best to fight against all? Regardless, after Japan has been dealt with, well. Time to turn attention to more domestic matters…



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