Wondering about possible Japanese mod?

[HannesGM]

As suggested in the title, I'm just wondering about it. I've seen someone suggesting to make a Atlantic mod for SHIV, involving very much reworking of pretty much everything.

In that, I'm wondering, is there noone who would enjoy mod that enables one to play the Pacific theatre as a Japanese sub commander? If not, why? (i could imagine that Japanese submarine doctrine would provide for quite poor mission choices, and how to implement having aircraft on board the sub, plus of course getting the interior of the subs modelled properly, and propably lots of other 'but's in there...) - but hell, would I love to play a mod like that.

Now, I'm no way suggesting I am the man to start such a mod (don't have a clue about modding SH) or even dare requesting someone else to do it, I am just wondering if there is really so little interest in playing as the Japanese.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the game thus far (only in July 1942), but I loved it how thing got harder and harder in SH3, with the war progressing as it did. It added alot of spice - which I'm afraid SHIV might lack (I have to find out myself, I know...)

I'm just thinking about the possibilities - Japan had a quite diverse submarine fleet, as did Germany - long range boats capable of ranges of 20,000 miles, boats with aeroplanes, even diesel-electric subs at the end of the war (even faster underwater speed than the German Type XXI at 19 knots [already in 1938, they had a sub capable of 21 knots submerged!]); plus very long range torpedoes (the type 95). Plus the lack of magnetic fuses early on has me thrilled :D (ok, the lack of duds due to faulty magnetic fuse is a thrill in itself, too).

Just imagine having to go out ina sub you can count on that it won't go deeper than 100m repeatedly, that is), and with no radar and the ever increasing ASW efficiency of both the USN and RN, it's like serving commanding an Invincible class BC at the Battle of Jutland. Just starting to ramble now - I shut up.

[Mush Martin]

Well I for one would find drivable IJN Subs most interesting I think
emphasizing the potential for head to head USN on IJN Sub engagements
in m/p might help you sell the idea and if you get a working player driveable
japanese sub of anytype let me have a copy.
MM

[panthercules]

I think this would be a great idea as well - I'd love the chance to see "how the other side lived", and playing as an IJN sub captain would definitely have a "Forgotten Battles" type attraction to it.

I do wonder about the perception I see expressed on these forums (including the SH3 ones) that as the war progressed things got harder for the German U-boat forces (which they certainly did) but got easier for the US submarine forces - I'm not all that sure this latter part was actually the case. Based on just a little research so far, it appears that US sub losses escalated as the war progressed (apparently we lost 8 boats in 1941-42, 17 in 1943, and 19 in 1944), so something increasingly dangerous seems to have been going on. Of course, there were bound to have been more boats in service as the war progressed, so maybe things weren't as bad on a percentage of force basis as those stats make it appear.

However, I suspect that as the war progressed and the defensive perimeter of Japan shrank, it would have forced the US subs to penetrate further into more dangerous waters closer to Japan in order to find targets, which presumably would increase the danger and difficulty, so I'm hoping that we will find the same sort of increasing challenge in the later stages of SH4 that we certainly saw in SH3.