"Nihon Hitori 2020" Single Mission Pak Development Thread

[JosefK]

28 minutes ago, Stratos said:

I supose you're planning tons of Anti Ship missions, right? If you include new ships please considere modding the MAX Visibility Distance so those ships can be targetted further away so Anti Ship missiles could be properly used. Thanks!

Thanks for the note and the revival of this thread!

Yes, several anti-ship missions for sure.  I am working on increasing the MAX visibility distance - currently at 50-60 NM to lob ASM-3s in one case, ASM-2s in others.  Your targets will range from patrol boats to Udaloys as you see below to a Slava.

[JosefK]

Very busy this past week, but working on a quick mission to whack a surface supply group:

Leaving home base...

C-130s on a resupply mission

An E-767 on patrol providing AWACS services.

ASM-2 ejected from the launch rail a bit over 50 NM from the target

ASM-2 igniting for a target

A tactical view of events - and obviously this is an in-development screenie.

Krivak-class Frigate moving ahead of a cargo ship, picking up ASM-2s inbound

ASM-2 headed for an escort

Krivak launching a SAM at a SSM

Down goes the Krivak!

A most inglorious end...

Edited May 23, 2020 by JosefK

[JosefK]

I think we're due for another update.  Some of this is very much the "Do Admin" of "Fly-Fight-Do Admin" mentioned in one of my favourite books.  But here we go.

New Mission - A Mission 00 If You Will...

Just got my hands on a trawler that can serve as a nice prequel, a provocateur.  Really basic and not "The Battle of Hokkaido" but a good way to get started.  Here are some preview screens:

The Intro

I've gone ahead and decided to call relatively done the intro to this mission pack.  Here is that intro:

Quote

 

The pretext of "Nihon Hitori 2020" (Japan Alone 2020 in Japanese) is a mid 8/2020 (or 9/2020) campaign where the JASDF’s northern forces suddenly find themselves holding the line against and then pushing back a Russian tide from the Kurils attacking Japanese ships & Hokkaido airports until JASDF & JMSDF reinforcements arrive.  All without overt US assistance as the current US President is more than likely to tell Japan they're on their own - he already showed before the worldwide Covid19 crisis hit a clear misunderstanding at best of his responsibilities as Commander-in-Chief, a clear contempt for NATO, a deep empathy and reverence for Russian President Vladimir Putin, some open contempt between the current Japanese Prime Minister & the US President as a previous mentorship seems to have fallen apart, and the current US President even openly thinks, "If the United States keeps on … its current path of weakness, [Japan is] going to want to have [nuclear weapons] anyway with or without me discussing it."  Even going so far as to muse that, “If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War III. We will go in and we will protect them and we will fight with our lives and with our treasure...but if we're attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us at all. They can watch it on a Sony television, the attack.”

These behaviors have led Japan to help in the formation of a Canada-France-German-Japanese, “Alliance of multilateralists”.  With all three of the other powers of this alliance at least 24 if not 48 to 72 hours away in sending any kind of military reinforcement plus having to get around at least the substantial Russian landmass; it is the JASDF who must lead in holding firm and swat these attacks back.  It is clear the US will be sitting this one out and so Putin will try to destabilize Japan as he helped the US and make his friend the US President look wise to a war-weary, Covid-19 weary America rife with internal strife in the late summer to salvage his reelection campaign.

At least the JGSDF will rush forward to provide many SAMs and AAA – including the legendary PAC-3s.  But the Russians have too many aircraft – and some of them will be tasked to attack the JGSDF defense sites.  Surface-to-Air defenses aren’t that effective in swatting bombers – just ask the Brits in 1940, the Germans and Japanese in World War II, the Falkland Islands and the British liberation forces of 1982, the Syrians in 1982 and 2011-onward, the Iraqis in 1991 and 2003, and the Libyans in 2011 for starters.  The very best defense against an enemy aircraft is a friendly aircraft, period.

You may also ask where is the mighty JMSDF (basically Japanese Navy) with all their AEGIS destroyers and through-deck destroyers?  Try off-map but arguably part of the scenario is at least one JMSDF emergency task force racing up at 30 knots with some AEGIS & aircraft-carrying destroyers racing to formate with some older "escort destroyers" out of Ominato base and then sortie together to North Hokkaido while the shooting war only intensifies.  You will however have to… help a few stray members of the JMSDF fleet – including one that was attempting to rendezvous with Americans for some training exercises south of Alaska safely join that task force.  A couple 1-Go patrol boats will also try to help throughout the missions – don’t count on them for anything as they only pack anti-surface missiles and a Vulcan cannon.

Also goes without saying the Japan Coast Guard is clearly out of their element dealing with modern Russian armed forces.  Most Japan Coast Guard ships have only small arms and no missiles.

Point Being: For now, it’s up to the JASDF to hold the line.  It will not be easy the first few missions post-Mission 00 with the 201^st & 203^rd Squadrons of F-15Js attempting to retain at least air parity and gain air superiority, but you’ll also get to fly F-2As and F-35As later while the F-15Js are relegated to escort roles.

 

So there's your geopolitical backdrop.

Another New Mission...

There's going to be a wild F-2A mission that involves a surface action group and also some air-to-air action.  By the time this mission takes place, the Japanese Prime Minister has authorized an exclusion zone around Kunashir & Shikotan Islands to reduce the risk of invasion & further violent action against Hokkaido residents.  Here's a few screenies:

Stay tuned... more to come.

Edited June 14, 2020 by JosefK

[JosefK]

PS - I also mentioned in an earlier update about "WHAT IF".  Let me update that list a bit:

"WHAT IF"

Also I've had some ideas of some "What If" scenarios that will be uploaded separately.  Scenarios like:

• What if there was a JMSDF AEGIS destroyer helping cover the cargo ships getting away from the Kurils?
• What if that same JMSDF Aegis Destroyer was returning when the Russians mounted their alpha strike, lending its significant SAM battery to the fight?
• What if a JASDF F-4 Phantom attempted a photo recon run of Russian ships?  How close could it get before getting shot down, even with say... F-2A and/or F-15J escort?
• What if the JASDF bought from the RAAF as an interim strike-fighter the... RAAF F-111.  To keep the F-111 airworthy for 10-15 years until sufficient F-35As would come online, the F-111 would be only for maritime strike and maritime reconnaissance with a Japanese F-2A radar & such to support the latest JASDF weapons.  Rarely flown as the F-111s serve as JASDF's "big stick" against invasion attempts of its outlying islands to replace the F-1 + F-4 + a significant number of F-2Bs destroyed in the 2011 tsunami at a bargain basement cost.
• What if the Russians somehow got their Kirov-class Battlecruiser in Pacific Fleet reserve status into the fight...
• What if the Japan Coast Guard was more engaged...

[JosefK]

Clearly I am going to have to replace and add some aircraft.  Especially after this:

New ETA of a beta is late June...

[Stratos]

Su-35, Su-57...

Are you planning a Russian version as well?

[JosefK]

11 hours ago, Stratos said:

Su-35, Su-57...

Are you planning a Russian version as well?

I'm doing the Japanese side of this first.

It wouldn't be hard to make a Russian side after the What-Ifs are done.

[JosefK]

Just a little update since I've been so busy with RW stuff.

1) I added some @viper63a music to the game plus a special song.  Not just to genuinely add more immersion... but to also get as much stock SF2 stuff out.

2) I think after the below, it might be possible to add an AWACS mission at a later date - maybe as an additional "What If":

 

[JosefK]

Another little update - maybe a nuisance update but just made two kick-ass JPGs to replace the SF2 screens more appropriate for the 1960s & 1970s...

New debrief screen of a parked F-15J:

Be nice if one could use a different debrief screen for each jet...

New F-15J Loading screen that should get your heart going:

Yes, in one of the missions the Russians are more than likely to take out a radar while you're taking off.  I want intense, not point-click-shoot.  After all if we just had point-click-shoot we could just go to AWACS recon missions instead of FPS in a F-15J.

Finally, all my screens are 1920x1080.  If that's problematic to enough of you, I'll see what I can do but it's 2020 so we should all be widescreen.

Edited June 14, 2020 by JosefK

[JosefK]

Well this is your weekly update.

First, a good chunk of my weekend was spent putting this together:

Second, finishing up the screens & sounds today/Sunday.  Will slide some of the above in.  Below are some new screens:

Loading Screen

Options Screen

Mission Editor Screen
(Because I had to get somehow a F-35 in!)

Titles Screen
(Hope this gets rid of the SF2 traditional intro screen!)

Third, there is a surprise I want to keep from you as long as possible.  But let's just say you can expect a new Russian jet in the game...

Edited June 21, 2020 by JosefK
Added titles screen

[Nighthawk117]

Is this mission pack still in the works?