Omega's Japanese Faction

After repeated arguments about whether Japan can hold it's own as a faction in COH2, I was motivated to create one myself from scratch and after a few days of researching and planning I present to you:




My intentions were to make this faction unique and fun to play while attempting to keep them balanced and feasible within Relics ability and unit design. The Japanese boast a good variety of units, good use of camouflage, a unique tunnel system, and good access to indirect options. While their armor is lacking they can invest in upgrades to unlock more reliable units at a price or compensate with the available infantry AT or doctrinal structures.
Their tier system is made to force the player to make choices, while still giving them access to units they will need to stay in the game and succeed. The first choice the player must make is to build either the aggressive IJN Support or the defensive IJA Command. From there they can either expand their early game by building the other building or choose to get some light vehicle support with the vehicle depot. The final building, armor battalion, comes a bit cheaper than most factions T3 level structures, but the units are subpar in AT compared to other factions. The player can choose to support them with AT options from other tiers or invest in a better medium tank, better Tank destroyer, or artillery.
Starting resources 360mp, 60fuel




Utility Infantry, 220mp:
5 men builder Unit armed with nimbu pistols, can build base and defensive structures, 220 mp:
-Vet ability- Bushido, 20 muni: Squad takes as much experience from taking damage as it does dealing it.

• dual flamethrower upgrade: 90 muni
  
• mine sweeper :30 muni
  
• Type 99 mine: General purpose mine, 30 muni
  
• Tunnel Bunkers (entrance(50mp) and exit(150mp)):
  
• Entrance can only be built in base territory and can be linked to any non-upgraded tunnel bunker. Exits can be built anywhere including enemy territory, but can only be upgraded in friendly territory. allows for units to quickly move from the base to the frontlines or even flank unsuspecting enemies .
  
• Camouflage, 30 munitions: Bunker gains camouflage ability, can be used with other upgrades.
  
• MG nest, 60 munitions: Bunker is upgraded with a HMG gunner
  
  Type 1 Ho-Ha halftrack, 200mp 20 fuel:
  A halftrack to reinforce. It has three HMGs located at the front and sides. Units can garrison and fire out the top. Requires at least two buildings before unlocking.
  
• Unload medical supplies: Ho-Ha locks down. In this state medics come out and heal any injured units. Guns and garrison is disabled, but pop cost is reduced to 0.
  
  Grenade upgrade, 125mp 25 fuel:
  
• Unlocks Type 97 grenades for IJA and SNLF forces.
  
  
  
  Tier 1 - IJN Support: 80mp 50fuel
  
  Requirements-none
  
  SNLF (Special Naval Landing Forces), 240mp:
  5 men frontline infantry armed with 3 Type 100 SMGs and 2 Arisaka rifles. Excels and medium to short range making it a good unit for aggressive play. Roughly equivalent to upgraded cons.
  
• AT rifle grenade: A soldier will launch a AT rifle grenade at a tank disabling the engine if it penetrates.
  
• Vet ability- Bushido, 20 muni: Squad takes as much experience from taking damage as it does dealing it.
  
  Type 92 Battalion gun, 320mp:
  A 4 man indirect unit takes the role of the Japanese mortar. This gun ,which is essentially a miniature howitzer, is unique in that it has a low firing arc allowing shells to reach their target faster and does good damage on light vehicles if it can manage to hit. It's disadvantages are it's long set-up times and it's low arc means it will hit any high buildings in the way of it and its target.
  
• vet ability- Direct Fire, 25 muni: Fires a shot directly at any vehicle.
  
  Stealth Sniper, 320mp:
  A 1 man sniper unit with a Type 97 sniper rifle. While the unit fires slightly slower than the German sniper he can return to camouflage much more quickly.
  
• Set up position: The sniper can build a small light cover, in the form of a small bush, anywhere on the battle field. The bush is also camouflaged from your opponents.
  
• Vet ability- Conceal Position 25mp: The snipers first shot does not reveal its position.
  
  
  
  
  Tier 2 - IJA Command: 80mp 50 fuel
  
  Requirements- none
  
  IJA(Imperial Japanese Army) Infantry, 240mp:
  IJA are a 5 man squad armed with Type 99 Arisaka rifles. They excel in long to mid range combat and are good for keeping infantry from support weapons. Are most comparable to grens. They lack any sort of AT but make up for it with their high dps when upgraded and their Banzai charge helps to stop flanking infantry from rushing your support weapons.
  
• Type 99 LMG, 40 muni: A bit less effective than the LMG 42, but also cheaper and faster aim time.
  
• BANZAI!, 30 muni: Squad charges a single enemy squad, suppressing them if they reach. Has a minimum range similar to ram and takes 50% received accuracy during their charge.
  
• Vet ability- Bushido, 20 muni: Squad takes as much experience from taking damage as it does dealing it.
  
  Type 92 HMG, 240 mp:
  A 4 man Heavy Machine gun team. This units setup and reload times are both rather quick similar to the maxim squad. On top of that its arc is larger somewhere in between the Germans and the soviets. It's disadvantages are a low damage output, slow pinning speed, and a small suppression AoE. Making it good for quickly pinning and fast reacting to flanks, but can easily be overwhelmed by larger forces.
  
• Vet Ability- Button Vehicle, 45 muni: Stuns target vehicle within its arc for 5 seconds.
  
  Type 90 75mm Field Gun, 320 mp:
  A 4 man AT gun team. Has a good rate of fire, high penetration, and does decent damage. Not much special about this unit, but is necessary for this faction to have a good AT gun to deal with heavy armor.
  
• Vet Ability-HE round, 30muni: Fires a HE round at the target location, can stun vehicles if it hits them.
  
  
  
  Tier 3 - Vehicle Depot, 250mp 60 fuel
  
  Requirements- At least 1 base structure built
  
  Isuzu AA, 260mp 15fuel:
  A Type 96 25mm dual purpose gun mounted on a Isuzu truck. Like a light Ostwind this unit can do good damage to both infantry and light vehicles, but it's low armor and health make it a glass cannon. Best used to support other units. It also has the role of Anti Air giving Japan a relatively cheap anti air option compared to other factions.
  
• vet ability- perceptive driver, 20 muni: Can detect mines for 10 seconds.
  
  Anti Tank Team, 300mp:
  A 5 men team armed with 2 Type 97 Automatic Cannon and 3 Arisaka rifles. The type 97s are similar to the soviet PTRS, but fire much faster due to their semi-automatic nature, making them better against medium tanks if allowed to fire with impunity, but their true danger comes from their lunge mine ability which can heavily cripple tanks if careless around them.
  
• Lunge Mine, 45 muni: A single entity from the squad charges the selected vehicle for a short distance. If he connects with the tank it will cause 400 damage and heavy engine damage. If he fails to reach the vehicle in 3 seconds the unit will still detonate killing him and any nearby units in an honorable explosion.
  
• Vet ability- Bushido, 20 muni: Squad takes as much experience from taking damage as it does dealing it.
  
  Model 92 "Osaka" armored car, 240mp 15fuel:
  This armored car has 4 Type 92 HMGs, one on the front, one on each side, and one on the Turret on top. Like the 222 this armored car is fast and can kill infantry even better than the 222, but lacks any sort of AT weaponry and is relegated to AI and scouting duty . Good for light armor rushes.
  
• vet ability- Perceptive Driver, 20muni: Can detect mines for 10 seconds.
  
  
  
  Tier 4 - Armored Battalion 250mp, 90 fuel
  
  Requirements- Any two base structures.
  
  Unlock Chi-Nu, 50 fuel: Command has given you access of reserve Chi-Nu tanks.
  Unlock Ho-Ni III, 50 fuel: Command has given you access of reserve Ho-Ni III Tank Destroyers.
  Unlock Ho-Ro,30 fuel: Command has given you access to Type 4 Ho-Ro SPGs.
  
  Chi-Ha, 280mp 85fuel:
  Armor: 100
  health:640
  damage: 120
  penetration:80
  reload:4.3
  Armed with a high velocity 47 mm gun and thin armor, the Chi-Ha isn't the best match for enemy armor, but what it does have is an exceptional rate of fire giving it good damage against infantry and allowing it to quickly tear through tanks if allowed to hit the rear. It can work well when paired with other units that can handle armor better.
  
• Off road expertise, 20 muni: Ignore terrain effects.
  
  Chi-Nu, 380mp, 130fuel:
  Armor:130
  Health:640
  damage:160
  penetration:120
  reload:4.3
  A late war produced tank designed to go toe to toe with tanks like the Sherman. Armed with a 75mm the Chi-Nu performs much better than the Chi-Ha while still retaining a high rate of fire makes this tank lethal to any armor. Although it has lower armor then its adversaries making even smaller at weapons a threat and it's won't be easy to penetrate heavy armor making flanking a must.
  
• Off road expertise, 20 muni: Ignore terrain effects.
  
  Ho-Ni I 280mp, 90 fuel:
  armor:70
  Health:340
  damage:160
  penetration:170
  reload:4.2
  
  The Ho-Ni I was tank destroyer designed to take on tanks like the Sherman. It boasts a 75mm gun mounted on its front. In game it will have a high penetration, rate of fire even making its offensive power comparable to a SU-85 while even turning slightly faster. Where it starts to fail is in its durability. The Ho-Ni has thin armor and low health make it similar to the SU-76 and can be easily destroyed by any enemy with even a modicum of AT power and it's penetrating power stats to fail when fighting heavy tanks.
  
• Focus Sight: Crew focuses on scanning forward of their vehicle to reveal distant targets.
  
• Vet ability- HE round, 25 muni: Fire a single HE round at the designated area. Same effect as a T34-85 round.
  
  Ho-Ni III, 320mp 130 fuel:
  Armor:160
  Health:640
  Damage:160
  penetration:190
  Reload:3.8
  
  The Ho-Ni III was an improvement of the Ho-Ni I. It's improved Type 3 75mm Gun helps it penetrate even the heaviest of armor. It's enclosed top also gives it more survivability allowing it to take a couple more shots then it's predecessor. All while keeping it's good turn rate.
  
• Focus Sight: Crew focuses on scanning forward of their vehicle to reveal distant targets.
  
• Vet ability- HE round, 25 muni: Fire a single HE round at the designated area. Same effect as a T34-85 round.
  
  Type 4 Ho-Ro SPG, 360mp 105fuel:
  The Ho-Ro takes the role of Japan's late game artillery. About what you would expect from a mobile artillery. Like the soviet's ML-20 it fires 4 rounds rather slowly with similar results and has a lower range then artillery emplacements, but can quickly relocate after barrages.
  
• Vet Ability- predesignated location: Unit will focus on a single area and fire on any unit that enters the targeted location.

Desperation Tactics:

1cp - Stealth tactics: All infantry and Support teams gain the ability to camouflage in cover.
3cp - An Honorable Death: Injured units will detonate their grenades when enemy infantry approaches.
4cp - Type 98 320 mm Mortars, 50mp 100muni: Upgradable from the Tunnel Bunker. Slow firing and a the range of the soviet 120mm, but hits like artillery.
8cp - Fortress,720mp: A large emplacement featuring Type 89 15cm fortress gun protected by 2 forward facing mg nests. very powerful with gun that can tear through both infantry and tanks alike, and with 2 forward facing MGs frontal assaults will end in annihilation. The downside is it can't be rotated making it useless if flanked and being a emplacement it vulnerable to artillery and call ins.
12cp - Kamakazi strike, 220 muni: A pilot flying a MXY7 "OHKA" human-guided rocket flies into the designated area. No smoke with a audio warning(takes longer, but hits harder than a stuka dive bomb).


Air Dominance Doctrine:

2cp - SNLF Paratroopers, 320mp: 5 men marine paratrooper squad armed Type 100 TERA parachutist rifles, drops behind enemy lines to disrupt enemy actions. Good at long to medium range.

• Type 97 grenade
  
• Disrupt resources: Leaches the resources from a enemy point, can't move while activated.
  4cp - Recon Run: An A6M "Zero" will loiter around a location revealing all enemy units.
  5cp - Air Dominance: An A6M "Zero" will shoot down any enemy planes in the sky.
  6cp - Zero Strafe: An A6M "Zero" will strafe infantry, suppressing the and doing a large amount of damage to unarmored targets.
  8cp - Type 88 AA Gun, 400mp:
  A quick firing 75mm AA gun protects the area from armor. Has 80 range and can tear though armor and turn 360 degrees. It only does 160 damage per shot so it can easily be overwhelmed if not supported.
  -vet ability-HE Round: Fires HE round at targeted location.
  
  
  Imperial Guards Tactics:
  2cp - Imperial Guards, 320mp:An elite 5 men Imperial guard squad arrives on the battlefield. Armed with 2 Type 99 LMGs.
  
• Upgrade to Recoilless rifle: Gains a 81 mm recoilless rifle.
  3cp - Knee Mortars, 60 muni: IJA and SNLF infantry can be upgraded with a Type 10 "knee mortar". A small handheld mortar that will fire at enemy infantry if standing still (Similar to the old British rifle grenade).
  5cp - Ha-Go, 200mp 70fuel: Armed with a fast firing 45 mm gun, this tank can make short work of infantry and light vehicles. It is roughly a doctrinal equivalent of the soviet T-70.
  
• Vet ability-Off road expertise, 20 muni: Ignore terrain effects.
  7cp - Type 40cm Rocket launcher team, 600mp: This unit can fire a 40cm rocket somewhat accurately at the enemy and thanks to the simple deployment system they can pack up and move. They have a long pack-up and set up time and cannot rotate after setting up as well, but these things hit like the soviet B-4 and its ability to move make it hard to track down.
  
• Vet Ability- predesignated location: Unit will focus on a single area and fire on any unit that enters the targeted location.
  12cp - Off-Shore Barrage, 240 muni: Battleships off the shore will fire 5 massive shells inaccurately over a large area.
  
  
  
  
  Thanks for reading! Your comments, questions, and criticisms are welcome.

nice, i like it, only not that t4 needs two buildings.
However, i couldnot see Japans as new fraction, feels like they are WW1 army beside the germans.

Nice job!
Would have been even greater with some pictures (in a a spoiler) on the units?

Excellent.

Dude this is fricking awesome! I can't wait to try it out. (which is sad because we prolly shan't ever...)

The Ho-ha is a bit Ho-hum though... (ha-ha).

Some excellent ideas... What about some non-doctrinal ambush camouflage for all or some troops, along the lines of the camouflage leaves that some Japanese infantry get in Rising Storm...

Japan doesn t fit in CoH2.
They have no interesting tanks or vehicles.
Japans tanks were outdated and couldn t fight against sherman tanks during the Island campaigns.Japan lacks generally in AT Options.Tanks like a Pershing, IS-2 or KV-8 would be unstoppable.

Type 3 Chi-Nu, Type 1 Ho-Ni I ,Type 3 Ho-Ni III never saw any combat in WW2.

Japan never developed its tanks.

I don t know why so many People are fascinated with a japanese faction in CoH2. Compared to the other factions in WW2(Germany, Soviets, USA, Britain) Japan would be the most boring faction out of all.They have only weak light tanks and no "WOW-Cool-Tanks" like the other faction.I don t know why should i choose a faction with boring and weak tanks in CoH2?

To Japans euquippment: Even european WW I armys had a better and more modern equippment then Japan in WW II.Japan has focused everything in there Navy in Airforce the IJA land army were just badly outdated compared to the USA.

It seems like some People want to make a science-fiction japanese army with tanks that were never used or existed only on paper.

Dude this is fricking awesome! I can't wait to try it out. (which is sad because we prolly shan't ever...)

The Ho-ha is a bit Ho-hum though... (ha-ha).

Some excellent ideas... What about some non-doctrinal ambush camouflage for all or some troops, along the lines of the camouflage leaves that some Japanese infantry get in Rising Storm...

Just updated the doctrines. I went with a free camo for all infantry rather then the ambush like the germans have.

Brilliant

Japan doesn t fit in CoH2.
They have no interesting tanks or vehicles.
Japans tanks were outdated and couldn t fight against sherman tanks during the Island campaigns.Japan lacks generally in AT Options.Tanks like a Pershing, IS-2 or KV-8 would be unstoppable.

Type 3 Chi-Nu, Type 1 Ho-Ni I ,Type 3 Ho-Ni III never saw any combat in WW2.

Japan never developed its tanks.

I don t know why so many People are fascinated with a japanese faction in CoH2. Compared to the other factions in WW2(Germany, Soviets, USA, Britain) Japan would be the most boring faction out of all.They have only weak light tanks and no "WOW-Cool-Tanks" like the other faction.I don t know why should i choose a faction with boring and weak tanks in CoH2?

To Japans euquippment: Even european WW I armys had a better and more modern equippment then Japan in WW II.Japan has focused everything in there Navy in Airforce the IJA land army were just badly outdated compared to the USA.

It seems like some People want to make a science-fiction japanese army with tanks that were never used or existed only on paper.

Yeah I guess you could just ignore this 2000 word document filled with unique abilities and units, that's okay.

BTW the Ho-Ni I was used in combat, and most of their tanks and weapons were built in the late 1930s well after WW1.

Edit:"The Type 1 Ho-Ni I was first deployed in combat at the Battle of Luzon in the Philippines in 1944, with limited success, but it was not available in any numbers to make an impact on the Battle of the Philippines."

I want to play this. You did a good job with this idea.
One suggestion: the banzai charge has to involve swords. Perhaps it could be a DPS mechanic, the activated squad being like a moving molotov (but vulnerable).
Also the sniper's ability to make a new bush will be immediately spotted by players well-familiar with the maps. How about garrisoning bushes and trees instead?

I like Desperation Tactics because it is a theme of unexpected surprises for the enemy, which I think is a part of the Japanese reputation in the war.

Japan doesn t fit in CoH2.
They have no interesting tanks or vehicles.
Japans tanks were outdated and couldn t fight against sherman tanks during the Island campaigns.Japan lacks generally in AT Options.Tanks like a Pershing, IS-2 or KV-8 would be unstoppable.

Type 3 Chi-Nu, Type 1 Ho-Ni I ,Type 3 Ho-Ni III never saw any combat in WW2.

Japan never developed its tanks.

I don t know why so many People are fascinated with a japanese faction in CoH2. Compared to the other factions in WW2(Germany, Soviets, USA, Britain) Japan would be the most boring faction out of all.They have only weak light tanks and no "WOW-Cool-Tanks" like the other faction.I don t know why should i choose a faction with boring and weak tanks in CoH2?

To Japans euquippment: Even european WW I armys had a better and more modern equippment then Japan in WW II.Japan has focused everything in there Navy in Airforce the IJA land army were just badly outdated compared to the USA.

It seems like some People want to make a science-fiction japanese army with tanks that were never used or existed only on paper.

is disappoint...

He put a lot of effort into this and you just bitch about it!

Anyway I find this concept pretty freakin awesome

I want to play this.
One suggestion: the banzai charge has to involve swords. Perhaps it could be a DPS mechanic, the activated squad being like a moving molotov (but vulnerable).

Melee combat is most likely impossible or rather far too expensive for Relic to develop at this point. So I made it a high risk, high reward ability to stop high value units like shocks. The charging squad would be torn to shreds, but any left over infantry can keep the squad suppresed.

I could definetly see the squad leader holding out his sword during the charge though.

I m sorry to destroy all your dreams. but many People here complaining about weak soviet tanks.....well then just wait untill you see japanese tanks.Soviet tanks and equippment is godlike compared to Japans.

Most japanese tanks ar on par with the soviet T-70 light tank.How should Japan defeat IS-2, ISU-152 or Pershing?

Japan would be cool but sorry they have no interesting stuff.It would be just boring compared to the other factions.
A japanese faction would be a axis faction with weak and outdated infantry weapons and even much weaker tanks.That doesn t Sound like fun to me.

If this was a mod, I would play the hell out of it. My friends and I would talk about the same thing after watching episodes of the Pacific. We thought a Japanese faction would work if it was against a US Marine faction whose primary objective would be bulldozing the thick brush past the beach and then it would be a meat-grinder of booby-traps, mg nests and banzai attacks. US could only deploy units onto the beach from carriers and could get shot down while the Japanese would have inferior units but great numbers and a hell of arty.

And of course, the US would have to have an ability to call-in John Basilone and upgrade him to hold a Browning.

Probably won't happen but it is fun to fantasize.

10/10.
Except for one thing.
All jap infantry should have "banzai"

@Omega_Warrior. There is little chance that this faction go in coh2. Maybe use it on a coh3 future.

You should do another issue of the Italian army.
Thanks

and the real question is, where are the robots?

@Omega_Warrior. There is little chance that this faction go in coh2. Maybe use it on a coh3 future.

You should do another issue of the Italian army.
Thanks

I actually did a little bit of research on the Italians. They were even worse off then the Japanese. They didn't have much in the way of vehicles since they were knocked out halfway through the war, so they didn't even have that late war stuff the Japanese came up with and their tactics weren't all that different then the germans so it's hard to come up with unique abilities. Overall they were pretty much an inept arm of the German army.

They made a decent medium tank so there's that. Maybe if they had a few german reinforcments to fill them out a bit, but I'd wait till after I see what's left over from obercommand. Perhaps something a bit like the Panzer Elite.

and the real question is, where are the robots?

20cp Gigantor, 1000 mp 300 fuel: Gigantor flies onto the battlefield, crushing pitiful allied troops under his steel boots and disintegrating tanks with his lazers.
Armor:1000
damage1000
Reload:0
health:infinite