Answering: Daigensui (“the Mother of Japanese tanks”)
Hello everyone,
Yesterday, Daigensui promised to answer some questions and here are the results. Keep in mind that she can’t say everything, especially when it comes to ingame matters – due to agreements with WG.
1. Regarding Japanese tanks – what will be their specifics in World of Tanks? How will they differ from other branches?
Balancing isn’t really my jurisdiction, since I’m mostly working with the historical research area. Still, from what I’ve been hearing, generally we’re looking at vehicles with good terrain passibility, good depression (-10° minimum except for a few exceptions), lower penetration but higher alpha when compared to same caliber guns, and possibly generally good camouflage.
2.How soon (if at all) can we expect the heavy line?
I don’t schedule the releases, so basically I cannot say. I am working on those two lines at the moment in the research capacity.
3. What do you anticipate as the projected armaments for the different tiers of heavy tanks? As they are expected to be “mobile bunkers”?
Still working on the heavy tank, so cannot answer for now. Generally, they will be mobile bunkers, probably armed with high penetration guns (different from the light or medium lines). Japan had quite a few guns which, interestingly, outclassed Soviets guns of similar caliber while having been developed decades before. They were not utilized, however, due to the lack of need (Japan was fighting an enemy which was highly underdeveloped) and lack of industrial capacity.
4. What will be the characteristics of the tier 10 medium tank, the STB1, compared to T-62A?
I would say it’s a 105 mm armored T-62A, with less armor in the hull and lower penetration in exchange for greater firepower.
5. Do you think there will also be a tank destroyer line?
See answer to question 2.
6. It is widely know that Japanese classification of medium tanks differed from the standard of other nations. Therefore a Chi-Ha in the Japanese tree is a medium tank where in reality it was only a light tank compared to something like M4 or PzIV. Performance-wise, can we expect these tanks to be somewhere like fake mediums (at least the lower tree tanks) as the Crusader is balanced in the game?
It is difficult to say that the Japanese system was different from other standards, given how the vehicles were classified by standards of when they were developed. Just because later vehicles like M4 Sherman or Pz.Kpfw. IV used standards of their days does not mean Japanese standards were different. This is shown in the latter Chi-Nu/Chi-To/Chi-Ri.
7. Was there ever an autoloading, fully oscillating turret that the Japanese developed?
Oscillating, no. Autoloading (in the sense of WoT’s autoloader), yes.
8. Are there any suitable candidates for the high (VI-VIII) tier light tanks?
There are, but we’re trying to see how they would fit into things.
9. What was the military doctrine in regards to how the Imperial Japanese army used tanks?
Basically, infantry support until the Shermans came along. This topic would require a separate post which I will not be doing.
10. Will in your opinion these tanks be implemented?
1.Type 89
2.Experiment Type 1
3.Type 5 Chi-Ri 2
4.Type 61 Kai ( Or will we see the tier 9 ST-A1 gets 105mm? )
Yes, maybe (need more data), maybe (although skeptical for various reasons), yes
11. Will the STB feature hydro pneumatic suspension to give it its gun depression, or will it be done via buffing the depression of the gun itself – or will they leave it without compensation?
Can’t say about the suspension, since that’s a purely techical aspect which I have no notification of. However, regardless of it, I personally support a -6° depression for the turret, for both historical and balancing reasons.
12. What will the Type 61′s penetration be like in the game?
Assuming we go with the historical gun 90 mm Tank Gun Type 61 (and not the conceptual 105 mm upgunned Kai), it has been calculated to 217 mm.
13. Have you found tier IV and V candidates for the heavy branch?
Wait for future updates.
14. Will the japanese have premium captured tanks too? (or rather, CAN they?)
Not really my call, although personally I don’t like captured tanks.
15. In a previous FTR article, it was commented that the Japanese flag (white field, red circle) was not used in Japanese tanks (with one known exception), and so you (Daigensui) informed Wargaming. Now we can see in the trailer that all the Japanese tanks have this flag painted on their turrets. So, what’s gonna happen at the end? Which will be the symbol of the Japanese tanks?
Still discussing things, although given how that’s done with a completely different department (which does its own things and I have trouble knowing what they are doing), I’m not sure how things will turn out. If nothing is changed, expect the Hinomaru to be the insignia.
16. How popular do you think the Japanese will be? And how playable? Will there be any top tier tank considered useful in CW? (just some subjective opinion I guess)
I would expect STB-1 to be a competitor with T-62A.
17. What shell types did the Japanese mostly use? As in, apart from the L7 clone on the tier10, will we be getting heat-gold or apcr-gold?
APHE with occasional AP shots and Ta-Tan (HEAT). APCR was not developed/used.
18. Is there any chance of national consumables?
I have my candidates, but the decision is done by a different department (which personally I do not trust).
19. Is it possible that there are candidates for high tier Japanese tanks that have autoloaders? If so can you cite the name of the tanks and their specifications and their probability of being implemented in the game?
Only one autoloader: Chi-Ri’s 7.5 cm Autoloading Tank Gun Type 5
20. Are there any posible tanks for high tier premium? (7,8 tier)
There is a Tier VIII medium premium candidate.
21. I’m rather interested in the Japanese super-heavy designs. Doesn’t seem to be necesarily well armored, but the guns look promising, and we all know how much fun the TOG II style of play can be. :P Are there enough possible designs for a full, or at least a partial branch of super heavies?
Wait for future updates.
22. Will the light minibranch be expanded in the future or it will stay as it is?
See answer to question 8.
23. Will there be japanese arty?
Obviously.
24. Who was building tanks? Were there companies like in Germany? Or the state was building them like in USSR?
Companies, mainly Mitsubishi with Hino on the side.
25. How is the gun depression of the Japanese tanks?
-10° minimum except for a few exceptions
26. Did the Japanese capture many American/Commonwealth tanks during the war? Did the Germans contribution heavily to their armoured industry towards the end of the war? Did they ever run any bizarre trials by mounting Japanese guns on captured/loaned equipment?
Several, mainly Stuarts. Almost no real contribution or influence. Not really my area of interest.
27. What of the rumors that the Japanese built and actually deployed a super heavy tank? I heard it got stuck on a beach so they blew it up. And how many different types were under proposal? Army and Navy had their own versions, right? Would that make enough for two separate lines?
Wait for future updates.
28. Why the NC27? Wouldnt the Experimental Number 1 tank have been a better choice?
Lack of data on the armor scheme. Aside from that, Otsu-Gata was heavily modified by the IJA, so it is a clear improvement over the usual FT variants.
29. These tanks seem to not be very spacious and comfortable for their crews, is it so? Could this be considered as a weakness for Japanese tanks?
They were good enough for the crew.
30. What is the average crew count on Japanese tanks? Do they often differ from each other in this aspect or are they pretty much uniform?
Early/small vehicles were four, late-war were five, postwar were four.
31. As you know, the Chi-ha already exists as a chinese light. What differences do you expect between the Japanese version and the captured Chinese version, besides the known camo rating difference?
We’ll see.
32. Would you please reveal some details on tier 10 heavy Japaneese tank? The one with 40 wheels and tracks meters and half wide.
No.
33. Will the STB-1 come with its original autoloader?
Loading assisting device, not autoloader. People need to differentiate between those two.
34. What kind of elite configurations can we expect from the Japanese tanks? Will they be historical, or will they be “extrapolations” of fitting better guns that were never put in IRL, like the long 88 in a Tiger or the L/100 in the Panther?
All of the initially released vehicles will have their historically mounted guns as their elite configuration, with the exception of Type 61 Kai (105 mm gun was planned, but cancelled with the start of the STB program). Side note: 8,8 cm KwK 43 L/71 was actually tested on Tiger. Germany didn’t start manufacturing that version since Tiger Ausf. B was coming up.
35. A while back SoukouDragon wrote an article about the CHi-Ri and mentioned that there were no plans to miunt the 88 L56 in it and the turret was so large in order to accommodate for an autoloaded 75 mm. The same article also mentiones the type 5 88mm gun that could fit into the turret. Did the devs ignore those options or is it possible we will see them on the Chi-Ri ingame?
The developers and I have decided not to use the gun unless it is required for balancing purposes. However, I’m pretty sure that a gun which is marginally better than the ingame 8,8 cm KwK 36 L/56 is not going to help against Tier IX vehicles.
36. How many variants of the O-I were there and what were the differences between them? I heard something like 100-ton and 120-ton variant, but nothing specific. Also, which tiers could they fit?
Wait for future updates.