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!
Where are the Philippines in 1936?
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).
It's The Economy Stupid
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.
Historical
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?
Rebuild Sakdalistas - Fascist
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.
Rebuild Sakdalistas - Spanish Reconciliation
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.
Fascist and Spanish Reconciliation Independence
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.
Maritime Communism
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.
War for the Oceans
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.
Subject... Surrender
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.
National Defense Act
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.
The Offshore Patrol
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.
Characters
Generals
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).
Admirals
Advisors
Country Leaders
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
Unit Art
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!