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#4523798 - 06/04/20 05:44 PM Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV!  
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So I decided I was finally going to learn how to play this game, and I've gotten started by watching through and playing along with a couple of video series.
The first one, "An Absolute Beginner Learns Hearts of Iron IV" is very recent - since the latest expansion "La Resistance."


The second series was a 7 part tutorial by Quill18. It's a bit dated but most of it still applies, as he takes a fairly broad approach to the game.


My approach to learning this was to play along with the tutorials. The Quill18 one was interesting enough that I decided to continue it after the tutorial ended, so I thought I'd do a little write up in the vein of DBond's EUIV write ups.

Although the tutorial starts off with Quill talking about how we are going to play as Germany, somehow he screws it up and winds up playing as the Soviet Union. In Hearts of Iron IV, Soviet Union plays YOU I guess.
Since I followed his lead for the most part, I will mention that Historical AI has been turned off. So some odd things have happened, like Communist France at war with Britain, etc. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

The beginning of the game is a time for prepping and planning. As the Soviet Union, I'm going to have manpower up the wazoo but my tech will be a little behind. I'll have decent aircraft but not much of a Navy, which is mainly due to access. My plan is to get my industry up and cranking out war material, train up divisions, and begin my quest for world domination.

First, I establish my military presence on the Eastern borders, esp, around Poland. I continued all the way up along Finland. To the west, I made sure I was ready in case Japan got a little frisky as well. I've got some naval units there to help out around the Sea of Japan, and in Europe Leningrad port will be home to my main force. Not many good options for ports as the USSR.
[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

[Linked Image]

For National Focus, I too The Great Purge fairly early. I has some rather harsh side effects but the alternative may have lead to a civil war. I may wish to explore that in a future playthrough though. I also focused on industry, research, and infrastructure related foci as those bonuses will be invaluable as the game progresses.

My first major act was to take Finland. My battle plan was to focus mainly on the southern part of the country, where the most victory points were.

[Linked Image]

As you can see, Finland is no more. You may have noticed I've amassed troops at the Swedish border as well. My plan is to take them and follow up with Norway, which then gives me better access to the Atlantic. Sweden will be a tougher haul than Finland, as I really don't have much as far as naval power in the Baltic so I can't support those troops from the sea. My plan is to hit them at the border and head south. I've gathered almost 60 divisions of infantry and armor, it should be enough to overrun their defenses. I have yet to launch my invasion, it will take until April of 1939 to generate my war justification.

[Linked Image]

Attached Files hoi4_2.jpghoi4_3.jpghoi4_4.jpghoi4_5.jpghoi4_6.jpg

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
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#4523800 - 06/04/20 05:50 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Nice to see that you got into the game and you seem to enjoy it.


I gave it a shot a few months ago but the game isn't my cup of tea. It was just way too much micro-management involved and I found the sense of immersion lacking.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4523802 - 06/04/20 05:52 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Awesome! Subscribed. Oh wait, this is SimHQ. Following. Drat again.

I'll check it out often.

Scandinavia in one fell swoop in 1938 eh? That's strategic smile


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4523807 - 06/04/20 06:06 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
Scandinavia in one fell swoop in 1938 eh? That's strategic smile


We will see anyway!!

I've heard that Sweden gets a Paradox-homebase buff too, so there's that to contend with.


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4523809 - 06/04/20 06:11 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Speaking of Paradox, I also bought another game from them titled "Imperator: Rome" and the same thing happened to me with that game. Even with my massive interest in the historical time period and setting, it was not enough to overcome my dislike for extreme micro-management and lack of immersion. I guess I'm just not a fit for the Paradox game design philosophy!


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4523813 - 06/04/20 06:17 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: PanzerMeyer]  
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Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
. I guess I'm just not a fit for the Paradox game design philosophy!


This happens. Their particular style isn't for everyone.

JC, do you face any alliances or independence guarantees in your conquest of Sweden and Norway?


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4523815 - 06/04/20 06:29 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Sweden is in the Axis, so I'm a bit worried about that, but I'm going ahead anyway.
Norway is unaligned, but they are in an "Anti-Soviet Pact" which includes Sweden, but I dont' know what other countries are in it.

This could be a short game.

PM for me it's always been a mood thing. If I'm in the mood for this sort of game, I can't get enough. But once that passes, forget it. I'll put it down and walk away.
Right now I'm all in, we'll see how long it lasts.
One thing for sure though, all their "Grand Strategy" games are very similar. Settings may change, timelines may change, but they share a lot of common mechanics, and they all kinda feel the same too outside of the scene/setting and game specific environment....if you know what I mean.

Last edited by JohnnyChemo; 06/04/20 06:57 PM.

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4523938 - 06/05/20 12:25 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Good luck with your invasion. If you can get Scandinavia under your heel you'll be in great position against England I reckon, assuming of course it plays out with them as a rival. Not sure how sandboxy the start is in HOI4 or if there are historical friends and rival modifiers that sort of shape the opening dispositions.

For me Paradox games shine because of how intricate and complex they are while still being accessible. The fact that everything you need to know is in the tool tips is brilliant. I think of a game like Grigsby's War in the East and how much better it would be if the UI were done by Paradox smile


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4523939 - 06/05/20 12:35 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo


PM for me it's always been a mood thing. If I'm in the mood for this sort of game, I can't get enough. But once that passes, forget it. I'll put it down and walk away.



Yup, I can definitely identify with this. I have gone through mood phases with both flight sims and racing sims over the past 20 years or so.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4523951 - 06/05/20 03:03 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Same here. Going full guns into a flight sim, then like a switch is flipped and I'm done. Never really did much with racing sims, but I do have a couple. I should give them a run.


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4523961 - 06/05/20 03:49 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Sweden has fallen.

[Linked Image]

Here's what the map generally looks like now. Yes, Spain has taken France. and is pushing against the Reich. They getting squeezed between Spain and Poland, who is putting up quite a good fight. As I am allied with Poland, I will be sending my units west to attack Germany and see if we can nip them in the bud.

[Linked Image]

I will also be planning my Norway invasion. They as yet unaligned, so hopefully it will be a quick skirmish rather than the year-long affair Sweden was. Meanwhile I have been building up my forces. I've upped my conscription level and switched to a war time economy. So far Japan has been quiet but I don't expect that to last. I plan on building up my navy dockyards so I can begin pumping out warships, esp. in the Pacific. Once Norway is mine, I will do so in the Atlantic as well.

The war with Sweden really kicked over an anthill. Germany came to their aid, as did the rest of the Axis. I wondered why Italy didn't join in, then I found out they joined the Allies. So far England seems content to sit and watch, while the rest of Europe burns. We'll see what happens next, I suppose!

Attached Files hoi4_4.jpghoi4_5.jpg

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4523972 - 06/05/20 05:02 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Oh you've gone and done it now!

Norway's screwed though if they have zero allies or guarantees.

I have no idea how feasible it is, but if I were Russia and my western frontier were on the North Sea I'd look to wheel my armies south, take the coast, and landlock all of central Europe. That might be impossible, but that would fix the local naval issues smile


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4523980 - 06/05/20 05:42 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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/ looks at Johnny and mumbles in sveedish walking out the door again /

#4523984 - 06/05/20 06:23 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Comrade Stalin is most pleased that the glorious Soviet Union has added the great beauty of Swedish women to the proletariat!


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4523991 - 06/05/20 06:54 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: PanzerMeyer]  
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Originally Posted by PanzerMeyer
Comrade Stalin is most pleased that the glorious Soviet Union has added the great beauty of Swedish women to the proletariat!


Babes. The TRUE motivation of, well, just about everything!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4524108 - 06/06/20 03:00 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Just a little political sit rep while I wait to get my justification for invading Norway.

-Germany and (now Fascist) Britain are fighting Poland, England has grabbed a chunk of territory. The US is currently justifying a war goal against Britain.

-Democratic Spain, a member of the Commintern, has taken over France and is hammering the Germans on their Western Front. Germany is going after Czechoslovakia and Poland to the East, but they have been slowed down considerably. My guess is Spain is really taking it to them. I am assisting the Czechs and Poles with air support, but Poland won't give me military access to bring in troops. So I sit on their border, war plans at the ready, building and buffing my forces for that moment when they either fall or let me in.

-The Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are now the "Baltic Assembly." I have a non-agression pact with them and a few others to keep my western front a little more focused on Poland, but as they have taken over some of Poland my access to that border has become quite small. I may have to revisit that pact. I may put the Baltic Assembly next on my "To Do" list.

The face of Europe is much differnt now than it was in reality. Turning off "Historical AI" has really made it interesting!


Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4524130 - 06/06/20 05:59 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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I love that sandbox. So many wargamers want to recreate history. I already know what happened in history. What I really want out of my war games (be it tactical, grand strategy, operational) is a what-if generator that lets me test alternative scenarios. EU IV is great for this, and HOI too according to these reports, especially with the option unchecked as you noted. In EU IV there is the 'lucky nations ' mechanic that gives a whole host of benefits to historically successful nations. It is Paradox's attempt to provide reasonably historical outcomes, and cannot be turned off in ironman. I really wish it were an option. Even with that on, it's still a hell of a sandbox with no two games ever playing out the same. I have over 3000 hours in that game and I still see nations emerge that I had never seen before. Love that about these games.


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4524236 - 06/07/20 02:30 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Normandy is no more. And here you can see a fuller view of the map of Europe right now. I've got a non-agression pact with the Baltic Assembly, so I won't be storming their gates anytime soon. Which I really don't mind, as they are a buffer for the Axis.

[Linked Image]

My plan WAS going to be one of quiet contemplation. I had just finished two wars in rather quick succession, so I thought I'd sit back and build up a little infrastructure, crank out some naval units, upgrade a few things....but no.
Japan decided to get all in my face. So now I've got to deal with them.

[Linked Image]

Fortunately, my industry has been stockpiling infantry equipment like nobody's business, so I'm able to crank out infantry divisions like mad. I've also got quite a pile of tanks laying around, so I've trained up a good number of tank divisions as well and am in the process of spamming them to the battle areas. Nothing like seeing a division or two of Japanese infantry and BAM dropping 10 (albeit green) divisions on them with the click of a button. To do so, I have to skip much of their training, but my plan has always been sheer overwhelming numbers.

I've also moved my air assets around to provide air cover for this theatre, though there is still more work to do in that. And I'm working on my naval forces as well, though they aren't much to speak of. The #%&*$# Turks are keeping one of my fleets bottled up in Crimea as they won't let them pass throught Bosporous. I dont' want to open another front (yet) so I let them sit. Hopefully we'll be at war soon enough and they won't have a choice.


Attached Files hoi4_6.jpghoi4_7.jpg

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
#4524383 - 06/08/20 12:19 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: JohnnyChemo]  
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Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo
Normandy is no more.



Do you mean Norway?

Good work. I reckon overwhelming numbers would be a good tack to take with the motherland. Spain looks froggy, I guess they aren't sitting this one out.

Who are your allies?


No, now go away or I shall taunt you a second time!
#4524417 - 06/08/20 01:53 PM Re: Let's Talk Hearts of Iron IV! [Re: DBond]  
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Originally Posted by DBond
Originally Posted by JohnnyChemo
Normandy is no more.



Do you mean Norway?

Good work. I reckon overwhelming numbers would be a good tack to take with the motherland. Spain looks froggy, I guess they aren't sitting this one out.

Who are your allies?


D'oh!! Yes, Norway! They've been wiped off the map so I forgot what they were called!

Since the last post, the war has ended. Germany capitulated, the Axis lost in December 1941. I loaded up an earlier save, here are the major powers on each side in that war. Some of the smaller brushfire wars that included England were over at this point as well.

[Linked Image]

The map of Europe is quite different now. Peace conferences are a round-robin affair where based on your warscore you can claim states (in HoI Nations>States>Provinces). I had to use this to formally claim Sweden and Norway, but I was also able wind up with a good portion of Germany, as you can see. I would have rather have been able to select states contiguous to the USSR, but they were not up for grabs. I also completely neglected to look at Asia, I don't know if any of those states were available for the taking.

[Linked Image]

I did wind up with some good resources though, (that was my focus in taking Germany, esp. rubber). I will have to transport troops to them to be able to defend the territory, and I guess I'll have to learn more about resistance and compliance in the game.

Here's my Asian map.


[Linked Image]

In Asia, there are no obvious belligerents to be worried about. Korea doesn't like me, but I'm not worried about them. The other border nations are either in my faction or have a positive opinion of me.

In Europe, I have a big border with the Baltic Assembly. There's something about them that bothers me, though I can't put my finger on it. Either way, they will have to go. However, I do have a non-agression pact with them that is on a timer. I cannot attack them for a bit. It will give me time to consolidate my forces (Asia is esp messy), tech up, and who knows - maybe build that Navy I've been wanting. Britain looks mighty tempting too.



Attached Files hoi4_8.jpghoi4_10.jpghoi4_11.jpg
Last edited by JohnnyChemo; 06/08/20 01:54 PM. Reason: forgot Europe map!

Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck.”
-Robert Heinlein
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