Hearts of Iron III

[The Piano]

I've recently started playing this game but I'm still confused by how it works. It took me a few tries to win the Spanish Civil War scenario as Republican Spain. I still can't figure out how to organise units and the map markers are really confusing for someone used to EU3 or CK2, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Quick question, should I try to play HoI 2 instead? I've hear it's so much better than 3 and it seems to have really interesting mods that I'd really like to try. What do people think are the pros and cons of each game?

I bought HoI 3 a couple months ago and quickly lost interest due to the sheer difficulty. However, I've heard it's a much better game with the expansions - should I purchase them and give HoI 3 another chance?

I would purchase Semper Fi, maybe For The Motherland. I haven't played the game without expansions so I can't compare, but I have all of them and most beginner's AARs (that I've been looking at to understand gameplay better, the in-game tutorial isn't very helpful) don't cover Their Finest Hour. If you're playing with mods I would just use the base game or the base game with Semper Fi, as I haven't seen many mods for the most recent expansions (especially not for Their Finest Hour).

 

[Kome]

I've recently started playing this game but I'm still confused by how it works. It took me a few tries to win the Spanish Civil War scenario as Republican Spain. I still can't figure out how to organise units and the map markers are really confusing for someone used to EU3 or CK2, but I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Quick question, should I try to play HoI 2 instead? I've hear it's so much better than 3 and it seems to have really interesting mods that I'd really like to try. What do people think are the pros and cons of each game?

I prefer HOI 2 over three. But You get a choice between AoD or Darkest hour for HOI 2 though so makes it a bit hard to decide. AoD with core is better as a war simulator, but Darkest hour has a new map and is a bit more user friendly. Plus DH has more mods, so I would recommend getting Darkest Hour. Or buy both like I did.

I would purchase Semper Fi, maybe For The Motherland. I haven't played the game without expansions so I can't compare, but I have all of them and most beginner's AARs (that I've been looking at to understand gameplay better, the in-game tutorial isn't very helpful) don't cover Their Finest Hour. If you're playing with mods I would just use the base game or the base game with Semper Fi, as I haven't seen many mods for the most recent expansions (especially not for Their Finest Hour).

Yeah I felt the same way about Victoria 2 until I bought the expansions for it.

 

[The Piano]

I prefer HOI 2 over three. But You get a choice between AoD or Darkest hour for HOI 2 though so makes it a bit hard to decide. AoD with core is better as a war simulator, but Darkest hour has a new map and is a bit more user friendly. Plus DH has more mods, so I would recommend getting Darkest Hour. Or buy both like I did.

Thanks! Do I get to choose which expansions to play with every time I launch the game, or will I have to install the base game + each to different directories? I think I might buy both but I'm more interested in DH because of the mods.

By the way, have you played the Cold War mod? What's it like? Or which HoI 2 mods would you recommend?

 

[Artaxerxes]

I've finally managed to get at least partly to grips with HoI3 recently as well (Its been sitting staring at me for over a year, every time I started it up it just screamed "I'm to complicated for yooooouuu ahahahaa!")

Got to say I'm not to impressed, it really does try and get you to automate everything and I dont like that, it also lacks a bit of fine control to allow players to take actions and just feels a bit... meh. It also only goes up to 48 out of the box

Both HoI2 and AoD are much more fun to play as well and look better as well.

 

[AudieonAHCom]

I've finally managed to get at least partly to grips with HoI3 recently as well (Its been sitting staring at me for over a year, every time I started it up it just screamed "I'm to complicated for yooooouuu ahahahaa!")

Got to say I'm not to impressed, it really does try and get you to automate everything and I dont like that, it also lacks a bit of fine control to allow players to take actions and just feels a bit... meh. It also only goes up to 48 out of the box

Both HoI2 and AoD are much more fun to play as well and look better as well.

You Forgot Darkest Hour.

 

[Trotsky]

It also only goes up to 48 out of the box

The Cold War requires a different game and some change in dynamics that Hearts of Iron would be hard pressed to allow.

Thankfully, Paradox is making a game based on Hearts of Iron about the Cold War.

 

[Kome]

Thanks! Do I get to choose which expansions to play with every time I launch the game, or will I have to install the base game + each to different directories? I think I might buy both but I'm more interested in DH because of the mods.

By the way, have you played the Cold War mod? What's it like? Or which HoI 2 mods would you recommend?

Neither AoD or DH require the base game to play which is nice, being standalone expansions, but of course neither are compatible with each other.

CORE for AoD is absolutely necessary.

The only Cold War mod ive played is New World Order, which was pretty entertaining. And of course DH has Das Kaiserreich.

I play CORE for WW2, and DH for Kaisereich. But i picked up both games when they were on sale, so im able to do that.

I've finally managed to get at least partly to grips with HoI3 recently as well (Its been sitting staring at me for over a year, every time I started it up it just screamed "I'm to complicated for yooooouuu ahahahaa!")

Got to say I'm not to impressed, it really does try and get you to automate everything and I dont like that, it also lacks a bit of fine control to allow players to take actions and just feels a bit... meh. It also only goes up to 48 out of the box

Both HoI2 and AoD are much more fun to play as well and look better as well.

I think what they were going for with HoI3 was to bring it more in line with the other paradox games and make it feel more like your playing as a leader of a nation rather than the nation itself. So HoI3 featured improved production and domestic systems, more involved diplomacy and tech systems, AI delegation controls and the rather neat theater and much improved supply system, but the combat and war waging itself falls extremely flat.

I tend to think of HoI3 not as a sequel to HoI2 but a rather separate genre of game all together. HoI2 and its offspring are more war games, while HoI3 is more in the mold of Paradox's grand strategy.

 

[Helios Ra]

I recently got the hang of it too. Personally, I like it. As Republocan Spain I've united Iberia, joined the Allies and given Germany hell after they occupied the mainland. As Germany I've conquered Europe and got bored to be honest. It got so huge I just didn't know what to do. (Though the atomic bombing of Dublin, Cape Town, and Johsnnesburg was fun.)
My most recent and favorite game is Nationalist China. I've reunited the country, puppetry Thailand and Indochina (from Vichy) and occupied Korea and Sakhalin from the Japanese in the Third Sino-Japanese War. They were occupied by the Americans, and it's about '44. I just invaded the Soviet Union to retake imperial territory that is rightfully Chinese. I've started to run into supply problems, but transport planes should help. I turned the tide of Barbarossa from the typical Soviets win through Romania to Germany winning everywhere. I expect the soviets to surrender soon. Then I can turn my eyes to the British in India. And the Remaining treaty ports with them....

 

[Kome]

Any suggestions for war with the Soviets? As Japan is about to enter a four front war (Americans in the pacific, British, Commonwealth and Dutch to the South and India, and Soviets to the north). China is allied, but they're useless and Germany is useless since the British player has inflicted over 1 million casualties on them.

I think i just might be fucked here.

 

[LNSS]

The Cold War requires a different game and some change in dynamics that Hearts of Iron would be hard pressed to allow.

Thankfully, Paradox is making a game based on Hearts of Iron about the Cold War.

Darkest Hour ends in 1964

 

[Trotsky]

Darkest Hour ends in 1964

Yeah, well East VS West ends in 1991.

 

[The Piano]

Neither AoD or DH require the base game to play which is nice, being standalone expansions, but of course neither are compatible with each other.

CORE for AoD is absolutely necessary.

The only Cold War mod ive played is New World Order, which was pretty entertaining. And of course DH has Das Kaiserreich.

I play CORE for WW2, and DH for Kaisereich. But i picked up both games when they were on sale, so im able to do that.

Thanks. I might end up getting all of them. I had no idea that AoD and DH were standalone expansions, so thanks for clarifying.

 

[Kome]

Oh wow. Japan's Pearl Harbor attack bonus is op. Sunk over twenty of the Royal Navy's most modern carriers and battleships in a single surprise attack. Left the entire RN with only a ton of destroyers and cruisers apparently.

I imagine that would be a enough of a decisive battle victory to collapse Churchill's government and force a peace treaty. Too bad the British player rage quit.

But thats fine. Cause that means i can rage quit now that Japan is getting its ass kicked.

 

[Dirk_Pitt]

Is there a hard copy for HoI3? I'm seriously considering getting it, along with EU4, for Christmas. I'm waiting 'till then for the price to drop. It should go down eventually...

 

[Kome]

Well. WW2 goes well.

And by that i mean Japan (me) is losing horribly.

The one bright spot though is that ive done well enough for America has spontaneous revolts breaking out in the continental US provinces demanding peace (23% revolt risk for non suppressed provinces). Never seen that before.

Anyone have any WW2 stories?

 

[Barry Bull]

I've finally managed to get at least partly to grips with HoI3 recently as well (Its been sitting staring at me for over a year, every time I started it up it just screamed "I'm to complicated for yooooouuu ahahahaa!")

Got to say I'm not to impressed, it really does try and get you to automate everything and I dont like that, it also lacks a bit of fine control to allow players to take actions and just feels a bit... meh. It also only goes up to 48 out of the box

Both HoI2 and AoD are much more fun to play as well and look better as well.

Try playing with UK, you would appreciate all the automation when you are conducting war in 5 different theaters at the same time.

 

[Dirk_Pitt]

Well. WW2 goes well.

And by that i mean Japan (me) is losing horribly.

The one bright spot though is that ive done well enough for America has spontaneous revolts breaking out in the continental US provinces demanding peace (23% revolt risk for non suppressed provinces). Never seen that before.

Anyone have any WW2 stories?

How is THAT losing horribly??!! You humbled the Giant!

 

[Kome]

Try playing with UK, you would appreciate all the automation when you are conducting war in 5 different theaters at the same time.

Yeah, its not such a problem in Hoi2, but with the sheer number of provinces in Hoi3 and the movement speeds, automation is kind of unavoidable.

How is THAT losing horribly??!! You humbled the Giant!

The US isnt really what im worried about (though marine raiders began poking at my defensive sphere, and showing up to reinforce some allied fronts). Im more concerned about the British Commonwealth, since the RN hides in its ports and refuses to join the decisive battle (like the Americans tried ), and the Indian Army has managed to completely stop my advance into India. Ive also been unable to capture Singapore.

Since the Allies can outproduce me by about five times as much industrial capacity, the delay at Imphal proves fatal for Japan.

And i dont even want to think of what the Soviets are gonna do once they finish off Germany!

Also Britain is close to getting nukes.

In about another year the allies will regain naval superiority, so the game has reached the stage where the allies counterattack and push Japan back to the home islands.

And drop atomic bombs everywhere.

We have failed the EMPRAH! Shamefur dispray! D:

 

[Dirk_Pitt]

Yeah, its not such a problem in Hoi2, but with the sheer number of provinces in Hoi3 and the movement speeds, automation is kind of unavoidable. The US isnt really what im worried about (though marine raiders began poking at my defensive sphere, and showing up to reinforce some allied fronts). Im more concerned about the British Commonwealth, since the RN hides in its ports and refuses to join the decisive battle (like the Americans tried ), and the Indian Army has managed to completely stop my advance into India. Ive also been unable to capture Singapore.

Since the Allies can outproduce me by about five times as much industrial capacity, the delay at Imphal proves fatal for Japan.

And i dont even want to think of what the Soviets are gonna do once they finish off Germany!

Also Britain is close to getting nukes.

In about another year the allies will regain naval superiority, so the game has reached the stage where the allies counterattack and push Japan back to the home islands.

And drop atomic bombs everywhere.

We have failed the EMPRAH! Shamefur dispray! D:

Oh. I see.

Also I laughed at that!

 

[Barry Bull]

Yeah, its not such a problem in Hoi2, but with the sheer number of provinces in Hoi3 and the movement speeds, automation is kind of unavoidable.

It's more than map size, it's the complexity of operations. The Order of Battle system, while the bane of many players, actually helps player to structure operations in multiple theaters once one understand why the actual military force utilized such system. All it needs is to take one hour of pre-pause game time to reorganize it.