Hearts of Iron II

[PanzerJaeger]

Well i just bought it, havent even played it. Ill report back when i get a good idea of the gameplay. Anybody else got it?

[IrishMike]

Played the demo. Looked like a great game. Its on my list to buy, sadly no money for it.

[ElmarkOFear]

Let me know jager. Can it be played by email? :)

[el_slapper]

By Email??? Hell, it's a real-time game - though not based on click-speed as others.

I'm a betatester, & also checked parts of the french translation. Me thinks it's excellent, with some small problems. I had excellent campaigns conquering big parts of the worlds, I also experienced utter failures. As alwaus in WWII games, France is underpowered, as no IA is dumb enough to simulate the 1940 blunders of our leaders... so resisting the German attack is really not a piece of cake.

The strong new point, IMHO, is the naval battle system, which takes in account firing distances. In other words, when subs meet carriers, if the subs manage to sneak near the carriers, they'll get targetting practice - but if the distance is greater, subs have no chance.

Land combat also has been impoved, as air-combat, but those are not revolutionary.

[PanzerJaeger]

Let me know jager. Can it be played by email? :)

I dont think so, but it boasts a new MP system that is supposed to be much better. (havent tried it). Supposedly several people can control one country, which will be very intresting to try.

Well i spent many hours as italy last night, trying to prepare her for the eventual war. The game runs alot smoother and is somewhat easier to figure out. A big difference i noticed was that units upgrade on their own and arent taken off the frontline for upgrading, which is a godsend. I remember having to take whole armies off the map for months when new upgrades came out, it could be crippling. Oh and also, you produce brigades and divisions separately. That way you can add brigades to armies you already have on the ground.

Its still very complicated though, but thats fun. The little combat i saw in Ethiopia ran well. Terrain and experience and all were factored in well like last time. I quit the game as my ally, Germany, declared war on poland, thus pitting us against England, France, and the other allies aswell. Ive built up a strong army in north africa and a strong fleet to protect the supply routes from italy, but ive been handicapped by the industrial capacity of my country like in real life.

One thing that i did differently was trade with Germany for more advanced tank and submarine blueprints. Hopefully those will turn the tide and i can get to alexandria before the brits know what hit them.

Now i get to see real combined arms combat against an equal enemy.. ill report back later.

[ElmarkOFear]

Sounds very interesting Jager. :)

The clumsy interface was what turned me off about the first game, plus the time factor for each turn. I would not have enjoyed playing the game due to the time factor per move, until I learned the interface inside and out. I also did not have the time to put into learning the interface and thus never played it.

I am hopeful this version is much better than the last.

[discovery1]

Hearts of Iron II is one of the best games I've played in rencent memory. The new land combat system is a vast improvement over the original as is the naval combat. My first game as Germany went ok until the reds dowed me. I was unprepared and a stalemate resulted that I barely could hold. Thus long term defeat. My second game went reasonably well. It was fun hunting the brittish carriers with my own. This time I had most of my army(although not the panzers) in the east waiting for the Soviet dow. My panzers were off conquering the british empire. I even conquered the pacific members of the commonwealth. After I returned my panzers, I made a breaktru in the south around lowe(that oil prodcing provence in Poland). My panzers got as far as Stalingrad, but my thrusts to cut off the Soviets in the north was a spectacular failure that resulted in the loss of 8 panzers divisions under Hoth. However, I was able to over come and by mid 46 I had foced the Soviets to surrendur. The loss of so many generals in 45 was annoying(I hate the historical death date for generals feature). Only the Americans remained. And the Canadians and a few other North American countries. I never launched an invasion, although there is a USA surrendur event. Between the fall of the Soviets and the end of the game I contented my self with hunting allied ships in the atlantic and harrasing alled convoys to africa(I had liberated most of it but the americans invaided. The S africas, Rhodisians, and Italians seemed to be containing the advance though). My first nuke came online in december 1947 has did my first 6 nuclear sub flotilas with more on the way. The Americans were far behind me in the nuclear field(building a reactor helps alot) and I had been stockpiling ICBMs for a while. I ended the game in a spectacular fashion. I fired all of my ICBMs at the major population centers of the US(urban terrain) The nuke I saved for DC.

1630 hrs.
The fuher and other high ranking members of the government and Wermarch are on had for this gorious occasion. Donetz has taken personal command of the nuclear sub fleet and is currently stationed off the eastern seaboard listening. He makes makes a radio address to the citizens of the axis powers annoucing that today the Americans will know the folly of trying to undo the new word order. The rocket fires as do ones similar, yet very different, all across western france.

1658 hrs. Dec 30
Radar operators at near Washington detect and income aircraft. It's position is rather odd. It is directly above the city and is decending very quickly. Estimaed time until impact: 2 minutes

1659 hrs. Dec 30
An aid rushes into the oval office and tells President Truman that a likely ICBM was about to land and that they must quickly hurry to the strongroom*, although the chance that it would land close enough to damage the white house is slim.

1700 hrs. Dec 30
Just before entering the strongroom, Truman glances out a window. He sees an speck streak down in the distance and a bright flash eminate from where it struck. He also feels the temperature rises instantly. His cloths ignite and his skin begins to boil. Then the shockwave hits and brings with it merciful death.

0500 hrs Dec 31.

The vp is sworn in as president of the United States. He vows that he will make Germany pay for the destruction they have caused. But he knows that in the very likely event that germany can make more of those dreadful bombs, the war is over.

[PanzerJaeger]

Oh nice. Im still slogging it out in Afrika as Italy. I have done better than them historically, taking much french terriroty and to the suez, all with only german air force help.

[bhutavarna]

i've been struggling with japanese invasion in mainland china for the last few days. sending hordes of ill equiped and outdated chinese conscripts against dug in japs was quite an experience.

forget RTW. HOI2 is mind blowing, nevermind the boardgame style, nor the lack of fancy graphics. the strategic depths more than make up for it.

[discovery1]

When playing as nationalist china, I suggest that you upgrad your hordes of 1918 infantry to 36 asap. I'm fairly confidnt that this combined with the early expansion fo your industry will make you a formidible power. Few countries can resist a modaterly equiped well supplied chinese hoard. Although I confess that in my game as nat china the Japaneses backed down during the marco polo bridge incident. I would like to think that they were intimidated by my conquest of the warlords and my large, well equipted, and verteren armies. I even defeated the communists with only 1918 infantry. Course, by 42 I dowed them, and have just secured muken after several failures to coordinate my attacking troops.

[bhutavarna]

you're right about that discovery1. i kinda figure that mass infantry tactic is the only option for the nationalist china, considering how bad its tech was. after the marco polo incident, the japs wiped out my fleet, and battered my pathetic air force. the only thing that stop them from over running china was that i have a lot of infantry.

[discovery1]

Another tip: if an invasion is too strong too resist, let them land and retreate your troops to the aeas on the flanks of the landing zone and leave a path inland open. When they advance they will weaken their defences and leave them open to counter attack. Then you cut them off from their supplies and kill them at your leisure. The ai may be dumb enough to fall for this, although I haven't tried it yet. Also disband your fleet on day one. It is completely worthless as you found out to your cost.

[SwordsMaster]

Hmm, just got the game a few days ago, and already changed history:

As sweden, helped the republicans in Spain win the civil war by feeding them resorces, took a few (pointless) islands from Finland (at the same time as the russian attack), and now I'm reinforcing my armies and redeploying to my western border, the tactical bombers ready to strike Oslo or Copenhagen.


Only one question I still haven't cleared out: How do you gain bellicousness (or whatever is that called) you need to declare war yourself? So far the only way for me to wage war has been through the choices on the messages...

Another question that just came to mind: Is there any way to speed up the movement of infantry?

[the Count of Flanders]

Does the game still contain scripted events that force you down a certain a path? This was, for me, the biggest turnoff of HOI1: the choices in the events were so ridiculously unbalanced you were almost always forced to take the "historically correct" decision.
Have they improved the diplomatic model, again one of those things of HOI1 that I really didn't dig.

[discovery1]

Only one question I still haven't cleared out: How do you gain bellicousness (or whatever is that called) you need to declare war yourself? So far the only way for me to wage war has been through the choices on the messages...

To dow another country all one needs to do is to go into the dipomacy menu and select 'declare war.' You may have a non-agression pact with your neighbors which may stop you. I suppose you could also be out of money, but I doubt it.

Does the game still contain scripted events that force you down a certain a path? This was, for me, the biggest turnoff of HOI1: the choices in the events were so ridiculously unbalanced you were almost always forced to take the "historically correct" decision.

There still are events like the treaty of munich although the diplomatic system is somewhat improved. You still get things like the ai never surrenduring except by event though.

[SwordsMaster]

To dow another country all one needs to do is to go into the dipomacy menu and select 'declare war.' You may have a non-agression pact with your neighbors which may stop you. I suppose you could also be out of money, but I doubt it.

Weird. I made sure i didn´t have non aggr pacts, and I have a couple of thousand in the bank,but still the 2declare war" option is greyed out....

[el_slapper]

there is a rules for democracies : you can only attack foes that have a level of "belligerence". In other words, if your neighbour is a peaceful hippie country, you can't attack it as long as you're a democracy. Get dictatorial, or target already belligerent countries.

amount required depends on your interventionism level.

[SwordsMaster]

there is a rules for democracies : you can only attack foes that have a level of "belligerence". In other words, if your neighbour is a peaceful hippie country, you can't attack it as long as you're a democracy. Get dictatorial, or target already belligerent countries.

amount required depends on your interventionism level.

Thanks!

I just turned "extremist Right" and now it is all possible MUAHAHAHA
I´ll make the world speak swedish!

[el_slapper]

Thanks!

I just turned "extremist Right" and now it is all possible MUAHAHAHA
I´ll make the world speak swedish!

Beware, though : the more you annex, the higher your belligerence. The higher your belligerence, the more countries could DOW you.....

[lancelot]

I never played the first one but I have heard good things about this one...although it annoys me when games depict a certain era (in this case WW2) but still do things like dont show nazi flags...even though they are nazis and there are references to the Fuhrer and such...

I just want to mod the CSA in, and start bombing the stuffing out of washington DC!!

[discovery1]

1) swasticas are banned in Germany(big market)

2) The CSA is in the game as a liberatable country and if Japan or Germany invaid and defeat the USA then it's split up into California, CSA(minus Texas), Texas and the Union. So half the work is done for you.

[lancelot]

^^ 1) Yea, I knew it was banned in germany but not the rest of the world. And to be honest, if you are going to half 'talk about nazi's' it just seems you might as well talk about the other half...know what I mean?

2)Thats cool, I didnt know that. Although is a 'new' CSA born in the 40's realistic? not that im complaining...

[discovery1]

Is a German or Japanese occupation of America realistic? Well I guess it's possible with a Germany victory in Europe but it would take years of preparation.


Care the see the events that lead to the dissolution of the Union?

#########################################################################
# Surrender events - USA surrenders to Germany
#########################################################################

event = {
id = 14
random = no
country = GER

name = EVT_14_NAME
desc = EVT_14_DESC
picture = "american_surrender"
style = 0

trigger = {
control = { province = 606 data = GER }
lost_VP = { country = USA value = 75 }
lost_IC = { country = USA value = 75 }
NOT = {
war = { country = ENG country = GER }
}
NOT = {
war = { country = SOV country = GER }
}
random = 50
}

date = { day = 0 month = january year = 1936 }
offset = 10
deathdate = { day = 29 month = december year = 1947 }

action_a = {
ai_chance = 50
name = EVT_14_ACTA
command = { type = dissent value = -5 }
command = { type = money value = 10000 }
command = { type = trigger which = 67 }
}
action_b = {
ai_chance = 50
name = EVT_14_ACTB
command = { type = dissent value = -2 }
command = { type = money value = 5000 }
command = { type = sleepevent which = 67 }
}
}

event = {
id = 67
random = no
country = USA

name = EVT_67_NAME
desc = EVT_67_DESC
style = 0

# triggered by German event 14

action_a = {
ai_chance = 50
name = EVT_67_ACTA
command = { type = peace which = GER value = 0 }
command = { type = set_relation which = GER value = 50 }
command = { type = leave_alliance }
command = { type = dissent value = 15 }
command = { type = independence which = TEX value = 1 }
command = { type = independence which = CAL value = 1 }
command = { type = independence which = CSA value = 1 }
command = { type = secedeprovince which = GER value = 1 } # Reykjavik
command = { type = secedeprovince which = GER value = 2 } # Hofn
command = { type = secedeprovince which = GER value = 800 } # Greenland
command = { type = domestic which = defense_lobby value = -2 }
command = { type = domestic which = freedom value = -2 }
command = { type = set_domestic which = democratic value = 2 }
command = { type = set_domestic which = political_left value = 3 }

command = { type = headofstate which = 6039 }
command = { type = headofgovernment which = 6052 }
command = { type = foreignminister which = 6069 }
command = { type = armamentminister which = 6094 }
command = { type = ministerofsecurity which = 6111 }
command = { type = ministerofintelligence which = 6132 }
command = { type = chiefofstaff which = 6140 }
command = { type = chiefofarmy which = 6148 }
command = { type = chiefofnavy which = 6164 }
command = { type = chiefofair which = 6172 }
}
action_b = {
ai_chance = 50
name = EVT_67_ACTB
command = { type = domestic which = defense_lobby value = 1 }
command = { type = dissent value = 5 }
}
}

[lancelot]

Thats cool. Thanks. Cant wait to have a go!

[King Edward]

Gurrr not out in the UK till the 18th of feb!! thats still 3 weeks away!!!!

[PanzerJaeger]

2) The CSA is in the game as a liberatable country and if Japan or Germany invaid and defeat the USA then it's split up into California, CSA(minus Texas), Texas and the Union. So half the work is done for you.

Haha!

Ive seen you at the HoI forums btw Discovery..

[el_slapper]

Gurrr not out in the UK till the 18th of feb!! thats still 3 weeks away!!!!

The 4th in France. Should have been the 21st of January, later the 28th.....

I don't get why it is earlier in France than in the UK : there are no translation issues for the UK version, the game being initially developped & tested in English(me betatester, me knows). That must be crappy distribution problems, like illegal ink used in the contract, or some BS like that