Hearts of Iron IV

[fabius]

so do the latest patches work on the base game?  I'm not interested in purchasing the DLC.

edit: OK, I gave you 1 1/2 hours to tell me before I couldn't wait any longer.  Just bought the base (cadet) version from GreenManGaming for $13.28 (17% off coupon from the 60% off sale price).  The HOI4 wiki's patch page implies the patches work with the base version.  I also saved $80 at the Matrix holiday sale combined with my anniversary coupon.  If I save any more money I may go broke.

Yep, Pdox patches always work with the base game. They also know that some people pick and choose which dlc to buy.
Often some of the patch does bits for the base game that would also do slightly more with the related dlc.

Reccomend not staying with vanilla for long. Most mainstream mods are stable, and many improve it way beyond vanilla.

[Ian C]

For anyone interesting in the soon (?) to be released expansion and patch here are the features:

Patch 1.5 'Cornflakes' - free content

    Army Groups added to chain of command, with multilevel battle planner
    Generals and field marshals to have multiple skill variables (attack, defence, planning & logistics) and earnable traits, which will all be carried over on promotion
    National Unity replaced by Stability and War Support
    Manpower now affected by Mobilization Speed
    Highly customizable division namelists (to a very detailed level for Germany)
    Synthetic refineries can now prioritize oil or rubber production
    Resource production is now dependent upon infrastructure
    Improved UI for resource decision-making
    Rebalancing of resource numbers
    Control groups UI for fleets, divisions & air wings
    Faction leader may expel nations
    Revised German NF tree gains expanded industrial branch and MEFO bills
    Improved production interface
    Captured equipment can be Lend-Leased (without experience gain)
    Most air wings can be attached to armies
    New Decisions system and interface, including revision of ideology switching and control of pop-ups
    New Missions system
    Command Power for promoting generals, some Decisions & boosting air efficiency (extra ground crews)
    Acclimatization mechanic, including harsher weather
    Hard cap on Special Forces battalions (Marines, Mountaineers, Parachutists), set by technologies
    6 new technologies to improve Special Forces [might be DLC]
    Completely revised Japanese NF tree based around purging the militarists (or not)
    Revised Japanese aircraft names [might be DLC]
    Japan can build bicycle battalions & torpedo cruisers, but will have penalties when fighting Chinese troops
    Special surrender mechanics for Japan [might be DLC], which will now have its own faction (it will not join the Axis, but can create mutual security guarantees with it)
    Two new provinces in China: one around Dalian/Kwantung (controlled by Japan), and Tsingtao


Waking the Tiger - paid DLC content

    Consolidate divisions
    Minimap
    Alt-history NF branch for Germany
    Enemy equipment is captured in combat
    Stockpiled equipment can be destroyed
    Transport planes can boost supply (uses Command Power)
    Strategic bombing can prioritize targets
    Prospecting for new resources
    Civilian factories can now be employed on Special Projects
    Many Decisions and Missions
    NF tree for Nationalist China based on the Three Principles of the People (using an inflation mechanic) and foreign aid (including off-map factories)
    NF tree for Communist China, which can expand its territory using infiltration and political struggle decisions
    Alt-history NF branches for Japan, which can also take Inter-service Rivalry Decisions
    New Leader view allowing selection of assignable traits using Command Power
    Tactical bonuses using Command Power
    New model skins to reflect acclimatization
    Small NF tree shared by five Chinese warlord states, which can then take over Communist or Nationalist China through political struggle Decisions or border wars
    Border wars mechanic for Chinese states, with special combat rules
    Air wings can be sent as Volunteers (with 'Flying Tiger' Decisions for Nationalist China & the USA)
    New music and sounds
    NF tree for Manchukuo
    Command Power can be used to send military attachés to observe wars & gain experience; the host state receives combat bonuses
    50 new icons for Armies, including historical insignia for four Western nations


Long-term to-do list

    DONE: Improve flavor and immersion with naming of things in the game. No more Infantry Division Type 1 etc.
    NOT IN 1.5: More player control over naval warfare and fleet battle behaviour
    DONE: A Chain of Command system allowing field marshals to command generals
    PREP: A logistics system with more actual player involvement (now you only care once stuff has gone very badly)
    NOT IN 1.5: Improved naval combat interfaces with good transparency to underlying mechanics (give it the 1.4 air treatment)
    NOT IN 1.5: Improve balance, feedback and mechanics for submarine warfare
    Long term goals and strategies to guide ai rather than random vs historical focus lists, visible to players
    Every starting nation has a custom portrait for historical leaders
    DONE: A way for players to take dynamic decisions, quickly. Something that fits between events and national focuses.
    Spies and espionage
    DONE: Changing National Unity to something that matters during most of the game rather than when you are losing only
    Improving peace conferences
    Update core national focus trees with alt-history paths and more options (Germany DONE, Italy, USA, United Kingdom, Soviet, France, Japan DONE)
    Wunderwaffen projects
    Properly represent fuel in some way in the game
    DONE: Add the ability to clean up your equipment stockpile from old stuff
    DONE: Rework how wars work with respect to merging etc as its a big source of problems
    More differences between sub-ideologies and government forms
    More National Focus trees. (Among most interesting: China DONE, South America, Scandinavia, Spain, Turkey, Iran, Greece)
    An occupation system that isnt tied only to wars and where core vs non-core isn't so binary for access to things.
    Make defensive warfare more fun
    Adding mechanics to limit the size of your standing army, particularly post-war etc
    DONE: Allow greater access to resources through improving infrastructure
    Have doctrines more strongly affect division designing to get away from cookie cutter solutions and too ahistorical gamey setups

[Rayfer]

Lots of good looking stuff in there, but for me it's the 'mini-map' that I have wanted from the beginning. 

[FarAway Sooner]

That's an exciting patch!    <:-)

[SirAndrewD]

Sounds like we're finally at version 1.0. 

Can't even bring myself to play until this patch/dlc is out.

[bobarossa]

After spending about 80 hours playing HOI4 vanilla I think the game's AI makes it a waste of time.  Started the 36 campaign 3 times to learn the system and figure out production, research and focus choices.  Finally played one through to the invasion of France and am extremely disappointed.

Blitzed the low countries in about 10 days (Belgium fell in 2 days!) and discovered that France had placed zero divisions on the Belgian border.  Switched to France to see what was happening and found that the BEF is nowhere in sight, 1/4 of the french army is on a boat to SE Asia (including half their armor), and they didn't bother researching fighters (although they did research all the other types).  After having a considerable air war over germany during '39, there was no fighter opposition over the low countries or germany in the last few months.  What a mess. 

I took someone in this threads suggestion that HOI2 Darkest Hour was the best version and bought it at GOG for $2.50 last fall.  Had a blast for two months with it.  I may switch back.

[Jarhead0331]

I always read these AI horror stories, but it's never been my experience. I wish the AI was that incompetent in my games, maybe I'd actually win for a change. The last campaign I committed myself to, the French and British put up a hell of a fight on the continent. I didn't really secure it until 1942 - 43, and even then the Brits continued to harass north western France with a series of invasions. Yes, the Russians held off in declaring war until Late 1943, but most of my divisions were off in the west and the soviet strength was overwhelming. I quickly deduced the war to be unwinnable.

Can someone please tell me how to make the AI really suck?

[Grim.Reaper]

I always read these AI horror stories, but it's never been my experience. I wish the AI was that incompetent in my games, maybe I'd actually win for a change. The last campaign I committed myself to, the French and British put up a hell of a fight on the content. I didn't really secure it until 1942 - 43, and even then the Brits continued to harass north western France with a series of invasions. Yes, the Russians held off in declaring war until Late 1943, but most of my divisions were off in the west and the soviet strength was overwhelming. I quickly deduced the war to be unwinnable.

Can someone please tell me how to make the AI really suck?

I am in the same boat with this game and most games.....always read how bad the AI is, but I have very limited luck in beaten them.  Everyone says Tiller games AI stink too, but I remember it always giving it a run for my money as well.  No doubt I am sure its my lack of skill, but there aren't many games that I don't find challenging to some degree.

[Rayfer]

I always read these AI horror stories, but it's never been my experience. I wish the AI was that incompetent in my games, maybe I'd actually win for a change. The last campaign I committed myself to, the French and British put up a hell of a fight on the content. I didn't really secure it until 1942 - 43, and even then the Brits continued to harass north western France with a series of invasions. Yes, the Russians held off in declaring war until Late 1943, but most of my divisions were off in the west and the soviet strength was overwhelming. I quickly deduced the war to be unwinnable.

Can someone please tell me how to make the AI really suck?

I am in the same boat with this game and most games.....always read how bad the AI is, but I have very limited luck in beaten them.  Everyone says Tiller games AI stink too, but I remember it always giving it a run for my money as well.  No doubt I am sure its my lack of skill, but there aren't many games that I don't find challenging to some degree.

Same here, with both HoI4 and the Tiller games.  And, to be honest, most all war games in general.

[Jarhead0331]

I think there is a real difference between losing due to a lack of strategic or tactical acumen and losing because the AI is terrible. I also think it should be pretty obvious when its one or the other.

For instance, the scenario described by bobarossa...that would be pretty obvious to see. I have never seen anything like that in my games. In fact, I get frustrated because the low countries are much harder to beat than I feel they should be compared to how it happened historically. I've experienced the Belgians and the Dutch fighting like lions and resisting the German Army for much longer than anticipated, which causes the whole delicate timeline to shift.

I've never seen mass formations of Allied troops abandoning the main show for a mostly irrelevant contest in another theater. Again, the naval and air action is something I don't look at very deeply, so its possible these aspects of the AI warfighting ability are problematic and I wouldn't know it...but the big confrontations over control of territory? I would perceive it if the AI was neglecting its defense, and I just haven't seen that. Obviously, not saying it doesn't happen, but for me, I just don't get that "lucky".

[BanzaiCat]

You guys should check out a guy on YouTube going under the name 'iSorrowProductions.' He made a name for himself doing HOI4 videos, especially on some of the mods for it (especially the more cancerous ones).

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmKdqsvmV6e7Pwy7N2PMnnA

I've subscribed to him since he had about 20K subscribers and now he's well over 200K. They're all pretty short videos, about 10 minutes or so, and he universally derides the AI as being crap. It's kind of funny.

[Yskonyn]

In fact, I get frustrated because the low countries are much harder to beat than I feel they should be compared to how it happened historically. I've experienced the Belgians and the Dutch fighting like lions and resisting the German Army for much longer than anticipated, which causes the whole delicate timeline to shift.

That's the game for you. :) In real life all we had as garrison was pitchforks and some old cannons. Our army was a poorly equipped mess. Much different than our colonial forces.
The queen declared neutrality right after Hitler began his frenzy.
Most early 'fighting' happened underground by members of the Resistance. And a big covert logistical movement arose by civilians and officals alike, moving those sought after by the Germans to rural areas where farmer families would provide shelter.

Its good to see the game actually manages to stand up to a fight at times for us. :) Good alternate history.  O0

[Ian C]

Switched to France to see what was happening and found that the BEF is nowhere in sight, 1/4 of the french army is on a boat to SE Asia (including half their armor)

Shuffling fronts were fixed in 1.3 or 1.4.  Have you played since the updates?

[bobarossa]

Just got it a couple weeks ago (no DLC).  On steam so it's the latest update (Oak 1.42).  Since several of you didn't have this experience I've restarted as France.  They are seriously hindered by the game to keep them from messing with Germany.  Took me a year or so just to get the army's equipment filled out to 100%. 

[glen55]

At game start, send 2 divisions to Ethiopia to get some experience to help you build your division templates. Send more units to Spain when that becomes available. You can micro-manage your units to win both of those wars, if you wish. Use the experience to build templates that create divisions of 20 or 40 combat width, because 80 is the width of a province. In particular, research MP detachments early, and edit your cav template to attach an MP company. Start cranking out infantry and garrison units.

In the early game, concentrate your military factories on infantry equipment and support equipment, and get started on fighters. The key to building up a big army rapidly is to activate your divisions as soon as they hit 20% training, then put them in a "training corps" doing constant exercises until they are fully trained, and only then put them in regular units. This will allow you to rush the national focuses that give you territory, like Anschluss, Czech and Yugo events, if you choose. Anschluss is so valuable that you should really try to get your 550K on the field ASAP so you can get it; the others are more of a judgment call as to whether you go for them before you go for an extra research slot, but they are at worst a 2nd priority.

Stop the early deployment around early 1938 so your production, which has grown by now through country absorption and industrial tech, can make up the equipment deficits from all the early activation and exercises. You will have so many infantry divisions you will swamp the low countries and France by the beginning of '39. Then ramp up production of fighters, medium tanks, and artillery/anti-tank, solidify East and Northern Europe, and you will be ready for Barbarossa at the historical date.