Hearts of Iron IV- 'No Step Back' DLC

[Ian C]

No Step Back + Patch is released 23rd November 2021 (Today, at the time of post).

Supply & logistics system is completely overhauled (now uses trains, rail lines and supply hubs).

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1348661/Expansion__Hearts_of_Iron_IV_No_Step_Back/


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# Feature - No Step Back
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- Added focus tree and national content for Soviet Union
- Added focus tree and national content for Lithuania
- Added focus tree and national content for Estonia
- Added focus tree and national content for Latvia
- Added focus tree and national content for Poland
- Added Tank Designer system, featuring 60+ unique modules and myriad combinations & roles
- Added Logistics Strike air mission, targeting trains and supply infrastructure
- Added bespoke train and armored train models for ENG, USA, SOV, GER, ITA, JAP and FRA
- Added Railway Artillery units, which can be attached to armies to provide a unique support role and aid in breaking through fortified positions.
- Added generic Railway Artillery model
- Added unique Railway Artillery models for USA, SOV, FRA, JAP, GER and ENG
- Added 60+ Military Spirits to Officer Corps, allowing you to specialize various departmental branches with new effects and art.
- Added Scorched Earth state interaction, allowing you to disable supply infrastructure in the face of oncoming advances
- Added unique unit models and VO Implementation for EST, LAT and LIT
- Added Preferred Tactic system, allowing you to select a national, field marshal, and general-level tactic that will influence the fighting style of your troops.
- Added system for promoting field commanders into military advisors, allowing you to specialize and grow your advisory cadre

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# Feature - Free
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- Infrastructure and other support buildings can now be constructed in your allies' territory.
- Historical Focuses OFF setting will now cause countries to pick a weighted path from their available paths, instead of choosing focuses essentially at random (this can have a significant effect on ahistorical games, and should result in less apparent poor-planning from the AI).
- Reworked and added to historical focus tree and national content for Poland
- Reworked and added to historical focus tree and national content for the Soviet Union
- Reworked and added to Trotsky focus tree path for the Soviet Union
- A visual cue is now displayed when units die due to encirclement
- Totally overhauled supply and logistics system
- Added Supply Hub building, which distribute supplies to nearby units
- Added Railway building, allowing you to link supply hubs and ports
- Added basic train model and train research
- Added Officer Corps country view, containing information on your military details and advisors
- Totally overhauled experience generation, with most early-game branch experience now coming from advisors
- Doctrines now found in the Officer Corps view, and cost experience to unlock, instead of being researched
- Added rail and supply hub area defense order setting, which prioritizes supply hubs
- (Modding/Feature) Added new character system, tying together numerous different systems behind-the-scenes. Advisors, generals, admirals, country leaders, and more, can now be a property of a character.


Full patch notes:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/developer-diary/hoi4-dev-diary-patch-notes.1498093/

[Jarhead0331]

This is looking like one of their better DLCs for this title.

[Ian C]

This is looking like one of their better DLCs for this title.

Apparently, the new logistics system appears to recreate historical situations in regards to capturing major supply routes etc. and adds a new layer of depth.
I think someone at Paradox was playing Warplan and took notice of its supply system.

We'll find out soon... (less than an hour to go at the time of this post).

[Rayfer]

This is looking like one of their better DLCs for this title.

Apparently, the new logistics system appears to recreate historical situations in regards to capturing major supply routes etc. and adds a new layer of depth.
I think someone at Paradox was playing Warplan and took notice of its supply system.

We'll find out soon... (less than an hour to go at the time of this post).

Looking forward to getting back into this game after a long break.

[glen55]

I, too, used to play this game a whole bunch, but when they created the new naval system I never really sat down and concentrated on it long enough to learn it--and as a result, I have never played again!

Does anybody by any chance know a good step-by-step tutorial on the naval system? This new patch is very intriguing.

[Ian C]

Does anybody by any chance know a good step-by-step tutorial on the naval system? This new patch is very intriguing.

[glen55]

Thanks, Ian C, but for some reason those links are not coming through. All I'm getting is a sad face and youtube failed to connect.

Can you give me a couple of buzzwords I can go to youtube and search for. Like author/title?

[al_infierno]

I got you brudda.  O0  The easy way to fix it is to replace "youtube.com/watch?v=" with "youtu.be/" in the URL to change it into a shareable link.

[glen55]

Much thanks. But wait, which one of you is the brains and which one is the brawn?

At any rate, kudos to Ian C and al_infierno.

[ArizonaTank]

While all this new stuff is great...I hope they worked on the AI to be able to use these new toys. In its long history, Paradox has from time to time added features without teaching the AI to use them

[bobarossa]

While all this new stuff is great...I hope they worked on the AI to be able to use these new toys. In its long history, Paradox has from time to time added features without teaching the AI to use them

The AI doesn't know how to use the old features yet.  Have around 2000 hours into the game.  I think I've rage-quit every game within a year of the main war starting.  Mods make the game more interesting but then the AI is even less likely to play them well. 

[al_infierno]

I think I've rage-quit every game within a year of the main war starting.

This is my HoI 4 experience in a nutshell.

[Ian C]

Latest tutorials for the DLC:

[Boggit]

What really annoys me about HOI4 is the way the air war is handled. Why is it I can't unleash fighters, light bombers and tactical bombers on airfields to bomb planes on the ground? It happened in reality, but apparently it can't happen in HOI4! Strat bombers can reduce the operational use of airfields, but again can't destroy planes on the ground...

The other thing is that leaders are added for fleets/armies etc, but not for air fleets. No Bomber Harris, Ernst Udet, Hermann Goering or Hugh Dowding. This is really inconsistent with the approach taken with other forces in the game.

On the plus side the new Barbarossa update does add some interesting stuff will railways and transport hubs providing some challenging issues. However, trains now need military factories to produce and it'd have been nice if the number of factories limit per state was increased to cover production of things that previously weren't a consideration.

[Ian C]

The new supply system combined with the way doctrines now use experience instead of research has really moved the game up a notch in depth and realism.