HOI IV might be a stinker

[Ian C]

From the vid, the game looks fantastic. I'm on board with nearly everything I've seen so far except trading for resources with 'Factories' seems a bit non-immersive and Japan puppeting China in a year. That unrealistic behaviour is in previous versions of the game and ruins immersion. It needs to be fixed.
I want to see NATO counters.

[OJsDad]

Thanks SDR.  Now that you say it, I've played China, and have successfully blocked Japan from breaking out of Manchuria.  Japan never makes any amphibious assaults to flank me, which, given the fact that I had to strip every other area to make the initial stops, would be a disaster for me.

[fabius]

Johan outlines where they are with it:
https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/hearts-of-iron-iv-16th-development-diary-12th-of-june-2015.862164/

[undercovergeek]

For better or worse HOI III is my most played game ever on steam - I'm looking forward to this very much and reconquering Southern Europe with Italy

[Swatter]

Paradox has always overreached with HOI. They end up creating a game that could be hugely awesome, but the game is so complicated from the standpoint of what the AI must manage that the game just falls flat. Playing HOI3 I loved how all the tools are there, but the AI can't possibly control air, land, and sea forces for entire nations in a sensible and realistic manner. I will also mention that they at times make weird design designs (like all land units are at full strength all the time until manpower runs low) and they have serious bugs in other systems. It took them a long time to get their weather system to even to produce mildly plausible results. In addition to the naval war aspects of these games have always had problems with.

They are just moving around the deck chairs, the game will still be crippled with the same flaws.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I still like it and think it does a good job of bringing that era of history alive.  I'm having a great time managing my strategic bomber forces as I send them over to bomb German cities even though it involves a lot of micro-management.  The fight with the Japanese along the Irrawaddy river was satisfyingly tense as was my invasion of the Italian mainland (after I tried in Greece and had to Dunkirk it back to the boats.)  It's got flaws, but for me they aren't glaring enough to ruin the game.

I was a latecomer to HOI but I now play it far more than I do Vicky II or EU IV (I actually haven't even gone beyond the tutorials in EU IV.)

[ArizonaTank]

They are just moving around the deck chairs, the game will still be crippled with the same flaws.

I am hopeful that they may get it right this time.  I think the HOI series has done wonderful things....despite the sometimes brain dead strategic AI.

[fabius]

Paradox has always overreached with HOI. They end up creating a game that could be hugely awesome, but the game is so complicated from the standpoint of what the AI must manage that the game just falls flat. Playing HOI3 I loved how all the tools are there, but the AI can't possibly control air, land, and sea forces for entire nations in a sensible and realistic manner. I will also mention that they at times make weird design designs (like all land units are at full strength all the time until manpower runs low) and they have serious bugs in other systems. It took them a long time to get their weather system to even to produce mildly plausible results. In addition to the naval war aspects of these games have always had problems with.

They are just moving around the deck chairs, the game will still be crippled with the same flaws.

That's one of the core design guidance that they haves stated several times with HoI4.

Partly why they have gone with a battle planner system- they want the AI to be better able with the game mechanics.
Plus they have a new AI guy since HoI3..... time will tell....

[MetalDog]

I was a huge fan of II, but not so much III.  As I'm not a naval warfare guy at all, the lack of appreciable AI competency in said area is neither noticed nor missed.