Is anyone else puzzled by Pdox's half-hearted 'rollout' of Hearts of Iron IV?

[chemkid]

while everyone's waiting for hoi4... the black ice mod just hit version 8.5!

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BlackICE v8.5 Release Notes
Ok, gang. Here is the current release notes/change log for the upcoming release of BlackICE v8.5! As you will no doubt notice, this has turned out to be a HUGE, and pretty epic release. Lots of critical fixes, and a ton of new content.

NEW: Retextured map, and now with new higher resolution terrain textures!
Edited shader code to provide a bit more "pop" when rendering terrain tiles
NEW: Air Command units. Halved the air/surface detection of most normal air units. Added those bonuses back to the air command units. Created hidden AI tech to receive those bonuses without an air command unit. Types: Fighter Group - For Inties Heavy Fighter Group - For Twin Engine Fighters Night Fighter Group - For Multi-Role Fighter/Bombers Bomber Group (Light) - For light bombers and CAS Bomber Group (Medium) - For Tactical Bombers Bomber Group (Heavy) - For Strategic Bombers Bomber Group (Naval) - For Naval Bombers and Flying Boats Transport Group - For normal Transport Planes Transport Group (Heavy) - For Quad Engine/Heavy Transport Planess USA/JAP/ITA/SOV/GER get some historical air command units in the starting OOB USA/GER/ENG get other historical air command units via event OOBs All countries can build the generic versions of these Increased the # of units an air stack without penalty by 1, per rank, to allow for the new air command units.
NEW: Command Ships: Similar to the above "air command units", we are introducing an experimental "Command Cruiser (Light)" and "Command Battleship". These are flagships that are a bit more expensive to build, but they provide communications, office space, and accommodations for a fleet commander and his staff, and serve to coordinate fleet activities. They provide bonuses in several areas for your fleets, and they have enhanced defenses for better survivability. air/surface/sub detection stats have been halved for normal naval units Those bonuses are re-added/amped up by the inclusion of a command ship in your fleets They become available as soon as a country activates Light Cruisers and/or Battleships
NEW: Battle Commander Updates The major countries can rejoice! We have put some effort into the "battle commander" units to make them more unique and enjoyable. They now have custom counters, and have a counter priority just below the division HQs, meaning if you make "task force" units with them, you will easily be able to identify them on the battlefield as they will be the visible counter.
NEW: Air Training Missions for player fighters and bombers
NEW: Airborne Kampfgruppe unit These are airdroppable badasses that are unlocked via historical OOB events for the countries that had them.
GER: Kampfgruppes bon der Heyte, Shultz, Hubner, Ramcke
USA: 1st Marine Parachute Regimental Combat Team ("Paramarines"), 503rd, 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Teams
JAP: Takachiho, Ohmura, and Kaoru Airborne Detachments
NEW: Airborne Engineer Battalion unit Smaller than a normal engineer brigade, but air droppable! Focus is assault engineering.
NEW: New Battle Streamer events (Major Victories and Defeats - replaces old events) There are 6 levels of "major victories". Whenever a player achieves one of these, he will earn a "battle streamer". Each level will also confer a bonus in the form of a country modifier, but will only last for 90 days. Each level must be "chained". So to get level 2 the player must have to have level 1 in effect, etc. If all six levels are successfully chained, the player will receive a permanent bonus. Similarly, there are 6 levels of "major defeats". Each level of defeat will apply a malus! Removed old medal and victory/defeat events
NEW: Added custom event images for weather notification events.
NEW: Updated map icons for airfields, ports, AA, Radar, Land Fortress, and Coastal Fort
NEW: Added Geo battleplan from Aleksi
NEW: Added some more historical flavor events (Roosevelt's Promise Speech in 1940, The Closing of Brighton Beach in England, etc.)
NEW: Added some nation specific transport units
NEW: Allies: Added a series of historical flavor events featuring the award-winning radio broadcasts from noted war correspondent, Edward R. Morrow.
NEW: Allies: Added Declaration by United Nations event in 1942
NEW: AST/USA: New historical flavor event for the "Battle of Brisbane"
NEW: AST: Added historical event for capture of intact Mitsubishi Zero in 1942
NEW: Backstory Fallout Event: Feed the Poor
NEW: Backstory Fallout Event: Militant Followers, plus tweaks to others
NEW: Backstory Fallout Event: National New Business Program
NEW: Backstory Fallout Event: New Research Center Grand Opening
NEW: Backstory Fallout Event: Players with industrialist background will at some point get new supply factories
NEW: Backstory Fallout Event: Players with medical background as a Doctor will at some point get a new hospital grand-opening.
NEW: Backstory Fallout Events: Esprit de Corps events for air, land, and naval forces, if they chose a career as a soldier, sailor, or pilot as a young adult.
NEW: Added Backstory YOU units for medical and industrialist options. These are not based on the battle-commander unit, but rather the leader_brigade.
NEW: CAN: The Plebiscite of 1942 (Canadian Conscription)
NEW: ENG/USA: Flavor event: Churchill Addresses joint session of U.S. Congress
NEW: ENG: Added custom HQ unit and counter for the Chindits Expedition
NEW: ENG: Added ENG 10th Army custom historical unit
New: ENG: Added new custom unit - the Political Warfare Executive. Provides a counterintelligence bonus via underground propaganda radio broadcasts as long as it is alive and functional!
NEW: ENG: Added Ninth Army custom HQ unit
NEW: ENG: National Registration Act of 1939 for England
NEW: ENG: New historical event, Princess Elizabeth registers for war service in 1942
NEW: ENG: The Oslo Report is provided to British Intelligence
NEW: FRA: Added historical HQ unit counters and events for 5th Light Cav, 6th Light Cav, 4th Light Mech, and 7th Light Mech Divisions
NEW: FRA: Added model images for unique French BBs
NEW: FRA: Added unique counters for starting OOB ground units and battleships
NEW: GER: Added the training commands for the OKH, OKL, and OKM. Each training command confers a small related bonus to players, each of which will be lost if the corresponding HQ unit is destroyed!
NEW: GER: Added custom mapcounters for GER XLI (MOT), XLI (Pz) and XXXIX (MOT) corps
NEW: GER: Added Ger XIX Armeekorps
NEW: GER: Added ss_heavy_artillery_brigade
NEW: GER: Added XV. A.K.(mot) at historical date for Germany in Jena
NEW: GER: Added XVI AK mot and corrected xix_corps
NEW: GER: Added XXXIX and XLI Korps, and XLI Panzer Korps
NEW: GER: Adding the XIX. Armme korps for Gruppe Guderian/Panzergruppe Guderian event chain
NEW: USA/Allies: Historical flavor event for the debut of Charlie Chaplin's satirical film on Hitler and Mussolini, "The Great Dictator"
NEW: USA/GER: Added historical events for the Duquesne Spy Ring.
NEW: USA/JAP: Added a series supply throughput bonus to the Pacific Island Hopping Campaign. JAP and USA will now receive a global supply throughput bonus based on how many target islands they control. The more islands you control, the higher the cumulative bonus!
NEW: USA: Added 158th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) KG Unit and OOB Event
NEW: USA: Added 1st Marine Parachute Regimental Combat Team ("Paramarines") and event
NEW: USA: Added Battle of Los Angeles event
NEW: USA: Added custom counter for USA 517th Parachute Regimental Combat Team (PRCT).
NEW: USA: Added custom HQ unit for the Air Transport Command (ATC), responsible for military airlifts throughout the war.
NEW: USA: Added custom HQ units and events for 11th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Air Forces
NEW: USA: Added custom HQ units and events for USA subordinate naval commands (3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th, and 12th fleets)
NEW: USA: Added custom unit for U.S. 8th USAAF ("The Mighty Eighth")
NEW: USA: Added custom units for U.S. 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th USAAFs. These units will load upon selecting "Yes" for the USAAF Reorganization event.
NEW: USA: Added event and unique theatre HQs for Southwest Pacific Area (SWPA/MacArthur) and Pacific Ocean Areas (POA/Nimitz).
NEW: USA: Added FDR Fireside Chat radio broadcast events
NEW: USA: Added Fleet Marine Force, Pacific (FMFPAC) historical HQ
NEW: USA: Added historical counter for Panama Canal Department
NEW: USA: Added historical counter for Philippine Department
NEW: USA: Added historical counter for the Hawaiian Department
NEW: USA: Added historical counters for Eastern and Western Defense Commands
NEW: USA: Added historical flavor event for the "Four Chaplains" tragedy
NEW: USA: Added historical flavor event for "Patton Strikes a Soldier"
NEW: USA: Added historical Iceland Base Command HQ unit/counter
NEW: USA: Added historical U.S. I Amphibious Corps HQ unit
NEW: USA: Added historical U.S. I Armored Corps HQ unit.
NEW: USA: Added historical U.S. V Amphibious Corps HQ unit
NEW: USA: Added historical unit counter/OOB for Alaska Department
NEW: USA: Added the historical 1942 reorganization of the Army GHQ, splitting it into three commands (Army Ground Forces, Army Air Forces, and Army Service Forces HQs). Each command confers a small related bonus to players, each of which will be lost if the corresponding HQ unit is destroyed!
NEW: USA: Added U.S. 370th Regimental Combat Team unit and event
NEW: USA: Added U.S. 503rd Parachute Regimental Combat Team and event
NEW: USA: Added U.S. China-Burma-India Command HQ unit
NEW: USA: Added units and events for 5th, 6th, 7th, 9th, and 10th Air Forces (USAAF).
NEW: USA: Added US Navy Fleet Reorganization event. The original 1936 OOB naval HQs are now replaced via the event choice to the Atlantic (CinCLANT), Pacific (CinCPAC), and Asiatic (CinCAF) fleets.
NEW: USA: Added Voice of America (VoA) units, one in the Atlantic, one in the Pacific. Historical propaganda broadcast units. These units can become available once the new Office of War Information (OWI) is launched.
NEW: USA: Edward O'Hare becomes first USN flying ace
NEW: USA: Flavor event for General John J. Pershing urging for aid to allies
NEW: USA: Flavor event for the alleged "Philadelphia Experiment" :D
NEW: USA: Implemented the major coal miner strike(s) of 1943. Also the first of what will be many of FDR's "Fireside Chats", this one related to the mining strike.
NEW: USA: MacArthur: "I Shall Return" event for Philippines evacuation
NEW: USA: New Office of War Information (OWI) events (domestic propaganda through the use of films). Added some minor boosts gained from the OWI propaganda film events, each one tying in some way to the purpose/goal of each film.
CHANGE: Made the "Death of You!" event available to only USA, GER, ENG, ITA, JAP, and SOV. Sadly, we can only check this for the majors, since the others get the generic units in their capital and we can't assign a brigade name without an OOB - bloody hell.
CHANGE: Replacement event images in several areas
CHANGE: some AI land units air attack values reduced
CHANGE: Partisans in Balkans will occur for Italy invasion as well as German
CHANGE: Special HQs terrain modifers tweaked
CHANGE: artillery CA bonus increased
CHANGE: artillery stat tweaks
CHANGE: Naval base efficiency boosted
CHANGE: Removed commando brigade from some build templates as they are event only now
CHANGE: Tweaked country build templates for Airborne divisions to use new airborne_engineer_bat unit
CHANGE: Added airborne_engineer_bat unit to some airborne OOBs and removed the old mixed_support_brigades from airborne OOBs
CHANGE: Changed motorized AA into heavy AA
CHANGE: Re-implemented a bit of the Backstory event/decision chain to ensure that the AI will get his leader units as well.
CHANGE: Light Infantry made a little weaker compared to normal Infantry brigades
CHANGE: Replacement event images for Second London Naval Treaty
CHANGE: Corrected PBB-models with better tech according to unique PBB's
CHANGE: Updated GUI. Added shadow to screens
CHANGE: The Officer Recruitment Program tech no longer reduces the number of officers required for each unit, but actually increases the officer recruitment bonus.
CHANGE: AST: Replacement event images for some AST events
CHANGE: GER: Added a level 6 airbase to Leipzig and changed airbase build event for Leipzig to 4 airbases
CHANGE: GER: Added additional information of XVI. AK(mot)
CHANGE: GER: Added airbases to match level 4 /6 /8 or 10. Also improved desciption. Not finished yet
CHANGE: GER: Added Guderian as leader PGG
CHANGE: GER: Adding better desciption for building airbases and adding some airbases to level 4 or 6
CHANGE: GER: Changed Gruppe Guderian activation to more historical date. Just after the battle of Dunkirk
CHANGE: GER: Renamed submarine names for germany
CHANGE: GER: Updated division build templates for Germany
CHANGE: GER: Updated welle 1 events with HQ only option for on map and production queque
CHANGE: ITA: Italian ETR event modifier less severe
CHANGE: SOV: Some soviet ports have industrial zones removed to allow other strategic resources to be built
CHANGE: USA: Added new airborne_engineer_bat to USA Airborne Division template
CHANGE: USA: Added several minor historic air bases for USA, to support the new historical air_commander unit OOBs
CHANGE: USA: Building the Pentagon now requires an investment of supplies and money.
CHANGE: USA: New event for the formation of the United Services Organization (USO). Formation of the USO is needed in order to trigger the periodic USO Camp Shows.
CHANGE: USA: Slight naming tweaks to USA Marine Special HQ OOBs
CHANGE: USA: Updated USA Army Air Force expansion events and localisations
FIX: The "Death of You!" event should now no longer fire prematurely :)
FIX: Addressed several CTD-related issues
FIX: Corrected blank lines in coding (CTD related)
FIX: ENG/French reinforcements to Norway now require them to also be at war with Germany :D
FIX: Research Lab events should not function properly when playing on HARD or GROFAZ
FIX: Fixed typos, added missing localisations, etc.
FIX: Added some missing techs to the infantry_brigade
FIX: Fixed event for reoutfitting the USA 7th Infantry Division to a Light Division.
FIX: Added missing tech to USA armor models
FIX: Fixed wrong HQ type and add half track transport to all Corps
FIX: The Build Beach Defence build icon will now show up properly in the build queue
FIX: SOV: Fixed rank for Stalin ... should only have one rank entry for 1936
FIX: Fixed issue with a FRA ARM HQ loading in SOV territory
FIX: Added check to venezuela oil: exists = VEN
FIX: Fixed USA build templates to work with new country-specific transports
FIX: Corrected some typos and the counter of 18. Panzer Division
FIX: Fixes for backstory fallout events spamming
FIX: Fixed bug where research center events could spawn an airborne mixed support unit in a random place lol
FIX: Fixed typo 18. Panzer Division cu_counter
FIX: Herman Goring div build fixed
FIX: lower neutrality event fix
FIX: Fixed issue which was causing a hang on Adapting History.
FIX: Corrected the USAAF Reorganization event to have the HQs loaded into the proper historical provinces.
FIX: GER: Fixed bug with SS Das Reich event 49324
FIX: Fixed bug with naval_combat for submarines
FIX: GER: Various fixes for the Norway landing event chain
FIX: Added another check 17. Pz-Div upgrade


get installer (network installer!!) here:

http://blackicemod.com/

and here:

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/blackice-v8-5-now-available.901567/

cheers!
chem!

[JasonPratt]

PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT!!!! -- wonder if it's just a fun flavor text or actually accomplishes something...

[bboyer66]

I'm hoping the simplification will allow the AI to actually............ play the game.       

[Ian C]

Just a heads-up: if you have a crash when saving a game , you need to go into your anti-virus and make an exclusion for the HOI III folder.

[Nefaro]

I'm hoping the simplification will allow the AI to actually............ play the game.       

I'm not sure even the recent QA improvements at Pdox, nor AI simplification, can remedy the HOI series' screwiness. 

[eyebiter]

Is the blackice mod for hoi 2 or version 3?

[Rekim]

BlackICE mods HOI 3

[magnus]

In HOI3 I once ordered an invasion of Russia and assigned all the army groups etc..

I sat back and watched as they invaded Russia.

The only problem was they went through Norway and the Sweden and the Finland to get there.

I am all for sneak attacks, but that was a bit too much.

I remember just watching it happen , in semi-awe.

[OJsDad]

Did it work or was it a complete failure.

[JasonPratt]

If it worked, that would be hilarious.  >:D

[magnus]

It was working.

[JasonPratt]

 

Well, it might have been the Belgium-ish variant of Barbarossa; Finland especially might have welcomed the effort.

[sandman2575]

Dev diary today about the single feature I'm most excited about: HoI IV's battle planner --

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/hearts-of-iron-iv-45th-development-diary-19th-of-february-2016.909353/

I'm in the minority of players who actually liked HoI3's 'Army AI control' feature. It was incredibly fiddly, but it did allow you to concentrate on the operational big picture while the AI (attempted) to carry out the micromanagement and unit shuffling.

If the HoI IV battle planner works as envisioned, that alone will make this the greatest HoI game in the series, and probably one of the greatest strategic level WW2 games in general...

Hopes running very high for this one.  Just wish they'd give some clue as to a release...

[IronX]

Looks great. Hearts of Iron has long been my favorite WWII grand strategy game.

Is there any time frame at all for a release? I don't want to get too excited about this one since it could still be months away, although the beta's been running for what, three or four months now?

[sandman2575]

No, sadly, Beta just started a week or so ago. My *hope* for is something like a June or July release, although Q3 2016 might be more realistic.

Pdox has said nothing concrete (probably because the last advertised release date -- "Q2 2015" -- proved a debacle) -- they're not going to say anything until they are 100% confident they can meet the deadline.