Hearts of Iron III

[solops]

I played I & II and the expansions. Is III any good? I steered clear early because of the problems when it was released.

[Nefaro]

From what I understand, it's of the old school Paradox update tendencies.  It got patched up to passable through multiple DLCs.  So you'll definitely want to get the DLCs to get a good experience out of the whole thing.  There are mods too, of course.

I'm sure there are still some issues with how the AI does things, but that's typical with large grand strategy games.  Hopefully it can perform concerted amphibious invasions that aren't scripted and handle it's naval fleets in similarly concentrated ways.  Those are often some of the biggest problems in the genre.

Keep in mind that I'm just relaying this from word of mouth.  I've not played a campaign of much length yet.

[Silent Disapproval Robot]

I like it but it's the only one of the series I've played.  I got a free copy of it along with Their Finest Hour and, after the initial learning phase, I've enjoyed my time with it.

[Boggit]

... and, after the initial learning phase, I've enjoyed my time with it.

That is THE thing. There is a big learning curve from HOI2 to HOI3. As you say, it is worth it. 8)

[Jarhead0331]

Check out this thread:

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=9317.0

[Ian C]

This is highly recommended. A well-researched, carefully implemented unofficial expansion.

http://blackicemod.com


QUOTE:

Black ICE is a major overhaul of Hearts Of Iron 3, The Grand World War II Strategy game by Paradox Interactive.

What does Black ICE add to HOI3?

    Over 4,000 immersive events and decisions
    100+ unique technologies to research
    200+ unique units (including SS and Soviet Guards)
    Completely new artwork and sound effects
    Thousands of hours of bug fixes and play balance


Division Structure - http://blackicemod.com/doc/division-structure

Infantry - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/infantry-units

Armour - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/armor-units

Artillery - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/artillery-units

Direct Fire Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/direct-fire-units

Mobile Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/mobile-units

Recon Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/recon-units

Special Forces - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/special-forces-units

Kampfgruppe Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/kampfgruppe-units

Support Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/support-units

Air Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/air-units

Naval Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/naval-units

HQ Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/headquarters-units

Special Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/special-units



New Events:

Atlantic Wall
Axis Propaganda Broadcasts
Commando Missions
Historical SS Unit Events
Homefront Conservation
National Center for Defense Research
National Unrest
National Wartime Fiscal Policy
Operation Overlord
Pacific Island Hopping Campaign
Port Blockades
Soviet Railroad Network
The Blitz
Yearly National Focus Event

and lots more...

All info here:

http://blackicemod.com/doc

[Boggit]

Check out this thread:

http://grogheads.com/forums/index.php?topic=9317.0

+1. Pretty much the definitive answer on the learning curve. :)

[bbmike]

This is highly recommended. A well-researched, carefully implemented unofficial expansion.

http://blackicemod.com
...

Wow, that really makes me want to play HoI again. Thanks for the link!

[Boggit]

This is highly recommended. A well-researched, carefully implemented unofficial expansion.

http://blackicemod.com


QUOTE:

Black ICE is a major overhaul of Hearts Of Iron 3, The Grand World War II Strategy game by Paradox Interactive.

What does Black ICE add to HOI3?

    Over 4,000 immersive events and decisions
    100+ unique technologies to research
    200+ unique units (including SS and Soviet Guards)
    Completely new artwork and sound effects
    Thousands of hours of bug fixes and play balance


Division Structure - http://blackicemod.com/doc/division-structure

Infantry - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/infantry-units

Armour - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/armor-units

Artillery - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/artillery-units

Direct Fire Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/direct-fire-units

Mobile Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/mobile-units

Recon Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/recon-units

Special Forces - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/special-forces-units

Kampfgruppe Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/kampfgruppe-units

Support Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/support-units

Air Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/air-units

Naval Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/naval-units

HQ Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/headquarters-units

Special Units - http://blackicemod.com/doc/unit-guide/special-units



New Events:

Atlantic Wall
Axis Propaganda Broadcasts
Commando Missions
Historical SS Unit Events
Homefront Conservation
National Center for Defense Research
National Unrest
National Wartime Fiscal Policy
Operation Overlord
Pacific Island Hopping Campaign
Port Blockades
Soviet Railroad Network
The Blitz
Yearly National Focus Event

and lots more...

All info here:

http://blackicemod.com/doc

I've had some really good feedback about the mod - a couple of questions though - before I download
Does it overwrite the Vanilla HOI3 TFH, or does it have a separate mod folder?
How stable is the beta, or am I beta off (pun intended! ;) ) taking the last "release" version? Can you confirm which version is the most stable?

Thanks. :)

[Ian C]

I've had some really good feedback about the mod - a couple of questions though - before I download
Does it overwrite the Vanilla HOI3 TFH, or does it have a separate mod folder?
How stable is the beta, or am I beta off (pun intended! ;) ) taking the last "release" version? Can you confirm which version is the most stable?

Thanks. :)

It doesn't overwrite the vanilla. The mod installs to a mod folder and you select it from the main HOI startup screen by selecting the mod box as you would any other mod.

It's totally stable. Don't forget to install the hotfix too.

On all counts, it's a safe choice.

[Swatter]

I would say HOI3 is an awesome game, except for one giant, super-huge fault: the way the replacement system works. In essence, forces on the front lines never become depleted no matter how intense the fighting. The reason is that you allocate a certain amount of production to replace losses and those losses are replaced almost instantly. To make it even worse, lets say you have a division that takes 99% losses on theoretical battlefield. To issue replacements to that unit to bring it up to full strength would cost about 1/10 the cost of building it new. Meaning that replacing losses is instantaneous and extremely cheap.

This results in war being fought at the strategic level as a battle of manpower pools, even though the game is on the divisional scale. Take for example my experience in playing as the Soviets during the German Barbarossa offensive. We fought like rabid dogs for 9 months- titanic battles, sweeping offensives, huge winter counter-offensive. I began to notice that even though my units suffered greatly from disorganization (as no doubt the Germans too), most of my ground units were at full strength. I then used a cheat to switch sides to check out the state of the German armies in the East. They entire German army in the East was at full-strength.

I simply couldn't play the game anymore after that. For all the awesome things about the game, its all a façade. The core game mechanics are strange in the extreme, though its mostly hidden from the player. You could call it "EU3: The Battle of the Manpower Pools".

[Nefaro]

I would say HOI3 is an awesome game, except for one giant, super-huge fault: the way the replacement system works. In essence, forces on the front lines never become depleted no matter how intense the fighting. The reason is that you allocate a certain amount of production to replace losses and those losses are replaced almost instantly. To make it even worse, lets say you have a division that takes 99% losses on theoretical battlefield. To issue replacements to that unit to bring it up to full strength would cost about 1/10 the cost of building it new. Meaning that replacing losses is instantaneous and extremely cheap.

This results in war being fought at the strategic level as a battle of manpower pools, even though the game is on the divisional scale. Take for example my experience in playing as the Soviets during the German Barbarossa offensive. We fought like rabid dogs for 9 months- titanic battles, sweeping offensives, huge winter counter-offensive. I began to notice that even though my units suffered greatly from disorganization (as no doubt the Germans too), most of my ground units were at full strength. I then used a cheat to switch sides to check out the state of the German armies in the East. They entire German army in the East was at full-strength.

I simply couldn't play the game anymore after that. For all the awesome things about the game, its all a façade. The core game mechanics are strange in the extreme, though its mostly hidden from the player. You could call it "EU3: The Battle of the Manpower Pools".

Ouch.

The Manpower Pool thing is doable but if your units have losses instantly replaced without any negative side effect, that is worrisome.

[Swatter]

I am saddened to report that, because I truly love HOI3. I even tried to mod the game to fix it by increasing the cost of replacements. Unfortunately, the game itself is balanced on cheap replacements. I broke the balance in other parts of the game trying to fix it.

[solops]

I would say HOI3 is an awesome game, except for one giant, super-huge fault: the way the replacement system works. In essence, forces on the front lines never become depleted no matter how intense the fighting.

Well...Hmmm...that is, um, disappointing to say the least. Especially since I just bought the package with the expansions and DLC for $11, which is a good deal. I had hoped that I could overcome the "dive in and learn" hurdle that Jarhead points out. I usually find I like games if I can make that first commitment, but the game mechanic detailed above lends a sense of futility to it all.

[jomni]

Forget about that flaw and just play the game. Maybe it's there for balance and fun.