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Greyjeth

First Lieutenant
100 Badges
Oct 1, 2012
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So here on my Birthday I was given some extra steam money to buy myself something and I have been eyeing Hearts of Iron for a long time. Ever since I read an exceptional AAR about a Hohenzollern Germany from CK to HoI2, I have been intrigued by it. I have heard that this is inferior to the earlier games and how this game is amazing with all the expansions. Also since HoI4 has been announced I figure now is the perfect time to get my feet wet in the series. I have played a lot of Victoria 2 and way too much CK2 as well as EUIV. I also want a game that will beat me up but give me enough of a learning experience that I do much better next time. So I ask should I get the HoI3 Collection on steam as my introduction to the series? I figure if I am going to get this game, and it has this much DLC, I'd best get it all in one go.
 
So here on my Birthday I was given some extra steam money to buy myself something and I have been eyeing Hearts of Iron for a long time. Ever since I read an exceptional AAR about a Hohenzollern Germany from CK to HoI2, I have been intrigued by it. I have heard that this is inferior to the earlier games and how this game is amazing with all the expansions. Also since HoI4 has been announced I figure now is the perfect time to get my feet wet in the series. I have played a lot of Victoria 2 and way too much CK2 as well as EUIV. I also want a game that will beat me up but give me enough of a learning experience that I do much better next time. So I ask should I get the HoI3 Collection on steam as my introduction to the series? I figure if I am going to get this game, and it has this much DLC, I'd best get it all in one go.

I highly recommend that buy the collection and latest expansion which is "Their finest hour".
 
Greyjeth,

I got HOI3 the day it came out but kept playing HOI2 because it was so much better balanced and complete due to the patches and DLC, then I moved on to other games on my list for a few years. I just bought HOI3 Collection and TFH less than a month ago. .

Like you, I'm a veteran of historical European simulations, especially the EU series. This is the best, most detailed, WWII game I've ever played. The DLC GREATLY enhances the game over vanilla. Buy it all, you won't regret it.

The game is vast, the entire globe hour to hour yeilds a game that is deep and wide. The learning curve is steep, and the community is incredibly helpful for the most part. I'm still picking up points, but every failure teaches me a vital and valuable lesson I"m able to employ with the next game restart or game save reversion. (Like launching a surprise attack on Belgium and the Netherlands and restarting seven times to figure out the exact timing of the airdrop on the fortress of Eben-Emael in Leige before dropping the DOW and rolling the panzers.)

My verdict: I have played almost nothing else over the past month.

IMHO. Buy it. Buy it all. Expect momentary frustration followed by gaming addiction for an extended period of time. And most of all, ENJOY!
 
Greyjeth,

I got HOI3 the day it came out but kept playing HOI2 because it was so much better balanced and complete due to the patches and DLC, then I moved on to other games on my list for a few years. I just bought HOI3 Collection and TFH less than a month ago. .

Like you, I'm a veteran of historical European simulations, especially the EU series. This is the best, most detailed, WWII game I've ever played. The DLC GREATLY enhances the game over vanilla. Buy it all, you won't regret it.

The game is vast, the entire globe hour to hour yeilds a game that is deep and wide. The learning curve is steep, and the community is incredibly helpful for the most part. I'm still picking up points, but every failure teaches me a vital and valuable lesson I"m able to employ with the next game restart or game save reversion. (Like launching a surprise attack on Belgium and the Netherlands and restarting seven times to figure out the exact timing of the airdrop on the fortress of Eben-Emael in Leige before dropping the DOW and rolling the panzers.)

My verdict: I have played almost nothing else over the past month.

IMHO. Buy it. Buy it all. Expect momentary frustration followed by gaming addiction for an extended period of time. And most of all, ENJOY!

Ok I think I will pick it up, though I am not sure who to play first. Possibly someone in South America to avoid Germany or Japan kicking my butt.
 
Beware that in HOI3 it's much harder (impossible) to really change your status through the game. While in other games by Paradox you can start as a one province minor and end up a world power, in HOI3 you'll stay a minor power and a sideshow. So Latin America can be very nice but do not expect to turn Argentina into a new worldpower.

In my experience Spain is nice, because you've got an early war so you get thrown into the action and you're close to the big show if you want to intervene at some point, but nobody cares enough about you to invade.
 
Beware that in HOI3 it's much harder (impossible) to really change your status through the game. While in other games by Paradox you can start as a one province minor and end up a world power, in HOI3 you'll stay a minor power and a sideshow. So Latin America can be very nice but do not expect to turn Argentina into a new worldpower.

In my experience Spain is nice, because you've got an early war so you get thrown into the action and you're close to the big show if you want to intervene at some point, but nobody cares enough about you to invade.

Against the AI you can beat the entire world with any country. Just depends on how gamey you want to play.
 
As HOI III is a game about WW II, you get the best experience with an actual nation taking part in this conflict. Good starter nations are in my opinion:
- Germany: You'll have a lot of land combat, you start with easy targets (Poland), and with the time more challenging targets will follow (France, SU). Furthermore, most time you will start the action, so at least at the beginning you won't be surprised. Your main disadvantage: If you don't manage to break the SU soon enough, Britain is still around and the USA have joined the allies, this means trouble.
- USA: You've got a powerful industry and you are almost untouchable, so don't fear an invasion. A very good nation too learn naval combat. Your main disadvantage: You start quite late in the war.
- UK: Protected by your fleet, your mainland is quite safe. You may not be able to compete with Germany alone, but with your allies you can teach the Jerries a lesson.
 
I'd recommend learning to balance an economy and figure out the politics and espionage with a smaller country before diving head-first into GER. Brazil, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden are all good for that, although you are limited in the long run, unless you exploit the silly "Wargoals" system that was added in the last expansion, but not adequately playtested or balanced. Personally, I felt that Semper Fi delivered a better "basic game" (when game-breaking bugs didn't ruin it), but the new "toys" in the later expansions compensate for the damage done to the original mechanics.

Playing Germany, the game is balanced to provide a "graduated" set of challenges, but any mistakes you make at the start WILL come back to bite you 3-6 years later in Russia. It's a good learning experience, but takes SO LONG to get feedback that I don't recommend it as a first try.

The US is an exercise in boredom, where you sit for the first 5 years, all but shut down due to your Neutrality, and then suddenly you get to press the big "I Win" button; not much fun to me.

The UK, with its scattered land, sea, and air forces all around the globe, has to use all of its tools effectively to succeed at all, but can be amazingly powerful if done right; not what I'd call "suitable for beginners".

Italy starts out with a nice, safe "training war" in Ethiopia, and has a good balance of "all the toys", but their starting Order of Battle is a disaster, and their commanders are no better, which makes it really difficult to figure out what you're doing right or wrong.

Quite simply, there is nothing comparable on the market that covers all of WWII in even a fraction of the same depth, other than its own earlier installments. HOI2 is supposed to be better in some respects, but HOI3 has surpassed it by miles in others.
 
Greyjeth, this may or may not help, but as a recent convertee this is what I did:

What I did was play USA a few times just to learn how production and technology work, and I figured it because of their tremendous assets and relative safety; but couldn't figure out how to start a fight with anyone.

Then, knowing how production and technology work, I flipped to Germany and applied what I knew to their start. Was rocking when I got to Poland, then had a whole new set of tasks to learn about Diplomacy and Espionage, not to mention Naval/Air/Ground combat AND leadership structure of the division/corps/army/armygroup/theater tree.

A month in, I can start with Germany and drop France with relative ease by 1940, now I'm trying to figure out how to leverage the French invasion into a sealion event.

Haven't touched Russia yet. But that's where I'm headed sooner or later.

This is the deep end of the pool. Take it in bite size chunks and I promise you'll keep coming back for another bite.
 
I would say, start some of the battle scenarios first to get a feeling for combat, then go ahead with a medium sized axis local power, e.g. Rumania, Hungary or Finland. Then I would move on and play some GP. My favorite starter is the SU, because in some aspects it has a roleplay element too (In the beginning they had many defeats from the Germans, they had to also "learn" the mechanics of modern war, before starting to pull back the Germans). Moreover you dont have to worry about Naval and Air Combat, nor economy, all you have to focus on is land warfare
 
Play France.

Lose.

Or Nationalist China.

Probably lose there too.

Losing at the start is good because you see where the enemy is strong, and learn what you need to counter that.

Otherwise, to just start out first time, minors are good. Canada comes to mind.
 
I am only now just getting into the game (using BIce mod), and it is alot more fun then when I last tried and failed.

I suggest6 starting with Spain, as you have a civil war which lets you get the hang of things without too much fuss, and in a small theatre. After that you coul;d do what I am doing and play as nat china. Things are much more ocmplicated, but not actually that difference from Spain - Civil War, land focus, technologically backwards. There is also the added challenge of holding back Japan.
 
Well, I started out with Brazil.

The first game, I smacked DOWs and Conquers on Uruguay and Paraguay as early as 1937 or 1938, got into Axis early, dragged USA into Allies and war, too. After taking on Bolivia I just stopped, and when I bravely stood side by side with my Axis fellows in war against Allies, I got eaten by naval invasions and UK/Netherlands colonial territories after they crushed Germany. And, of course, my ridiculous military didn't help me to defend at all. I dropped the game around 1947, I think.

The second game was pretty much the same, since I did the main mistake (which, probably, stems from EUIII, though I haven't played quite a while, maybe I'm starting to forget things) - trying to overtake vast numbers of provinces of a country rather than striking at the victory points. After I took on that and I found out that naval invasions can be done not only with landing crafts, but with transport ships too, it all just went upwards.

My advice would be:

1. Do the funny-mustache-man tutorial.
2. After you have a basic idea of the elements of the game - choose a country and fail.
3. Then restart and fail again.
4. By now, it would be about time to read a successful (but simple, not too fancy) AAR on that country, since not only it will provide you with some guidance as to how do things in general, and with that particular country, but also any flaws/suggestions/etc. will be pointed out in the commentaries.
5. After that, fail a few more times, and you're set to go.

It takes some patience, but after that - only pleasure. Don't forget to save: before any larger (or not) operation - a must, in order to replay even a successful one - just to see different outcomes of different decisions and conditions. But it's good to save often. You know...Just in case...

Welcome!
 
Of course ... you could just switch between the various countries if you wished? Play Italy and fighting in Ethiopia. Switch to one of the Spanish sides to fight the civil war, or skip over to China to duke it out there. Time for the big show, and switch to one of the big players.

I have never tried that approach, but knowing how the first few years can be boring or the learning curve a bit steep having to decide what to build with such precious little time it could be a suitable way to introduce you to the game. Although, I have to see get mentioned, is that you can turn the AI on so it decides what to do when it comes to research, production, espionage, trade etc That way you can focus on what you want and ease yourself in.

On the other hand, you could just jump in the deep end with a major power and learn as you go and from your mistakes: same thing I did when I first got HOI2 and then again with HOI3 (both times as the UK, and I do believe I ended up eventually winning). I stopped playing the latter for a long time and when I came back to it I jumped straight in with Germany having forgotten so much about the game (that game is still going after so many ups and downs and as been real good fun). I wouldn't worry so much about getting it wrong, or being overwhelmed.
 
I suggest Germany or the US. Germany is a cakewalk until you face the Soviets, you have lots of leadership and Industrial Capacity, can build your army from scratch and learn building a proper Order Of Battle.
You should check out the tutorials though, they are not the best, as is rather common in older paradox games, but they explain the interface, ressources and industry quite well.