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Jopo-80

Second Lieutenant
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Jul 17, 2008
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Ok, I start this thread to discuss the possibility of a modern day game made by Paradox and using the Clausewitz engine or something similar.

I would like to see a game about post-World War 2 era, from 1945 to the future, maybe 2050 or so a hundred years of gameplay in the modern era.

Think of everything that could be included into this game and post your own wishlist on what you would like to see from a modern day game.

Right now there is an upcoming game Supreme Ruler: Cold War which covers the Cold War period, but in my opinion this game will probably be a disappointment and hence I would like Paradox to take a shot at making a modern day game themselves. Besides, the Supreme Ruler series is not compatible with the rest of Paradox titles and this is important, I want to continue my Hearts of Iron 3 game to the future, so we need a new game that covers the recent history and future.

So, I challenge everybody to make their own wishlist and post it in this thread. What would you like to see in such a game.

I will post my first suggestions here:

1. Combine the good elements from Hearts of Iron 3 (combat system, chain of command, air missions, etc.) and Victoria 2 (population etc.) and you´ll have a great game.

2. Use the HoI3 map with 15.000 provinces or more, that gives lots of strategic mobility, granted it will be hard work to make population data for all those provinces but it will be worth it.

3. Make the Space Race and the Race to the Moon a part of the game. You can build the International Space Station and the Shuttle Program etc. and in the future you can build the Space Elevator and other things. The nation that has supremacy in space has a big edge over others and you can decide whether you want to keep space as a peaceful area or militarize it for supremacy.

4. The United Nations should be an important factor in the post-WW2 world. No one can go to war without having great diplomatic consequences from the UN, such as trade sanctions etc.

5. Important social and technological changes should be a part of the game. The world has changed dramatically in just the last 50 years. What things do we have now that were not there 50 years ago?

There are some of my suggestions, now let the discussion begin! What are your wishes for such a game?
 
A very ambitious game idea, I like the idea but with all toughs elements in the game how would it run?
 
This sounds really appealing. I personolly did not like the higher number of provinces in HOI3, though it did fit better with the WWII genre though. If the game focuses on nations and pops like vicky and europa then it would be better with less.
 
I think it would run just fine. All other Paradox titles run without any problems and in general the Paradox games are not the most memory hungry of games in my opinion.
I´m looking forward to times when Paradox starts making 64-bit games with better graphics and stuff, but for the moment all their games eat less than 3 GB of memory since they are 32-bit.

I don´t think a map based strategy game will take too much memory since there is no heavy graphics involved.

Of the game itself, I think the game should cover everything possible in the modern era, it should be an ambitious project and I think it can be done.
All you need is a good combat system like in HoI 3 and marry that to a good Civilian system, like in Vicky 2.
The player should have control over all aspects of society, from population to trade, to diplomacy etc. in the modern era.

The main thing is, I think this kind of a game is NEEDED, because people want to continue their games of HoI 3 into the future for one and all in all there are not that many games about recent history and the modern times.

Cheers!
 
More of my ideas for a modern day game:

*Diplomacy system: The same as HoI3 but revamped for a modern day game, with lots of new functions, like new treaties you could make (cultural exchange treaties, monetary alliance like the Eurozone, free movement of labour, passport free travel, science cooperation etc. etc.). Nations would be classified as Superpowers (top level, there can be many superpowers, like China, India etc.), Regional Powers (Iran for example), Minor Powers, Neutrals, Independent nations etc..

A big role for the United Nations, every nation is a member of the UN and can vote on issues, big powers can have veto powers in the UN blocking actions by others. Declaring an offensive war would bring about a quick resolution by the UN against the offender, like in the -91 Gulf War when Iraq invaded Kuwait or the Korean War.

Population: I don´t know what would be the best way of representing population in a modern day game, would it be PoPs like in Victoria or just some data like in HoI 3, where you have party popularity, dissent, manpower etc. It might be possible to have a working game without the need for PoPs. Maybe every province or region would have its own statistics, like population, literacy, GDP per capita, unemployment, age pyramid, religion, culture etc. and from this data you would get your national population data, like political party popularity, manpower etc.

Technology: This would be a key element of the game. All the technological development from 1945 to somewhere in the near future, maybe 2045 or 2050, would have to be simulated. Military tech, Space tech, energy tech, information tech, biotechnology, physics, nuclear fusion, nanotech, Space Elevator etc. etc.

Economy: This would be interesting, you would have to have national GDP and taxes, global trade and different resources and commodities. You could have wars springing up from control of natural resources, blockades of trade routes, UN sanctions etc. etc.

Nuclear warfare: Nuclear weapons would have to be a part of the game since we would be dealing with the Cold War and the Atomic Age. Strategic nuclear weapons and tactical warheads, neutron bombs etc. etc. You would have to define your nations nuclear policy. Do you advocate massive retaliation and Mutual Assured Destruction or do you go for a more milder approach? Do you issue a "launch on warning" order to your nuclear forces or do you only fire when a nuclear attack is confirmed? Do you pledge a "no first use" policy or do you want to keep a first strike option open? Do you pledge not to use nukes against non-nuclear nations or do you keep that open? As a non-nuclear nation, do you join the non-proliferation treaty or not? It may be possible that the game ends in a total nuclear annihilation of the human race as the Cuban Missile Crisis for example spirals out of hand.

Warfare: All the modern weapons and technology would make for some interesting units. The command structure system of HoI3 could be refined and the division builder would of course be a must. And perhaps even a "brigade builder" tool, where you could build the brigades of your own choosing to suit your army´s needs. Airmobile infantry, main battle tanks, attack helicopters, all the modern weaponry would have to be there.
The Cold War, The Korean War, The Vietnam War, The Gulf Wars, Arab-Israeli Conflicts, African Bushfires and the War against Terrorism would all be there.

There´s a lot that could be put into such a new game, everyone bring your ideas forward, maybe Paradox will listen to us and make such a game for us.
 
First of all, I love your ideas and I hope Paradox seriously considers making a game like that in the future. I have actually been thinking about something like that for some time, but my ideas are a bit more... extreme :p

Well, have you guys ever read the Red Mars trilogy? Ever since I did, I have been daydreaming a paradox-style game with roughly follows the events in these books. It would probably be more sci-fi than modern day, but it could very well start in the present.

In my mind it's so awesome that I almost started programming such a game myself once and even for a time I seriously considered asking Paradox for permission to use one of their old engines to develop it :D

And so, my nº1 wish in a modern day game is to be able to expand into the solar system. Maybe with an engine which does that Spore thing everybody loved in the first trailers where you just zoom out, zoom out... and end up in space, watching the planets go around the sun (which at first would only be useful to move between the different planets, but once other planets have been developed you could see ships coming and going and even perhaps some rudimentary space battles). The inner planets, the asteroid belt and some satellites of the Gas Giants would have their own map and their provinces, based in actual astronomic data, and these provinces would be dinamic: you could terraform the planets, and by doing that you'd see, for instance, provinces becoming oceans. And eventually, the colonies would become independent, and you could choose to play as them. Meanwhile, Earth is getting in worse and worse shape, because of overpopulation, climate change, melting ice-caps, depletion of resources... The same engine features which are used to improve and terraform Mars and Venus would be used to progressively ruin Earth (land provinces becoming sea by melting polar caps, deserts expanding...). It would give the perfect excuse for grand-scale conflicts, which (thankfully) seem far-fetched in the world of today but would make such a game much more fun and intense.

I know it's a pipe dream, and if I'm not mistaken Paradox employees have been known to say that they would never do any sci-fi thing because they loved history (or something similar, don't quote me on that), but a game depicting the near future and the colonization of the solar system in a pseudo-realistic manner is basically my dream game. And I don't know of any other company that would do this better than Paradox.
 
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A cold war grand strategy game would be da bomb. :)

Ayup. I would love either a CW or a post-CW game from Pdox. CW probably has more cool mechanics, but MDS would be closer to home, ergo more emotional attachment. :p Either way would be great.
 
I love the sound of it aswell but wont it like end with only the cockroaches living? Seeing as if USSR and USA start WW3 they would use Nuclear weapons this + the pop system would pretty much end everyone.
 
A game from the modern era would have to be more like Vicky2. You don't see many countries running around occupying each other anymore. But it would need to be well coded to make it interesting. I'm not sure if the game would need the 'strategic depth' of all those provinces, but not sure.

Also, Paradox games are bad at modeling insurgence. In modern wars, its not nearly as simple as one faction occupying large swathes of land. Its usually more about two or more factions fighting within very close proximity for extended periods of time. What would the many countries which haven't actively or aggressively participated in wars in the past 50 years do? Should it be a conquest game in an era of deterrence and slow moving politics?

I think the modern era would be interesting, but it might be too hard to pull off. What would you theme it around? In CK you have Dynasties and Holy War; in EU you have empires; in Vicky you have political, scientific, and economic advancement; in Hearts of Iron you have WWII. What's the theme that sets the stage for a modern day game?
 
I think the modern era would be interesting, but it might be too hard to pull off. What would you theme it around? In CK you have Dynasties and Holy War; in EU you have empires; in Vicky you have political, scientific, and economic advancement; in Hearts of Iron you have WWII. What's the theme that sets the stage for a modern day game?
I have seen this idea where every Paradox franchise is supposed to be themed on a specific mechanic or idea repeated many times in this forum, and I believe it's a misconception. I see how it would be tempting to think something like that, seeing as every one of them seemed to favor something or another, but you are probably looking at it the wrong way. What every Paradox franchise actually tries to do is not to develop a theme, but to simulate a period of history. They will use the right mechanics or "themes" to accomplish that purpose, either reusing ones from other games when appropriate or creating new ones if no better way to represent an aspect of life in that age exists. Sengoku seems to be the perfect example: some people have tried to describe it as "Crusader Kings in Japan", pointing out the similitudes with CK (character system and dinasties, basically). But the thing is, these mechanics are right for this period, as they are for Medieval Europe too, and so they should be used instead of trying to do things in a different way just to theme it around a different thing. I'm sure Paradox will introduce other mechanics which are not in CK but which are needed to simulate the particularities of Feudal Japan too.

In short, you shouldn't try to find a theme and base the game around it. You should look at how things work in the age you want to simulate and then find mechanics and themes to go with it, in order to simulate it well.

- WARNING, INCOMING MEGA POST -
Having said that, what would be needed to simulate the contemporary era? Since I'm bored, I'll give it a try. After all, this is what this thread is all about :D

Economics

First thing that comes to mind would be the economic system, since everything seems to be based around economy, more than ever. This should probably be something different to anything Paradox has ever done in the past, a completely new mechanic. In these times of free trade, private enterprise is king, and this should be included. You could reuse the idea of pops for this, but to represent corporations, companies and small business instead of people. Let's call them "corps", for instance. Just like there are different types of pops, you'd have different types of corps, from small shops to giant mega-corporations, and just like there are poor, middle-class and rich pops, there would be small, medium and big corps. All of them would have different needs and demands, all of them would create jobs, pay taxes and create basically everything your country needs: They'd feed your population, make your pops happy, research your technology (your research should depend on the number and "quality" of your hi-tech "corps"), build your weaponry... and you'd need to make sure you have the right conditions in your country so that they can survive and won't consider moving to a different country.

You'd of course take on the role of the government, and should be able to enact different policies to that effect. You could also be able to create "public corps" to simulate the public sector. If your policies allow it, you should be able to create corps of any kind (with something to differentiate them from normal, non public corps) in order to cover any needs of your country which you think might not be properly covered by the private sector. This should be very expensive, you should get far less money from them (and probably, in some cases, you should even have to pay them instead of getting money from them, this might be the case of "research", "health care" or "military" corps, for instance). You could try to promote a certain kind of corps instead so that the private sector will be more likely to create corps of that kind. That could be done like in Vic2 or you could get more depth and for example be able to adjust tax level for each different kind of corp, or even subsidize them. By doing this, you'd be able to emulate almost any kind of economic system, from full free trade to full planned economy. The beauty of it would be that you wouldn't need to move sliders or anything like that: To make a capitalist country become increasingly socialist just make a lot of public corps, which would eventually reduce private corps due to competition :)

This should probably be balanced with a pop system to simulate population. Vicky did this pretty well, IMO, and I don't see why this couldn't be adapted to a modern day game. So the game would have you keeping a balancing act between the needs and wants of your pops and the ones of your corps (which would sometimes, but not always, conflict). You would of course get taxes from your pops too, which would have to be high to pay for a big public sector or low if you like private enterprise only. If you sacrifice your pops for the good of your corps, you'd get low productivity, crime, low life expectancy and eventually riots. If you favor you pops and neglect your corps, you'd have high unemployment, low income and become a technological backwater.

In addition, the pop system should probably separate male pops from female pops, so you could simulate different conditions for women in different countries (rights to work, to vote...).

Politics

Again, Victoria 2 should probably be the base. The amount of policies and decisions you could enact should be enormously expanded, though. It would be great to be able to tackle issues like human rights (with men, women and minority rights separate, perhaps including affirmative action?), education (public, private, religious), law enforcement (lenient, harsh), corruption prevention, free press...

Military

Let's move on to warfare. This should be revised too. How would you represent asymmetric warfare and low-intensity conflicts? First of all, make "insurgent" units invisible. Second, make it so when two armies share a province, a battle wouldn't necessarily ensue. A system close to the one in naval battles would probably be right for this: If you want to fight the insurgents, you have to discover them first. Have a "discovery" value for normal troops and a hiding value for insurgents. Every province with these special insurgent units would see their pops becoming increasingly angrier, their corps getting increasingly smaller and your troops suffering increased attrition (which of course would have to make your own pops much angrier). Their strength would depend on pop support: some mechanic would be needed to determine if a pop supports the insurgency or not. The bigger the support, the bigger the amount of insurgents. If their number becomes high enough in a particular area and the "invading" troops small enough, they could do a "proper" rebellion where every province with high enough support for the insurgents rebels, the insurgents become "normal" troops and you'd have to retake it all over again.

The above paragraph assumed a "home-brew" insurgency (which incidentally might also be used to represent terrorist groups like IRA or ETA). But you could also try to support insurgency in a different country, where if the conditions are right you could "build" insurgent troops, move them around yourself and use them to make another country's life hard. Properly done, I can see this being a great mechanic to actually "play" the cold war.

What about small scale, conventional wars? I guess this probably should need very small provinces to make them interesting, and a military system where the brigade is the basic unit instead of the division. HoI3 system with some modifications seems to fit the bill.

Research

As stated above, research should be made by research "corps" (perhaps modified by the amount of a certain, related type of pop). You could try to subsidize them (expensive) or create public research "corps" (VERY expensive). Your education policies should influence this, along with the amount of money you spend on it. You couldn't choose what they will research, except maybe in the case of public corps, but you could try to steer them in the direction you want, with subsidies or even downright outlawing certain kinds of research (useful for more fundamentalist countries, and probably a bigger issue if you make the game go into the near future, with all kinds of genetic tech). Military techs should probably be an exception, where you could choose a number of technologies and they would be developed faster or slower depending on the amount and quality of technological/weapon corps in your country.

Diplomacy

This should be quite expanded too. Victoria 2 system was a step in the right direction, and a version of spheres of influence should be in too (probably modified so that a country could belong to different spheres in different degrees), but at the very least some multi-national entities should be added. UN, of course, should have some special mechanic where you could try to ask for something and have it voted by the rest of the member countries (and, if applicable, vetoed or not by the right countries). You could ask for money, create or lift trade embargoes, permission to fight a war... And if you enact some of these things without permission, you could face embargoes yourself or even military intervention against you. This could work as a new casus belli system, where your CB should be approved by the UN if you want to act on it freely.

You could also create organizations like the EU, with different "levels of power", similar to the HRE mechanics in the last EU3 expansions. These organizations would grow in power when there are no wars or disputes between member countries, when relations between them grow, with increasing amounts of trade, with stable and happy populations... and decrease when the opposite happens, getting immediately dissolved in case of a war between member countries. This power would allow to enact different "decisions", like free trade between members, freedom of movement, common currency, common military... to the point where you could end up becoming a large, federal unified country.

Cool stuff!

See my previous post in this thread :D

Space exploration should be in, even if it's only in the form of special "military" projects, which give you prestige and bonuses to other kinds of private research. But if the game extends into the near future, I'd be very sad if you couldn't at least build off-planet bases.

Depletion of resources and worsening of life-conditions: I don't want to look like an Al Gore fanboy, but without getting into the eternal discussion about whether global warming and the like is true or not, it would make for a fun and interesting game mechanic. Overpopulation, desertification, polar-caps melting... this would make life difficult for your pops, making them angrier and poorer. And the oil will eventually run out, which should lead to big changes everywhere. This might also be a great way to force believable grand-scale conflicts, to fight for depleting resources, more space for your population and provinces with better life conditions. A nuclear war should probably be a game-over, but maybe they could add a near-future technology which renders nuclear attack mostly useless (or at least far less damaging). That way we could have the kind of huge wars between power blocs we all know and love :D

In conclusion

This would be a monster of a game, which would probably require powerful computers and a lot of development time. I hope in 4 or 5 years Paradox has become rich enough so that they could afford to do something like it :D

I know nobody will ever read all this, but at least I'm not bored anymore :p
 
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Well, I read it, and I think you have some very interesting ideas, there.

I would dispute your assertion that the "themes" are there for "simulation". They are focusses to evoke the "feel" of the period, and, as such, even though they represent features that the period was "well known" for, I don't think they neccessarily represent "absolute truth" about the chosen age. Rather, they are there for verisimilitude - to make the game feel like it's "realistic".

To paraphrase Charles Tilly, "the truth is not a story" (it's far more complex than any story will ever be - and far more "messy"), so I don't think any game will ever be totally faithful to the realities (unless it becomes totally boring and overcomplex, and thus no longer, really, a "game"). I think the trick Paradox have managed - better than anyone else, at least - is to make games just messy enough and just complex enough to feel real while remaining fun to play. I think that is a majestic achievement, and I hope they can continue to do so for a very long time!
 
Well, have you guys ever read the Red Mars trilogy? Ever since I did, I have been daydreaming a paradox-style game with roughly follows the events in these books. It would probably be more sci-fi than modern day, but it could very well start in the present.

Is it the one written by Kim Stanley Robinson? I am adding it to my want-to-read-list.
 
I know nobody will ever read all this, but at least I'm not bored anymore :p

:D

I have read it. Funny thing is that you seem to share several ideas with one of my friends who loves Paradox games. He likes the games most for the gameplay and not for the history. So it seems like a sci-fi game would be a dream come true for several users.

I just have to say, that we (dev team) have never discussed such a game... At least not as long as I have been here.
 
Well, I read it, and I think you have some very interesting ideas, there.

I would dispute your assertion that the "themes" are there for "simulation". They are focusses to evoke the "feel" of the period, and, as such, even though they represent features that the period was "well known" for, I don't think they neccessarily represent "absolute truth" about the chosen age. Rather, they are there for verisimilitude - to make the game feel like it's "realistic".

To paraphrase Charles Tilly, "the truth is not a story" (it's far more complex than any story will ever be - and far more "messy"), so I don't think any game will ever be totally faithful to the realities (unless it becomes totally boring and overcomplex, and thus no longer, really, a "game"). I think the trick Paradox have managed - better than anyone else, at least - is to make games just messy enough and just complex enough to feel real while remaining fun to play. I think that is a majestic achievement, and I hope they can continue to do so for a very long time!
Well, a simulation -at least in the sense I was using the word- doesn't necessarily have to duplicate 100% all the nuances, realities and mechanisms of whatever it's trying to simulate (well, it would if it aimed to be a perfect simulation, but I don't think this will happen anytime soon). Maybe I should have used the word "emulate" or "approximate", though.

But in essence, I agree with you. I was simply trying to argue against the assumption that Paradox made franchises just to focus on a mechanic instead of a period of history. As in CK being a dinastic simulation instead of a Middle Age simulation, Vicky being an economic simulation instead of a Victorian Age simulation... which would imply that every franchise needed to focus on a new and different mechanic just to justify its existence. To me it's like building a house starting on the roof. When planning a game about a certain age, first study that period and try to figure out what "made it tick", and then come out with a theme, a mechanic or whatever to emulate it, not the opposite. If that mechanic already exists, just use and adapt it as needed instead of creating a new one just because it's a new game. Like Paradox is doing with Sengoku, actually.

Is it the one written by Kim Stanley Robinson? I am adding it to my want-to-read-list.
The very same. I hope you enjoy it :)

:D

I have read it. Funny thing is that you seem to share several ideas with one of my friends who loves Paradox games. He likes the games most for the gameplay and not for the history. So it seems like a sci-fi game would be a dream come true for several users.

I just have to say, that we (dev team) have never discussed such a game... At least not as long as I have been here.
Well, I love history too, but I must confess I'm total sci-fi nerd first and foremost :D Actually, a cold war-present day game would be fine too, I think the mechanics I tried to develop in my post would work in such a game as well.

Anyway, I hope you'll eventually consider a modern day game, even if it's only when you run out of historical periods to use :D It would be a challenge, seeing as every other game that has attempted it has come short of the task (at least the ones I know of)...
 
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The problem i always have with post WWII games is its basically limited by the always game ending possibility of an atomic war between US and USSR. On the other hand the mongols always ended every Crusader Kings game i played too. ;-) But on a serious note i guess with the complicated international bondings and depnedencies the modern world has created it would be an even more niche game with not a lot happening to the casual gamer. I mean personally i would be intereste din a very deep diplomacy system that only has little effects ont the map, focus would have to be on inner policies too, but i doubt a game like this would sell on a large scale.
 
So, we have attracted the attention of at least one Paradox dev team member, good, maybe this will start the conversation for such a game project to begin hopefully as soon as possible.

I believe the game should cover the time period from 1945 to somewhere in the near future maybe 2050 or so (could be extended with modding)

If there has to be a theme for the game and I don´t see why the game couldn´t cover several themes all at once, then I suggest CHANGE.
Think of how much the world has changed during the last 50 or 60 years since WW2. We have nuclear weapons and nuclear energy, air travel is commonplace and so is tourism. We have computers which are getting smaller and smaller and are linked together in the Internet. We have huge advances in different scientific fields, like medicine, nanotechnology, genetics etc. etc.
The societies have changed, Finland was an agrarian society in the end of WW2 and now we are a modern post-industrial society with modern health care available for all, free education, good social security etc. etc.
All that you see around you, the modern institutions and systems, have mostly been created after WW2. And the pace of change is increasing all the time. In the near future we may see such sci-fi things as the Space Elevator, fusion power, hydrogen economy, human level AI and many more come true.
In designing a game about the modern world and the future, the difficulty is in trying to guess the technological advances that may lie ahead even in a few decades. Who knows what technology we will have in 2050 for example.

I would start the design from the standpoint of what does it NEED to be successful.

Here´s some of my ideas:

1. The game needs to cover EVERYTHING in the modern world. I know its a tall order but I believe it can be done. This means warfare, economy, society, technology, space exploration (and if its gonna go into the future, the inevitable space colonization), politics, laws, diplomacy, intelligence (important in a Cold War game), everything you can think of.

2. For the reason that the game needs to cover such a large amount of things, I believe that the game should be EXPANDABLE and MODDABLE to a degree never before seen, that is COMPLETELY MODDABLE. Give the modding community the freedom to do whatever their hearts desire and you will see that the game takes a life of its own and becomes a classic like never before. Complete moddability means the ability to change everything within the game, the game rules and mechanics, game screens, everything. I know it may be a hard thing to achieve, but it can be done I believe, without releasing the source code, which Paradox so jealously guards. Find a way to do this and you will do a great public service to the community.

3. The game needs a good combat system to simulate warfare. The design of the combat system should be driven by the need for REALISM, that is the combat mechanics should represent real combat as faithfully as possible taking into account all the different things that happen on a battlefield. The weapons and their properties, physics and ballistics (armor and armor penetration), equipment and vehicles and their properties, unit tactics from the platoon to the regiment and beyond. Everything must be considered. It must NOT become a mere throw of dice to see who hits and who doesn´t. It must not be over-simplified.
For example, the Hearts of Iron 3 has a major flaw in its combat mechanics. I´m not gonna go into it now, I´ve explained it elsewhere, but I hope Paradox repairs this issue and doesn´t do the same mistake in any future game. REALISM is key to making a good combat engine, not simplicity.
The military part of the game must also have the sort of things that HoI 3 has, that is a chain of command system for units etc. Those are essential in a modern day simulation.

4. Economy
The economic system must represent the real world mechanics as realistically as possible. It must be capable of simulating the planned economies of the socialist countries and the private enterprise driven capitalist countries. Corporations big and small are major players in the economy, but the state is also a major player. There are different economic models that could be simulated, from a planned socialist economy, to a completely free anarchocapitalist nightmare and something in between like the regulated free market economies of today.
It is certain however that somehow the system must incorporate the gathering of resources and producing them into goods, will that be done as in Vicky 2? Who knows, but somehow the economic system must incorporate all the facets of modern economy, resource and industrial production, corporations etc. etc.

5. Politics
The internal politics and laws of a country are a major part of the game, you choose your ministers, set your laws, make decicions etc. etc. In future games there should possibly be a generator which generates random new politicians for the different parties if you are running out of politicians.

6. Diplomacy
The international politics of today are probably an interesting thing to simulate. There´s the UN which has a big role in settling conflicts. There´s things like the EU, the African Union and other multinational organizations. Superpowers (and future superpowers like China) competing for power and prestige etc. etc. You can have a whole lot of international treaties, like the Kyoto treaty etc. etc.

7. Intelligence
Spy operations will make an interesting thing in a Cold War game and also in a modern setting, there´s terrorist organizations you can choose to aid (like Americans in Afghanistan in the 80´s) or suppress (like Americans in Afghanistan today), political assasinations, different sorts of underhanded tricks you can do etc. etc.

8. Media
Propaganda and Media should be a mechanic in the game. You can try to win global support with media campaigns and of course popular opinion will quickly make a war unbearable if the populace starts to clamor for peace. Politicians can be forced out of office by an angry media etc. etc. Implementing media as a mechanic would allow for all sorts of functions. You could raise or lower your relations with another nation (make your people either hate or love another nation), raise or lower your neutrality (if such a value is in the game), raise your own troops morale or lower the enemy´s etc. etc.

9. Space exploration

This should begin from the earliest satellites to Yuri Gagarin´s flight and on to the Apollo program and the moon landings. Then the Shuttle program and International Space Station and further moon flights and eventually you get to the grand prize of all, the Mars flights which would be outpost and colony flights because of the long duration of the flight, you don´t just go to Mars for a few days, you´re forced to stay there for a while.
What sort of a game mechanic will be developed for space exploration, I don´t know, but I hope it is something more than just a few events firing. I want to see pictures or preferably videos of space activities or other nice graphics highlighting the great achievements of the nation. Colonizing and terraforming Mars is something that could be done if the game goes into the far future, say 2100 or 2200.

Other features:

*Transferrable save games:
Like in all Paradox titles there should be a possibility to move a save game from Hearts of Iron 3 to the new game. This would allow players to continue where they left off in HoI 3.

* Politician and General generator: a generator that makes random politicians and generals as is needed.

There´s enough for now.

Cheers!
 
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