- Dec 14, 1999
- 19.197
- 80.198
Hello everybody, welcome to another development diary. This one a little early...
Back to talk a little bit more about technology. Before we launch into it, let’s just recap from the previous developer diary. There are no longer any tech teams, instead a country generate ‘leadership’ points which can be spent on technology, although diplomacy, espionage, and your army all place demands on this resource. There are no longer tech teams; instead we have two concepts called theory and practical. The values of these alter the time it takes to research a technology. Finally we have a modular technology system, where instead of researching a single tank model, you research various components, each one altering different stats in model.
So having done the quick recap let’s talk some more about technology. First off the burning question, model names? Well as we said we would do, and we have done it. We now have files that define at which tech level the flavour name for a unit changes. However instead of them being simply the same for everyone, for the majors we have customised the various technologies according to how we think the different models differ from each other. Now in this regard model stats are a bit like economists, put 3 Hearts of Iron fans in a room and ask them to come up with some model stats, and you’ll get 4 answers. So our guess is probably none of you will be satisfied with every model stat choice we have made. Now there isn’t a huge amount we can do about this, so we’re going to have to live with this. However the model technology definitions are all stored in nice plain text files that are easy to mod.
So onto the technology interface, here is a screen shot.
Before I start you can safely ignore the technologies currently researched, these are simply holding techs for us to get on with development. Later on we will go back through them with a fine toothcomb to get the right combination of historical accuracy and balance. Secondly this tech list is by no means final, we will probably add more but this should give you a pretty good idea in which direction we are heading when it comes to technology.
Finally let’s talk a bit more about the theories and practicals. Now they pick up part of the functionality that tech teams had in Hearts of Iron 2. The components tech teams had would give countries certain advantages in researching certain technologies (for example the USA and carriers). Now the theories and practicals mean that we can duplicate this effect and make the system dynamic. However there is also another nice consequence of the system, we have far more theories and practicals than we have technology research components in Heats of Iron 2 (roughly 50), this allows us to be far more focused when we hand out these bonuses to countries. So instead of unintentionally giving a country the ability to research something when we give them a bonus in something else, we can give them only the bonus we intend. Thus we make someone good at fighter research, we may also choose to make them better at general aircraft research if we want, but we will not hand them any additional ability to research or build aircraft carriers. With practicals feeding into production it gives us a very powerful tool for game balance. Let’s take one of the harder conflicts to balance in Hearts of Iron 2, Japan vs China. Trying to give China enough IC to resist a Japanese player who went full out land while at the same time giving the Japanese enough IC to go for balanced approach for a Pearl Harbour was a very difficult balancing act to achieve. With this system we first give the Japanese player the incentive not to go all out on the land. Secondly if we still don’t like the balance and wish if only the Chinese could build a few more militia units, we don’t have to add to the IC total of China and make them better at everything, a little tick up on militia practical and we have exactly we want while reducing the possible side effects.
All in all Theory and Practical is one of those powerful game features we are most proud we added in Hearts of Iron 3. Very simple in conception, so easy for a player to grasp and understand. Yet at the same time highly flexible in how it works, meaning that the system offers many possibilities to explore while playing. Throw in that it gives us a real great way to both improve game balance and add to historical immersion and it is one of those things that we feel will make Hearts of Iron 3 be more than Hearts of Iron 2 with some new graphics and extra provinces.
Here below is example of two technologies scripted in the files.
This is a technology that affects the cavalry brigade. It is an unlimited technology, which means that new levels can be researched whenever you want one. It increases soft attack of cavalry brigades for a minor cost increase. Mobile theory and practical affects it, and finish researching it increases mobile theory.
Radio is a oneshot technology. You also need to have researched radio technology to be able to research it, and it grants a large combat benefit, but also lowers your chance of keeping your troops hidden.
Back to talk a little bit more about technology. Before we launch into it, let’s just recap from the previous developer diary. There are no longer any tech teams, instead a country generate ‘leadership’ points which can be spent on technology, although diplomacy, espionage, and your army all place demands on this resource. There are no longer tech teams; instead we have two concepts called theory and practical. The values of these alter the time it takes to research a technology. Finally we have a modular technology system, where instead of researching a single tank model, you research various components, each one altering different stats in model.
So having done the quick recap let’s talk some more about technology. First off the burning question, model names? Well as we said we would do, and we have done it. We now have files that define at which tech level the flavour name for a unit changes. However instead of them being simply the same for everyone, for the majors we have customised the various technologies according to how we think the different models differ from each other. Now in this regard model stats are a bit like economists, put 3 Hearts of Iron fans in a room and ask them to come up with some model stats, and you’ll get 4 answers. So our guess is probably none of you will be satisfied with every model stat choice we have made. Now there isn’t a huge amount we can do about this, so we’re going to have to live with this. However the model technology definitions are all stored in nice plain text files that are easy to mod.
So onto the technology interface, here is a screen shot.
Before I start you can safely ignore the technologies currently researched, these are simply holding techs for us to get on with development. Later on we will go back through them with a fine toothcomb to get the right combination of historical accuracy and balance. Secondly this tech list is by no means final, we will probably add more but this should give you a pretty good idea in which direction we are heading when it comes to technology.
Finally let’s talk a bit more about the theories and practicals. Now they pick up part of the functionality that tech teams had in Hearts of Iron 2. The components tech teams had would give countries certain advantages in researching certain technologies (for example the USA and carriers). Now the theories and practicals mean that we can duplicate this effect and make the system dynamic. However there is also another nice consequence of the system, we have far more theories and practicals than we have technology research components in Heats of Iron 2 (roughly 50), this allows us to be far more focused when we hand out these bonuses to countries. So instead of unintentionally giving a country the ability to research something when we give them a bonus in something else, we can give them only the bonus we intend. Thus we make someone good at fighter research, we may also choose to make them better at general aircraft research if we want, but we will not hand them any additional ability to research or build aircraft carriers. With practicals feeding into production it gives us a very powerful tool for game balance. Let’s take one of the harder conflicts to balance in Hearts of Iron 2, Japan vs China. Trying to give China enough IC to resist a Japanese player who went full out land while at the same time giving the Japanese enough IC to go for balanced approach for a Pearl Harbour was a very difficult balancing act to achieve. With this system we first give the Japanese player the incentive not to go all out on the land. Secondly if we still don’t like the balance and wish if only the Chinese could build a few more militia units, we don’t have to add to the IC total of China and make them better at everything, a little tick up on militia practical and we have exactly we want while reducing the possible side effects.
All in all Theory and Practical is one of those powerful game features we are most proud we added in Hearts of Iron 3. Very simple in conception, so easy for a player to grasp and understand. Yet at the same time highly flexible in how it works, meaning that the system offers many possibilities to explore while playing. Throw in that it gives us a real great way to both improve game balance and add to historical immersion and it is one of those things that we feel will make Hearts of Iron 3 be more than Hearts of Iron 2 with some new graphics and extra provinces.
Here below is example of two technologies scripted in the files.
Code:
cavalry_smallarms = {
cavalry_brigade = {
build_cost_ic = 0.05
build_time = 2
supply_consumption = 0.05
soft_attack = 0.2
}
research_bonus_from = {
mobile_theory = 0.3
mobile_practical = 0.7
}
on_completion = mobile_theory
difficulty = 1
#common for all techs.
start_year = 1918
first_offset = 1934 #2nd model is from 1934
additional_offset = 2 #one new every 2 years
folder = infantry_folder
}
Code:
radio = {
combat_efficiency = 0.1
decryption = -0.2
allow = {
radio_technology = 1
}
research_bonus_from = {
electornicegineering_theory = 0.5
mechanicalengineering_theory = 0.5
}
on_completion = electornicegineering_theory
difficulty = 2
start_year = 1936
folder = industry_folder
}Radio is a oneshot technology. You also need to have researched radio technology to be able to research it, and it grants a large combat benefit, but also lowers your chance of keeping your troops hidden.
