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First time im going to read an AAR...
2 reasons...
1.its my country...
2.The compliments for the author have been very good... :)
Looking forward to it... good luck!
 
Beautiful writing with the first post, I can't wait to see what happens!
 
I will be reading (and playing) too. Im glad to see soo many "Compatriotas" playing HOI3 already. Comprimentos a todos.
I have playied Portugal in HOI2 and give it a glance in HIO3 (im still reading the manual and the strategic guide. I will only play the game when i finish the 2. I enjoy reading this books, because part of the fun of the game is fully anderstand all of its aspects.)
As for playing with Portugal the major chance is grabing some land from Republican Spain. Its sad but our "Império Ultramarino" its of few use because there are almost none resources being produced there.
 
Feedback to feedback will come sometime this weekend.

Naturally, some of you are concerned (amused?) :rolleyes: that I've won the AAR Feature of the Week award without really having started playing yet...

I actually HAVE started playing now. NOW my problem is that I'm getting a "black screen" when I try to take a screenshot! This happened to me once in EU 3 and I was concerned I'd have to bring my AAR to a close. But then it cleared up after a few days and I went on. No idea what caused it, no idea what fixed it, no idea why it's happening again (other games and other things work fine with screenshots -- is the auto F11 screenshot thing working? Where does Vista 64 put those screenshots?). But I have high hopes that it will clear itself in a day or two and I can move on.

I'll consider posting an update without screenshots if I can't get that working, but that seems silly. I'm hoping it will resolve itself.

Thanks for your attention!

Rensslaer
 
Grats on your award! :D I'm sure its well-deserved. :p

On Vista (and Win 7 for that matter) you might find your screenshots saved in the C:/Users/YourNameHere/AppData/Local/SomewheresInHereFolder. However, due to screenshot capture problems I was having with another game (FIFA Manager 09 to be precise) I downloaded FRAPS and found it solved all my ills. Good news is you can direct FRAPS where you want your screenies stored as well as what key will capture them for you. Perhaps this might fit your bill?
 
Well that speaks volumes about whoever gives out that award o.o. This AAR seems very promising, but its kind of strange for them to say that two intro posts are superior to every other AAR made this week. Still, I'm sure this aar does/will deserve it :D.

Good luck with Portugal, I enjoyed your Milan AAR and I love to see campaigns as interesting minors rather than the big powers.
 
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Grats on your award! :D I'm sure its well-deserved. :p

On Vista (and Win 7 for that matter) you might find your screenshots saved in the C:/Users/YourNameHere/AppData/Local/SomewheresInHereFolder. However, due to screenshot capture problems I was having with another game (FIFA Manager 09 to be precise) I downloaded FRAPS and found it solved all my ills. Good news is you can direct FRAPS where you want your screenies stored as well as what key will capture them for you. Perhaps this might fit your bill?

Win7 stores the screenshot in hoi3folder/screenshot.

I actually HAVE started playing now. NOW my problem is that I'm getting a "black screen" when I try to take a screenshot! This happened to me once in EU 3 and I was concerned I'd have to bring my AAR to a close. But then it cleared up after a few days and I went on. No idea what caused it, no idea what fixed it, no idea why it's happening again (other games and other things work fine with screenshots -- is the auto F11 screenshot thing working? Where does Vista 64 put those screenshots?). But I have high hopes that it will clear itself in a day or two and I can move on.

Yes f11 is working.
Why don't you install a screenshot taking program if you are having problems? There are tons of free ones on the net.
 
Having first experimented with FRAPS (and not liking it), and finally finding my screenshot folder (thanks Jorath!), I’m ready to start with my first non-introductory update! I’ve edited the Introduction to reflect the sharing of power between Carmona and Salazar. The rest of the Intro remains more or less correct. I'll try to do feedback tomorrow. Anyway... Here we go!


Império Novo


One of the things any Portugal player may consider is whether to mod the game to include Goa – Portugal’s Indian colony. It gains Portugal nothing, really. There are no resources there. It’s a base adjacent to British India, but I don’t exactly have enough military strength to challenge India. Supposedly, it’s not included in the game because it throws British Indian AI into confusion. Somehow I doubt that. If Tibet somehow joined the Axis, I think the AI would figure out it’s a threat. Same with Goa.

I’ve modded my game to include Goa – added a level 1 airbase and level 2 naval base to the province of Pangim (which is Goa). I will try to hold it, and maybe it will distract the British, but beyond that I’m not sure it’s much use to me except as an airbase. I include it primarily because it’s a historical niggle, and I’m a historical niggler.


Goa1.jpg



There’s not much to do with my Cabinet that hasn’t already been done. I’ve got a guy in there at start who’s crooked (can’t you tell from the picture?), and who drops my IC by 3%. Gone!!! Afonso Lucas will lower my Neutrality, which I want anyway. And I basically get 3% of IC added by getting rid of the other guy (3% doesn’t get me anything now, but it may someday).


MinSecurity.jpg


The only two other ministers who I have potential replacements for, I have no reason to remove them.

I either have no reason to change, or haven’t the correct prerequisites to change any of my Laws besides Education. This kills my money production, but to gain 10% Leadership it’s probably worth it. I’ll make up my money loss later.


EarlyMoves.jpg



I don’t have a lot of military forces. These infantry brigades I’ll have to split up and send out to the border once things start to happen. I’ll start building some garrisons. I have only one airwing – a Tac Bomber. That’s good, but I’ll hope to increase my air force later. With only 23 IC, I’m not going to be expanding much quickly.

In order to increase my economy, I’ll have to reduce my Neutrality. That requires spies, so…

EarlySpies.jpg


I look at my spies at game start. There are some bizarre assignments there – whoever we could find to give us info, I guess. But it’s important to me to have spies where we need them, and so I cancel most of the spy priorities, and concentrate only on several “neighboring” countries (which happens to include a number of colonial powers who adjoin Portuguese colonies here and there). Republican Spain becomes my primary non-internal target for spies. I judge it unlikely that I can involve myself in the Spanish Civil War – it’s just too hard in HOI 3 to manipulate things that quickly – but I’ll be ready, just in case.

I respect Peekee’s formula for getting spies up and running to reduce Neutrality (you’ll see Peekee’s Guide in the Supplement to the Strategy Guide), and he recommends spending nothing on research until you get 10 spies in your own country. I’m going to ignore his advice for now, because I have a long period of buildup before I can afford to go to war, and so spies are important to me now, but not enough to displace research – I’ve split my sliders between research and spies.

EarlyTech.jpg


I also need some diplomatic power to get trades going. My officers are at 80% and I intend to expand my army, so I need to put some leadership toward officers.

There’s not a lot I can focus on researching early on. The two most important things to me right now are IC and Leadership, and so Industrial Production and Education are my only two early priorities. Once my leadership points start to increase, I’ll add another slot or two for research.

Portugal’s starting resource situation is miserable. They’re losing their paltry stockpiles in every category besides Fuel, and Fuel is limited by the Energy stockpile, which won’t last. I’ve got to get some trades to bring resources in or else my “empire” will be short lived!


USATrade1.jpg


The United States, fortunately, is amiable and willing to help us out. This puts a drain on our Money supply. An early overture to sell Supplies to Germany falls through. I can either produce Supplies and trade them to gain money, or I can produce extra Consumer Goods. I’m going to try Supplies first, but I’ll probably do both later.

RomTrade1.jpg


Romania provides our counter-trade to make up for the money deficit. Pretty soon, we actually have a surplus in most everything, and the rest of the stockpiles are not in such dire need.

NewProd1.jpg


Unfortunately, this has set my building programme back quite a ways! Obviously, I have more things queued than I’ll have the ability to build right now. Maybe even more than I can build in 1936!

But these are some of the things on my wish list – the Garrisons are obvious. The freighters (transports) are useful for increasing trade, which I expect I’ll need to. I’d like another military (troop) transport, eventually, even though I have 2 already, but that’s not a building priority. Why a fort in Macao? That’s one place I’d like to hang on to, and unless my enemies decide to make Macao a serious target, a small garrison with a minor fort will hopefully be enough to keep them out of the city. We’ll see.

I would like other forts too, but all this is contingent upon my ability to expand my economy.

There’s the first couple weeks of my administration! Lots of considerations to go, and many things to build before I’m ready to take on the majors. But it’s a start.

Império Novo.
 
The important part is it must be a good and sensible start :) You seem to be doing well in that department, and make a very clear and sensible case of what you do.


Just one question: why did you settle for medium-large and not big education investment, considering you aren't producing enough CGs to make money?
 
Recent Update Posted (just hours ago -- don't miss it!)

Rensslaer, good to see another epic tale in the works! Will be watching!
Welcome, Third Prophecy! Glad to have you along for another!

subscribed... i'm interested in what you will do as portugal since you did an amazing job with the manual and the guide!
Thank you, BPSCool! And welcome! I appreciate your kind words about the Manual and Strategy Guide! Just taking a break from the Supplement, which is almost done.

I'll be watching this AAR closely! I've always enjoyed playing as minors on HoI2 and will probably do it as well on HoI3, when I get around to playing it.

And the introductory scene, very good indeed. Certainly made a very nice first impression.

I'm reading the manual right now, excellent work you've done on it!:D
Thanks, Fontan! Welcome! Minors are so much fun! I'm looking forward to not having to write so much (Manuals, Guides, etc.) so that I can play more -- probably minors. Glad you liked the first scene! It's foreshadowing some -- won't actually happen for a while. I'm hoping I don't get quashed before it CAN happen! :rolleyes:

Subscribing in hopes of seeing more. And the "old Professor" was Salazar, not so old a man in the 1930s. Carmona was a General.

I did try a Portugal game in HoI2 once, but it took me to 1942 to build my first Heavy Cruiser, so it was not tremendously fun :eek:o
Welcome, th3freakie! Glad to have you along! It seems not many people have tried Portugal, in either HOI 1 or HOI 2. What you describe surely has something to do with it. It takes patience, and I may still get pounded to dust. But we'll see! :D

Subscribed. :) I also enjoyed reading Sforza!!! so I sure hope you will continue that one, too. And don't forget you beta-duties on HoI3!!! :p
Welcome, Pal! Very happy to see you! Yes, I'll be continuing Sforza, and I'll keep up on the beta stuff too. Fun to see what's ahead.

Yes yes, I hoped for a new experimental nerve-racking Rensslaer AAR, and there it is!
Ringelnatz! My old friend/fan! Great to see you along for the ride again! Welcome! This may be more nervewracking than any of my previous rides. We'll see!

Congratulations on your pay rise! And good luck with Portugal, I expect it won't be easy. I love the premise of the AAR and the potential of the story, it is in fact the first ever non-EU AAR I subscribe to. So I've just showcased it to make sure it lives up to its promise ;) Congratulations Rensslaer!
Wow! What an honor, Aldriq! I very much appreciate it! Thank you, and welcome to the AAR!

How can I pass this one up?! I think that I cannot! I have not gone to purchase this game yet (I'm still enjoying too many of the old ones and they still haven't found a way to make a 25 hour day) but I will be using this AAR as a barometer. No pressure! ;)
Ahh, the strategy critiquer is along! I actually have to REMEMBER my Strategy Guide when WhisperingDeath is around! lol This shall be fun to collaborate! :D Welcome, WhisperingDeath!

This looks to be a good AAR.

I always liked Portugal for some reason. I loved playing it in 1914, sending my men into the trenches with the Allies.

I liked it in HoI2 aswell, but didn't play it as much.
Welcome, von Mauser! That's an interesting premise -- Portugal in WW I. Portugal sure can play a good supporting role, though it's fated to be a minor partner, I'm afraid. But I may prove myself wrong -- let's see.

I'll be reading this too. Good luck!
Good to see you, ColossusCrusher! Welcome to another AAR!

An Axis Portugal is going to be full of opportunities for action - and it is going to be dangerously exposed to the Allies. Knowing you, I think we can anticipate, shall we say, an 'interesting' time in the Chinese sense. As you said earlier, "Well, Portugal has as many vulnerabilities as it does opportunities, so you can be sure I'll be working very hard on handling both!" it only remains to see if Portugal has the strength to turn its geography from a liability to an asset.

One thing I missed is your intentions regarding Spain. I apologize if you've already covered this.
An honor, Director, to have you along! Welcome! You're right -- interesting times, indeed! I hadn't mentioned Spain until this most recent update, which you hadn't seen. Spain is going to be a problem. I'm doubtful I would be ready to play any worthwhile role by the time the Spanish Civil War starts, and I'm also doubtful I can manage my spies and other tools well enough to actually be able to intervene before the war is over. My neutrality starts at 80%, which is awfully high (Portugal isn't exactly an interventionist power these days), and I'd have to "construct" an excuse to go to war. I don't think I can do it, but if it turns out I have an opportunity, that'd make it even more interesting! :rolleyes:

Are you going to intervene in the SCW?

Good luck, anyhow.
Welcome, Merrick Chance! My answer to Director works here as well. Not quite sure if I'll be able to, but if I can...

This AAR has great potential of awesonemness. will keep reading.

Also: Would't it be Novo Império? Unless they have some weird way of saying Novo Império in Portugal, that's how its supposed to be typed.
Welcome, Slaughter! Glad to have you along. As th3freakie points out, Imperio Novo is in the style of Estado Novo, which was Carmona's authoritarian theme.

Nice, i was looking into starting a game myself as Portugal to learn the game playing with a minor. I'll use this AAR as some kind of tutorial :)
A tutorial I hope to provide! :D But no guarantees -- I may end up just showing you what NOT to do! Welcome, Icy!

The premises of this sound very interesting (both story- and gameplay-wise), so I'll be following this one. Also I got a soft spot for Portugal ;) Good luck on your endeavour!
Welcome, Maedhric! I'll include the storyline (the fiction) when it seems appropriate, and try to include some good characterization. But definitely the focus here is on the gameplay.

As a player who loves playing Minor countries, I will follow this AAR with great interest. It looks like it will be very challenging. Good luck! :D
Welcome, Artr Thormodr! Minors just have so much to offer in terms of surprise and challenge. Looking forward to playing through this!

First time im going to read an AAR...
2 reasons...
1.its my country...
2.The compliments for the author have been very good... :)
Looking forward to it... good luck!
Most excellent! Welcome, DMAN! I'm honored that this will be your first AAR reading experience! I hope I do not disappoint.

Beautiful writing with the first post, I can't wait to see what happens!
Thanks, NickVorp! Welcome! I enjoyed writing that scene, and I already have a plan for several other fiction scenes with the crew. I miss fiction writing -- been focused on non-fiction and technical so much over the past 2-3 years. It's good to give it a go again.

I will be reading (and playing) too. Im glad to see soo many "Compatriotas" playing HOI3 already. Comprimentos a todos.
I have playied Portugal in HOI2 and give it a glance in HIO3 (im still reading the manual and the strategic guide. I will only play the game when i finish the 2. I enjoy reading this books, because part of the fun of the game is fully anderstand all of its aspects.)

As for playing with Portugal the major chance is grabing some land from Republican Spain. Its sad but our "Império Ultramarino" its of few use because there are almost none resources being produced there.
Welcome, Legatus! I'm glad you're reading the Manual, and especially the Strategy Guide -- I'm very proud of both! I hope you enjoy them. Yes, I don't think the lack of resources quite struck me until I started playing today. I think I was expecting higher stockpiles, to give a cushion. But we'll make do with what we have! I'd be interested to hear how your Portugal game(s) went in HOI 2 -- there aren't alot of AARs out there for it.

Good luck with Portugal, I enjoyed your Milan AAR and I love to see campaigns as interesting minors rather than the big powers.
Welcome, Skizbot! An interesting minor Portugal promises to be.... one way or another! ;)

Yes f11 is working.
Why don't you install a screenshot taking program if you are having problems? There are tons of free ones on the net.
I did finally figure out my F11 issues, and we're in business again! Welcome, Zaku! If anyone gets bored here, I'd encourage you to go look at Zaku's fascinating France 1936 AAR! I just happened by it earlier today, and it's very detailed and interesting.

The important part is it must be a good and sensible start :) You seem to be doing well in that department, and make a very clear and sensible case of what you do.

Just one question: why did you settle for medium-large and not big education investment, considering you aren't producing enough CGs to make money?
Indeed you are correct about sensible starts. Small mistakes early on can cause huge problems later. As for Education, I tend to want to stabilize things before I make big jumps in policy. Once I see how things are working with my money balance, etc. I'll probably go for the higher education level. Just didn't want to overreach before I knew I could get a little money flowing through trade.

I'd say that one garrison can not hold Macao if a nation bigger than you decides to attack it. Although miracles are possible.
Oh, you're quite right. I'd need to have a few brigades there at least. But if they can dig in, plus have a fort there, I'm hoping they'd be able to hold off the Hong Kong garrison, or even the Guangxi if they come hunting for me.

Thanks for reading, everybody, and especially to those who take the time to comment! I do value your feedback, and appreciate your interest!

This week I should finally be done with my writing assignments, and can focus a little more on playing HOI 3 for fun. I'll hope to get another update up in a few days.

Thanks again!

Rensslaer
 
A modest enough start.

I think you will know if Goa distorts things if the UK starts garrisoning the border.
 
Oh man, Portugal's leadership is minuscule. Should be quite fun. ;)
And I was reminded of the film Blazing Saddles when you said you were a niggler. When the new sheriff is coming to Rockridge. "He's a ni--" *bell* "He's a ni--" *bell* "He's a ni--" *bell* I can just see it ending, "He's a NIGGLER!" And the townspeople stare in horror. ;)
 
So, the ball is rolling. I think adding in Goa is a good idea, and if you can hold it, it could be usefull to prey on Allied shipping.

That said, with all of your scattered bases, holding them will be difficult. This makes you perfect for a Submarine Navy, with decent subs the Allies won't be able to hide anywhere.

I'm looking forward to the next update.:cool:
 
A modest enough start.

I think you will know if Goa distorts things if the UK starts garrisoning the border.
Yes, although I'm not a threat to them now, and I will probably always be less of a threat than Germany. But if I join the Axis, I would hope they'd get a little concerned. We'll see. There aren't any strategic targets near Goa, except for a small resource province a couple provinces away. So an argument could be made that Goa's not worth their attention in any case, except to rid me of a base.

Oh man, Portugal's leadership is minuscule. Should be quite fun. ;)
Indeed! I'm feeling quite constrained! :) We'll make do with what we have, though. At some point I'm hoping I'll have little need for spies, and can switch that attention to Research.

Looks like a fun AAR. Can't wait to see what portugal does against UK!
Thanks, EvilFishtank, and welcome! I can't wait to see what I can do to them too! :rolleyes:

So, the ball is rolling. I think adding in Goa is a good idea, and if you can hold it, it could be usefull to prey on Allied shipping.

That said, with all of your scattered bases, holding them will be difficult. This makes you perfect for a Submarine Navy, with decent subs the Allies won't be able to hide anywhere.

I'm looking forward to the next update.:cool:
Moving right along, finally! Goa's usefulness as a base depends largely on the range of my transports. If I need that intermediate base between Mozambique and Timor (and I might very well), it'll be worth its weight in gold. I've been considering submarines. There are so many directions I'm being pulled in. I need to get a feel for how quickly I'm able to produce things and improve my economy, then I'll know whether I have the IC for subs (or anything else!).

Thanks for following! Update was posted perhaps 12 hours ago, for any who might have missed it. Next update early to middle of this week, I think.

Rensslaer
 
Indeed! I'm feeling quite constrained! :) We'll make do with what we have, though. At some point I'm hoping I'll have little need for spies, and can switch that attention to Research.

All minors seems to have 3.XX leadesrhip so start with. When I loaded up as Manchuko, I got 3. Hungary: 3. It seems Portugal has 3 too. Not much of historical research there:(

Anyways I'm going to watch this AAR, looking good so far. Good luck.