Any way to keep the U.S off my neck as Germany?

[davej]

Start 1936, playing Germany. Would be very pleasant, if I could avoid the U.S joining the Allies in 1942. Can't stand against both Britain, France & the US! Plus I don't intend to invade the U.S anyway.

How? Boost fascism in all 3? Keep World Tension low? (Leave Poland & Rhineland alone).
Or must I defeat Britain & France, before 1942?

Thank you! )

Yes. Keep WT low (have a lot of control over that as Germany) and don't mess with Poland or SU. Take UK and France out early as possible. US never joins.

 

[Dalwin]

Does anyone know if the opinion modifier has an effect on the AI's choice of NF? For example, improving relations and trading with USA as Germany to try delay them taking anti-Germany focuses (and thus their entry into the war)

I am fairly certain that it does not, at least not with historical focus enabled. AFAIK that opinion mainly affects whether or not the AI will agree to various treaties, such as allowing military access or non-aggression pacts etc. I have heard theories that it also affects the maximum amount of some resource that you are allowed to import from a nation, but am not sure this is true.

 

[seattle]

Best thing to do is to quickly invade the UK and end the war in months, and not let it drag on which is when the US will enter quicker.

British Raj and/or Canada disagree. I often tried to sealion my way into ending the war before the US enters, never achieved it due to those pesky vassals.

 

[melkor88]

British Raj and/or Canada disagree. I often tried to sealion my way into ending the war before the US enters, never achieved it due to those pesky vassals.

Yeah it is down to a bit of luck and speed, to how quickly they take to get enough IC to become majors. Canada is slightly harder, as you need to take Iceland, Greenland then Canada. For the Raj, just go straight through Turkey, and Iraq, Iran. 1 Army of Panzers, and 1 Army of Mountaineers works best for fighting your way to the Raj.

 

[Faradaux]

If you can do Sealion before 1941 then you have a good chance to end the war. I've gotten the big peace conference a few times before US entry.

Tip: start planning the marine landings in Northumberland (best place to Sealion IMO) as soon as Around the Maginot finishes. This way you can turn the panzers around and be on English soil just days after France capitulates. It only takes 12 panzer divisions to clean up the UK assuming they are Panzer III.

Lastly, I don't really find the US entry to be all that daunting... Worst case scenario is when Spain doesn't join Axis and Gibraltar holds out until after you sail you fleet around the horn of Africa, through the Suez. (tip: have 2 panzer divisions already in Libya before the war even starts, ready to take the Suez)
Without Gibraltar the Yanks will keep invading random places in the Mediterranean and it gets a bit annoying.

After beating the USSR, in 1941 you can turn around and be in Boston by early 1942. The US Navy, like the Royal Navy, is a complete joke at that point and is completely unable to defend the East Coast. Key to taking the US Eastern seaboard quickly is to continuously invade major cities as soon as your marines are free. First Boston, then New York, then Norfolk, Virginia, and by that point the Americans will be stretched so thin you can flank south through Tennessee and north through Detroit to link up somewhere behind the Appalachians and encircle the entire US army. The US usually capitulates at that point. No need to even take Los Angeles.

Usually as Germany, total victory is achieved by 1943.
This is the biggest issue right now, it's just way too easy to play Germany.

 

[cunningstunts]

If you can do Sealion before 1941 then you have a good chance to end the war. I've gotten the big peace conference a few times before US entry.

Tip: start planning the marine landings in Northumberland (best place to Sealion IMO) as soon as Around the Maginot finishes. This way you can turn the panzers around and be on English soil just days after France capitulates. It only takes 12 panzer divisions to clean up the UK assuming they are Panzer III.

Lastly, I don't really find the US entry to be all that daunting... Worst case scenario is when Spain doesn't join Axis and Gibraltar holds out until after you sail you fleet around the horn of Africa, through the Suez. (tip: have 2 panzer divisions already in Libya before the war even starts, ready to take the Suez)
Without Gibraltar the Yanks will keep invading random places in the Mediterranean and it gets a bit annoying.

After beating the USSR, in 1941 you can turn around and be in Boston by early 1942. The US Navy, like the Royal Navy, is a complete joke at that point and is completely unable to defend the East Coast. Key to taking the US Eastern seaboard quickly is to continuously invade major cities as soon as your marines are free. First Boston, then New York, then Norfolk, Virginia, and by that point the Americans will be stretched so thin you can flank south through Tennessee and north through Detroit to link up somewhere behind the Appalachians and encircle the entire US army. The US usually capitulates at that point. No need to even take Los Angeles.

Usually as Germany, total victory is achieved by 1943.
This is the biggest issue right now, it's just way too easy to play Germany.

Do you play with the Expert AI mod? Can't recommend it enough.

 

[Faradaux]

Do you play with the Expert AI mod? Can't recommend it enough.

What exactly does it do though? I'm very suspicious of mods that run under the hood since you no real way to know if it is actually making things better of if it's just placebo.

 

[Misaka_Complex]

Boost fascism in the US at the start of the game in 1936. This should work unless the AI appoints Alf Landon but that doesn't happen every often.

 

[cunningstunts]

What exactly does it do though? I'm very suspicious of mods that run under the hood since you no real way to know if it is actually making things better of if it's just placebo.

Try it with your next game. Tag over to the AI every now and then - you will see the difference it makes. @Chondrite can tell you more, but essentially the mod tries to get the most out of the AI. It optimises industrial buildup, construction, production, templates, trade laws, minister choices, variants and dozens of other aspects in the game.

I'd say that if you combine it with No Man's Land, you get the best configuration for a historical game at the moment.

EDIT: I have also started using a mod called Expanded Difficulty Modifiers. It just gives you the option of boosting a whole bunch of other important minors. Quite useful when combined with the difficulty options already in Expert AI.

 

[Chondrite]

What exactly does it do though? I'm very suspicious of mods that run under the hood since you no real way to know if it is actually making things better of if it's just placebo.

That's why I went through the trouble of documenting most of it here.

 

[Winstons]

Start 1936, playing Germany. Would be very pleasant, if I could avoid the U.S joining the Allies in 1942. Can't stand against both Britain, France & the US! Plus I don't intend to invade the U.S anyway.

How? Boost fascism in all 3? Keep World Tension low? (Leave Poland & Rhineland alone).
Or must I defeat Britain & France, before 1942?

Thank you! )

Just my experience so far playing as a historical (as can be) Germany...I conquered France as was done historically (same time frame, almost same units, etc etc) and had done all the traditional focuses. I then went ahistorical and launched my version of Sealion in late spring 1941. (Massively helped by the UK A.I. sending 25 divisions on a suicide mission to retake the Low Countries, coming face to face with my prepping invasion force....I chalked this one down to one of Churchill's crazy ideas that wasn't blocked in time! The Royal Navy was also heavily overcommitted in the Med and Far East and couldn't stop my massed invasion barges) Once ashore, Britain was easily conquered with two weeks.

It's now late summer 1941 and the U.S. is still not in the 'war' - in fact, there isn't even a war at this point. The 'Allies' still cling on, but only Canada, South Africa and New Zealand remain. Moesly is in charge of the puppeted UK. Japan conquered mainland China on their own in late 1940, and hasn't yet attacked the U.S. The USSR is just about to launch an invasion of Manchuria and this will drag me into war against them as Japan is in the Axis. I'm happy for this to happen as I'm confident I can pull a "reverse-Barbarossa", let the enemy units flood Poland, then trap and crush them.

 

[Aodhan_]

Just my experience so far playing as a historical (as can be) Germany...I conquered France as was done historically (same time frame, almost same units, etc etc) and had done all the traditional focuses. I then went ahistorical and launched my version of Sealion in late spring 1941. (Massively helped by the UK A.I. sending 25 divisions on a suicide mission to retake the Low Countries, coming face to face with my prepping invasion force....I chalked this one down to one of Churchill's crazy ideas that wasn't blocked in time! The Royal Navy was also heavily overcommitted in the Med and Far East and couldn't stop my massed invasion barges) Once ashore, Britain was easily conquered with two weeks.

It's now late summer 1941 and the U.S. is still not in the 'war' - in fact, there isn't even a war at this point. The 'Allies' still cling on, but only Canada, South Africa and New Zealand remain. Moesly is in charge of the puppeted UK. Japan conquered mainland China on their own in late 1940, and hasn't yet attacked the U.S. The USSR is just about to launch an invasion of Manchuria and this will drag me into war against them as Japan is in the Axis. I'm happy for this to happen as I'm confident I can pull a "reverse-Barbarossa", let the enemy units flood Poland, then trap and crush them.

The only thing I find with taking England out early it always leads to a boring game later on (for me any way ), and I miss have some where to fire my V1 at .

 

[Dalwin]

I don't think this has been mentioned in the thread but there is another way to keep the Americans off your back, to some extent.

If you are unwilling to launch Sea Lion (personally I find doing so before the fall of Russia unsporting as the AI cannot really defend itself) there is still a way to make the US pay a price for crossing the Atlantic. Uboats are more effective than people give them credit. They want to see the subs sinking enemy battle fleets and I am glad this is not possible in HOI4 as it has been in some earlier versions of the game. What subs can do is sink American troop transports.

I wish we got more detailed feedback on what sort of convoys we were sinking. I am sure that many if not almost all of the US and Canadian convoys I sink are actually troops heading to Europe. I don't think either of those countries are importing a lot of raw materials from Europe at that point. If you sink 3 convoys it was probably a 7+2 infantry division. If sink 5 it was probably an armored division. Larger numbers represent multiple divisions. Over the course of the war, German subs in the Atlantic can easily destroy the equivalent of two entire armies of units.

Sadly in MP they are less of a threat, but still not to be ignored.

(If you sink only one or two convoys, that was probably a supply route.)