I am curious hwo difficult it will be to change the start date. Playing from '36 isn't very interesting for me- i like planning and preparing the WW2... the more time i have the more i would enjoy... perhaps someone can lighten me up? Thx for help 
Changing the start date- how difficult will it be?
- Thread starter Rashunited
- Start date
-
We have updated our Community Code of Conduct. Please read through the new rules for the forum that are an integral part of Paradox Interactive’s User Agreement.
Mods are the only way you'll be able to start before 1936. Just changing the date in the game files wont do anything and usually tends to screw things up. (events etc.)
Besides, three and a half years is plenty of time to prepare IMO.
Besides, three and a half years is plenty of time to prepare IMO.
- 3
So if you want to change the start date you to change a lot of more things (like you mentioned events etc) to make that working?
My guess -and it is just a guess, we will see how it really is when the game is out- is that you can possibly just simply change the start date for the scenario in a file, like in older games.
But it will *also* probably break the research tree (from the developer streams, they implemented a ahead-of-time penalty on all tech) and possibly more. Without a more extensive mod, it might just not be worth playing on a much earlier start date.
But it will *also* probably break the research tree (from the developer streams, they implemented a ahead-of-time penalty on all tech) and possibly more. Without a more extensive mod, it might just not be worth playing on a much earlier start date.
- 1
Yes. And if you want an earlier start date to be historically accurate then you would have to redesign pretty much every nation.
I recommend leaving it to the modders to create a 1933 scenario or something like that.
You can just decrease research speed for those early techs, but I dont think it would be viable to lets say extend start period beyond 2 years without doing some big overhaul on tech and focuses.
Changing the start date is really simple. All you got to do is change the date in the files. That will of course break, or atleast move back, most of the events, since they are triggered by date.
As for weapons and such you can basicly leave them as they are, since the ahead of time penalty will make sure that you wont have Tiger II by 1936 and you can expand the tech tree backwards. That said, if you move back just a bit like 1933 for example you really dont need, or really have anything to add, since the starting tech is interwar stuff anyway.
You'd have to adjust the number and strenght of the starting divisions tho, if you want it to be somewhat balanced and maybe make some of the techs not already been researched from the start.
The time penalty actually makes most, if not all of the adjustments to existing tech unnessesary, since it prevent you from becomming the most industrialized country by 1936 with all tech already researched anyway. Each year that you are ahead of time gives a massive penalty on researching it, hence ahead of time penalty.
All that said, you'd basicly would have to add additional events and national focuses for that time to compensate for the early start, otherwise it will be a rather boring preperation with not much happening.
In the end, the further you go back, the more difficult it will get to balance it. That said i'd say that roughly 3-4 years are plenty of preparation in Hearts of Iron anyway, so going back alot further probably isnt worth it.
As for weapons and such you can basicly leave them as they are, since the ahead of time penalty will make sure that you wont have Tiger II by 1936 and you can expand the tech tree backwards. That said, if you move back just a bit like 1933 for example you really dont need, or really have anything to add, since the starting tech is interwar stuff anyway.
You'd have to adjust the number and strenght of the starting divisions tho, if you want it to be somewhat balanced and maybe make some of the techs not already been researched from the start.
The time penalty actually makes most, if not all of the adjustments to existing tech unnessesary, since it prevent you from becomming the most industrialized country by 1936 with all tech already researched anyway. Each year that you are ahead of time gives a massive penalty on researching it, hence ahead of time penalty.
All that said, you'd basicly would have to add additional events and national focuses for that time to compensate for the early start, otherwise it will be a rather boring preperation with not much happening.
In the end, the further you go back, the more difficult it will get to balance it. That said i'd say that roughly 3-4 years are plenty of preparation in Hearts of Iron anyway, so going back alot further probably isnt worth it.
Last edited:
I assure you, 3.5 years is plenty of time when you are going on HOI's hourly clock. Take it from someone who has had time to design Germany's historic OOB prior to the war in HOI3 down to the corps level.
But yes, if you want an earlier start date, you would need to redo all nations starting units and undo all changes that may have happened for it to work. You would also need to add events or else the time dialed back would feel very empty. If it raises your hopes, there is a mod being developed that encompasses WW1 and the Interwar period to WW2, although, as you can expect, it will probably be a while before it actually gets released.
But yes, if you want an earlier start date, you would need to redo all nations starting units and undo all changes that may have happened for it to work. You would also need to add events or else the time dialed back would feel very empty. If it raises your hopes, there is a mod being developed that encompasses WW1 and the Interwar period to WW2, although, as you can expect, it will probably be a while before it actually gets released.
- 3
- 1
- 1
Well I prefer more time as I am terrible at building up, I try to do all the things and end up making stuff that is not all that relevant for what I am seeking to do.
Darket Hour has a 1933 start and there are those that prefer this slower build up, however for the better players this just makes it easier for them to roll through the AI in 1939.
We will have to see if they look at an earlier start via DLC, however I can see a number of mods that will look to an earlier start date which will be exciting.
Darket Hour has a 1933 start and there are those that prefer this slower build up, however for the better players this just makes it easier for them to roll through the AI in 1939.
We will have to see if they look at an earlier start via DLC, however I can see a number of mods that will look to an earlier start date which will be exciting.
- 1
As others have said, modding in a new start date is likely to be fairly easy. Modding in a new start date and making a coherent and enjoyable game, on the other hand, could be a fair deal more difficult.
One thing to keep in mind is that the last modding stream had 'conditional' national focus trees, so it may be possible to keep the vanilla national focus trees (have them trigger and 'swap in' at 1936), with alternative, pre-pre-war national focus trees before that (it'd be a quick and dirty way of not having nations rip through their focus trees well before time).
Another thing to keep in mind is that HoI4's mechanics are all about building up to war and fighting it, rather than managing the peace. Without a Vicky-style economic and political simulation, the peacetime is likely to be fairly hollow.
One thing to keep in mind is that the last modding stream had 'conditional' national focus trees, so it may be possible to keep the vanilla national focus trees (have them trigger and 'swap in' at 1936), with alternative, pre-pre-war national focus trees before that (it'd be a quick and dirty way of not having nations rip through their focus trees well before time).
Another thing to keep in mind is that HoI4's mechanics are all about building up to war and fighting it, rather than managing the peace. Without a Vicky-style economic and political simulation, the peacetime is likely to be fairly hollow.
I hope that someone'll make a mod that starts the game in 1933, before Hitler assumed chancellor (29 days before!) so you have 1 month to either go democratic, fascist, or communist, without being super-duper ahistorical (toppling a fascist dictator to go democratic/communist in the late 30's/ early 40's? It just seems so weird! Maybe replacing Hitler, but not just a flip-flop of ideologies) or just for a longer build up, get more events and what not, which I think'll be fun.
An earlier start date would be interesting, but not for "more preparation" but for the potential for "what if" alternate history scenarios that could occur.
A DLC or Mod that can explore the complexity of global politics in the interwar period would be something I would be interested in by itself. The combination of the political and diplomatic management found within HOI3 and Victoria 2 would make this a very playable and enjoyable time period to explore as a player. I would urge Paradox development to strongly consider the possibilities here.
A DLC or Mod that can explore the complexity of global politics in the interwar period would be something I would be interested in by itself. The combination of the political and diplomatic management found within HOI3 and Victoria 2 would make this a very playable and enjoyable time period to explore as a player. I would urge Paradox development to strongly consider the possibilities here.