Focus Tree Questions

[EmperorBatman999]

I had some questions and concerns regarding national focus trees and how they will affect gameplay.

How exactly do NFT's work? Do they simply provide Boni and Mali along? Are they an elaboration of the special faction-specific events like previous HoI series? How influential are focus trees on gameplay? Can a player forgo the focus trees?

Will the NFT's railroad the game, forcing the players along narratives established by the chosen branch? Or is their influence simply minimal and serve more as "suggestions" for the player to follow.

 

[LordOfWar16]

First of all they are there to guide the AI, since it isnt scripted. It will follow the roughly (not blindly) the historical choices if you select historical mode. Other than that they are shortcuts for the player to do certain stuff quicker/easier. You can of course always increase oppinion or justify wargoals without National Focues, or build Battleships if you went with Carrier Focus. They are simply granting boni.

The only NF that really affect gameplay in a way you couldnt do without them are the Industrial Effort ones and those that add/remove national spirits for example. Industrial Effort unlocks additional factory slots in certain states, like the industrial technologies, just additional ones. France for example has an National Focus that removes the "Victor of WW1" Spirit they start with(name could have changed or i am mistaken it), which lowers frances doctrine research speed. Another example is Japan, which gets the "Long Lance Torpedo" spirit with the "Advanced Torpedo" NF, which buffs their Torpedo Attack.

You could if you wanted play the game without the national focuses, but certain stuff would take you longer and/or you arent as good in it. Army/Naval/Air innovation for example gives you additional army/naval/air experience, on top of some research speed tokens for certain stuff.

 

[bengast]

Well it would be silly not to take national focuses ad they provide replayability, as France I could go and become fascist and side with Germany against the Brits, or even side with the Bolsheviks and squash Germany Or you from the little entente and save the Czechs from a humiliating defeat. other focuses provide research bonuses, extra slot, factories, modifiers to your units etc.

 

[LordOfWar16]

Well it would be silly not to take national focuses ad they provide replayability, as France I could go and become fascist and side with Germany against the Brits, or even side with the Bolsheviks and squash Germany Or you from the little entente and save the Czechs from a humiliating defeat. other focuses provide research bonuses, extra slot, factories, modifiers to your units etc.

you become fascist without national focuses. All they do is boost your relations with the target country, which you can do manually aswell. Forming new factions is the main thing that impacts the gameplay alot and can only be done by national focus.

I am not saying that they are not needed, but that you could in theory do most of the stuff without them, only that it would take longer. I dont see a reason why people would ignore them, either.