I don't play HOI4 as much as I did its predecessors. I haven't figured out why, but it has something to do with a feeling that the gameplay isn't "mine"; e.g. my ability to make unique setups feels more limited. As an occasional player, it also means I have the challenge of figuring out how to make WW2 go somewhat historically.
First, a game option for help tips. With help on, in the national focus tree, you highlight historical national focus choices for the country being played based on the current date. This solves the problem that, in my current Germany game, I found myself in the middle of 1940 and still unprepared for Danzig. Put another way, it would help to know: in ~4 years of build up, which national focuses do I need to take to get Danzig in the fall of 1939, and to what degree can I choose some of my own?
Some national focuses aren't really choices, they are more like automatic steps, the only question is when. Anschluss is an easy example. Thus, if we consider all the "automatic" focuses one should take before the war, how many are truly a player's choice (e.g. spending time going on Plan Z before the war instead of doing something else). Thus, instead of it appearing that I have totally free choice, a way of saying: here is your actual wiggle room. I don't intend to trigger debate about historical versus ahistorical gameplay. Instead, I think folks need help either (a) how to go about a historical game and what variables exist there OR (b) when playing ahistorically, have a good sense for how much you are off path (e.g. if a new player spent all their time on the equivalent of infrastructure focuses, when the war starts the game will end up being pretty silly). Obviously, if someone has played a particular country many times, they will figure all this out, hence my suggestion is for new or occasional players like me.
Second, some help with division templates and division building would be nice. I've played enough of HOI4 to have a sense for how to do these things, but every time I come back to the game I find I need to do a lot of forum searching and lookup to understand (a) what is a workable template (based on the current patch level!), since the starting templates are problematic; (b) what is a reasonably balanced division deployment scheme to ensure you have enough forces in time for war. I'm not asking that the game help players identify the perfect setup, but I do think the game needs to say something like: Here are ten viable ways to build an infantry division, and here is why you would want to do each one. Similarly, some level of intelligence about force comparison based on intelligence would be wonderful, to get a sense of how you compare in your build up process.
One last thought. We are able to create variants of ships, tanks, and aircraft, which is a great idea. But, once you create the variant, it becomes a bit lost in the game. I enjoy all WW2 kit generally, and like the idea of being able to focus a unit in a certain way for a given time period. Consider the classic tank example: the T-34 (76mm) versus the Panzer III (37 mm or 50mm). The game allows modifications to the point where a Panzer III could start with a bigger main armament (I'd love to see the historical analogues, but maybe that is asking too much). What we need, however, is more visibility on how that +1 main armament change worked out in gameplay. Did my T-34's, assuming I've worked out command/organization problems, decimate the opposing Panzers as I would expect in 1941 or did the AI build Panzers with better Armor or a bigger main gun? Currently, there is no way to really know how your equipment is doing on the battlefield beyond something basically beating the other guys or not, which takes a bit of the fun out of modifying the equipment in the first place.
I hope something in here is helpful and worthy of consideration!
First, a game option for help tips. With help on, in the national focus tree, you highlight historical national focus choices for the country being played based on the current date. This solves the problem that, in my current Germany game, I found myself in the middle of 1940 and still unprepared for Danzig. Put another way, it would help to know: in ~4 years of build up, which national focuses do I need to take to get Danzig in the fall of 1939, and to what degree can I choose some of my own?
Some national focuses aren't really choices, they are more like automatic steps, the only question is when. Anschluss is an easy example. Thus, if we consider all the "automatic" focuses one should take before the war, how many are truly a player's choice (e.g. spending time going on Plan Z before the war instead of doing something else). Thus, instead of it appearing that I have totally free choice, a way of saying: here is your actual wiggle room. I don't intend to trigger debate about historical versus ahistorical gameplay. Instead, I think folks need help either (a) how to go about a historical game and what variables exist there OR (b) when playing ahistorically, have a good sense for how much you are off path (e.g. if a new player spent all their time on the equivalent of infrastructure focuses, when the war starts the game will end up being pretty silly). Obviously, if someone has played a particular country many times, they will figure all this out, hence my suggestion is for new or occasional players like me.
Second, some help with division templates and division building would be nice. I've played enough of HOI4 to have a sense for how to do these things, but every time I come back to the game I find I need to do a lot of forum searching and lookup to understand (a) what is a workable template (based on the current patch level!), since the starting templates are problematic; (b) what is a reasonably balanced division deployment scheme to ensure you have enough forces in time for war. I'm not asking that the game help players identify the perfect setup, but I do think the game needs to say something like: Here are ten viable ways to build an infantry division, and here is why you would want to do each one. Similarly, some level of intelligence about force comparison based on intelligence would be wonderful, to get a sense of how you compare in your build up process.
One last thought. We are able to create variants of ships, tanks, and aircraft, which is a great idea. But, once you create the variant, it becomes a bit lost in the game. I enjoy all WW2 kit generally, and like the idea of being able to focus a unit in a certain way for a given time period. Consider the classic tank example: the T-34 (76mm) versus the Panzer III (37 mm or 50mm). The game allows modifications to the point where a Panzer III could start with a bigger main armament (I'd love to see the historical analogues, but maybe that is asking too much). What we need, however, is more visibility on how that +1 main armament change worked out in gameplay. Did my T-34's, assuming I've worked out command/organization problems, decimate the opposing Panzers as I would expect in 1941 or did the AI build Panzers with better Armor or a bigger main gun? Currently, there is no way to really know how your equipment is doing on the battlefield beyond something basically beating the other guys or not, which takes a bit of the fun out of modifying the equipment in the first place.
I hope something in here is helpful and worthy of consideration!
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