Hearts of Iron IV - 29th Development Diary - 16th of October 2015**Read OP before posting**

  • 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.

Johan

Studio Manager Paradox Tinto
Administrator
Paradox Staff
Moderator
15 Badges
Dec 14, 1999
19.082
72.886
  • Diplomacy
  • Teleglitch: Die More Edition
  • War of the Roses
  • 500k Club
  • Crusader Kings II: Holy Knight (pre-order)
  • Europa Universalis III: Collection
  • Magicka: Wizard Wars Founder Wizard
  • Hearts of Iron IV Sign-up
  • Stellaris Sign-up
  • Imperator: Rome Sign Up
  • A Game of Dwarves
  • Magicka
  • Starvoid
Welcome to another development diary about Hearts of Iron IV, this time we’re talking a bit about factions and wargoals.

In different incarnations of the series, factions have worked in slightly different ways, but the common theme have always been there was three of them. Axis, Allies & Comintern. In Hearts of Iron IV that is no longer true. There is no longer any limit on the amount of factions there can be. Germany, Great Britain & the Soviet Union starts off leading their own factions with the usual name you all recognise. The other nations gain the capability to form their own factions through their national focus trees.

So what does a faction do? A faction is a group of nations that can call on each other when fighting a war, and if a nation is overrun while in a faction, they are not eliminated entirely until the faction leader is forced to a peace-conference.

There are of course limits on how to start wars in HoI4. Even if you are a fascist warmongerer you need to have a wargoal to create a war. A wargoal is usually a conquest of a desired state. There are plenty of national focuses that will give countries wargoals if you wish to do some of the more historical conquests. However, sometimes, you may want to do something else, like for example to restore Sweden’s historical borders.

First of all, a democracy can not start a war against a democracy, so you need to switch to become fascist or communist. Democracies are also limited by the fact that they can’t justify against a nation that has not increased the World Tension.

There are a few other faction specific rules for wargoals:
  • Annexing or taking non-core territory is much more expensive for Democracies.
  • Comintern gets much cheaper wargoals for puppeting people.
  • Axis get no cost reduction but are instead allow to declare war without justification if they already have a war ongoing.
Justifying a wargoal usually takes between 6-12 months, and cost a chunk of political power as well. When you have the wargoal, you can start a war against your target country.

v7jfZ1S.jpg



Wargoals also has an impact when it comes to Peace Conferences where they give advantages to whoever claimed them, but more on that in a future diary on peace.

Of course, justifying a wargoal increases World Tension.

Tune in next week when we talk about glorious blue France.


EDIT
Discussion of game mechanics is fine, but if you wish to discuss your or others political agenda, do so elsewhere. -Had a dad
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • 54
  • 45
  • 6
Reactions:
Looks like Axis Ireland is ago!

Edit: Will there be a 'cut down to size' wargoal? I liked the idea that you could Balkanise Yugoslavia or chop Scotland, Wales and NI from Britain if you totally defeated them.
 
  • 20
Reactions:
Numerous factions I very much like, but the war goal system (it was a failure in HoI3) I'm more unsure about. Not much seem to have changed there.
 
  • 10
Reactions:
This sounds good. I especially like that other factions may be created.
Say if norway, denmark and sweden forms a faction. What kind of faction rules apply then?

Also, this sort of sound like the end of 'Paint the town grey'? If even axis needs a long time to justify wars.
 
  • 9
Reactions:
Will the AI be able to form a faction by itself? If so, what would an AI name the faction?
 
  • 9
  • 1
Reactions:
Cheers for the DD Johan :). The more sandbox-style approach sounds pretty great for replayability as well (not that I had trouble replaying past HoIs, but more replayability is a good thing). Quick question, if easy, not inappropriate and not a pain:

- In the peace conference and the like, are nations limited by wargoals, or is it more free reign? I'd expect the latter, and it to be more EU than CK, but curious either way. So if, say, Czeckoslovakia fabricated something on Hungary that wasn't annexation, but did really well, could they get away with annexing if they had the political power (or however else it's measured) available?
 
  • 6
  • 2
Reactions:
Political power, justification of war goals... Looks like HoI4 will suffer EU4ia. ;)


Just kidding. The system looks well implemented so far.
 
  • 9
Reactions:
As a faction member can you do stuff to make an unaligned country join your faction, or even induce an enemy faction member to switch to your faction?
e.g. could the Soviet Union induce a democratic Turkey to become a commie ally? And will such actions be available to all faction members and not just the faction leader?
 
  • 1
Reactions:
How likely is the AI to ask for/DoW historically versus ahistorically?
 
  • 6
  • 1
Reactions:
But there is a problem here: Great Britain tried to invade Norway during WW2, even tough both were democracies. Germany simply was faster. How can situations like that ever work in the game?
 
  • 33
  • 2
  • 2
Reactions:
How come the political actions list you have "Justify Wargoal (political power, 250)" Does this refer to "cost political power" takes "250 days" ? it seems a bit confusing. As it cant really cost 250 since the tab says 50 political power cost + 0.2 for 250 days (which is 50), so 100 total. Another thing, i feel like it would "help" to have the total cost in political power shown but it may be because i havnt played the game.
I mean it could say something like: Wargoal will cost you 100 political power. 50 political power up front and then 0.2 per day (daily?) for 250 days
 
  • 3
  • 2
Reactions: