HoI4 Dev Teasers (previously Podcat's Twitter Teasers)

[Vohen]

Super disappointed if it is indeed the Netherlands. Don't really see a point in focusing on that country when in any game that involves Hitler that doesn't become FUBARed will involve it being obliterated within days of the war beginning. Belgium would suffer the same problem, so hopefully that isn't the second country getting content.

I would reserve comments about it being fun or not after the focus tree I properly revealed.
A nation is only as fun to play as the devs make it out to be.
Who knows, maybe NED and BEL could have boosts to their exile governments in Suriname and Congo, changing how they play after capitulating.
They will face a similar problem with France as well, whenever they get to overhauling that, in that they will have e to make the free French forces fun to play in exile, so this could be a start projecting that.

It is unavoidable, that at some point all countries, that were involved in WW2 get a focus tree (except luxemburg). With last weeks diary about the fight of democracies the netherlands (and probably belgium) would be a logical consequence. I just really, really hope, that this DLC includes Finland, considering the winter war and continuation war are basically non-existent in the current hoi version. Unfortunately I doubt this and would rather bet on next DLC together with Soviet Union overhaul.

I agree, but I believe Finland doesn't quite fit here.
My completely baseless speculation for the next 2-3 DLCs is that one will be with France, Italy, Spain, Turkey and Greece, the other will either be one DLC with the Nordic countries dealing with their situation (among them, the continuation war), the USSR and Poland, or two DLCs, one with Scandinavia, and another with Poland, the USSR, Finland and the Baltic countries.

 

[SaydaNeen]

Super disappointed if it is indeed the Netherlands. Don't really see a point in focusing on that country when in any game that involves Hitler that doesn't become FUBARed will involve it being obliterated within days of the war beginning. Belgium would suffer the same problem, so hopefully that isn't the second country getting content.

Did you see the last Dev Diary? Read the title and it will justify why it could be Netherlands..

 

[Armacalic]

Did you see the last Dev Diary? Read the title and it will justify why it could be Netherlands..

One can read the last dairy and still not be enthused about the likely country to be revealed, tho.

 

[Olanov]

One can read the last dairy and still not be enthused about the likely country to be revealed, tho.

Yeah well. The age old saying "You can't please everybody" definitely rings true.

 

[Iskulya]

Did you see the last Dev Diary? Read the title and it will justify why it could be Netherlands..

I didn't know that the Netherlands was particularly known for its resistance movement.

The exile mechanics look interesting, but the Netherlands' population seems a bit small to have a significant exiled manpower pool. Who knows, maybe Paradox will pull a rabbit out of a hat and make some interesting decisions and mechanics relating to them being in exile. Guess we'll have to wait and see!

As it stands, I just don't see how spending most of the game with the two or three divisions your manpower in exile pool will allow will be that fun. I imagine it would be a lot like playing New Zealand. Have you ever played New Zealand? Don't recommend it. Except New Zealand is probably more capable considering it at least has a small handful of factories for production instead of being 100% dependent on lend-lease as exiles are.

But again, who knows? Maybe they'll have some kind of decision based mechanics relating to the resistance and arms smuggling and things like that. Could make it a bit more interesting.

 

[Duke_Dave]

This piece of bread doesn't look at all dutch, not flabby or soft. This looks like proper German bread not soft and malleable Dutch bread.

 

[Duke_Dave]

I didn't know that the Netherlands was particularly known for its resistance movement.

The exile mechanics look interesting, but the Netherlands' population seems a bit small to have a significant exiled manpower pool. Who knows, maybe Paradox will pull a rabbit out of a hat and make some interesting decisions and mechanics relating to them being in exile. Guess we'll have to wait and see!

As it stands, I just don't see how spending most of the game with the two or three divisions your manpower in exile pool will allow will be that fun. I imagine it would be a lot like playing New Zealand. Have you ever played New Zealand? Don't recommend it. Except New Zealand is probably more capable considering it at least has a small handful of factories for production instead of being 100% dependent on lend-lease as exiles are.

But again, who knows? Maybe they'll have some kind of decision based mechanics relating to the resistance and arms smuggling and things like that. Could make it a bit more interesting.

I think there will be a lot of fighting with small navies in the pacific against the Japanese, but one could also go fascist and invade Belgium and France together with the nice neighbors to the East.

 

[LiberiusX]

I dunno...Paradox has lied before. Are we positive France isn’t getting an updated focus tree, just because PDS said so in the past? It is, after all probably the most democratic major in Europe.

 

[James Hale]

I didn't know that the Netherlands was particularly known for its resistance movement.

You'd be surprised (or perhaps not) at just how 'strong' many of these resistance movements were - after the fact, anyway.

 

[Louella]

This looks like proper German bread not soft and malleable Dutch bread.

LOAVES OF IRON

BUNS OF STEEL

 

[Stug_Life]

I guess the only question now is if the last democratic nation to get a unique focus tree is Belgium or Norway?

 

[Holdy]

I dunno...Paradox has lied before. Are we positive France isn’t getting an updated focus tree, just because PDS said so in the past? It is, after all probably the most democratic major in Europe.

Actually you are right. Why is a french focus tree ruled out? France abandoned the gold standard in 1936 (if my 2 minute research doesn't fail me ) and "fighting pacifism" could be integrated into every nations focus tree more or less (especially democratic ones). If playing ahistorical france becomes an important major, with a rather small focus tree. A new ahistorical path could be linked to germanys ahistorical path.

 

[LiberiusX]

Actually you are right. Why is a french focus tree ruled out? France abandoned the gold standard in 1936 (if my 2 minute research doesn't fail me ) and "fighting pacifism" could be integrated into every nations focus tree more or less (especially democratic ones). If playing ahistorical france becomes an important major, with a rather small focus tree. A new ahistorical path could be linked to germanys ahistorical path.

It just seems like a good fit. France was rife with Pacifism. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if PDS was fibbing a little bit.

Here’s my reasoning: The devs said that playing a government in exile wouldn’t be that much fun. So, while I can see alternate history NED being fun, its historical path entails getting curbstomped by GER. Most people play SP, so why flesh out a whole section of an NF tree that isn’t even going to be played a lot of the time. I guess its ok if GER goes ahistorical though.

All that being said, FRA fits the democratic requirement better than Britain or NED. It had a sizable navy. It had a world spanning empire. It had a LOAD of exiled forces compared to everyone but the Poles. It also REALLY needs an NF tree overhaul. I think it’s a good fit for MtG. A much better fit than Belgium or Sweden.

 

[jimkoons]

It just seems like a good fit. France was rife with Pacifism. I honestly wouldn’t be surprised if PDS was fibbing a little bit.

Here’s my reasoning: The devs said that playing a government in exile wouldn’t be that much fun. So, while I can see alternate history NED being fun, its historical path entails getting curbstomped by GER. Most people play SP, so why flesh out a whole section of an NF tree that isn’t even going to be played a lot of the time. I guess its ok if GER goes ahistorical though.

All that being said, FRA fits the democratic requirement better than Britain or NED. It had a sizable navy. It had a world spanning empire. It had a LOAD of exiled forces compared to everyone but the Poles. It also REALLY needs an NF tree overhaul. I think it’s a good fit for MtG. A much better fit than Belgium or Sweden.

That would be a neat surprise and I hope you're right!
France & USSR really need an overhaul and imo it's too bad that we have to wait that much time until those majors are updated... Having Netherlands or Belgium trees (although I am Belgian) should definitely not be a priority as those countries aren't that important during WWII... (Belgium in WWI maybe but I digress ) I still hope that Finland or Spain are the minor focused in this dlc cause they played an active role during that time.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow dev diary

 

[Blackwhitecavias]

That would be a neat surprise and I hope you're right!
France & USSR really need an overhaul and imo it's too bad that we have to wait that much time until those majors are updated... Having Netherlands or Belgium trees (although I am Belgian) should definitely not be a priority as those countries aren't that important during WWII... (Belgium in WWI maybe but I digress ) I still hope that Finland or Spain are the minor focused in this dlc cause they played an active role during that time.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow dev diary

The problem I see with it being Fance and not the Netherlands or Belgium is that if they ever want to do something with them they don't really fit anywhere else (only fits would be the UK or France, and if they are both in this update the only other way of combining them with something would have to make no sense or just be a "European Democracies" pack, which I don't think would be popular). Meanwhile this dlc already has a decent amount of content shown and more isn't really needed.

 

[krios41]

Landlocked so don't work well with the naval focus.

I gues it was bound to happen

 

[LiberiusX]

The problem I see with it being Fance and not the Netherlands or Belgium is that if they ever want to do something with them they don't really fit anywhere else (only fits would be the UK or France, and if they are both in this update the only other way of combining them with something would have to make no sense or just be a "European Democracies" pack, which I don't think would be popular). Meanwhile this dlc already has a decent amount of content shown and more isn't really needed.

Sure they can skip NED and BEL this time. Wrap them up in the next inexpensive country pack and call it BeNeLux Strikes Back!

 

[vivear]

If it is, like I personally always wanted, the Netherlands , then I hope that Indonesia (Dutch East Indies) will have some love in the future , I think it might be interesting .

 

[Vohen]

Sure they can skip NED and BEL this time. Wrap them up in the next inexpensive country pack and call it BeNeLux Strikes Back!

This is probably a joke, but in all seriousness, not doing NED and BEL now would probably put them in a tough spot later on.
An immersion pack with just these two is a tough sell imo, so they'd have to go with some of the major's rework.
They really have very little (or nothing) to do with the USSR, Poland and Italy, so that leaves them with France.
If they keep this pattern of doing reworks in pairs, France would likely be paired with Italy, but those two would fit much better a Mediterranean expansion with Spain, Turkey and Greece (which are also high up on the priority list).
So if they don't do it now, they are almost going to be forced to put it into the France/Italy expansion, with Spain/Turkey/Greece having an immesion pack, which is less than ideal for Italy and the theme of that expansion.

Of course, this is a linear thought process and they don't have to follow it to the end of times, but it just makes sense to do it now imo.

 

[Duke_Dave]

Italy really had an interesting Middle East policy which would be worth exploring in great detail. I mean there is also the German communist tree but from a sales perspective, people will not buy this DLC for the country pack, they buy it for the naval features and the UK and US rework, so putting countries that wouldn't sell well otherwise is just smart.

A country pack with Turkey will sell well, independent of other content, same goes for a Spain and Scandinavia pack. But Belgium and Netherlands are tough to sell.