How do YOU play HOI?

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I think it would be interesting to see how different people play HOI. If you have a moment, please let us all know how you play the game. There are no right or wrong responses, just your own preferences and opinions. Thanks.

1. Do you own HOI and if so, what caused you to buy it?

2. What country or type of country do you prefer to play? Why?

3. Do you use any mods? Why or why not?

4. What scenario do you play most often? Why?

5. What difficulty levels do you normally use?

6. At what point do you typically quit a game?

7. Do you impose any additional (not enforced by the game) rules on your games? If so, why?

8. Have you ever played multiplayer? If so, how well did you like MP?

9. What do you like best about the game?

10. What do you like least about the game?

 

[Kashluk]

1. Yes. Best wargame ever.

2. Either my own homeland or countries that lost in real-life... I don't like repeating history, I like making it.

3. Nopes. Too dumb for those.

4. Still playing my first, actually... But I must say '36 because it allows the most changes in the world map

5. I don't really know. I guess it's the default setting or something.

6. Still playin' mah first.

7. Nope. The in-game ones are a bugger enough for me.

8. No.

9. The non-linearity(ness) or however you spell it.

10. Bugs.

--------------

By the way, the parts 9 and 10 really remind me of Fallout 1 & 2

 

[unmerged(7197)]

Bought it cuz I like Eu2 and WW2

No real preference as country.I like to alternate between landpower and navalpower,major and minor.

Use Bolt mod,not usually a fan of mods,but I like what he did,mostly the events addition.

1936,cuz setting up the OOB in 39 or 41 is a pain and there is more variation starting in 36.

Very hard,normal(or aggressive lately).

I quit when my goals are achieve.

No real selfimpose rules,but I not kind of guy who try to "beat the machine",I like to play in way it make sense.

No mp yet.

I like the historical feel.

I find there is a bit too much of micromanagement,air and naval warfare could be improved.

 

[SideshowBob]

1. Yes, and because WW2 is the period of history I am most interested in.

2. The slightly harder majors, Japan, Italy etc., Because you are a Major so you are part of the war, but it's more interesting to battle against the odds.

3. Bolt, because it's got loads of good extra events and it makes the game more realistic

4. 1936, because I like the what if, and the games not turning out the same every time.

5. Very Hard, aggressive, as Bolt recommends

6. When I know I've won really, can't be bothered with taking every last province etc.

7. Yep, I keep it reasonably historical, no DoW on Germany 1st thing in 1936 as the Soviets, or a swift take over of USA in 1936 when they only have 5 divisions etc.

8. No

9. The tech tree

10. Naval stuff being modelled exactly the same as ground combat

 

[unmerged(3999)]

1. Bought it the first week out, due to Paradox' track record.

2. Mostly majors so far, Japan and the UK especially. Minors who were involved in the war would be more interesting to me if my major allies could assign me to carry out specific operations to fit into their plans; I wish this feature was in. As is I pretty much have to win the war on my own.

3. Bolt's mod (1.02b now, will get 1.02c when my current game is done), because it makes the AI more than feeble.

4. 1936 for all but two games (1939 with the UK, 1941 with the USSR).

5. Very Hard/Normal.

6. When there's no real opposition left, or taking out the last enemy would take a few years and I want to move on to a new game.

7. Not really... I play historically - go with the historic choices in most events, don't declare war before 1939 when playing Germany, etc.

8. No MP yet. I do literally everything with the game paused and think it would be too hectic.

9. The tech tree.

10. The strategic AI, and the indecisiveness of naval warfare.

 

[Dinsdale]

1) Yes
because of EU

2) Majors
I want to take part in the game

3) Yes
Improvements over the packaged product

4) 1939
AI Nations are prepared for war a little better

5) Hard/furious

6) When it's obvious that I have won

7) Yes
To make the game more competative

8) No

9) Despite flaws it's a fun game

10) EU Naval AI and other "bugs" repackaged and sold to us again 3 years later.

 

[unmerged(9377)]

1. Yes, into history especially wars.

2.UK Im ex navy man so,, more battlehips the better.

3. No, downloaded Bolts mod but havent used it present game is lots of fun.

4. 36. Everytime I play 36 scenario its always different.

5.Hard normal.. find too high aggression the AI falls on its own sword.

6.At the point that I think Ive won.

7. Yes , try to stick to a reasonable reality, no attacking little guys. supposed to be the home of Democracy and all.

8.Yes played a LAN game last weekend with 2 friends. Game was great but we had trouble keeping all 3 computers on line all the time.
9. Tech tree and the nonlinear feel to the game

10. The AI naval lemmings that keep sending 1 ship at my Home fleet(20-30) all the damned time.

 

[Erwin Rommel]

1) Yes. I love ww2 games and I liked EU.

2) Germany and Japan. I think it's because I know them best among the majors in WW2. And, cool leaders like Rommel.

3) I use Bolt. It makes the game more challenging and playable.

4) 1936 scenario. I like flexibility and alternative history.

5) Hard, aggresive

6) When East Front becomes slugfest or hopeless or run out of manpower.

7) Currently I try not to attach additional brigade. You know AI don't do it, so I try not to exploit it. That is unless I'm in desperate situation.

8) No. Maybe someday.

9) Feeling of being a supreme commnader in WW2.

10) Poor AI.

 

[Jon Shafer]

1) Of course... been a fan of history and especially World War II since I was 8 years old, been waiting for this game all my life.

2) Germany and Japan, because you can stir up trouble, and they're quite a different playing experience.

3) Currently designing the HOI 1.03 AI right now.

4) 1936, mainly because I'm testing it though...

5) Very hard... errr, sure, that's it...

6) When victory is assured (or when I'm done testing ).

7) Yes. Exploits suck, no fun.

8) Yes, and it was awesome. I was Germany against a human UK and a human USSR. There was nothing like crushing the Dutch army of 30 divisions under the control of the UK with my 5 elite divisions, and slugging it out with the Soviets.

9) You have to take into account multiple factors in everything you do. You're not given "capture these cities because some omnipotent force demands it". You capture cities because YOU want them, and because YOU have a use for them. That and Johan listens to me.

10) The fact that it was released early... luckily that's not much of a factor in the long run.

 

[unmerged(1345)]

How do YOU play HOI?

Upside down. . .

It gives me a different perspective. . .

 

[unmerged(12214)]

1. Do you own HOI and if so, what caused you to buy it?

Good question. I don't actually remember what prompted me. I own EU2 as well, but I wasn't really swept away by it. I think I read a review somewhere that convinced me. Ironically, when I saw it included a scenario editor I got all excited. The fact that the editor doesn't actually work has turned out to be secondary.

2. What country or type of country do you prefer to play? Why?

The only countries I've tried so far have been Germany, USA, Japan, China, and Russia. Japan is really interesting for me right now but I think I had the most fun with USA.

3. Do you use any mods? Why or why not?

Bolt 1.02. Absolutely. Don't leave home without it because if you do, the game isn't nearly as good.

4. What scenario do you play most often? Why?

Usually 1939, simply because there's less whackiness by the time you get deep into the game. The AI is more of a challenge in '39. However, playing Japan, I took '36 so I could conquer China on my own schedule.

5. What difficulty levels do you normally use?

Very hard, Aggressive AI. Always.

6. At what point do you typically quit a game?

Either I get bored because I've overwhelmed all the opposition, or realize I pulled a major screwup and want to start over.

7. Do you impose any additional (not enforced by the game) rules on your games? If so, why?

Generally I try to be reasonably historical. For example, I'd never send Japanese troops to Europe and the USA would never invade and conquer Canada. I do it because if I go all-fantasy the game loses much of its fun factor. I bought it for WW2, not for SciFi

8. Have you ever played multiplayer? If so, how well did you like MP?

Haven't played it. Given my bizarre schedule MP isn't usually an option for me.

9. What do you like best about the game?

The variations possible. I hope someone can build a really good scenario editor at some point, or at least one that allows you to create new events and units but does the scripting for you. Modifying games is where I really get my money's worth.

10. What do you like least about the game?

Mostly, the weak AI naval strategy. It feels to me like they just applied the land AI to navies, and that will never work. But other than that, it has to be the inability to bomb ships in ports and the annoying R&D bug.

T.

 

[VTs]

1. Do you own HOI and if so, what caused you to buy it? I 've got it. I was out Christmas shopping and was just browsing. Saw it, read the box, and said to myself, 'Finally......' And since HoI, I had to go and buy EU2 (haven't played it yet though, wonder why?)

2. What country or type of country do you prefer to play? Why?
Majors, with a strong emphasis on Germany..... Because of the what-ifs.... could they have won the war...?

3. Do you use any mods? Why or why not? I use counter mods, the leader mod and the colorscales mod (try it, the ocean never looked so good...) Have downloaded Bolt's but not installed it.

4. What scenario do you play most often? Why?
1936, with a few 1939. 1941 doesnt do so much for me since there aren't so many years left to affect the outcome

5. What difficulty levels do you normally use? Anything from n/n and up. I want to see if the AI is the same on all levels

6. At what point do you typically quit a game? When I know its over...

7. Do you impose any additional (not enforced by the game) rules on your games? If so, why? No brigades, and I try to follow the historical development af tanks (no panthers in '38!) And as germany I try to build a navy with battleships ( and I don't stop the production in 1939 scenario)

8. Have you ever played multiplayer? If so, how well did you like MP? Nope. I play too slowly to keep up...

9. What do you like best about the game? Free from cat attacks and questions like 'Dad, what are these things for....?

10. What do you like least about the game? The first impression of the publisher - how could they put out a product like this on the market...? - but Paradox is working hard at making me forget my disgust ....This is also the reason I came to the forums...I wanted to see if anyone else was as mad as I was...

 

[unmerged(13293)]

1- own,ww2 gamer
2-all
3-Bolted,Tripped Because i was discouraged with 1.02 AI and people on forums suggested i try them. They helped alot thanx guys.
4-36 scenario because one of the mods i run only starts there.
5-VH,Aggresive
6-ctd (saved games lose R&D tech and detection techs. Reason to reload=NONE!)
7-Try to stay basically historical with occasional what ifs like japan taking NEI instead of China.
8-No Invadding Uk,No Italy killing the whole world without joining axis,No paras
9-No multiplayer yet waiting for patch
10-Its a ww2 game on the "puter" not many out there that are any good
11-That the USA isnt needed to defeat the Axis,No port attacks,Tech bugs.
um somewhere i added one o well you get the point

 

[unmerged(12204)]

1. Yes. Huge fan of wargames and 4X games. Ultimately, the preview on www.strategy-gaming.com made me buy it. The references to WiF really got me excited, I used to spend way too much time on that board game

2. The bad guys. Germany now, and Japan when we can attack ports with aircrafts. Why? Because evil is fun (in games).

3. I recently started to use Bolt's mod and will likely install Trip's. Why? Because they fix issues (or at least developped some workarounds) and enhance the gameplay faster than Paradox can. Which is normal, considering the number of issues this game currently has.

4. 1939 when I can. Why? the war starts right away.

5. Hard/Agressive.

6. When it's obvious either I can't win, or the AI can't win.

7. Yes. If there are gameplay imbalances or bugs, I won't take advantage of it, since the AI cannot

For example, paratroopers are currently too strong. I don't use them. Also, I've never seen the AI used them against me. Not because they're bad, but because the AI doesn't know how to use them.

Also, I try to play against the AI as if it was a human player. It makes for a more challenging game because I will play more defensively.

8. No, not yet. Too many gameplay bugs and issues right now.

9. It's fun. plain and simple. If I had to choose one aspect only, then the combat model. Original (schedule the time for your attacks), simple to use and effective.

10. Micromanagement. What's fun about that? It's ok to develop that level of abstraction in a game, but I should have the option not to care about it. If I want to look at spreadsheets of numbers, I can always load excel for that

My biggest grudge is convoy management. Try playing as UK. All you do is check your convoys: do they have enough tranports? are the convoy route established? I should have an option to let the AI manage this part. I tried playing UK once, and stopped after 10 minutes. I will never try that country again unless this feature is somehow implemented. In my opinion, that is really unfortunate because UK could be one of the most fun country to play. You have to slow down Germany as much as you can, help France and the other Allies in Europe and hope the US can open a western front.

 

[Forrad]

1. I do. My fond experiences of EU 1 & 2 made HOI an immediate addition to my game collection.

2. UK, USA and Japan. I love a good navy.

3. No. Simply because I haven't got round to it yet, may well do so soon.

4. 1939-1948. The 1936 scenario causes so many anomalies (eg. The war ends in 1941 with Soviets in Belgium)

5. Hard/Agressive. It's the only way.

6. Strangely, I've never quit a game so far.

7. Yes. I usually set myself pre-set goals (ie. territorial expansion) and won't expand further than those, even if the poor AI begs me to do so.

8. No. I still have a dial-up connection and it wouldn't be fair to others.

9. The variety of choice in how you shape history (if only in a game). You can quite easily follow history to the letter or distort it to your own wishes.

10. As I said before, sometimes poor AI. Computer controlled UK usually performs poorly, even against Italy in North Africa (which frustrates me).

 

[egross]

1. Do you own HOI and if so, what caused you to buy it?

Sometimes, I think it owns me.

I bought it because WWII is an area of both personal and professional interest, and because of Paradox's excellent past performance with EU/EU2


2. What country or type of country do you prefer to play? Why?

I tend to play the major powers (both Axis and Allies) in rotation. Why? Because that's where the crux of the war lies. Favorite?
The USA.


3. Do you use any mods? Why or why not?

Haven't used a mod yet. Two reasons: waiting to see what Paradox does in 1.03. and haven't yet gotten bored with the current version.


4. What scenario do you play most often? Why?

'36. Most chance to change history.


5. What difficulty levels do you normally use?

Higher difficult.


6. At what point do you typically quit a game?

Rarely quit; tend to play all the way through, unless complete victory (or defeat) happens so early as to render continued play pointless.

7. Do you impose any additional (not enforced by the game) rules on your games? If so, why?

Usually. "Historical" limitations rules. If there's something the game allows that conflicts with my understanding of the realities/limitations of the time, I tend to avoid taking advantage of it. I am more interested in the "historical" experience than the "game" experience.

8. Have you ever played multiplayer? If so, how well did you like MP?

Nope. Haven't played.

9. What do you like best about the game?

Scope, depth and possibilities.

10. What do you like least about the game?

The completely whacked naval combat system; an AI that tends to take a powder on you.

 

[unmerged(11967)]

1. Never tried a game like this, i wanted a change from First Person Shooters. Yes i bought it.

2. I prefer going the Axis Forces, mainly Germany or Italy. So much history - all very intiresting.

3. No mods, i prefer standard game all the way, saves me having to uninstall the game every time a patch comes out.

4. The 1936 Scenario, i like reading through all the research things from the start and seeing if i can change diffirent bits and pieces.

5. Being a newbie i play it on normal and easy :/ i still find it hard!

6. Play it till the end

7. Play it as it is.

8. No mp yet.

9. The depth of the Tech tree and ability to do what i want.

10. Lack of Pictures and FMV

 

[unmerged(13850)]

Originally posted by jchastain
I think it would be interesting to see how different people play HOI. If you have a moment, please let us all know how you play the game. There are no right or wrong responses, just your own preferences and opinions. Thanks.

1. Do you own HOI and if so, what caused you to buy it?

2. What country or type of country do you prefer to play? Why?

3. Do you use any mods? Why or why not?

4. What scenario do you play most often? Why?

5. What difficulty levels do you normally use?

6. At what point do you typically quit a game?

7. Do you impose any additional (not enforced by the game) rules on your games? If so, why?

8. Have you ever played multiplayer? If so, how well did you like MP?

9. What do you like best about the game?

10. What do you like least about the game?

1. Of course. Because I like WW2 stategy games, and heard this was a good one.

2. Germany. But I only just got the game.

3. No. Again ditto.

4. From beginning.

5. Hard/Normal

6. When my back is stiff and eyes are sore, or when it's just too late, or, most of the time, both.

7. I try not to invade Britain by conquer, and keep it to air-raids and V2s only.

8. No

9. The grandness of it. The music is okay.

10. For not operating historically.

 

[unmerged(11117)]

Originally posted by jchastain
1. Do you own HOI and if so, what caused you to buy it?

2. What country or type of country do you prefer to play? Why?

3. Do you use any mods? Why or why not?

4. What scenario do you play most often? Why?

5. What difficulty levels do you normally use?

6. At what point do you typically quit a game?

7. Do you impose any additional (not enforced by the game) rules on your games? If so, why?

8. Have you ever played multiplayer? If so, how well did you like MP?

9. What do you like best about the game?

10. What do you like least about the game?

1. Always liked grand strategy games + loved EU & EU II

2. Germany, just the most interesting one to me

3. Bolted HOI since first Bolt mod, now on "1.02c"

4. 1936 - Bolted : The Bolts of War, I want the whole experience from the start

5. very hard / aggressive

6. After bitter peace : Germany is unstoppable then (until Bolt's special scenarios that is)

7. Yes, every continetal beach area needs 1 Inf Garrison, every red start province 1 InF Garrison, every occupied capitol 3 Inf Garrison : reason : simulates need to fight resistance and is additional handicap; also no brigades

8. No

9. The Grand Scale

10. UK AI

 

[unmerged(12007)]

Originally posted by FritzReiser


3. No mods, i prefer standard game all the way, saves me having to uninstall the game every time a patch comes out.

Bolted HoI is completely de-linked from the core files. You don't need to de-install to go back to normal HoI, you just click on one of the normal scenarios and you are back to normal with normal Ai normal country files, etc.