I cannot even complete the Tutorial? What to do?

[Vindahl]

So, I am new to Hearts of Iron IV - just downloaded it. I looked at a couple of tutorials online, and then tried myself with the game tutorial.
I was playing as Italy, and had to attack Ethiopia. I did that, just as the tutorial instructed me, though I did not understand much of what was going on. Actually, I think this seems VERY difficult. So, my whole 14 division army got massacred in Ethiopia, where I initially first won a few battles, but then I was just surrounded all of a sudden, and everyone died.
I dont know what to do know? Should I just restart, or should I look for another tutorial somewhere?

 

[ecpgieicg]

So, I am new to Hearts of Iron IV - just downloaded it. I looked at a couple of tutorials online, and then tried myself with the game tutorial.
I was playing as Italy, and had to attack Ethiopia. I did that, just as the tutorial instructed me, though I did not understand much of what was going on. Actually, I think this seems VERY difficult. So, my whole 14 division army got massacred in Ethiopia, where I initially first won a few battles, but then I was just surrounded all of a sudden, and everyone died.
I dont know what to do know? Should I just restart, or should I look for another tutorial somewhere?

Hearts of Iron IV is quite an immersive game. Perhaps mirroring how WWII strategic and military situation is complex and not easy to grasp, HOI4 is not easy to get right the first time around.

I like Reman's tutorial series for introducing players to the basic mechanics of HOI4. (example) I think the tutorials are better after you have some basic grasps. But give it a try anyway.

I haven't tried the tutorial. But repeating it doesn't sound like a bad idea to me. To beat Ethiopia, try to gather all your arm forces and amass them on Ethiopia. Ethiopia is a bit harder to operate due to terrain being mountainous. Hence you need more than it first meets the eyes. (Logistics can be an issue but that's something you can learn later. Plus I remember logistics not being an issue for Italy invading Ethiopia in the main campaign.) Needless to say, you need to be able to maintain a contiguous area of in your control. You cannot leave your forces isolated and you need to predict and avoid moving in a way that your forces will be isolated (and thus annihilated). This particular command will be useful: ctrl + right click on enemy troop icon will cause a unit to attack without moving to that province. That should allow you to maximize the number of your units actively attacking without inadvertently running them into enemy encirclement.

 

[Swamperino]

I would advise you to keep on trying! My first game as Italy the entirety of my fleet was destroyed and I lost the war in Africa. The tutorial is actually harder, since you don't start with anything in production at 100% efficiency. Additionally, there are no ships in production so the only thing it is good for is to show you the war in Ethiopia.
As for defeating Ethiopia, I would suggest using the troops on both borders to draw front lines and offensive orders on the borders they are stationed at, as well as deploying your airforce. This should lead to a victory by about March.

 

[safe-keeper]

Firstly, PDX games are pretty daunting. Whenever I play a new one, I just sort of jump into it, not understanding anything for the first 30-60 minutes and then gradually getting the hang of it. They are games that are meant to be played for hundreds of hours, with lots of complexity, so getting into them in the first place can be pretty hard. Don't be discouraged if you don't get it right away.

That being said, the HoI4 tutorial is pretty shallow and not very helpful. I would try the Absolute Beginner's Guide to HoI4 if you haven't already, which I've heard is very helpful.

 

[Commonblob]

This particular command will be useful: ctrl + right click on enemy troop icon will cause a unit to attack without moving to that province.

I've been playing HOI4 for almost 2 years and I didn't know this was possible. God damn paradox game features only available through knowing hotkeys!

 

[ecpgieicg]

I've been playing HOI4 for almost 2 years and I didn't know this was possible. God damn paradox game features only available through knowing hotkeys!

haha

Tbh, it's actually a design flaw. If you select a free division (ie. not participating in battles somewhere already), and hover over an enemy unit in a neighbouring province, you will see ctrl + right click in the tooltip. However, why would anyone know that applies to enemy unit only in the GUI? Personally, I tried (with great frustration) numerous times over the years ctrl + right click on the province in question to no avail. By all means, regular attack works that way. So even those actively looking for such a function can still miss it. To me, that is a design flaw.

 

[Mister Analyst]

I've been playing HOI4 for almost 2 years and I didn't know this was possible. God damn paradox game features only available through knowing hotkeys!

The support attack has been in the wiki Hotkeys page since June 12, 2016. Per the wiki

Spoiler: Support Attack

Ctrl*

Support Attack

With a unit selected, hold down control ^Ctrl and right click on an existing battle to "support" that battle. Supporting a battle will allow the unit to participate in the battle, but it will *not* leave its province and enter the battle hex upon conclusion. This can be very valuable to preserve the integrity of the front line.

The wiki Hotkeys page is a goldmine of information and possibly the most valuable page on the wiki.

 

[Mr_Dimento]

Watch videos! Play a minor nation!

I suggest playing Hungary on Historical, just mess around and help Germany and get free land from Germany

 

[Liljagare]

haha

Tbh, it's actually a design flaw. If you select a free division (ie. not participating in battles somewhere already), and hover over an enemy unit in a neighbouring province, you will see ctrl + right click in the tooltip. However, why would anyone know that applies to enemy unit only in the GUI? Personally, I tried (with great frustration) numerous times over the years ctrl + right click on the province in question to no avail. By all means, regular attack works that way. So even those actively looking for such a function can still miss it. To me, that is a design flaw.

TIL, lol. Thank you, always wondered how the AI did the supporting attacks when letting the battleplan just go with the AI in charge.

Only 900 hours in Hoi 4 though, so technically a n00b.

 

[ecpgieicg]

TIL, lol. Thank you, always wondered how the AI did the supporting attacks when letting the battleplan just go with the AI in charge.

Only 900 hours in Hoi 4 though, so technically a n00b.

Plus the AI overwrites Support Attack (that's the name in the tooltip) quite frequently. It truly is a flaw.

But ya, HOI4 has a lot of details to be discovered. That's just vanilla. There are also very good mods out there. And that's good. Makes the game playable year after year.

 

[Vindahl]

Thanks for all the suggestions - I tried watching a series of tutorials by a guy names Quill18 - wow, he was so good at explaining the stuff, that I know feel a lot more ready to start a campaign.

 

[HugsAndSnuggles]

The wiki Hotkeys page is a goldmine of information and possibly the most valuable page on the wiki.

Didn't know that Ctrl+number was the thing. Interesting. Don't think I'll ever need it, though.

 

[Mister Analyst]

Didn't know that Ctrl+number was the thing. Interesting. Don't think I'll ever need it, though.

It could prove to be useful in multiplayer. A few examples are listed below.

• Assign a province or Strategic Region to a number. Zoom quickly to your "hottest" invasion sites, critical provinces, high resistance areas, and more by using a quick click of a number.
• Assign an Army or Divisions to a number. Zoom quickly to your armored spearheads and give new orders without having to wade through stacks of other units obscuring your view.
• Assign a Task Force(s) to a number. Send your Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) quickly to different sea zones in reaction to enemy submarine convoy raids.
• Assign an Air Wing(s) to a number. Send your bomber wings quickly to different air zones to keep the enemy off balance.

 

[STABBY5]

So, I am new to Hearts of Iron IV - just downloaded it. I looked at a couple of tutorials online, and then tried myself with the game tutorial.
I was playing as Italy, and had to attack Ethiopia. I did that, just as the tutorial instructed me, though I did not understand much of what was going on. Actually, I think this seems VERY difficult. So, my whole 14 division army got massacred in Ethiopia, where I initially first won a few battles, but then I was just surrounded all of a sudden, and everyone died.
I dont know what to do know? Should I just restart, or should I look for another tutorial somewhere?

Sounds like you're over thinking it. Assign the units there to a front line on the top and bottom and set the orders to attack. Then just press go and you'll win. Ordering your planes to bomb them helps too. You've really got to think like an Italian ordering the 11th battle of the Isonzo and just club them to death without regard for lives or losses.