I am finding playing Germany with default settings in normal mode to be pretty easy. Is it possible to lose the game if playing as Germany? Every country, including Russia seems to be a pushover...
Is it possible to lose the game to AI as Germany?
- Thread starter JC1939
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That is true of every major in Vanilla if you understand how combat works. The worst case scenario is a WWI style stalemate.
The "Ragnarok" mod gives a pretty good answer to this.
Germany vs. The World? Totally survivable.
Germany vs. The World? Totally survivable.
I haven't lost a game against the AI as Germany since HoI2 original. The Soviets had managed to crank out so many units (over 500 by 1942) and I just couldn't breakthrough anywhere. The US joined the Allies and started flooding the UK and I had about 500 manpower left in late 43. It was only a matter of time before the Soviets bled me dry, so I threw in the towel after my last gambit to encircle Russian forces in the Baltic states failed.
Now a days, if I want a bigger challenge as Germany, I limit certain actions I can take. Like "no Sealion until after Russia is defeated", "no offensive actions (unless needed to relieve encircled forces) in Russia between December 1 and April 15" or you could try limiting your own building, equipment or unit allowances.
Now a days, if I want a bigger challenge as Germany, I limit certain actions I can take. Like "no Sealion until after Russia is defeated", "no offensive actions (unless needed to relieve encircled forces) in Russia between December 1 and April 15" or you could try limiting your own building, equipment or unit allowances.
1. Delete all of your starting divisions. Do not acquire any divisions after doing so.
2. Justify a war on Italy and declare on them.
2. Justify a war on Italy and declare on them.
Hehe.
An involuntary defeat on the other hand will have to wait until the AI has learned the lessons of the Great War.
I've had a stalemate in France on several occasions. Don't think I got the mix of my army right. Too few armor, etc.
What also sucks is that you can't draw a battle plan through Belgium and into France. So a real Manstein Plan that you just click on and activate isn't possible. Fall Gelb and Operation Barbarossa are more enjoyable to plan in that regard.
What also sucks is that you can't draw a battle plan through Belgium and into France. So a real Manstein Plan that you just click on and activate isn't possible. Fall Gelb and Operation Barbarossa are more enjoyable to plan in that regard.
It happened to me in my most recent run when I kept changing my mind about whether I wanted to go after the Allies or Comintern first. Since I hadn't done M-R Pact, the Soviets came over the border with 100+ Divisions while mine were strategically redeploying to the French border. It wouldn't have happened if I had remembered that the whole reason I hadn't signed the Pact was so I could invade the Soviets FIRST, but why would I do that?
Short answer, yes, but only if you do something really dumb.
Short answer, yes, but only if you do something really dumb.
Yeah, to be able to break through entrenched Infantry you need your Armor. Air superiority too. I don't think I've ever faced an armored assault from the AI.
LARM divisions mixed in to an incessant infantry assault? Sure.
Concentration of firepower that could actually threaten an 80 width defense? Never seen it.
LARM divisions mixed in to an incessant infantry assault? Sure.
Concentration of firepower that could actually threaten an 80 width defense? Never seen it.
If you manage to supply yourself with all resources, you need, and able to fortify the frontline, WW1 stalemate is not so bad. Leave your PC with game working and go, sleep, or eat, or watch some film. If you surely covered yourself from possible naval invasions, airborne visits and everything like that, enemy will continue suiciding into your defences until it's last soldier will die.
Well this is disappointing. I keep playing every 6 months and eventually realize why I stopped playing in the past, There is no challenge built into the game. Handicapping myself doesn't make it fun, I prefer using the limits built into the mechanics of the game. After defeating the soviets I am going to stop playing again, defeating the UK and US were obviously going to be easy as well.
It's disappointing the developers couldn't write an AI that could be difficult to defeat and contain nice tactile/strategic surprises... Time for HOI4 to go back onto the shelf.
It's disappointing the developers couldn't write an AI that could be difficult to defeat and contain nice tactile/strategic surprises... Time for HOI4 to go back onto the shelf.
We just had a thread about a week ago from someone who couldn't even come close to defeating France.
Then podcat revealed that a lot of players play on the lowest difficulty. So, I'm guessing that yes, there are plenty of players who can lose the game as Germany.
Then podcat revealed that a lot of players play on the lowest difficulty. So, I'm guessing that yes, there are plenty of players who can lose the game as Germany.
Of course it's possible. Voluntarily causing your own defeat aside, I'm almost certain there have bene cases of it happening and will likely continue to be so. Not everyone who stops by HoI4 is a previous HoI player or a Grand Strategy experienced person. Then you have all the beginners entering the game - all it takes is misunderstanding something crucial to bring about a defeat. I still remember in one of my earliest games as UK I put my faith in my two huge navies patrollign the seas around my island and shipped my troops aroudn the globe to fight. Lo and behold my navies went into port to repair on the same day and a massive amount of Germans flooded onto the island faster than I could send boys fresh from the farm armed with whatever I could find at them. Granted, people wouldn't make that particualr mistake with Germany, but they could totally be oblivious to the danger of a naval landing and have troops tied up elsewhere for too long before they see the invasion taking their heartland. There will absolutelybe people who will attack the maginot line not knowing fort mechanics or history enough to instnatly know to not do it. The list would go on.
I agree that the standard settings are not difficult when you've started to get to know the game - or similar games - or possibly even the history of the war. But as I've experienced when trying to get some of my friends to play it with me, there's a lot that people who have had no interest in the era or the game series before simply don't know or expect. If you're not itnerested in playing Germany on the default settings because of how easy it is, there's thankfully options to make it harder on yourself, both through boosting specific enemy majors and by taking the veteran penalties. I'm Given to understand Waking the Tiger will add an extra difficulty level on either end of the scale as well.
I agree that the standard settings are not difficult when you've started to get to know the game - or similar games - or possibly even the history of the war. But as I've experienced when trying to get some of my friends to play it with me, there's a lot that people who have had no interest in the era or the game series before simply don't know or expect. If you're not itnerested in playing Germany on the default settings because of how easy it is, there's thankfully options to make it harder on yourself, both through boosting specific enemy majors and by taking the veteran penalties. I'm Given to understand Waking the Tiger will add an extra difficulty level on either end of the scale as well.
I believe that if you are new to the game, it's fairly complicated. I enjoy the complexity and spend quite a bit of time tuning my country to make it as effective as possible, but then when I "Kick in the front door and the whole house comes crashing down" I get disappointed. I prefer to experience it like Germany did in WW2 with the soviets giving a challenge.
The lack of a Soviet DoW (so no time pressure on Barbarossa) and the easy mode nature of naval or airborne invasions is rather an issue for Germany gameplay.
That said, when you're a new player, some things aren't so obvious. I've got forts along the border of France and defensive terrain - how many divisions do I need to hold that long enough to cap Poland (especially if I'm relying on the AI rather than proper micro?) On my first attempt as Germany I got that wrong. I didn't die, but I did get pushed out of the Rhineland.
HOI4 is a game you play on several levels of the Grand Strategy > Strategy > Tactics spectrum. Doing well on one level makes the others easy, and doing poorly on one makes the others harder. New players not understanding how to prioritize building or focuses may end up fighting a much harder war than you. Casual or time pressed players not willing to slow the game down to micro their lines will end up having to do better on other fronts as the battleplanner AI blatantly rams soldiers into the Maginot Line for no reason, yes I have had this happen to me.
That said, when you're a new player, some things aren't so obvious. I've got forts along the border of France and defensive terrain - how many divisions do I need to hold that long enough to cap Poland (especially if I'm relying on the AI rather than proper micro?) On my first attempt as Germany I got that wrong. I didn't die, but I did get pushed out of the Rhineland.
HOI4 is a game you play on several levels of the Grand Strategy > Strategy > Tactics spectrum. Doing well on one level makes the others easy, and doing poorly on one makes the others harder. New players not understanding how to prioritize building or focuses may end up fighting a much harder war than you. Casual or time pressed players not willing to slow the game down to micro their lines will end up having to do better on other fronts as the battleplanner AI blatantly rams soldiers into the Maginot Line for no reason, yes I have had this happen to me.
Hey, it's the internet. I like for people to believe that I'm this guy.
Wait ...
I remember losing a game or two before I figured out how to do coastal garrisons, but beyond the mistakes made by newer players you can't really lose as Germany.
I force my defeat every time, I don’t build factories, I don’t change conscription law or war economy and I don’t train new division. And still manage to win. I play every six mouths like you because I hope that every release will change the game, I want it super difficult to play and strictly historical. Only those that play “funny” have lot of hours on this game, I don’t know how they do it.
You mostly lose when you either have no Idea about what you're doing or try new things.
Although I gotta say, even after conquering everything besides the Americas, defeating the US in the late fourties nearly drove me mad...
Although I gotta say, even after conquering everything besides the Americas, defeating the US in the late fourties nearly drove me mad...