Levels of Difficulty

[unmerged(168397)]

Hi guys,

Can someone please let me know about the differences in the difficulty levels? Many games I've played give artificial boosts to the AI in terms of movement ability or simply increases attack/defense statistics so I'm interested to hear how this is handled in HOI3.

This is my first experience with the Hearts of Iron series and I'm really enjoying the game, it's incredibly detailed yet covers such a breadth of material as well - very impressive. My only is issue is challenge posed by the normal level of difficulty.

As this was my first game I decided I would play France on normal difficulty in 1939 and attempt to hold back the Germans for as long as possible. As it turns out I've managed to conquer both Italy and Germany and its only 2nd January 1941 (ie just over a year). While I could knock out Japan I think a change of level is required, I'm just interested to hear about what this is going to mean in terms of game mechanics so that I know what I'm taking on.


Cheers!

 

[Scryder]

Basically the difficulty level determines what bonus/penalties the player and AI get.

From static_modifiers.txt:

##########################################################################
# Difficulty Modifiers
##########################################################################

very_easy_player = {

	global_manpower_modifier = 0.5
	global_revolt_risk = -3
	
	global_ic = 0.50
	global_resources = 0.5
	
	supply_throughput = 1.0
	naval_base_efficiency = 1.0

}

easy_player = {
	global_manpower_modifier = 0.25
	global_revolt_risk = -1

	global_ic = 0.25
	global_resources = 0.25

	supply_throughput = 0.25
	naval_base_efficiency = 0.25

}

hard_player = {
	global_ic = -0.1
	global_resources = -0.1

	
	supply_throughput = -0.25
	naval_base_efficiency = -0.25


}

very_hard_player = {
	global_ic = -0.25
	global_resources = -0.25



	supply_throughput = -0.5
	naval_base_efficiency = -0.5
}




very_easy_ai = {
	global_ic = -0.25
	global_resources = -0.25

}

easy_ai = {
}

hard_ai = {
	global_ic = 0.25
	global_resources = 0.25


	supply_throughput = 0.25
	naval_base_efficiency = 0.25
}

very_hard_ai = {
	global_ic = 1.0
	global_resources = 1.0

	
	supply_throughput = 0.5
	naval_base_efficiency = 0.5

}

So in very easy, the Player gets the following bonus:
+50% manpower, IC & Resources
-3% revolt risk
+100% (2x) Supply throughput and Naval Base efficiency

While the AI is penalized with:
-25% IC & Resources

---
And in very hard, player is penalised with:
-25% IC & Resources
-50% Supply throughput and Naval Base efficiency

While the AI gets the following bonuses:
+100% IC & Resources
+50% Supply throughput and Naval Base efficiency


The rest, you should be able to deduce from the code.

 

[x260bm]

Unfortunately moving up to very hard difficulty only affects IC/resources and supply.

 

[unmerged(168397)]

Great, thanks guys.

On the face of it that actually doesn't sound too unreasonable. I really dislike changes being made to combat statistics as it totally changes the way games are played so a more strategic level penalty seems fair.

The supply throughput penalties will certainly make it challenging but I guess that's what I'm after...


Cheers!

 

[olorin42]

Unfortunately moving up to very hard difficulty only affects IC/resources and supply.

Not True

There's a 20% combat modifier per level of difficulty. At very easy, it's +40 and at very hard it's -40%.

The setting is in another place - common/defines.lua with this line
COMBAT_DIFFICULTY_IMPACT = 0.2,

 

[dertechie]

Not True

There's a 20% combat modifier per level of difficulty. At very easy, it's +40 and at very hard it's -40%.

The setting is in another place - common/defines.lua with this line
COMBAT_DIFFICULTY_IMPACT = 0.2,

Yep. My personal preference is to not penalize the player (I'll set that to 0 as soon as I'm not playing Normal), but to jack the AI's resources/IC immensely. Known as 'Emu' or 'Very Emu' in some circles. Pity the alliance specific bonii/penalties did not reprise themselves.

 

[x260bm]

Not True

There's a 20% combat modifier per level of difficulty. At very easy, it's +40 and at very hard it's -40%.

The setting is in another place - common/defines.lua with this line
COMBAT_DIFFICULTY_IMPACT = 0.2,

I guess I never noticed that before. It only appears to be applied only to the player's units. So the AI doesn’t get any bonuses or are they hidden?

 

[unmerged(138740)]

global_ic is the total IC or available?
IC: 0/100/150 - first one is wasted, second available and the last one total - is it a modifier for the last one or the second one?

 

[Shabz]

Modifier works for the last one. The second is the number of actual IC's your country owns

 

[unmerged(151950)]

Sorry that i ungrave such an old thread but i have one question that fits into this.
Is it possible to modifiy the medium difficulty level somehow or do i need to skip this.
I startet to craft myself a fitting difficulty curve but medium got left out due to not beeing listet in the native version of the Static Modifieres.txt

i just dont know if there is a sutiable variable the game calls for at medium difficulty level.

 

[jju_57]

Jacking the AI with resources makes the game EASIER for humans. The ONLY real way to make the game harder for a human player is to increase the supply and combat penalties. All the other options are just fooling yourself into thinking the game is harder when in fact it is not.

EDIT:
Just change the static_modifies.txt file for very hard removing everything and add something like:
supply_throughput = -.5
naval_base_efficiency = -.5

and then this
COMBAT_DIFFICULTY_IMPACT = 0.2
in the defines.lua file results in a 40% combat panality to your troops.

 

[Vidkjaer]

Is there some way to differentiate between land combat, air combat and naval combat penalty modifiers?

I always think the air combat penalty should be lower since you cannot out tactic the AI in air combat.

 

[Adar1]

Hi guys,

Can someone please let me know about the differences in the difficulty levels? Many games I've played give artificial boosts to the AI in terms of movement ability or simply increases attack/defense statistics so I'm interested to hear how this is handled in HOI3.

This is my first experience with the Hearts of Iron series and I'm really enjoying the game, it's incredibly detailed yet covers such a breadth of material as well - very impressive. My only is issue is challenge posed by the normal level of difficulty.

As this was my first game I decided I would play France on normal difficulty in 1939 and attempt to hold back the Germans for as long as possible. As it turns out I've managed to conquer both Italy and Germany and its only 2nd January 1941 (ie just over a year). While I could knock out Japan I think a change of level is required, I'm just interested to hear about what this is going to mean in terms of game mechanics so that I know what I'm taking on.


Cheers!

Dealing with Germany as France starting from 1939 was actually much much easier with he first HOI3, but becoming close to impossibilty, or an enormous effort, with TFH

 

[hunter02]

Jacking the AI with resources makes the game EASIER for humans. The ONLY real way to make the game harder for a human player is to increase the supply and combat penalties. All the other options are just fooling yourself into thinking the game is harder when in fact it is not.

EDIT:
Just change the static_modifies.txt file for very hard removing everything and add something like:
supply_throughput = -.5
naval_base_efficiency = -.5

and then this
COMBAT_DIFFICULTY_IMPACT = 0.2
in the defines.lua file results in a 40% combat panality to your troops.

Actually, those are just artificial too. The only way to make the game harder for humans is to play a smaller country. Or give the AI better strategic scripts. Make the AI smarter, don't give it crazy modifiers. Or the player weird global penalties. This isn't Civilization.