New bookmarks

[GSS_]

I was wondering if we will see -at some point- new start dates for HOI4. I'm aware the most popular scenario always is the default one (e.g. EU4 1444 start date, CK2 1066...) so 1936 will always be the preferred option. However, other start dates can play a big role as well. A 1941 scenario ('Barbarossa') will be awesome, or a 1942 (Battle of Stalingrad). Or a 1944 one ('Bagration'). Right now there are mods that add some of these scenarios. Anyway, it could have many possibilities and recreate other Fronts of the war for a more immersive experience.

 

[elektrizikekswerk]

Won't happen.
The reasons the devs have given for this (on multiple occasions) can be summarized as:
- Too few players actually play them
- Too high cost in maintaining them

 

[GSS_]

Won't happen.
The reasons the devs have given for this (on multiple occasions) can be summarized as:
- Too few players actually play them
- Too high cost in maintaining them

Well, right now a single modder made two new scenarios for the game, a whole team... I can partially understand it but...

 

[elektrizikekswerk]

Well, right now a single modder made two new scenarios for the game, a whole team... I can partially understand it but...

The problem is not that much in creating them but in maintaining them with every patch.
A modder can do whatever s/he wants. The dev's time need to be paid. And every second a dev works on maintaining some obscure bookmark s/he cannot work on the actual new content/bugfixes/whatever. The same goes for QA and content designers.

/edit: It's a simple cost/benefit analysis. In this case this analysis resulted in: Not worth it.

 

[GSS_]

Understood. In a fictional world it keeps being a nice idea being able to play with historical scenarios. Well, I'll look into mods.

 

[Edungeon]

They should delete the 1939 one

 

[Dlin369]

Back in 2017 they noted that only 4% of games are in 1939. Basically it's a lot of work to maintain and not enough people play it to justify the constant maintenance and balancing it requires.

HOI4 has become a lot more about buildup and alt-history, so losing those 3.5 years of buildup takes a lot out of the enjoyment for many players.

 

[xtfoster]

Well, right now a single modder made two new scenarios for the game, a whole team... I can partially understand it but...

The last time they posted on this their metrics showed that less than 4% of players used the 1939 start date. As a business manager I would have a hard time justifying devoting resources to maintain something used by 1-in-25 of your players, much less creating new start dates. As it is, I wouldn't be surprised if they stopped even the minimal maintenance they devote for keeping the 1939 start date compatible with new DLCs.

 

[Dlin369]

I think if they add more start dates it will actually be further back in time rather than forward - 1933 would open up for more alt history scenarios.

However, that would probably be a HOI5 thing than a HOI4 thing

 

[Harin]

Oh, how I would hate to be the person who had to set up a Barbarossa Start Date Scenario for HOI4. Could you imagine how people would nick pick every detail? What? Why is Model an army commander? He should be commanding the 3rd Panzer division. And just why is the 3rd Panzer down in the south? It was in the center. And look at its template! It had 54 Mark IIIs, not 50. You ruined everything!

Would anything ever be the same again?

 

[GSS_]

I understand the statistics although it is not a strange thing. Paradox always gave different bookmarks for their players in the past, but for some reason the default scenario always is the most popular. I enjoyed play other starts in CK2, as the Third or Fourth Crusade and don't get bored seeing always the same kings and dukes. It offers a different and challenging experience, IMO.

 

[eastcoastceojam]

On weird thing about the 1939 bookmark is that Mexico always quickly becomes the Soviet Mexican Republic. It has happened 12 out of 12 times in my recent tries for the "30 Minutes of HEL" achievement.

Mexico then joins the USSR's faction, and declares war on several Central American nations by mid 1940. The USSR then ends up at war with both the Axis (thanks El Salvador) and the Allies a year early, and melts away when Germany rolls into Ukraine and Belarus.

This makes it hard to stab the Germans in the back as Falangist Poland if their armies are in Moscow before the summer of 1941. I'm starting another game soon with Man the Guns turned off, as Mexico with a generic tree will be much less of a menace.

 

[Ketchup & friends]

A 1941 scenario ('Barbarossa') will be awesome, or a 1942 (Battle of Stalingrad). Or a 1944 one ('Bagration'). Right now there are mods that add some of these scenarios. Anyway, it could have many possibilities and recreate other Fronts of the war for a more immersive experience.

We've proposed adding limited scenarios (HoI3 style) for these battles.

They should delete the 1939 one

If that means faster and better updates for the 1936 scenario, why not?

 

[xtfoster]

On weird thing about the 1939 bookmark is that Mexico always quickly becomes the Soviet Mexican Republic. It has happened 12 out of 12 times in my recent tries for the "30 Minutes of HEL" achievement.

Mexico then joins the USSR's faction, and declares war on several Central American nations by mid 1940. The USSR then ends up at war with both the Axis (thanks El Salvador) and the Allies a year early, and melts away when Germany rolls into Ukraine and Belarus.

This makes it hard to stab the Germans in the back as Falangist Poland if their armies are in Moscow before the summer of 1941. I'm starting another game soon with Man the Guns turned off, as Mexico with a generic tree will be much less of a menace.

You do realize that you can go into the settings and FORCE them (and everyone else for that matter) to take the historical path without breaking achievement status?

 

[eastcoastceojam]

You do realize that you can go into the settings and FORCE them (and everyone else for that matter) to take the historical path without breaking achievement status?

That shouldn't be necessary when playing with historical focuses on. My guess is that a focus weight got messed up somewhere, forcing Mexico to take the Mexican Soviet Republic branch of their tree.

You can see Soviet Mexico happen in Taureor's 2019 guide to 30 Minutes of Hel at the 15:15 mark in his video. In his game he was already at war with the USSR, so it didn't matter as much. My point is that the AI never creates Soviet Mexico in the 1936 start when on historical focus mode, but it does in the 1939 start:

 

[him_15]

I would rather have some battle scenario likes those we had in HOI2.