The Potential that HOI Holds...

[Jon Shafer]

Okay, I'll admit, HOI has some issues:

World trade makes is extremely easy to get your industry to max, and build huge stockpiles of resources very quickly, even while playing as the historically deprived Axis...

The AI could always use a bit of work, but that's understood to be a work in progress. It could be a lot stronger if it built more divisions, and if it could build/maintain/rebuild a front better...

Air units are a bit strong...

A few bugs, a couple CTDs...

Some other things that need tweaking...

However, when it comes down the the nitty-gritty, HOI has the makings of, IMO, the greatest strategy game ever, at the very least, the best one ever covering World War II. Throw in some Multi-Player, and you have the makings for a new twisted form of sleep deprived-failing classes-missing a lot of work syndrome.



Here's to Paradox, and a masterpiece in the making that we get to bare witness to.

Go take that vacation Johan, you deserve it.

 

[unmerged(1095)]

Originally posted by Trip

Go take that vacation Johan, you deserve it. [/B]

Believe it or not but Johan actually came back in the middle of a vacation (he hadnt had one for 3 years) to fix a Patch for EU2!

How many Developers would care as much as that

 

[bandkanon]

I was pretty cool with the world market rules. But then I puppeted Belgium and Holland and I got 99999 of everything, including rubber. Then I realized HOI has a very bad shortcoming. I believe the trade system of instantaneous resources is a mistake. After reading everyone else's thoughts on this, I believe that the WM system shuold be abolished. Resources must be made harder to get. Well, not harder, but definetely in a different way, one that is dependent upon the player's ability to transport them and the enemy's ability to hinder them. Furthermore, I think the IC system should be reevaluated and conversion to be limited, hopefully to become a manual system. The present conversion inherently makes coal the currency of the game (coal to oil to rubber) at least for Germany. Conversion should not be instantneous and only used in order to stockpile a commodity. I wish the ablity to stockpile can be done. I really don't like not having enough oil to fight a war; I want a strategic reserve of oil that cannot be converted to rubber automatically.

Like many people said, the WM makes it so that there is almost no reason to fight a war. Resource pressure exists only if your present situation causes you to not have enough of coal for conversion. A trade system must be created that:

1. Is suceptible to enemy interdiction.
2. Embargos and trade agreements can be made between the player and other countries.
3. Allies can share resources; Currently Rumania gives no oil to Germany if they are allied; The only reason to ally is to get military support.
4. Conversion is not instantaneous (although after rethinking this maybe that isn't a big deal afterall; However, conversion should be so costly as to not be very common, thus forcing the player to find resources more realistically through peaceful trade or aggressive force.

I am not trashing this game. I thik that HOI has the making of a true classic in gaming, but right now the current trade / economic system hinders the enjoyment of HOI.

 

[unmerged(1095)]

Thats fine Bandkannon.
Constructive comments like those are likely to be read and understood by the Developers

 

[bandkanon]

Originally posted by Uglyduck
Thats fine Bandkannon.
Constructive comments like those are likely to be read and understood by the Developers

Thankyou UD. I think in my youth I would have ranted, but I really see HOI as a very fine game indeed and with Paradox's loyalty to their fans and games they will definetely try their best to enhance a good game into even a better one. If I could even help just a little I would be very happy indeed.

 

[Jon Shafer]

Re: Re: The Potential that HOI Holds...

Originally posted by Uglyduck
Believe it or not but Johan actually came back in the middle of a vacation (he hadnt had one for 3 years) to fix a Patch for EU2!

How many Developers would care as much as that

I know that's what I was referring to.

He should have taken it though...

We can be patient when we try.

3 Years? Maybe I shouldn't get into the game business after all.

Perhaps this could become the 'suggestions for improvement' discussion thread for the discussion forum?
I know there's a thread in the 'bug' forum, but there ought to be a place where people can voice their opinions as to what they'd like to see added/improved without having to venture into the bowels of the 'bug' forum.

 

[bandkanon]

Re: Re: Re: The Potential that HOI Holds...

Originally posted by Trip
I know that's what I was referring to.

He should have taken it though...

We can be patient when we try.

3 Years? Maybe I shouldn't get into the game business after all.

Perhaps this could become the 'suggestions for improvement' discussion thread for the discussion forum?
I know there's a thread in the 'bug' forum, but there ought to be a place where people can voice their opinions as to what they'd like to see added/improved without having to venture into the bowels of the 'bug' forum.

You are talking about the enhancement forum I think. This isn't really about enhancement. More of a modification to change a system instead of enhancing it.

Here's another concern, maybe I am confused.

The caliber of guns for tanks. I noticed that once yuo research a particular caliber of gun for a tank, all others those of that class are closed off. Essentially a "basic tank 40mm", a "basic tank 50mm", and a "basic tank 70mm" have absolutely no difference when they are compared in the research screen. Why then are there 3 separate basic tank subcategories? They all provide the same new tank model. I think higher caliber guns should give a higher Hard attack upgrade to the tank.

 

[unmerged(3352)]

Great idea.

Here is one suggestion for improvement I have been thinking of:
When you play with counters on, you dont get to see the small flags for each nation.

When you hover the mouse over a fleet, you should be able to see what nation that fleet is from. As it is now, the color of countries like France, Belgium, Holland, Schweiz, Denmark Czheckoslovakia, Hungary is almost exactly the same. When when you see a fleet at sea you only see that colour. When you hover the mouse over the fleet you get a recon report along the lines of "2 capital ships, 2 squadrons".

I think it would be great if that recon report said something like "French task force, 2 capital ships, 2 squadrons"

In my last game I sent the german fleet chasing after what I thought was the French fleet. I spent several days sending ships and naval bombers to patrol a sea area where I could clearly see a French task force. Finally, I turned counters off, and it turned out to be (some very surprised, one might suspect) Dutch ships (Holland was neutral).

 

[Jon Shafer]

Okay, modification. Nuances such as the title aren't important.

A change for the counters would be rather welcome... the first time I saw them the first thing that entered my mind was "so which counters belong to who?"

 

[unmerged(3352)]

Yeah, it becomes really fun when light blue Hungary and gray Germany goes to war with light blue Czheckoslovakia (happened in a game for me).

Hmm, how did that Hungarian division get there so fast?

No wait, that must be a Czheck. And in the province where I sent a Hungarian corps to attack a Czheck corps...lets see how that one went...yay we won, no wait, they won and my units are retreating.

Uh, what happened to Budapest, I thought that was a Hungarian unit retreating but apparently it was a Czheck unit attacking...so where did those Hungarian units go? That must be them retreating. Uh..wait did I just lose Munich?

Great, I just captured Prague...why does it belong to Hungary now?

Lets just say that the confusion was complete for a while there.

 

[unmerged(28)]

Re: Re: Re: Re: The Potential that HOI Holds...

Originally posted by bandkanon
Here's another concern, maybe I am confused.

The caliber of guns for tanks. I noticed that once yuo research a particular caliber of gun for a tank, all others those of that class are closed off. Essentially a "basic tank 40mm", a "basic tank 50mm", and a "basic tank 70mm" have absolutely no difference when they are compared in the research screen. Why then are there 3 separate basic tank subcategories? They all provide the same new tank model. I think higher caliber guns should give a higher Hard attack upgrade to the tank.

They are all different tank models.

/Greven

 

[unmerged(5824)]

Originally posted by Hortlund
Yeah, it becomes really fun when light blue Hungary and gray Germany goes to war with light blue Czheckoslovakia (happened in a game for me).

Hmm, how did that Hungarian division get there so fast?

No wait, that must be a Czheck. And in the province where I sent a Hungarian corps to attack a Czheck corps...lets see how that one went...yay we won, no wait, they won and my units are retreating.

Uh, what happened to Budapest, I thought that was a Hungarian unit retreating but apparently it was a Czheck unit attacking...so where did those Hungarian units go? That must be them retreating. Uh..wait did I just lose Munich?

Great, I just captured Prague...why does it belong to Hungary now?

Lets just say that the confusion was complete for a while there.

Sounds like genuine Fog of War.

 

[grumbold]

I'd like to second Trip in saying all you guys ought to throw a big party and a take a couple of weeks break. You deserve it, and we want you eagerly writing games and AI tweaks in the years to come, not burned out, broken down and looking for alternative jobs in the emergency services to reduce pressure at work