Your best HoI3 game?

[markkur]

This has likely been done lots of times but I've not seen it in the short time I've been around but what has been your best game with TFH vanilla? What country played? What starting year? What happened? And also, did you have to do something to turn create the desirable result? Btw, I don't mind if Mod users want to join the discussion too, since many of us are heading there too. So, for those with the experience multiple answers would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

 

[marxianTJ]

Probably the most interesting game I've had in HOI3 was one of my early Soviet games, Japan declared war on me in the 1939 (they will often do this if they don't respect your garrison forces in the East). This was in... Semper Fi I think or maybe FTM. I was also experimenting with not purging. So, Tukhachevsky et al, led the Soviet army to the East. Vladivostock fell before I could get anybody in position - including most of the Pacific coast. I didn't reenact the Russo-Japanese war by sending the fleet around the world to fight - I left them in place.

I changed my strategy in the West completely and shifted to building land forts against Germany in the pre-Ribbentrop pact areas. As fighting was going on in the East I still got the pact offers, took them, invaded Finland with what units I could spare (and had left in the West - since you can't overload the East anyways due to bad INFRA). I took out Finland easily enough, and had managed to reclaim some of the East. Then started building lots of 2x INF divs for my new border with Germany (they would give Germany something to fight before reaching my 1939 border forts lol.

By the end of 1940 I had managed to reclaim most of the East and had penetrated into Manchuria. I also had to send 2 full corps into Mongolia to prevent them from falling.

In April of 1941 I had managed to knock out Japan's puppets and had a border with China akin to the Japanese prewar border, as well as owning Port Arthur again, and Korea.

The sad thing is that since I had been benefiting for "war-time" laws since 1939 I had managed to build an army far surpassing anything I'd managed to build before lol. I took Tukhachevsky's eastern army and reduced it to a purely defensive force and hurried my troops back to the West. The Germans declared war on me and quickly pushed to the 1939 border line of fortifications - which they were unable to penetrate. The Japanese attempted several landings on the pacific coast, and although my brain was a bit taxed by having to watch 2 fronts of such size, 2 years later Germany (and most of Europe) was annexed, and I had begun pushing into China.


The *most* fun I've ever had playing any hoi game was in hoi2, as Italy. Sadly what I did there isn't possible in hoi3 due to the faction system. I basically turned Italy into a 4th faction in the war. I forged an alliance with Hungary (I sucked up to them a lot). Did the usual Italy things like conquering Ethiopia, Albania, Yugoslavia, and Greece (before it joined the allies). I also helped the nationalists to win the war in Spain by knocking out the Republicans (but not the nationalists - so I kept some of Spain occupied). Turkey fell into my orbit, as did Bulgaria and Romania. Germany took Austria and Czechoslovakia, and eventually Poland. But when they declared war on France, I declared war on France as well and swept up a large portion of their country - since so few of their forces were guarding their Southern Coast - and robbed Hitler of Paris. Still, the Germans didn't declare war on me, but I was at war with the allies - and then began preparing for the ultimate war against Germany - the fascist dictator showdown lol. I let the British have Libya, built a massive AT force, and declared war on Germany - eventually beating them 3 years later. Then I retook Africa, and knocked the UK out of the war - and the USSR DoW'd me... and Rome fell in 1946 to a combined Soviet and American force .

 

[yamato2cz]

This has likely been done lots of times but I've not seen it in the short time I've been around but what has been your best game with TFH vanilla? What country played? What starting year? What happened? And also, did you have to do something to turn create the desirable result? Btw, I don't mind if Mod users want to join the discussion too, since many of us are heading there too. So, for those with the experience multiple answers would be helpful. Thanks in advance.

played as turkey. conquered every single neutral non guaranteed country by 1938, even china, steamrolled germany in half a year so in 1939 was virtually no axis countries existing due to me conquering china before japan. then because i could attack from all directions, i attacked SU and overwhelmed them in another 4 months. then long 2 year conflict with allies, due to their naval superiority, eventually outproducing them and destroying them. by that time, only americas existed, so from 1942 i invaded equally all americas winning in 1944.

 

[kilen2015]

on HoI3, i dont have "completed/ended" scenarios yet, in fact.
...its probably the one i do now, i guess, but i still play with (and its on TFH).

i played some months in Vanilla in 2013, but not really such (there was real issues concerning theaters HQ unable to be made & to manage military districts or about wich provinces attached with, etc... and also concerning issues to control -without AI- all military forces and how to make them move efficiantly in offensives, etc...
i dont really have good judgment on Vanilla... i really think its necessary to play one of 3 expansions to trully enjoy HoI3 potential... or play with BI/mods, of course).
then, i was really disapointed and sad about these 2 issues.
so, i stopped playing HoI3 for 1 or 2 years and restarted starting 2015 +/- with TFH...

i am on the right way to prevail and overpower the VH level but my campaign isnt yet ended,
i will only can say if its my best scenario after, in some months, around 2016...

but, if we include HoI2s,
my best scenario was about Japan in VH, i think (it was on Doomsday around 2010, if i remember well)...
it was really hard and a tough challenge, but i prevailed finaly !

the game stopped on 1st january 1955, i started in 1936.
i started war against USA & Allies in april1942 and war never stopped till 1955.
plus, USSR defeated GER in January1945 and declared war on me in march1945 (i never was ally with Axis countries from Europe, only Asian usefull nations).
war with USSR never stopped lso till end game in january1955.

so, from 1945 to 1955 i was at war gainst all credible nations together, on defense everywhere,
and against approx 3 times more forces than mine if we count all ennemies together !
my purpose was to create the "co-prosperity asian sphere" (i dont remember how they say in english precisly, sorry, i should verify... but it was the concept from Japan about propaganda to other asian countries and against western imperial powers, etc... i am sure u see what i mean) and control all Asia before end date of the game...

...and i succeed, clearly !

i fnished the game with:
- all India, Afghanistan, Himalaya countries owned till Persian border.
- all indian ocean under control too (controlling Madagascar and all islands inside with).
- all chinese factions conquered or puppet states of Japan.
- a very long front against USSR inside russian lands (Mongolia & Tanu Vatu conquered too) in far eastern siberia and till present Kazakhstan zone (+/-), and controlling all Okhotsk Sea shores too, etc.
- controlling all central pacific islands with frontline against USA at Hawai islands (owning Midway & Wake, USA controlling Hawai islands).
- in the south, all till Australian border -uninvaded by me- (controlling Indonesia, Borneo, Indochina, Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, etc, etc)

it was really fun and not so easy, i swear u...
my strategy was to completly resign building powerfull Japan Navy and only build/use B-NAV to dominate (with pacific islands as "unsinkable carriers" + defend them all very well and push back all US invasions of these islands when necessary), etc...
(it worked perfectly till end of game !) (y)

in the continental asian front against USSR, it was quite different.
USSR was really more stronger (about quality & number) than my own troops, i used many B-TACT to rebalance their land advantages and hold the lines...
it worked really well coz i finished the game inside USSR provinces and defeating many times USSR land troops, etc...
...the trick was to refuse/avoid land struggle and use B-TACT with interdiction missions to destroy their ORG,
let them move forward in one of my provinces -2 province deep, big max-,
and counter-attack with my own land forces (unused) next, to recover or try to incercle them where i could, etc.
(it worked perfectly too during years !) (y)

but it wasnt really easy,
and i was on pression in all last 13 years of the game by that "global war" against UK-USA-USSR together...
(with limited quantity of forces: very few modern/MEC/ARM land forces, etc... only my air forces was serious, dangerous and effective)

but i held on till january1955 and owned ALL Asia at the end (more of Asia in some regions).... so, mission accomplished, i prevailled !

there was also my other campaign with GER, on Armaggedon, in 2011 (VH too).
but it was really more easy than Japan, there was no real challenge to prevail there (compared to Japan, i mean)...
i have really best souvenirs from Japan campaign coz its clear i wasnt the more stronger during these 13 years of war against UK/USSR/USA, etc...
and thats was a true/intresting/rewarding challenge !
so, that campaign in Doomsday is probably my best performance since start on all HoIs, i think... (and its defenatly the one i prefer till now)

...but HoI3 is far more harder/realistic/complex,
if i can prevail with GER here, in TFH/VH, it will probably become my best souvenir...(?) (i hope so, i will see...)

++

 

[misterbean]

FTM 3.05. Germany. Bitter Peace by 1941. Sealion by november that same year. invasion of USA in 1942. Complete defeat of the Allies by 1945.

 

[Afganitia]

Well, the best game as the best played: czecs 1936 conquering Germany, Italy, and the balcans. I still do not know how I survived and conquered them, basically alone, with a little help from Ned.
As to the most epic. Germany. Road to war. No ic build. Lowering NU of SU. I influenced USA since the start. I declared war to allies in 1937. I had my newly made transports in the uk coast. So I landed there with my inicial troops, before they could sink my ships. A bit gamey, but I conquered the islands in three months. After that, SU declared war on me, before UK surrenders (In 1938, at the start); didn't mind: poor fleet and poland in the middle. UK Wargoals, Gibraltar, middle east and puppet. I hold the magginot line of France, training my and their officers. Anscluss of Austria. I continued adding adquiere territories as wargoal in france and then lastly puppet. So I converted them in vichy france while being france: I got all France except Vichy, as well as Indochina. However, France still was France with his Navy and troops (I didn't encircle french troops), but they were my puppet. England then fall in 1938 after getting Egypt. They became a german puppet. Then, I invited Italy and Hungary to the axis. I puppeted Irak, and at the start of 1939, the rest of expuppets of UK. The allies have disappeared. No danger of USA becoming allies. I kept Nat Spain and USA in my corner. In 1940, with German american bund in power, I ataqued norway, Sweden and Finland. My thread rised, and both entered in the AXIS. I then finally accepted Japan in the axis, as well as the rest of balcanic countries. I got gibraltar effect, and oresund effect. I declared war on poland (finally got Brazil to axis). I steamrolled the polish comitern (danzig effect) as well as the Russian: conquered balcans (findland effect), Leningrad, Japan Vladivostok in 1941 and without Moskow and NU of 40% they surrendered: I got west russia, westcentral, Urals ans Vladivostok, i order to have supremacy of the east. Japan finished in october the rest of countries of Comitern. Also he alone annexed Australia. Annexed el salvador. In 1942 Puppeted all countries in America which were not in Axis, supremacy of the west. At the start 1943, with the fell of luxembourg 100% Axis points.

 

[Kovax]

Best game in terms of enjoyment was with Hungary in the SF expansion. Assimilated YUG in '37, followed by most of the rest of the Balkans in '39. Helped Italy secure North Africa by invading Palestine and pushing to take the Suez Canal in early '40. Sent a single TP and sub around Africa to the former French coast, and marched a Corps of troops overland to France, to launch an amphibious invasion of the British Isles in late '40. With the sub as a spotter, I aborted a couple of attempts when UK fleets were detected heading toward my TP, but the third try managed to put a division on shore and run for port (barely got away). That lone division pushed a UK division out of a minor L1 port, which was all I needed to be able to send the TP back and forth to deliver the rest of the Corps, rather than sit vulnerably offshore. I managed to take London and the better part of the island with that single Corps, and the Germans finally sent an invasion force of their own just in time to secure 3 minor provinces before I annexed the rest of the UK. I drove an invasion corridor all the way to Stalingrad, and secured the entire Caucasus region, but by that point, AI GER had run itself out of manpower in Norway (duh!) and collapsed. That left me with the entire Soviet army on my long and vulnerable flank, and Soviet troops in Berlin in a matter of a few months. Game over, but WHAT a game while it lasted. No lend-lease or expeditionary forces were used, and no claims were made on land that my own troops didn't take and hold.

Last GER game using TFH, it started to get tedious after I sunk the majority of the RN to the point where they couldn't muster more than a CL and couple of DDs to defend against an invasion of the British Isles in spring of '40, concurrent with an early Barbarossa. The Soviets fell in just over a year (summer of '41), and I was in the process of pushing across South Africa, with an invasion force gathering to take on Canada, when I simply got bored with it. I suppose it was only a matter of another month or two and Japan would have attacked the US by the end of '41, which would have led to a carrier duel (I had 3 CVs and a CVL built, and 4 more CVs nearing completion) but things had simply gotten too large and cumbersome for me to bother with. Best progress to date (I usually get bored with it long before this), but far from the most fun I've had, because I usually find a minor power much more challenging and entertaining.

 

[markkur]

Some good games here. My best (most fun and promising) was actually a short-lived game that ended in fiasco. As Hungary I had taken the Balkans. My army was well lead and the infantry up-to-date, all ports well guarded and plenty of Militia for partisan duty. I was had started my 6th Corps, giving me over 20 INF Divisions with some at 5 brigade strength. I was so ready for what was to come.

For the first time for me, Italy knocked the UK out of the Med. So all that was necessary was for Germany to start Barbarossa. I was gunning for Turkey too but not sure where else.

Then the German Norway debacle...flamed the game.

 

[marxianTJ]

I actually ran a few test games as Hungary the other night (since Kovax does what he can to make them a very interesting sounding choice! lol) to see if I could play "helpful Hungary"

So I took Yugoslavia, plopped down 5 transports I'd already built, and sent them to Northern Germany (I had to join the Axis to do this - which is probably what screwed the pooch here) - and then I invaded Denmark and Norway *after* Poland fell - and annexed them, unfortunately that caused my threat to absolutely skyrocket (due to being in a faction), and the US joined the allies in 1939 lol. It'll pry be better to simply snatch Norway for myself and be done with it - "helpful Hungary" lol. The only *major* problem is that after the Brits DoW me I can't supply Norway because my convoys can't pass through Gibraltar - so I'll have to be snappy about landing in the med after. But it *does* prevent the German AI for going crazy - and also preserves the Kriegsmarine a bit.

 

[Kovax]

As a minor, you generally want to keep your threat lower than that of GER or JAP, otherwise it quickly drags the rest of the world into the opposing factions. Every time GER takes another major action, it gives you just a bit more maneuvering room of your own. Either the AI is far more sensitive to a human player's actions than to an AI invasion, or else the scripted DoWs don't cause the same level of threat as an attack outside the script. Unless you can ally with GER or some other country without joining the faction (even Finland doesn't receive high enough Threat during the Winter War to form an alliance), or the Axis can take either Gibraltar or the Suez, your options for moving a couple of TPs and forestalling the dreaded Norway issue are limited. Note that all you need to move ahead of time is the TP, the troops can still travel overland to whichever friendly port you want them to depart from. I found it less complicated to take the Suez Canal.

markkur - if you actually DID take the BALTIC states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) rather than the Balkans, I'd be impressed (the supply issues are one thing, and having them become your territory instead of GER's is another issue). Now I'm tempted to try that, and see if I can gobble them up before Stalin claims them. What worries me is that if I do take them, will the M-R Pact still turn the provinces over to Stalin, even if the countries no longer exist?

 

[misterbean]

As a minor, you generally want to keep your threat lower than that of GER or JAP, otherwise it quickly drags the rest of the world into the opposing factions. Every time GER takes another major action, it gives you just a bit more maneuvering room of your own. Either the AI is far more sensitive to a human player's actions than to an AI invasion, or else the scripted DoWs don't cause the same level of threat as an attack outside the script. Unless you can ally with GER or some other country without joining the faction (even Finland doesn't receive high enough Threat during the Winter War to form an alliance), or the Axis can take either Gibraltar or the Suez, your options for moving a couple of TPs and forestalling the dreaded Norway issue are limited. Note that all you need to move ahead of time is the TP, the troops can still travel overland to whichever friendly port you want them to depart from. I found it less complicated to take the Suez Canal.

markkur - if you actually DID take the BALTIC states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) rather than the Balkans, I'd be impressed (the supply issues are one thing, and having them become your territory instead of GER's is another issue). Now I'm tempted to try that, and see if I can gobble them up before Stalin claims them. What worries me is that if I do take them, will the M-R Pact still turn the provinces over to Stalin, even if the countries no longer exist?

I would imagine that you'd have to get through Poland before the first Vienna Award. No Allied Poland means no Poland means no M/R Pact.

edit: take the Czechs before the Sudetenland means no Vienna Award.

 

[marxianTJ]

As long as you snatch *all* of the Baltic states - the M-R pact won't have any effect on the them. The *problem* will be that you'll either have to take this route ---- ) Yugoslavia --- ) Portugal ---) Ireland --- ) Norway --- ) Baltic States.... Or join the Axis which will cause your threat to absolutely SKYROCKET because you'll have to declare war 3 times at the x2 rate for being in a faction. That said, the other route isn't that hard, but you wouldn't want to join the Axis, ever, at that point, because the majority of your economy would be in and around the Baltic sea lol.

On the bright side you could probably take Finland during the winter war, and Sweden as well, and then you'd be well on your way to a world conquest game once you gallivanted on back for Greece + Bulgaria + Romania + Turkey etc. As per Marco's numerous WC games the only thing stopping you is your threat on the US (if it gets too high they'll DOW *just* you and then you're utterly hosed lol).

 

[markkur]

As a minor, you generally want to keep your threat lower than that of GER or JAP, otherwise it quickly drags the rest of the world into the opposing factions. Every time GER takes another major action, it gives you just a bit more maneuvering room of your own. Either the AI is far more sensitive to a human player's actions than to an AI invasion, or else the scripted DoWs don't cause the same level of threat as an attack outside the script. Unless you can ally with GER or some other country without joining the faction (even Finland doesn't receive high enough Threat during the Winter War to form an alliance), or the Axis can take either Gibraltar or the Suez, your options for moving a couple of TPs and forestalling the dreaded Norway issue are limited. Note that all you need to move ahead of time is the TP, the troops can still travel overland to whichever friendly port you want them to depart from. I found it less complicated to take the Suez Canal.

markkur - if you actually DID take the BALTIC states (Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia) rather than the Balkans...

Sorry no. Got my balls mixed up. I meant the Balkans.

 

[thexmassteam]

My best game was my second game, with FTM. As Germany in my first game I was so impress by Japan conquering all India that I'd decided to play Japan for my second game.
I didn't know what I'm doing at this time, but I succeed to keep US out of the Allies.
I conquer all Asia, India, most of Africa, middle-east and I remember the never ending SU campaign. As I'd no idea that infra and supply exist, it took me 3 years to go to Ural from Vladivostok With tons of questions like "But why my tanks are so slow grrrrr??" and "What is this icon with RANDOM_USELESS_CONST_NAME on mouse over??"
I remember all those partisan poping all around and me trying to catch them with unsupplied armoured troops, all those useless INT and Inf dvisions in pacific island with lvl 10 forts that spend the whole war to play cards
After the fall of SU, I conquered UK and Canada and I'd filled all the CAN/USA border with plenty of (mostly unsupplied of course ) troops. I never launch the invasion, I stopped the game before after hundreds hours of fun playtime. It was an epic game
It also was the fisrt time I edit a savefile, cause of the "supply black hole bug" (0 supply in Tokyo and 99k in random port in Asia)

 

[markkur]

That does sound like a good time. Mostly I've had bad luck. The games I was enjoying most had something happen that canned the game for me. However, I am having fun atm, being a sort of Canadian "Rat-Patrol" in the Med...minus the jeeps. <L>

 

[Wave]

Allied Finland game in the latest TFH
I rushed to join allies with an intention to cause crazy allies vs comitern vs axis mess and watch how it turns out. Germany disrupted my alignment heavily for quite a few times and I was almost desperate at some point when the clock was ticking late 1939 and for months I was maybe 2 alignment points away from being able to join the allies as every month the axis influence kicked me back 20 points while I gained 18 points towards allies. Only mere days before the Soviet decision to start winter war unlocked I managed finally to join the allies and apparently because of that the war declaration never came. Instead I was soon at war with the Axis.

Germany took Norway successfully and started one of the craziest AI operations I've ever seen. They stormed lapland with a crazy amount of troops lead by Rommel (because why would one fight in Africa if he can fight in Finland? ) and advanced pretty quickly took everything north of arctic circle (3/4 of lapland) before I managed to stop their advance. The flow of German reinforcements was constant and I was all shocked that my game is going to end in 1940 while allied and nobody helps me out. I managed to push the enemies back a bit and the situation became a stalemate with neither side attacking even if the German reinforcements still marched in from Sweden. I had already begun to bomb down all infra (or all of that 2-3 infra per province there is) I could with my single un-teched TAC and not surprisingly eventually the German supply was completely cut out.
3 years later, in may 15th 1943 I had herded all my German battle-cattle into one province and attacked them. 104 brigades, 40 units, 219k German soldiers destroyed in one battle.
I know it was possible only because the AI isn't quite as clever as it could but I'm not gonna pretend it didn't feel great.

At this point I was already out of manpower and The operation Barbarossa had already reached Leningrad and my south border. This time the infra wasn't my friend and the German airforce based in Estonia caused crushing casualties in my soft units.
Axis minors and some German units clashed into my defences and with no manpower left, my divisions started to shatter after the fights. Eventually in 1945 most of my divisions had shattered and Karelia was occupied by Axis, but the allied mega-invasion in Germany saved the day as the enemy supply was cut off and I managed to clean up the mess.

shattered divisions

Basically a game over now, I've got no way to drag my ass into the pacific (at least in time or to do anything) and I think I won't even start invading Sweden at this point as it feels a bit pointless.

 

[markkur]

The Allies just skipped Italy? Looks like with the ruckus you caused, the A.I. took good advantage...nice.

Only mere days before the Soviet decision to start winter war unlocked I managed finally to join the allies and apparently because of that the war declaration never came. Instead I was soon at war with the Axis.

Sweet! Too bad there is that Sweden-glitch. Germany sends waay more troops than it needs and then cannot supply them. That messed up my last game (the Norway-debacle) Anyway about deleting 200,000 troops...I'd feel good too. Why not? it's the next best thing to encircling 200,000 troops.