What's the best way to play the UK?

[Spartan448]

I'm thinking of getting this game and playing as the UK. What's the best way for me to play that nation?

[Sinjen Blackstar]

Stay defensive till US gets in war. Also control the sea. Your island is your fortification. Also defend egypt and Gibralter as they control acess to the Mediteranean and the flow of resources from your Eastern areas.

[traumspieler]

Originally posted by Sinjen Blackstar:

Stay defensive till US gets in war. Also control the sea. Your island is your fortification. Also defend egypt and Gibralter as they control acess to the Mediteranean and the flow of resources from your Eastern areas.

So France will hate you *lol*

[Spartan448]

Originally posted by traumspieler:

So France will hate you *lol*

I mean it's France, I imagine they hate the UK by default.

[zzirSnipzz]

Originally posted by Spartan448:

I'm thinking of getting this game and playing as the UK. What's the best way for me to play that nation?

I started in africa took it all form italy them did naval invasion into italian mainland and they fell fast. Only problem at minute is trying to fight Germans and russians

[Jamais Arriere]

Originally posted by zzirSnipzz:

Originally posted by Spartan448:

I'm thinking of getting this game and playing as the UK. What's the best way for me to play that nation?

I started in africa took it all form italy them did naval invasion into italian mainland and they fell fast. Only problem at minute is trying to fight Germans and russians

Only a small problem then :P

[Chainsawchild]

Buff your infantry with artillery/ support and use them to hold the Maginot Line, bleeding the Germans dry before invading the north of Germany either using marines or through denmark. The later the war happens, the better for this strategy (Germany launched the war in 1940 in my game).

[Dux_Britanniarum]

I've never played HOI before this week, but 60 hours in and several UK campaign restarts as I learnt how to play, this is what worked for me as the UK.

1. Before Dyson there was....Vickers, Supermarine, Camell-Laird. Apparently we used to design stuff other than just hoovers.

Get your political points buying 'designers' asap. Designers help technology researched after you've bought them, but don't do anything to older designs as far as i can tell. e.g. if you research George V battleship before you assign a ship designer, you dont get the bonuses from that designer. I went with 1 minister (boosts polical power gain), then 1 fleet designer, 1 aircraft designer, 1 tank designer... more or less in that order. It is a bit weird seeing 'supermarine hurricanes' but whatever haha.

2.Remember that scene in "Hot Fuzz" where they find that guy with all the guns? Be that guy!

Build equipment, not land units until 1939. "the war to end all wars" debuff, really reduces manpower. Even switching to 'limited conscription' leaves you short of men. So... build tanks, guns, supply kit, big guns, anti-air... but stockpile it until early 1939. Battleships take alot of men, so you want your limited manpower going into your navy early on.

Most ground units take 120-160 days to train, so start training units in early 1939 and they'll be ready for when the war kicks off.

Once war starts head for the 'military training act' focus, and that removes the 'war to end all wars debuff' and helps with your manpower issues.

3. Rule the Waves!

Build naval dockyards, and battleships.
You'll find you're already building ships at the start of the game. Merge these with the fleet in the med, then start building Geroge V class batlteships. You want them in the med also to take on the Italian fleet, and then later Japan's fleet.

don't worry about germany's fleet, its a joke. Stick the 'home fleet' on 'search and destroy' in the north sea... then forget about the german fleet. It is Japan and Italy who'll give you a run for your money, so the new ships you build should go to your med fleet / china fleet.

your fleet in the east is split up a bit. Get the 'china fleet' 'indiana squadron' and all the other random ships to singapore and merge them into one fleet... then get some george V battleships out there to support them around 1940 (after you've sunk the italian fleet!).

4. Rule the Air too!

Build swordfish naval bombers, and station 200 or so on malta, gibraltar and singapore/ When the war starts, have them run missions in the med / china sea to help support you against the italian / japanese fleets.

You also want around 1,000 fighters protecting southern england, and air wings of 250 fighters stationed on malta / gib / singapore.

Research hurricane fighters asap also, then replace them with spitfires in 1940.

5. Focus....hmm this is what I did.

For Focus go: 1. focus on empire / 2. Service over seas / 3. colonial elite / 4. med bastion / 5. llimited rearm / then try and get your extra research slot, before going down naval re-arm, and then back over to the fortify the med / protect suez / protect singapore.

At that point, world tension should be over the requirement to let you go for 'general re-armament'. After that, try and go for Navy stuff... getting battleship focus, allows you to research ships deisgned in 1944, in 1940... and they really beat the hell out of everything.

6. Long term fortify the hell out of singapore, there's alot of resources you need over there! I mean its like rubber central!

7. Time for another industrial revolution.

Get about 75 civilian factories on the go in the UK. For industry research put your focus into 'concerntrated industry' rather than 'dispursed industry'.. this gives you 100% boost in factory output by around 1941, which really helps pump out the ships, planes, guns etc! The dispursed industry only gives + 50%

Remember to switch your encomy when you can. you start with 'civilian economy' but can switch to 'partial mobilization' at 10% world threat i think, and what a difference that makes! it means your facotires are built 10% quicker, instead of 30% slower.

I think i ended up with 50 military facotries and 45 dockyards, though some of them may have been across the empire.

10. Trade

Don't change your trade focus. 'export focus' is fine. 'Free trade' sends way too many of your resources over seas! With your Empire you've got pretty much everything except, yes, you guessed it... the black stuff. But luckily you can trade with Australia for as much vegemite as you need.

Your oil you'll need to get elsewhere.

Trade with the British Raj first... as a puppet it doesn't seem to cost any civilian factories to get resources out of the Raj. They've got a little oil, which is the one resource Britain is short. After the Raj, get your oil from the USA.

Getting oil from the US improves the USA's opinion of the UK for some reason. Trade partners i think its called.
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Did I waffle too much? Maybe i did but its midnight now. Hope this helps a little though.

[AdahnGorion]

Trial and Error is your friend.. If you let us make a guide for you or tell you what we think, then its not really you playing is it ?? try to play as you think it should be and yes you might fail a few times, but thats part of the exprience (tbh I think this HoI is so easy, so you wont fail)

[Sev.]

I've had a few restarts too in my UK play throughs. Just got the game fairly recently and I can vouch for most of this.

I did it a little differently though. I went on a full offensive in Africa and had around 40 divisions there by the time the war broke out. As Italy only had a small part of territory left the Nazis have showed up but aren't able to stop me at this point. It's only early 1940 at this point and I have around 60 civilian factories.

I think I do need more dock yards though. My navies are doing well and winning but slowly losing ships a bit faster than I'm replacing them.

[Egor]

I would say convert to facist, destroy France asap, then weak Spain after the revolution. Then Germany when ussr will invade. Then ussr.
You can convert usa early to make them your ally.

[pinbag]

I did almost the same as yugydoom.
But In some way Afrika is only conquered around 1944.

Currently I conquered half of China thanks too the Raj and Thailand , Turkey , Spain , parts of the country's around Yougoslavia. And currently half of France.

I think that around mid 45 I will be in Berlin.

[BlackSmoke 🏴‍☠]

Look this:
http://steamcommunity.com/app/394360/discussions/0/358415206080956448/

UK (16 august 1939)

217 civilian factories
58 military factories
36 dock yards

[24 | 素食警察]

Promise China that they stay independent forever from imperialist Japanese scum, then squash the filth when they attack regardless. Finally, puppet the savages like your ever so superior imperialist ideals.

[☢ ☣ Dtokz ツ +++]

You need to give us your goals. for example do you want to conquer USA ?

[JamesF0790]

Drink tea