What is the attraction of this game?

[Apheirox]

I'd like to get into HOI4 but frankly it doesn't seem very interesting to me. I'd like feedback explaining why you play it and things that might get me interested in it as well.

Thing is, I like the open-ended nature of Stellaris better. To me, it isn't interesting at all simply reenacting WW2 and doing the exact same things that happened historically over again. In fact, if the game had an AHISTORICAL mode that's probably what I'd be playing all the time. Crazy scenarios like Germany being a peaceful democratic nation while the US is instead the fascist bigot and uses their gigantic industrial base to launch a world conquest campaign while communist Iran is doing the same in the middle east region. Random stuff like that that makes each game unique.

For the same reason, I'm more interested in playing a minor underdog nation and bringing them to glory than to play one of the established great powers. I played a game as Venezuela at a friend's. However, the whole game seems to suffer because it is so exclusively focused around the great powers: Brazil didn't lift an eyebrow as I conquered all the nations around them and grew in size, nor did anyone else. The historially neutral nations are completely docile and just sit there doing nothing, making for an incredibly stale game. Had it been EU4 these nations would have banded together in a coalition against me for their protection.

Is this a game for WW2 purists only or is there something else that makes it fun?

[GrandHardy]

There is an ahistorical mode, however it is unlikely to see the AI perform some drastic changes such as Germany being totally peaceful.

[Apotheotic Otter]

It's set up so that you in fact can play a historical games. Hire an advisor right of the bat to promote democracy in Germany? Play as democratic Germany. Become fascist Sweden and retake Scandinavia! Etc etc.

I've taken over the US as fascist Mexico, conquered Scandinavia as Sweden, Eaten the UK as great communist mother... America.

It provides a fair bit of ahistorical possibilities.

[traveller]

I'm thinking of buying this game and a friend told me to check out this series on YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyCL1LIESR8

Benjamin Magnus played Germany as fascist, but the AI really throws him some curves. So this game doen't follow history, even if you try to yourself. It may go in any number of directions. So watch some or all the videos of this series and see for yourself if this is a game you would like to own.

[noxmortem]

Even the historical mode is super ahistorical. I play historical Japan and what did I do: I created my own pact and conquer the world :D

[Kegbelly]

games actually abit crap atm no matter how you look at it and whats annoying its a 34 quid game and is like an early beta . they shouldent be charging full value for a game that might be okie a year from now after patching and dlc

[SWARZENEGGER]

166 hrs played which I enjoyed but i'm bored now.. back to TW Warhammer.

[Hurtman]

Well... I've seen a communist France invade Italy and conquer it. I've seen Poland join the Axis, and then promptly be invaded by the Soviets, being pushed all the way back to Warsaw within a month. I've seen the British become Facist, yet still invade Germany alongside the United States.

And that was all in the same game.

Historical? Don't make me laugh.

[Kegbelly]

gave britain 46 infantry brigades as south africa to defend africa and i never seen them again lol . i spotted several fighting japan along the the soviet front . nowhere near my intended thoughts =p

[Birb | Donate to UNITED24]

Well, achievements kept me playing. I still haven't played as USA and Japan. At the moment I am waiting for Black Ice mod.

[[NL]Ibahalii]

Originally posted by Apheirox:

text.

What you are asking is personal to every player ofc. and its hard to remain just objective on what is great about it, once you found your enjoyment. but ill give a bash at it.

For me, just like you the minor nation's give me a bigger 'attraction' then the majors, I have played with major, but quickly got bored of them due to the nature of what is WW2(land grab, produce, repeat).

I would love to say that this game is indeed 100% historical...but if i would do that i would defently be a lair.
Point being, that you(player) control a country, you are not its leader, nor it's generals,...just think of yourself as god or something, i don't know.
You take command of everything, and you decide everything.
So indeed you can make Nazi Germany, Democratic..it will take some time tho...a civil war might erupt from it,...but it is doable.
You can also make the USA Comunist, or Facist.
In that way the game is already Ahistorical.

As to the game play itself, again, i wish i could...but i can't...Sometimes the game plays pretty much like WW2, The next time WW2 might never fully come, because UK invades Germany as soon as they declare war on Poland, taking them over around 1940, and creates a puppet/democratic Germany.
The next game, Germany might just play as history dictates(poland -> low countries -> france -> balkan -> russia), with the exception that it might actually succeed in operation barbarosaa, and force the USSR into submission.

Now there is a little Tick box that people often confuse with a "Historical mode" i don't know how people got to it(EG if a Dev mis-spoke, or people mis-read/mis-named it) and it just got stuck in it.
But the Game does not have a historical mode. The mode it does have is, 'Historical Focus'. and all this does, is force the AI to make choices for its National Focus tree on historical acurate items, thus increasing the chances that you get a historical game...but last time i checked history books, Greece did not join the Axis, Spain remained out of the war. And Japan did not beat the USA.(could be wrong tho,..might need to read more books)
So in no way is there 100% guarantee that you will get a historical game play.
I know Paradox loves to promote it(as it was more the case in HoI2 and HoI3), but in HoI4 at this stage, there is no certainty, other then you are more likely to get a different game, everytime you play. then to have a historical acurate game.

Now because it is a game from Paradox aimed at WW2 range and era, there are ofc. the un-avoidable historical accurate events and Focuses in the Focus Tree(Anslauch, Molentrop-ribben pact, Pearl Harbor, Marco Polo Bridge incident, etc). BUT there is no guarantee that these events will actually happen.
Looking at the USA here for a moment, you 'research' a focus called 'taking a gamble' which could lead into the pearl harbor event, but only if japan has the right requirements for it. If japan does not meet the requirements(to few CV's, not enough manpower, War in China takes to long, A fly distracted the AI, For some reason it sends 200 divisions to Germany while losing the war in China, etc). then you will not see the Pearl harbor event ever happening, even tho you did everything right, the AI decided to do something else.
and these factors are complete random. As the AI is programmed to take certain focuses from the tree. That is scripted and the AI will do so, But the Ai does not get scripted in naval warfare, nor in manpower deployment. and can behave like a cannonball in a glass shop, or it can play out perfectly. If say for what ever reason Japan gets into a early war with USSR, and the USSR manages to sink 2/3 of japan's CV's then no pearl harbor event for the USA.(and there are many more examples, of how a focus is historical, but does not always plays out to be historical).

Now as said i find more joy in playing a minor, because it makes the game harder, think of: less factories, less manpower, less research you can do at the same time, less resources. Yet it is fully posible to make a deciding inpact on WW2 with your minor nation(made Peru the boss of North and South America for instance, Created a Siam that absorbed the Whole of China and parts of India). the challange in doing such things is much greater then say, play as Germany and try to survive WW2(especially when you find a good division template and set up for productions etc).

To sum up i can only say, i enjoy because of its randomness(it's a relieve after playing HoI1,2&3 where there is more focus and force on re-creating WW2).

Now there are defently things historically acurate, like the major Tech trees, and the Equipment they unlock, which all have a base/foundation in History(all be it that, some never really where created like the E-50, Maus for example). this historically acuracy on models and tech names certainly helps to create a good atmosphere to play the game(for me at least). but it unfortunally something that is still lacking for the minor nations(as been the case in every HoI game). But that is where another good thing(again personally) comes in, Mods The game has a great realm of opertunity to be modded in, and HoI4 makes no exception in that. it even expanded more then in the previous games, to where i would almost say;
'If you can Script it, You can make it happen'.
Mods, give a great replay value, because every little mod can do something else, and i'm sure that between the 1000's of mods on steam, and many 100's more on paradox forums(if not more at this stage) will give you a great time, no matter if you are looking for a serious mod, to replay WW2, or to have mega cheat mod so you can conquere the world by 1937, to the silly mods, like a radio-active mutant dog race(Dev idea, that they are using for their mod stream).

The game is basicly a big old sandbox, with a scripted AI that is forced to make choices historically corect, but can just decide to another thing(other example is that Poland accepts the Danzin or War choice, gives Germany Danzig, and WW2 never happens).

I must say tho that from time to time the AI does go a bit to far overboard in its wierdness(Poland not joining allies, but forming its own alliance and taking over Russia for instance).Or where the AI is just totally retarded(sending 100's of divisions onto a death march).

But in overall, i enjoy the game due to its randomness, the option that it can act like a historically acurate game, but does not have to(even if you set Historical Focus mode on).
And this is what you experianced in your game as well(unless your friend used a mod).
In South America, in a vanilla game, all countries have a Guarentee of protection by the USA. so if you got to war in South America, You pull the USA on your head(who really are a slow giant waking up due to all the negative buffs it has at the start of the game).

I played Stellaris as well, which was quite enjoyable, but HoI alway attracted me more.
Again, for me, great replay value due to everything mentioned above, The game has some problems with the AI being just flat out retarted.

But so far, not a turn of, of the game for me.

[Speedkermit]

Don't get this game. The AI is broken, and there are many many bugs

[Exarch_Alpha]

I say get it and wait for 1.2 or 1.3 patch. The game itself is good and just needs polishment.

[bazzerbazzer]

Hi,
The only game I've played virtually every day since release. Ever. Plenty of very good mods, too. Oh, I also have Stallaris but hav't played it since HOI4.
Good luck.
Bazz

[Adam Apples]

I have zero regrets buying this game. It needs a patch or 3, but I've gotten a lot of enjoyment out of HOI4, even in its vanilla state. I'm looking forward to DLC and more fine tuning of the base game. I've logged around 80 hours and I've only been playing as Germany. Plenty more replay ahead with other nations, tacts and routes.

[noxmortem]

I really liked the campaign so far but they really need to fix the performance problems. After 1945 it was annoying, after 1948 I simply stopped playing because I began to loose wars simply because I had no fun in playing against the stuttering anymore. I really wished they would utilize more cores better as this might help a bit.