Anyone playing "For the Motherland"?

[Blue Emu]

... just askin'.

Hearts of Iron III had a really rocky release... and I do know what I'm talking about there, I was in the closed beta. With the release of the expansion packs "Semper Fi" and "For the Motherland", it has become a far better and more polished game. I consider it a highly ambitious and innovative design, which is finally achieving (or at least approaching) its full potential.

Currently playing my first Germany game in FtM v3.05, using my patented binary Infantry build.

 

[cardgame]

I think a couple of people might be, but most of us who are into HOI here are sticking with HOI2.

 

[OrsonM]

As soon as they have a sales on Steam I'll get the HOI series.

 

[CivCube]

I own it but haven't gotten around to it yet.

 

[Antilogic]

Although I have it, I haven't played much recently. The little time I have for gaming has been allotted to CK2 and SimCity 4.

I remember discussing the binary division builds with you before and being quite disappointed at how the unrealistic unit organization was rewarded by the game mechanics. The AI seems to use binary builds as well.

 

[Blue Emu]

I've lately been trying out a new "Nazi Mech Rush" build-up strategy with Germany. My latest experiment along those lines has been moderately successful... I've managed to amass a force of twenty Combined Arms Divisions of MECx2/TDx2 by May 1st, 1939, with ten more due out by the end of June. Not too bad, for rushing a 1941 tech by four years... the AoT (Ahead-of-time) research penalty caps at -90%.

In order to get the Mech Infantry tech finished by Fall 1938, in time to put together a sizable force before "Danzig or War", I had to rush the 1938 and 1940 levels of Infantry Weapons, push the Light Tank research far enough to unlock and study Medium Armor Brigade (a pre-requisite for Mech), study two level each of three of the Superior Firepower Doctrines, plus the first five levels of Mobile Unit Theory (finally, a real use for those always-neglected Theory techs!), put in the Cabinet Minister who reduces Mobile Unit Practical decay, and pre-build about six dozen Regiments of Motorized Infanty (both for the major boost to Mobile Unit Practical and to have them already built and ready to upgrade to Mech as soon as I pop the tech).

All those measures pushed my Practicals and Theoreticals high enough that I could complete the Mech Infantry tech by early September 1938 (its nominal date is January 1941) despite the -90% AoT research penalty, and upgrade a large force of pre-built Motorized Infantry Divisions to Mechanized Infantry Divisions by May 1939.

Naturally, I still needed to build other things... twenty Interceptors, enough Infantry and Artillery to cover my fronts while the Mech force won a decision, enough Garrisons, Artillery and Militia to guard my home ports and the captured ports in Poland, Holland, Belgium, France etc.

 

[Antilogic]

I'll have to analyze this when I'm more coherent.

In my current game, I mimicked the Canada AAR over on the Paradox forums but played as Mexico. Managed to build up a fleet of purchased French (and later American) escorts, and sent my forces to conquer Sardinia and Sicily. Then fought a 6-month long battle over the Straights of Messina where the AI couldn't figure out that assaulting my fortified infantry and mountain troops with a defensive chain-of-command was a bad idea.

Been an interesting game, learning a lot more about the minors.