Paradox Interactive games

Pdox games fully support modding, you select the mod you want to play in the launcher...

The automatic patching does mean updates can prevent you from playing mods though :/

 

You can also just copy the whole game-directory out of the steamapps folder and keep a separate copy that will not update to prevent unexpected incompatabilities. The glory of DRM freeness.

 

Is EU3 Chronicles worth picking up for $13.50, or should I just wait for EU4?

 

Well, hopefully the mod folder will actually work this time around. Aside from that, you'll likely need to either maintain a separate copy or disable updates when you start a campaign. But really that's good advice for any campaign.

 

It definitely is, since its going to be a while before EU 4 expansions come out, same with the big mods. They just gave out keys for EU3 Chronicles in their newsletter though so you might be able to get it for free from someone.

 

I just got the EU3: Chronicle key from a kind soul. :] Then I spent $20 on the crap DLCs that don't do anything except costumes. :]

 

I already had Victoria 2, CK2 and EU3 Chronicles, so I gave my key to a friend and then I bought HoI3 Collection from the Paradox WebShop at 13€ (keep in mind that Paradox WebShop will give you steam keys of the games)

 

I think it's a slim consensus. I like HoI3 for a change of pace.

 

Well I tried vanilla HoI3 and it wasn't great, now it's much better (and I still don't have TFH expansion)

 

Yeah, out of the box it was pretty awful, but with the expansions, and maybe a mod or two, it's very good. Better than 2 IMO.

 

There's only 1 way for me to know that.

Back at HoI2 time, I was playing a mp game with two friends of mine over LAN at university... We were the Axis (Germany-Italy-Japan) and we were playing nicely against the poor Allies (and the USA weren't at war for the moment).

I decided to go influencing US, hoping they wouldn't join the war so we could've steamrolled the world.
Well, it REALLY went better than expected... at one time, i rose my head over my laptot and said "Guys, we just won the war" : Coup d'etat made in the US, now a fascist state in the Axis.

If I will be able to do the same in HoI3 , then it will be better than HoI 2

 

Espionage has been significantly reworked, and I think you can affect coups like you did back in HoI2 (although I haven't tried yet). They have brand-new landing mechanics now too.

 

The biggest reason I'm skeptical about HoI3 is the insane number of provinces. It seems like micro hell.

 

If you are playing a major nation and keeping all your forces on manual control, it is. Although if you set it up right, it's fairly manageable if you don't mind constant pausing to make your moves.

I played as Nationalist China against Japan in custom game mode, eliminated those useless destroyers at the beginning, and replaced them with tons of infantry. I was able to hold the northern front the entire war, although Japan did try to surprise me with amphibious assaults at Guangzhou and later at Shanghai. I had more than enough troops in reserve though--my front in the north had 1-2 corps per province, and in the south I was still able to double-stack and triple-stack against the Japanese marines.

 

What's a good place to start in HoI III? A nice guy on the Paradox forums just gifted the set with SF and FtM. I started the game and was completely overwhelmed, which for me is pretty shocking to be overwhelmed by a game.

 

Depends on who you want to play. You can do some warm-up fights with the Republic of Spain in the Spanish Civil War (start from 1936 and the event fires in the first year) or as Italy attacking Ethiopia then becoming a major Axis power. Japan invading China is another good one to learn on, since Japan will usually have fewer troops but better doctrines, air power, and the ability to launch amphibious assaults.

With experience from HoI2, I think you will be mostly familiar with how the tech structure works and what kinds of things you can do with it--just remember that instead of one technology to upgrade a unit's equipment, there are usually four for main-line brigades (infantry, cavalry, tanks, etc.) and at least two for support brigades (like artillery, anti-tank, etc.).

 

That's what I was afraid of. The number of provinces is stupidly high. Meanwhile, every time I look at the Darkest Hour map, I start salivating.

On a different note, has anyone here played Sengoku?

 

The great thing about HoI3 is that the automated AI control for units is actually working. You need to know a few facts about its behaviour, e.g. it needs a LOT of militia or garrision divisions for guard duty behind the frontline or you shouldn't create to wide frontlines because it starts to shift units a lot. But if you give the AI a decent army setup, you can basicially automate everything you want and it will work out. When I am trying new unit builds or general strategies as GER, I basicially automate my army except for tanks and motorized divisions - works totally okay. It also does a fine job in MP games to reduce your pressure. For example, an automated far-east HQ can easily defend against an AI japan, allowing you to put your focus on fighting the german player.

The number of provinces IS high, but it is by far the best change they made to the game. Now you can truly use spearheads, maneuver-warfare and defence-in-depth. I had an amazing MP game as SOV a while ago against human GER + ITA players where I had created a 3-province deep defence line to delay or even halt german spearheads.

There was also some amazing action near Smolensk, where the germans broke through the NW flank of the city and started to encircle it, supported by 3 paratrooper divisions that blocked the swamps NE of the city to prevent my relief units from linking up and halting their spearhead (they also disrupted my supply line, leaving my planes in the city out of fuel for the few crucial days). In the end they got the city, but I was able to evacuate all units with a coordinated counter attack (except for a single outdated tank division that was left behind to "bait" his 2nd spearhead).

That stuff would never have been possible with HoI2. It may seem intimidating, but trust me, once you master HoI3 combat, it is AWESOME. Lastely, the increased number of provinces makes terrain more important (natural bottlenecks), which also makes units like MTN, MAR or ENG brigades much more useful.

As for Sengoku:
I played the demo and didn't like it too much. Bought the game, but only played 2 or 3 rounds. It really lacks reaplayability and covers a way to small timeframe for my taste. I view it as a "test run" for the new engine, where the dev team gathered experience to make CK2 better (and, oh boy, that worked!).

 

I saw you mention the custom game mode, and that alone convinces me to buy Hearts of Iron III + all expansions. I've wanted a mode like that since the very first minute I first started playing the series. It makes me giddy.

What is safe to let the AI automate?