All of their actions are the result of (hopefully) careful planning, which takes place across several phases. They stand off and regroup, they bunch together and blitz, and they encircle isolated enemy forces. Rather than butting heads as numbers tick down in a box at the side of the screen, HOI IV's armies perform manoeuvres. But, for now, it's worth noting how fine those details are.
![hearts of iron 4 timeline hearts of iron 4 timeline](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ELRQoF2XUAYhOLQ.jpg)
If strategies don't play out credibly over the long-term, and if the AI can't offer both unexpected interruptions and a decent challenge, the finer details won't matter. It's the most attractive Paradox grand strategy game to date, presenting the movements of troops at the strategic level but managing to capture some of the thrill more commonly associated with operational tactical level combat.Īs I've only played a little of a game that will demand an enormous amount of time to understand, I'd like to sprinkle my positivity with caution. You're watching blobs, lines and arrows moving around on a map, yes, but it's a very handsome map, with light melting across the globe as day and night cycle. Watching military action in motion is exciting in Hearts Of Iron IV.
![hearts of iron 4 timeline hearts of iron 4 timeline](https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steamcommunity/public/images/clans/9948323/900f2ab65aa77d9f28057b22c219f5f5f5dc8ff9.jpg)
In the final moments, the French invasion on the Western Front was pushing my troops back faster than I could push into the East. I'd been following scripted historical goals – y'know, remilitarising the Rhineland, the Anschluss, the kind of to-do list that caused me to wince everytime I glanced at it – but had jumped the gun somewhat, declaring war before my troops were fully prepared. In less than an hour, I prevented World War II by screwing up the invasion of Poland so efficiently that the French army had marched into Berlin by 1938. It refused to fall, you see, and as the session came to an end, I was determined that I'd claim Poland as my final act. Perhaps I should find that reassuring and in some ways I do, but for the last fifteen minutes of the hour that I spent with Hearts of Iron IV, I was on the verge of screaming horrible insults at Warsaw. Given the enjoyment I've managed to find playing the secondary powers of Victoria II, particularly since the Heart of Darkness expansion, I'm inclined to give Hearts of Iron the benefit of the doubt in this area but I've only had chance to play as Germany so far. Rather than the guidance of scripted goals, minor nations should have a set of dynamic objectives that adapt to the wider strategic situation. There's reason to believe that Hearts of Iron IV will allow for greater deviation from history, particularly if the plans for minor nations work out.
#HEARTS OF IRON 4 TIMELINE SERIES#
On the whole I like to play with a crisis of my own making, or at least one that I feel is personal to my experience, rather than a preordained series of events. Rather than playing with the possibilities of the world and experimenting with short- and long-term strategies, I was obliged to work toward very specific goals from day one. It's not that I expected to play a World War II game without any warring whatsoever, but the inevitability of the conflict meant that my approach focused on victory from the start. Too often, I'd begin a campaign and abandon a couple of hours later when I felt locked down on the path to all-consuming war. I've tried to love it over the years but the condensed timeframe seemed to leave little room for the kind of wild tangents away from the historical path that I enjoy. The series has always been there, rumbling angrily in the background as I play with its grand strategy siblings. Hearts of Iron IV might finally bring me into the heart of the twentieth century. It wasn't until the sequel that I learned to enjoy the nineteenth century. From there I moved to Europa Universalis II and struggled to infiltrate the colonial powers of Victoria.
![hearts of iron 4 timeline hearts of iron 4 timeline](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EBdC1ZAXoAEA5-k.jpg)
I'm slightly unusual in that Europa Universalis wasn't my gateway game – I entered the fold by means of the first Crusader Kings, which swiftly became one of my favourite games, despite its problems. I've spent an inordinate portion of my adult life playing grand strategy games, particularly those of the Paradox variety.