![hearts of iron 4 atomic bomb hearts of iron 4 atomic bomb](https://i.imgur.com/cH6XJ11.png)
The game moves hour by hour and you can actually watch the light move across the globe that indicates day and night, and even the moon reflects off the ocean in an excellent graphical touch.
![hearts of iron 4 atomic bomb hearts of iron 4 atomic bomb](https://images.gamewatcherstatic.com/image/file/8/d8/75378/nuke3.jpg)
World War 2 is an excellent setting for the Clausewitz engine to shine, but it’s also been heavily modified for this game. As your technology develops you’ll want to produce better tanks and guns, however, you lose productive efficiency and it takes time to get your output back up to its previous level. You need to build as many civilian factories as possible because you will need them for both economic development and military production since you’re usually short certain resources. You can build civilian factories, which produce more factories or can be basically rented out for resources from other countries, and military factories, which produce military equipment. The factory system is good and makes sense both historically and for gameplay. For example, I used my alpine units to attack France through the Alps and secure just enough territory so that my heavy armor could move in and exploit the breakthrough. I even put together some very sophisticated attack strategies where I would assign certain types of units to specific armies designed to carry out one specific part of the plan.
![hearts of iron 4 atomic bomb hearts of iron 4 atomic bomb](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/CmLdGH3Z55A/maxresdefault.jpg)
This planning and execution system makes for excellent strategic gameplay and nail-biting moments when your attack is finally ready to go and you see your troops begin to duke it out with the enemy. At first I thought the system was breaking down, and it was the solution which makes sense both historically and for gameplay is to assign a few smaller fronts so that coordination can occur within those sectors and you don’t have divisions marching from one side of Africa to another. Sometimes the micro AI doesn’t seem to work quite the way you’d like it to, but this occurs most often when you are asking it to manage a front as long as Africa. Had this not been done exceptionally well, the game would have been absolutely broken, but they did a great job with this system and I let the AI handle most of the specifics in combat while I used my special reserve of elite units for breakthroughs and to attack especially well defended areas. Also, new players should be warned that there is a steep learning curve, with numerous systems to handle which all must be managed well in order to succeed.Ī large part of how this game works involves making plans (like move the front line from here to there or garrison specific areas for defense and occupation) and having micromanaging AIs work out the specific details of moving around single divisions. Compared to their last game, Europa Universalis IV, there is a much heavier focus on troop management, warfare and technological development and less of a focus on diplomacy, mostly just because there are fewer countries and a shorter time period. You can, of course, pause the game to think and issue large numbers of orders at crucial moments. Then, as the clock runs, all those things happen simultaneously. You and your opponents choose what you want to research, make plans, prepare invasions and order troops. These games take place in real time, rather than the turn based system in Civilization. This game takes us masterfully through the revolutions in technology and strategy that occurred during the period (1936-1951+), from the wooden planes and trenches of the First World War through the technological revolution and grand strategy of Second World War to the world of missiles and A-bombs of the Cold War.įor those not familiar with Paradox’s games, you choose a country and play through a specific period of time (in this case WW2): training and positioning troops, declaring war, managing technological progress, developing economically, engaging in diplomacy, dealing with internal and external politics and so on. Want to try and ally with the USSR or invade them? Want to change your system of government entirely? Think early development of nukes would have changed everything? HoI4 gives you the ability to explore the grand strategy of World War 2 using Paradox’s “Clausewitz” engine for simulating global strategy and development. Hearts of Iron IV, the latest game from Paradox, puts you into the head of someone fighting World War 2 and gives you a surprising number of options and opportunities for strategic thought. All of these things are difficult, require massive investment and make you feel accomplished. There’s nothing quite like sinking your first carrier, completing an encirclement, causing a superpower to capitulate or dropping the world’s first atomic bomb. Hearts of Iron IV is the most fun you’ll have taking over the world.