Hearts of Iron 3 causes a monstrous dependence. We will not be surprised if after six months the Marshak clinic, along with drug addicts and alcoholics, begins to take the haggard feldmarshals and generalissimums. This strategy is most similar to a mixture of the New Year's matinee and zone of maximum mode. Each new nuance in mechanics (like the width of the front or the features of communist diplomacy) causes puppy delight and the complete feeling that you are analyzing a hefty bag of gifts (what is there in the next box? The influence of strategic bombing on national unity?). At the same time, voluntarily to break away from divisions, fleets, nuclear projects, civil wars and political crises is completely impossible. You will not come off.
The war is not for everyone
In general – what is hearts of Iron? This is a geopolitical strategy. Her close analogue is series Total War. As in the game Creative Assembly , We are offered to take one of the world powers under our leadership in order to bring it to world domination by fire, sword, trade and diplomacy. But unlike Total War, this game is much closer to underground wargams with frowning eyebrows – there are no epic strategic battles, only a policy in all its manifestations. But she is also modeled in all conceivable details.
The game covers the period from 1936 to 1948. You can choose any country on the map of the world (at least Ecuador) and play the Second World War as you want. Science, production, espionage, fronts, fleets and squadrons-newcomers usually have a hysteria when they understand how really everything is here.
Hearts of IRON looks ascetic – a flat map with unit figures – but calculates hundreds of times more than shows. The beginnings of knowledge about the gaming mechanics can be obtained from the training regime – and the idiotic Hitler is emphasized as the guide. Jokes about the “strange artist with antennae” somewhat softened shock from understanding the scale of the game. However, even in the tutorial you are told, God forbid about a tenth of all game capabilities. The rest will have to be comprehended independently, but do not worry, any of the regions of government can be given to a computer. Another thing is that Hoi 3 is designed for totalitarian maniacs with bad teeth, smoked lungs and the desire to rule the world. And if you are ready to share power with someone else, it means that this strategy is not for you. Try playing Barbie Simulator.
Party program
Now that only tyrants and dictators stayed with us, we should decide on the country that we will lead to world domination. The choice determines the basic strategy: the Japanese should invest a little in the infantry for the war in China, and then throw all their forces for the construction of fighters and aircraft carriers. The USSR, on the contrary, aircraft carriers are unnecessary, but huge tank armies and front -line aviation of a close radius of action are needed. Basic knowledge about the Second World War will tell you the right strategy – do not be lazy, look before the game at least in Wikipedia. After you develop a plan for the development of the country for the next 12 years, you should take up domestic policy. And begins.
As a head of state, you can select the Cabinet of Ministers in accordance with the situation. Simply put, if you are for the Poles, the head of the General Staff is better to put the general with the bonus to defense (to restrain the German troops), and if for the Germans-the blitzkrig-specialist who gives the bonus to the speed of movement of the troops. Similarly with all other posts – from the Minister of Industry to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Another tool of influence is laws (they must also be changed to the fly). Poles are logical to increase the term of training of units for the sake of additional experience, but the advice forced to saturate a huge front should abandon the quality in favor of the speed of training.
In democratic countries, political parties and elections are added to all these troubles, and external enemies will sponsor the politicians who are friendly, trying to lure you to their camp. The domestic policy also belongs to how hard you are exploiting the inhabitants of the conquered countries: having squeezed out of them the maximum of industrial potential, you will receive endless uprisings in the rear. Finally, national unity is the desire of the nation to continue to fight https://rollino-gb-casino.co.uk/. This indicator ( Paradox In general, they can well display the most abstract things using visible numerical characteristics, get used to it) grows from the victories and successful actions of your special services, falls from the defeat and actions of the special services of enemy. Plus, if the enemy drowns your convoys, bombs your cities and smashes your allies, the population is very disappointed in a small victorious war. Because of this, for example, France does not fight to the last drop of blood (as in the previous parts), and quite soon surrender, horrified by the relics of German weapons.
And you have blacks linked!
Foreign policy is tied on three types of state systems: communism, fascism, democracy. All countries slowly drift towards one of them. If you want to see a particular state in allies, the process can be accelerated – for this you need to do educational work. For increasing loyalty, one has to pay the resource “leadership” (yes, there is such a resource here), which means that the communist revolution in some Honduras will hit, for example, on scientific research-leadership is necessary there and there.
You can’t just declare a war either – for this it is necessary to first lower its own level of neutrality (it means the reluctance of the political elite to intervene at anything) or to ensure that the threat of the threat from the probable enemy is as high as possible: this is, among other things, scribbled historical events contribute to this Type of Austria Anschlus.
In order not to wait for the weather by the sea, special services should be used: killings and punitive actions against pacifists lower neutrality. In addition, you can send agents to a sacrifice country, paint the walls of graffiti (“We will kill everyone and drink your schnapps, ha ha ha ha ha ha!"), Thereby exacerbating relations. While you are waiting for the results of the NKVD, try to bargain with someone or even order the assembly of equipment on the side of the license. This is profitable if you play for a poor, retarded country-tanks or aircraft will produce at the technological level of the country-performer, plus you will gain experience in the relevant areas of the defense industry. By the way, each of the three alliances has their own characteristics: the Communists exchange resources without using money and are better spying, the Nazis will fiercely ward their native lands and declare “limited wars” (one on one, so as not to share territories), and the allies have a monstrous minus to the industrial potential in peacetime, but if war ..
Everything for the front, everything for victory
But it’s too early for us for war. Having dealt with internal and external affairs, you need to do science. Unions and repressions are useless if your army has a 1918 rifle model. Unlike the second part, you are not exploring the new model of Unit, but its individual components, therefore, say, British tanks may have better armor, and German has more guns and higher speeds. Or vice versa. The field for research is huge: ground and air forces, industry and navy, doctrines of application and theoretical knowledge. Only aviation has three sections: fighters, bombers and strategies for their use. The latter are especially important – if ultra -modern aircraft are controlled according to the instructions of the First World War, there will be no sense.
Being ahead of the planet all in all areas in any case will not work-the study of all technology increases your skills in a certain field, but over time, knowledge is lost, so it is better to concentrate efforts on one or two areas than to try to study one technology in each section. It helps scientists and practical experience obtained from the construction of units: it is logical that in a country that massively produces tanks, it is easier for engineers to understand the design of a new diesel engine.
Unless, of course, you let them. Research, diplomacy, espionage and set of officers – all of them require the same resource (again leadership). It is worth considering whether to lower everything to science. STRs are able to not only undermine the fighting spirit of the enemy, but also arrange sabotage in science and in production, strengthen the support of the political party you need or disclose the offensive plans. Yes, and enemy intelligence is not asleep-by abandoning state security services, you will soon find that a whole pack of foreign bastards inserts sticks into the wheels of your engine of scientific and technological progress. Otherwise it just lets it down. Officers are no less important – they increase the resistance of your troops, and at least a hundred will require them per brigade. The army without a Komsomol will run away after a couple of shots, splitting into pieces, like a Chinese porcelain vase.
Finally, the last of the most important points in the management of the power is production. Every country has industrial potential, distributed in several regions: re -equipment of troops, replenishment of injured units (also requires human reserves), supply, construction and production of consumer goods for the population (generates money for which you buy resources, reduces discontent).
Everything is interesting with the production of new units – now you are not just “building” the division, you form them from brigades (from one to five per division). The more of them – the more expensive and longer production, while the features of the theater of military operations should be taken into account. The German group that protects the site at the Magino line is reasonably strengthening the air defense systems-the French will bomb you in black. Japanese should create several cheap police divisions – to suppress Chinese partisans. There are two different types of brigades for two dozen (including missile artillery), so there are a regular readers of the magazine "Model-designer" where to turn around.
War Never Changes
And only then, when the country's economy is in proper form, residents are full of faith in bright tomorrow, and enemies are demoralized, the time of war comes. Here you are no longer alone, you have a faithful friend – artificial intelligence. Instead of personally managing each division (at the end of the game there will be about 400) on an increased card (10,000 provinces versus 2600 in the second part), you simply note on the map of the provinces that need to be occupied or maintained. Indicate the fighting strategy (only four species, from defensive to blitzkrieg) and, leaning back in the chair, click the "declare war" button.
This is an indescribable pleasure – to watch how the army assembled by the screw, how tank divisions are advanced, how bombers take off from the airfields, and landing flotillas come out of the naval bases, how the first excitement reports begin to act … Unfortunately, on complex theaters military operations with the torn line of the front, the need to arrange landing and t.p. AI sags a little and allows itself to make small nonsense – that is, for example, the same landings are planted, but not where they are most needed. Therefore, in particularly responsible areas, it is better to manage the troops personally.
* * *
Hearts of Iron 3 is more than just a strategy, it is a large -scale geopolitical attraction. There is no pomp of Total WAR, but this is not necessary: behind the non -casual graphics and piles of the menu, such power is hidden that you are swaying. She is able to challenge you, she can captivate for long hours, a day, weeks. Can exhaust you to bloody sweat … All this, of course, can be avoided: somewhere to resolve AI management, reduce the level of complexity, etc.D. But it’s better not to do this – each concession makes the long -awaited victory a little less sweet.
This game is suitable, of course, not everyone. She is for strong spirit. For those who have passed Civilization at all conceivable levels of complexity. For those who are already yawning in Empire: Total War. Real hardcore RSP project and one of the main strategies of the year!
Reigracy – yes
Cool plot – no
Originality – no
Easy to master – yes
Evidence of expectations: 90%
Gameplay: 9
Graphics: 8
Sound and music: 8
Interface and management: 9
Waited? The third part of the famous series of geopolitical strategies is the way it should be: thought out to every little thing, sometimes – mockingly complex, but terribly fascinating.
Mania rating: 9.0
"Fabulous"
[Break]] How the cards will lie
In Hearts of Iron 3, there are a dozen modes of viewing a global card. Here are the three main ones:
Weather map. The game implements an honest weather system – the temperature, the speed of wind, an area of high pressure, etc.p. You should not start the offensive in the rain – your troops will be stuck in mud.
Political map is the most important. It is extremely useful for tracking the international situation: who occupied whom, how the war of neighbors and the like is being advanced. Map with Victory Points, use it for strategic planning. The capture of each important province seriously hits the moral spirit of the enemy population. War without embellishment
1 – a browser showing all ground and air battles, all your armies, places of basing units, and so on. An indispensable thing.
2 – conquering airspace over Warsaw. Our fighters control the sky over the city, tracking enemy bombers.
3 – mass movement of troops to another section of the front. Green arrows show the direction of movement, red – attacks.
4 – troops control panel. As you can see, the rate is generally satisfied with the balance of power, but asks to send even tanks and ships.
5 – list of units attached to this command point. The Oryol Front performs a strategic relocation.
6 – Green flags marked the strategic goals you specified. The troops will try to take Krakow at all costs!
7-Log with the events of the game and mini-card. Events can be filtered in groups – so, only incidents related to war are shown here.
8 – anti -tank hedgehogs mean the presence of fortifications in this area. The territory of the former Czechoslovakia will be difficult to win back.
9 – circles with numbers indicate a clash in this province. The larger the numbers, the further you (or the enemy) have advanced. Keep in mind that opponents can counterattack!