HoI3 announced

[Nikolai]

Originally posted by Oerdin
Like many other people I would like to see the way resources work be given a face lift so that it is more involved. I'd like to see raw materials in and things like steel out which you then assign to make manufactured goods like ships or tanks. Also the command structure needs to be worked over; I'd like to be able to assign a commander for a whole army group (like north, center, or south) and have that commander be the over all commander for several provinces at once. You could still have field commanders in charge of individual units.

All we know for now, is that you must buy all resources in some way(presumably from private owners internally as well as externally?), and commie countries can also barter, but that's all we know, no specifics.

[Nikolai]

PI has said the game will be much changed from HoI2 btw, which is the reason it'll take so long time to develop it. Lots of features and changes to make.

[Spaced Cowboy]

I don't think it will, sequels should be 30% old, 30% improved, and 30% new....the extra 10% can go anywhere.

I'd prefer an AI that was not as easy to walk on, but eye candy wins the day.

I would bet a thread on the paradox forums for screenies would get more views than one on improved AI.

[Nikolai]

Well, they have said it will be changed and expanded on to a larger degree. It's far too much posts to wade through for me to find them all, but here's a dev's response when I asked if the long time to release was as typo:

No that's not a typo we have a lot of features to cram in.

Release is Q3 2009, a whole year from now. Usually PI games are released half a year after announcement, so the odds are good for change IMO.

[Spaced Cowboy]

I wonder if PI makes the game so complex so that you can't figure out it is broken for such a long time.

[Kuciwalker]

I just hope it's not as buggy as HOI2 (not in terms of stability, but correct implementation of the rules).

[Dinner]

Originally posted by Spaced Cowboy
I don't think it will, sequels should be 30% old, 30% improved, and 30% new....the extra 10% can go anywhere.

I'd prefer an AI that was not as easy to walk on, but eye candy wins the day.

I would bet a thread on the paradox forums for screenies would get more views than one on improved AI.

Paradox has never had a good AI programmer. I don't expect this "tradition" to change.

[Nikolai]

An unofficial fact sheet has been made over at PIF, here's what we know so far:

The Basics

-To be released in third quarter (July-September) 2009
-Not yet feature complete (as of August 20)
-The game has been in development for about four months (as of 08/08)
-System Requirements identical to Europa Universalis III and Europa Universalis: Rome
-May take advantage of multi-core systems.

General Game information

-The game will start in 1936 and end in 1948
-The game will have set scenario dates, and will not allow starting at any date.
-The game will use a 3D graphic engine.
-It is extremely likely both 3D Sprites and Counters will be available.
-Multiplayer will use the same engine as Europa Universalis III and Europa Univeralis: Rome
-Concentration camps, gulags, prisoner of war camps, the holocaust, systematic purge, chemical weapons and non-abstracted strategic bombings will NOT be in the game.
-The AI will play to win.
-The Learning curve will not be as steep as with Hearts of Iron II.

The Map

-It will feature more than 10 000 land provinces (compared to less than 3000 in HoI 2)
-The Eastern Front will include 250 provinces (presumably the length of the front, or the distance from eastern poland to Moscow)
-Provinces will be grouped together in regions.
-Industrial capacity will be built at the regional, not provincial level.
-AA, ports and airports appear to be built at the provincial level.
-National borders on the map seen in early screenshot are not finished yet.

Gameplay
-You will be able to give the AI command over certain fronts.
-Democracies will now be unable to build massive armies in peace time, and will have to mobilize when war is near
-The game will feature historical events found in Hearts of Iron II
-Some of the old events from HOI II may now be national decisions, other may no longer be tied to specific days.
-There will be dissent hits for losing major cities. Your nation may surrender.
-The Europa Universalis Warscore system will be implemented.
-If defeated, you will be able to form a goverment in exile in an ally's capital.
-Governments in Exile can attempt to reclaim their homeland via encouraging resistance, controling partisans, etc.
-Failure to contest strategic warfare will hurt your national unity.

Research, Economy & Diplomacy
-As with Hearts of Iron I, research will involve researching individual elements (ie, "38 mm gun") instead of complete units.
-There will now be unlimited numbers of technologies, but later technology will result in more expensive units.
-International deals will now only allow resource-for-money deals, and no longer resource-for-resource deals.
-Nations of the comintern may remain able to trade resource for resource between them.

Units
-The smallest unit size will be the division.
-Divisions will be more customizable than simply adding one brigade; they may be made up of several brigades instead.
-Different units will actually be different (ie, two tanks that were both "Improved Medium Armor" in HoI II will be different units in III)
-There will be twelve types of naval units. Destroyers will be built as flotillas.

The Staff
-Johan is an evil tease.
-He knows all this because Tyler knows this.

[snoopy369]

-The AI will play to win.

Good to know.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Originally posted by snoopy369

-The AI will play to win.

Good to know.

Yeah, I saw that on the paradox site today and it made me laugh as well.

[Main_Brain]

There will now be unlimited numbers of technologies, but later technology will result in more expensive units.

Which should mean boring +1 Techs

[Spaced Cowboy]

What makes you think that they are not +1 techs as it is?

[Main_Brain]

Because its a Return to HoI I Techs, where each component could be researched, sparkled with some Key Technologies which had other effects.

[Spaced Cowboy]

Ah, but no tech teams in this one.

Also, my point was that all HOI games (1, 2 and expansions) were basically +1 techs.

In HOI2 you research infantry '39 then '41, which is basically just a +1 of '39.

[Kuciwalker]

Where did you get no tech teams from?