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Hearts of Iron 2 is one of the best strategy games ever made. Units are slow. Orders are lost and misinterpreted. Most of the time, combat units are disabled from lack of food, ammunition, or fuel rather than being shot to pieces. Fighting is only 1/5ths strategy and nearly 4/5ths "how do I maintain open supply lines across the mud of Eastern Europe while my enemy has air superiority and is ramming 10 squadron-level interdiction sorties down my throat every hour"
HoI 2 has a pretty neat mod called "Modern Day", that aims to recreate modern warfare. I decided to play as China, and these are the game logs of what ended up happening.
Table of Contents
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/cFI7L.png)
The war begins at 1003 (a code error, should be 2003, but the game engine has a slight Y2K problem since it was scripted for WW2 battles.)
Here the US invades Iraq (the kickoff event for the entire mod), and all countries get their "Status reports", which are basically little info boxes that tell you things like starting per capita GDP, anticipated GDP growth, starting form of government, starting corruption levels, and starting defense tech levels.
Since I got China, I had low per capita GDP, high growth, starting form of government as an Autocracy/Totalitarian Socialist, high starting corruption, and mediocre starting defense tech.
So the next thing I did was quickly try and tech up:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/y6EHJ.png)
Tripled the defense/upgrading budget (by massively increasing the pay of my tech teams); then cut the total size of the Chinese military by 2/3rds (by disbanding every single unit with a tech level older than "post-Cold War".) Then upgraded every remaining unit (mostly air units) to the current tech level.
While I did this, I also instituted anti-corruption reforms and shifted the government onto a more free-market/globalist path.
Nothing really happens for 5 years. Pretty much sit at home and tech, hard, while investing into industry in coastal cities to commence a naval buildup. Around spring of 2006, China lays the keels for six post-CW tech level carriers, with two more sets of six more to follow them. The third set of six carriers will be ready by October 2008, perfect timing for some post-Olympics fireworks. All other shipbuilding is devoted to guided missile subs and amphibious assault craft.
Meanwhile, diplomatically I've been working Pakistan, Russia, and Singapore very heavily (giving them lots of preferential trade deals, loads of tech, even donating obsolete army divisions to Russia--critical because I want Russia to have a strong land army by 2009). Each of those countries is critical to the 2008-2009 war I'm planning.
The trigger for the war comes when the leaders of Taiwan begin hinting that they may commit a regrettable mistake.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/hoU0V.png)
Followed by the leaders of America making a regrettable mistake.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/bkGot.png)
We bide our time and wait. China gets its third set of six carriers, and begins a very accelerated training program with them. In the meanwhile, I begin to aggressively court Pakistan and Singapore, and begin loading sending most PLA land units toward the Russo-Polish borders for "exercises". Also, I share all my Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Warhead Design technologies with Pakistan to help them "defend" themselves against any possible Indian "aggression."
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/m9jDo.png)
Pakistan is now a part of the Shanghai Pact. The moment I've been waiting for happens: Taiwan commits an act of stupidity and declares formal independence. Now I make the pitch to Russia:
We strike May 2009.
I hit Taiwan, then the Phillippines, then Japan.
Russia hits Poland/Baltics/Romania/Ukraine (China helps)--this is important because it ensures US reinforcements go to NATO allies before Asian allies.
North Korea commits suicide against the DMZ (we help if we can spare it); it's okay because NK is not our formal treaty ally.
Pakistan draws any Indian attacks.
Russia agrees, it's game on.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/amLGZ.png)
May 2009 rolls around and all my pieces are in place: 60% of the Chinese Army's elite units are massed along the Carpathian mountains, ready to break through the Dukla Pass/other passes and sweep through the Carpathian Basin-->setting the stage for a southern flank into Poland while the Russian meatgrinder fixes Polish/NATO forces in place.
In the Pacific, I've positioned my brand new fleets of cruise missile submarines and aircraft carriers in a rough triangle around Taiwan. I have enough amphibious assault craft to land 12 divisions per wave onto enemy beaches, or 20+ divisions per wave onto friendly beaches.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/net0Q.png)
Reunification Day, or R-Day, begins when 9 paratrooper regiments (~20,000 men) land in the mountains of Hualien. They secure landing zones for 10 more whole divisions (~100,000 men). These forces pincer Taipei against 8 more divisions in an amphibious landing by R+ 24 hours. ROC forces on the Kaohsiung plain are kept in place by anti-infrastructure attacks (which work very well because Taiwan crams all its vital infrastructure onto a single flood plain fifty kilometers wide criss-crossed by wide rivers; basically the PLA air force blows up every bridge it can, then constantly strafes the traffic jams that form on the few bridges still standing).
Eventually 200,000 ROC troops are trapped on Kinmen and the Kaohsiung plain, where without food, water, fuel, and ammunition, they surrender in two days.
As soon as Taiwan falls, I redirect my forces toward Singapore. This is where phase two of the attack begins.
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xS7D8.png)
First I get bad news from India. Seems like they feel like they should be the regional Asian hegemon. Still, since I have ensured that Pakistan has an itchy, radioactive, trigger finger, the Indus/Ganges will flow red with blood and green with fallout before any Indian military units have the time or energy to harass Tibet. Pakistan wardecs India (as expected) and I fortify the Himalayan passes with some heliborne infantry.
The US Navy closes the Straits of Malacca over Singaporean protests. Singapore wardecs the USA and joins my Shanghai Pact. This is what 5 years of George W Bush + Shady Sands diplomacy will get you.
The US Navy bulks up in the Persian Gulf and prepares for the mother of all amphibious invasions in the Straits of Malacca. Meanwhile, 12 of my 18 carriers swing south, and await battle...
 
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Why, oh why, do you always have such great blog posts? I can't wait to see what happens next (err, or read).
Good luck!
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Very fun read! Can't wait for part 2 :D
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Teaser for part 3:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/g1Mi3.png)
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On October 04 2012 12:57 1ntrigue wrote:
#1 TL Blogger
Why thank you! FYI, I have not forgotten about Beijing Blues. Here is a teaser graphic:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/83RRG.png) Guomao, 2010
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I am so confused lol, what is this game and why is everything so communist XD.
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Oh daaang this game sounds pretty awesome haha. So much detail, THE REALISM!
I almost forgot who was writing this, but it made sense after I realized 
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How do you have this much time? Between this and your clients?
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On October 04 2012 13:17 kushm4sta wrote:
How do you have this much time? Between this and your clients?
Flights and layovers.
Also, this game was played over a span of a few months
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TLADT24920 Posts
5/5! Brilliant writing, kinda curious to see what happens next but it seems like you have everything planned out so I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up winning the battle lol.
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Sick blog shady. You the man.
Are you still playing mafia?
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Should rename this blog to "RED DAWN"
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Wow Shady you're such an amazing writer. Usually I wouldn't find games like this all that interesting, but I cannot wait for the next part :D
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Damn Shady+Hearts Of Iron... now i wont get any work done!
I never played HoI 2 so much as i played 3, i made argentina take over europe and most of south america (damn you brazil and your jungles!)
You should actually send this to paradox, they are holding a competition for the best AAR, the prize is everything they have ever done
Keep up the good work dude, cant wait for part 2
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Russo-Polish front, Part 1 is up.
Then going Indo-Pak Part 1, Russo-Polish front Part 2, then Phillippines/Korea, then Germany, then Indo-Pak Part 2, then France/Japan.
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Just wondering, the AI didn't react to you preparing for war at all? I (sadly) never played this game, but donating lots of military secrets to neighbouring nations usually can't be hidden over a certain timeframe, and would usually draw preperations from threatened states at least. Following your writing, it seems that your enemies are woefully underprepared especially in the eastern hemisphere.
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On October 04 2012 20:32 DragoonTT wrote:
Just wondering, the AI didn't react to you preparing for war at all? I (sadly) never played this game, but donating lots of military secrets to neighbouring nations usually can't be hidden over a certain timeframe, and would usually draw preperations from threatened states at least. Following your writing, it seems that your enemies are woefully underprepared especially in the eastern hemisphere.
They actually weren't--Japan rearmed a crapton, and so did Korea. Unfortunately, most of Japan's navy was sunk in the first 3 days of the war by my 18 carriers, which meant all their fancy air and army units couldn't do very much except sit on the Home Islands
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thedeadhaji
39489 Posts
"The United States had The Madoff Investment Scandal"
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL
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I was going to just close this tab and not read it. Glad i didn't
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Should I buy Hearts of Iron 2 or 3? Normally I always buy the latest games, but strategy games tend to be dumbed down over time because people like easy to play games now.
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Lolol I saw what you did there with Japan
and the "Malaysia went with there's nothing we can do" part haha wth
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On October 06 2012 17:17 mrRoflpwn wrote:
Should I buy Hearts of Iron 2 or 3? Normally I always buy the latest games, but strategy games tend to be dumbed down over time because people like easy to play games now.
Having dabbled alittle with Hearts of Iron 2, and buying number 3 in a steam sale a week or 2 ago, I can say without a doubt number 3 has added to the complexity, I'd recommend it but even after playing 2 I find 3 a little overwhelming at the moment.
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Dang, modern day got a lot better since the last time I played it. Have you played with the CCIP for hoi2?
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On October 06 2012 17:17 mrRoflpwn wrote:
Should I buy Hearts of Iron 2 or 3? Normally I always buy the latest games, but strategy games tend to be dumbed down over time because people like easy to play games now.
I have played each one for a few hundred hours each, I'll tell you the main differences !
For Heart of Iron 2 :
+ Show Spoiler +- The game is way easier to begin with. The map is smaller, and it helps a lot when you are not that familiar with all of the warfare strategies.
- The tech system in HoI 2 makes the smaller countries way more playable than in HoI 3. In HoI 2, you have to put 1-5 tech teams (depends of your industrial capacity) at the same time, with a blueprint system perfect for smaller countries, or those with a lack of recent technologies. The HoI 3 system sucks if you want to play a minor country, and back you up for all the major ones.
- The mods. You have like, more detailled mods, future mods, alternative mods, almost everything you want.
- The policy system gives me the impression you can play a little bit more freely than in HoI 3. It's hard as hell to play US and go with Russia or Germany, for example.
- I find the economy in this game much better than the static market in HoI 3, where you can't really do anything.
For Heart of Iron 3 :
+ Show Spoiler +- This is so complex, if you want to be the most hardcore guy around, go for it. The fact the map is way bigger changes the way you play the war too. It's impossible to stabilize your front against Russia for example, since it's a 40-50 provinces front in the "easiest" way to play passive. You can go for more important and massive strategic objectives too, since you can create a lot of backstabbing at the same time.
- The supply system is considered almost too realistic. Except the fact all of your supply lines start at your capital city. You have to upgrade your shipyards, the infrastructure of a lot of provinces until it reaches the front lines, use planes to help it if necessary.
- The Black Ice mod. It's the most realistic shit I've ever seen. You have like, so many units, special units, if you just want to play damn serious with 50 bazillions types of units, it's the best you can have. I can hardly play it atm, too hard for me. :p
- It's not as cheap as HoI 2, and not as stable. HoI 3 was one of the worst game I've ever seen when he was launched. So. Many. Bugs. It took one year at least to make it playable. Add-ons are a nice addition too !
I'll spoiler all that to not pollute the thread.
But I'll say, start with HoI 2 (Arsenal of Democracy or Darkest Hour, if possible, those two games added so much to HoI 2 vanilla), and if you really like it, you can give a try to HoI 3. Or you can go for HoI 3, but it's harder, especially if you have no experience before with those games. 
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On October 04 2012 12:40 Shady Sands wrote:
Hearts of Iron 2 is one of the best strategy games ever made. Units are slow. Orders are lost and misinterpreted. Most of the time, combat units are disabled from lack of food, ammunition, or fuel rather than being shot to pieces. Fighting is only 1/5ths strategy and nearly 4/5ths "how do I maintain open supply lines across the mud of Eastern Europe while my enemy has air superiority and is ramming 10 squadron-level interdiction sorties down my throat every hour"
I used to play HoI 2, it was quite a good game. Once you learn how to play it is quite easy to defeat the AI, some mods not withstanding.
Have you ever played any "serious" wargames, the ones with hex grids and NATO counters? I've been playing a lot of this game called Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue, and once you get past the initial high learning curve, it is quite fun. It is probably the most thought-intensive strategy games I've ever played.
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On October 21 2012 07:50 deducter wrote:Show nested quote +On October 04 2012 12:40 Shady Sands wrote:
Hearts of Iron 2 is one of the best strategy games ever made. Units are slow. Orders are lost and misinterpreted. Most of the time, combat units are disabled from lack of food, ammunition, or fuel rather than being shot to pieces. Fighting is only 1/5ths strategy and nearly 4/5ths "how do I maintain open supply lines across the mud of Eastern Europe while my enemy has air superiority and is ramming 10 squadron-level interdiction sorties down my throat every hour"
I used to play HoI 2, it was quite a good game. Once you learn how to play it is quite easy to defeat the AI, some mods not withstanding. Have you ever played any "serious" wargames, the ones with hex grids and NATO counters? I've been playing a lot of this game called Decisive Campaigns: Case Blue, and once you get past the initial high learning curve, it is quite fun. It is probably the most thought-intensive strategy games I've ever played.
Does Danube Front '85 from HPS Sims count? I played the entire Grand Campaign as both NATO and WP back in my freshman year of college.
![[image loading]](http://www.hpssims.com/pages/products/modbat/DanubeFront/D85_Master_CG.jpg)
There are 48 Scenarios, covering not only the Danube Basin region but also representing battles for Berlin, AFNorth (Schleswig-Holstein & Denmark) and north Austria. The Grand Campaign covers the main Warsaw Pact assault into Western Europe. A series of illustrated "Historical documents" written by Marc Bellizzi provide one possibility of how a war in the region might have unfolded. Using declassified documents as well as the US Army's Soviet Area Studies Office estimate of a Warsaw Pact invasion, Marc has detailed with orders, briefings, battle maps and graphic overlays a realistic portrayal of how the Warsaw Pact would attack, and NATO defend. The Campaign scenario covers the first 30 days of the offensive and breakthrough until the time the offensive loses momentum. Smaller scenarios cover specific actions and situations. Many scenarios have a special play-by-email version where conditions such as supply, release of reserves, and victory levels have been altered for play balance.
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I have only really played one wargame so far, linked here:
http://www.matrixgames.com/products/434/details/Decisive.Campaigns:.Case.Blue
This game just came out this year. It's an operation-level game focused on the 1942-1943 Stalingrad Campaign. I like that I don't have to manage production or research, stuff that never interested me anyway. Most of the game is spent planning multi-turn operations (each turn is 2 days). But I find this game to be really good. The AI is reasonably competent, however, I've been playing against another human opponent, and it feels very historical so far.
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EPT
