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"June 3, 2009 - It may not have the visibility of some of the other titles we've been covering at E3 this year but, for me, Hearts of Iron 3 was right near the top of my list in terms of anticipation. Putting aside the fact that it and Supreme Commander 2 are pretty much the only PC strategy games at the show, Hearts of Iron 3 would merit our attention purely on the strength of its incredibly deep design and streamlined interface.
For those who don't know, Hearts of Iron is a grand strategy series that puts the player in charge of a single nation during the Second World War. As the conflict unfolds in real time on a global scale, the player will have to make decisions about domestic policy, international relations, technology, production and, of course, waging war. It's a lot to manage, particularly given the depth of detail in the simulation, and that's always presented a significant barrier to new players and, in my opinion, kept the game from enjoying the larger audience it deserves. (Even so, the series has sold half a million copies worldwide to date.)
Paradox Interactive's development director Johan Andersson walked us through a lengthy demo of the game on the show floor today. The new game uses the vastly improved engine from Europa Universalis 3, so the interface and overall presentation of the game is much improved over previous versions. The map is cleaner and you can choose to play with sprite-based units or traditional chits. The presentation isn't the only aspect of the game that should attract newcomers; the team has included toggles for automatic management of nearly every game feature, so players can opt to have the AI handle diplomacy, production, research, political decisions, intelligence or army movement. You can even switch these toggles on and off in real time during the game in case you want to change your focus.
Another welcome feature is the chance to direct entire attacks from the HQ level. In previous games, players had to coordinate massive attacks by hand, leading each every unit around by the hand and setting timetables to ensure that the attacks all arrived at just the right time. Now you can simply select an HQ unit and set general tactical doctrines and specific targets. Those orders are then transferred down the chain of command and the AI will coordinate the attacks you ordered automatically. If an HQ doesn't have enough units to complete the attack, you'll be notified and given the chance to add more groups to the assault. Players who want to get more specific can even select certain paths for the assaults. Those who miss the old scheme will be happy to know that you can still give individual orders to individual units for complete control over what happens on the battlefield. Combat progress is displayed in a variety of highly visible formats as well.
In keeping with the series' emphasis on extreme detail, players can explore all sorts of other strategies to victory. The diplomacy panel offers a look at how each nation falls with regard to their affiliation to the ideals of Communism, Fascism and Democracy. Not only can you influence this position, but you can also forge alliances, enact embargoes and even buy production licenses for the wartime manufacture of arms researched by other countries.
Production orders have been streamlined a lot. Now when you go to the production screen, you'll automatically see order requests generated by the commanders in the field. To fill a request for additional men or material, you can simply click one button to add the assets to the production queue and have them automatically moved to the appropriate HQs when they're completed. As before, you can still handle all this stuff manually, but the new scheme eliminates a lot of the busywork required in getting the right equipment to the right places.
Naturally, there are similar improvements to the technology, policy and intelligence screens, so players can get right to the information and orders they want without digging through a lot of interface layers. Setting doctrines, firing ministers and assigning spies is much easier this time around.
Hearts of Iron 3 is currently scheduled for release in early August of this year. We'll bring you more impressions of the beta after the show. "
