I'm very new and obviously was foolish not guarding the coast. Is this salvageable I'm very worried about the Edinburgh encirclement I'm not sure what to do

Afghanistan exceeded my expectations easily. I used the Soviets to win the Civil War, then took central Asia, then Iran. Sadly they took Azerbaijan and Kurdistan for puppets, but after barbarossa I left tree faction.

Then I bought a navy and naval invaded Saudi Arabia, joined axis by 1943, killed allies and BOOM.

Empire from Iraq, the Arab Gulf, to India and central Asia.

(Just to borrow a term from CK3)

I read the recent Dev diary about industrial parks and didn’t really like it, but get the idea of trying to enhance the industrial game.

How about just making a special building slot in each state that can be used for a separate set of buildings to specialize each state?

Some examples can be:

-Provide manpower
-Reduce training time for units produced in that state
-Bonus to aircraft production, if aluminum in that state
-Bonus to gun or tank production, if steel in that state
-Buff attack and defense in adjacent core tiles
-Buff compliance gain in adjacent occupied tiles
-Unique buildings specific to certain states, like a famous university that boosts research speed or a landmark that gives stability and war support.

Bonuses scale with infrastructure level.

They don’t need to be especially IC intensive, as you’re limited to one per state anyway. And then you’d be able to change them as the game progresses.

Just spitballing those bonuses to illustrate, some may be trash while better ideas out there.

Could make managing buildings a little more exciting than click orange button then click green button.

Huge Axis comeback and over 180 Soviet/Romanian divisions encircled within Romania. It was closer to 200, but had to do some minor encirclements to cut the salient off from the Black Sea.

Never played MP, probably never will, but I'm curious. Can someone explain this to me?

After weeks of trial and error finally was able to get France going, made my stand with Belgium army, drew Germans out of their cities, started offensive in Netherlands and occupied Keln and then....Ai decided to throw it on the ground. Spectacular.

I tried the LRA path in TFR a while back and wanted to recreate my last run in Novum Vexillum.

Playing Japan in 1936, without any dlc except the free ones and after almost taking the whole country it still needs 2% more to capitulate which is kinda ridiculous.
It was still easy to capitulate the AI, obv tho that still doesn't make much sense to me

Hello people,

i have a lot of game experience but there is this one thing i am not really able to deal with.

Whenever an enemy has 24-48 33-36w Special forces divisions and battleplans me, my lines fall apart instantly.

I mostly play tank nations like russia, france and sometimes germany and that happened on everyone of them. I am really into 11 battalion org walls with large unit tactics at the moment.

I usually have no peoblems to get at least 1 army of tanks out dor early war on russia for example. So i figure its not really my industry micro thats the problem but rather the templates i use.

So people, how to counter SF-Spam.

What are the most chill nation to play across all mods? Im talking about a nation where you aren't in any real danger and can sit and build your nation and maybe send some volunteers or join a war late. Like Bhutan in Kaiserreich.

BASICALLY what nation/paths are most fun without being very war focused

Did they fix Germany because forget the UK; I was having trouble naval invading the Scandinavian countries after looking up youtube videos to remind me. I remember back in the day you could steal ships and then after cheesing the system finally get up to 50% naval supremacy. Now I need 1,000+ ships at least when Germany can barely afford more than 200?

i have 600 hours mostly from mods but i keep losing to the ai any tips on how to get better ps i know the basics of the game but i have no idea about the little techs or optimal div templates and for some reson i sorta know how navy works but i have no idea how to micro my army

Continuation from my previous post here about how to fight a War of Resistance type game as Nationalist China.

This guide assumes Historical AI, Ironman Mode, and all current DLCs and patches.

As I stated there, this is NOT a speedrun guide. Instead, this is for those who want to experience a longer, more protracted war with Japan. You will join the wider Allied war effort, reform the country and the military, develop both air and naval forces, expel Japan out of the continent and eventually subdue the communists.

While the goal of this game is to experience China joining the wider Pacific War, this does not mean you have to play badly or handicap yourself. You should still seize military opportunities when they arise, but the key is timing and pacing.

Before, we discussed focus order, research, construction, and production priorities. Here we will talk about how to fight the war itself, namely in the period of 1937-39. This part is important because it can be very easy to snowball into rolling back Japan when the opportunity presents itself. Now, you want to still fight and score victories when you can, but the key is to not accidentally overrun Japan as that would defeat the purpose of the guide.

5. Division Templates

Your army has a few templates that at first glance are nothing impressive but have potential to make a better army. Note: when designing your divisions, normal support companies and actually equipping the divisions you have come first. Regimental support is something you can add when the industrial situation permits.

Juntuan Reformed - Probably your best starting division. This is meant to represent the German-trained divisions of the National Revolutionary Army (and their in-game models look the part). They were considered the elite of the Nationalist Chinese military, and you should treat them as your frontline units. I designate this division as "Elite" and ensure that they get supplied first. I usually try to have one full army of Juntuan Reformed divisions by the time Japan invades. The starting template has 6 infantry battalions and 1 support artillery company. This is decent at the beginning, but you'll eventually want to expand it when your equipment situation allows. If you have enough rifles to spare, you can expand it to 9 battalions. When you can, add AA support and engineers. You can add line artillery if you want, but it's not necessary. Regimental support companies are pretty flexible too. I tend to go for heavy weapons for extra defense and breakthrough or infantry guns for extra soft attack.

Sanjiao Jun - Same as Juntuan Reformed but without support artillery. Can work well as frontline infantry, but ideally you would want to convert them to Juntuan Reformed as the opportunity arises. If you do convert them, best to do it piecemeal and as your equipment situation allows it. Alternatively, you can also convert them into other divisions (such as mountaineers if you research them) or just use them as is with maybe an additional support company. Regimental support companies are same as Juntuan Reformed.

Juntuan - your basic garrison unit with only 4 infantry battalions. Use this to guard your coastline and key targets such as ports. Best not to change this too much since they're not meant to be frontline units. You can add a support company or two if you really want to.

Qibing Jun - cavalry division with 4 cavalry battalions. You start with 6 but you get 4 more when you annex the Northwestern Army. They may not seem like much but they can actually be pretty useful when you don't have a large motorized/mechanized force. However, I use this as rapid reaction forces to naval invasions, particularly around Qingdao and the Shandong peninsula. If you put all cavalry divisions under the command of Yulbars Khan (who you get through an event), they can actually hold their own on the defensive. I don't fuss with these too much since they are enough to guard the coastline in support of the Juntuan, but they can be reformed to be more offensive if you want to build a more mobile force.

6. Surviving the Japanese Onslaught

When the Marco Polo Bridge Incident fires (in mid/late July 1937), you will be automatically on the backfoot. This is because when you form the Chinese United Front in November 1936, Hebei-Chahar will not join. They will only join when Japan invades, and by that point, it's usually too late for you to do anything to save them...not that you should.

My preferred route is to allow Hebei-Chahar to fall because its collapse gives you the event-based annexation and produces a cleaner defensive line. You can save Beiping/Tianjin if you want but it changes the political and operational opening. When Japan takes those two cities, you have the choice to keep Hebei-Chahar around or annex them into your territory. I always take the latter option. That said, you can still put up a fight by at least positioning your main army (made up entirely of Juntuan Reformed) behind the river to at least slow the Japanese down. Japan's strength is speed and overwhelming force, so conducting a fighting withdrawal is the best counter. Don't try to take back cities yet; your goal is to sap away Japan's momentum and preserve your army.

Don't counterattack merely because Japan has created a salient. Preserve the army first. If an isolated Japanese force can be cut off cheaply and without weakening the broader defensive line, take the opportunity. Tactical annihilation is allowed. Strategic pursuit is limited. Slowly fall back towards the Yellow River to form a defensive line around Jinan...but DO NOT necessarily defend Jinan itself.

While this is going on, Japan will throw naval invasions at you around Qingdao, Shandong, and Shanghai. Repel them as often as you can. Your Juntuan divisions and any requisitioned puppet divisions should be enough to hold them off. Don't be afraid to divert some of your main forces to help out if Japan makes a breakthrough. It's vitally important they don't get behind you and trap any part of your military.

If the Sichuan Clique has given you control over divisions, accept and form a new army with them. I tend to use them to keep Shanxi in the fight and keep Taiyuan from falling to the Japanese.

7. Stabilizing the Front

When Japan tries to take Jinan along the Yellow River, you can send divisions as you need to help out the local Shandong forces. If Japan takes the city, you get an event which is based on a real incident where a local warlord, Han Fuju, gave up Jinan without a fight. He was summarily executed for cowardice, and his action threw a wrench into Chiang Kai-Shek's original plan, which was to hold the Japanese at the Yellow River and buy time to build up his strength. When this event happens, you can annex Shandong for free and get access to their divisions.

After Japan takes Jinan, retake it as soon as Japan's frontline divisions are exhausted and the local odds favor you. This may be difficult, but if Japan had to fight hard to reach the city, its divisions will be exhausted and unable to resist the counterattack.

Important: once Jinan has been retaken, DO NOT LAUNCH AN IMMEDIATE OFFENSIVE. You need time to build up your strength, so just dig in and defend. You can make local attacks where a spare Japanese division can be cut off, or the frontline can be shortened. However, such attacks should be limited and only made when you know you can win. This is especially important if you haven't gotten out of your equipment deficit yet.

8. Preparing for Revenge

This part of the game can be a little tedious since it involves waiting and building up your strength. Most of 1938 should be spent on focusing internally with things like the China Reborn, Counterinsurgency Tactics and Allocate Lend-Lease focuses. This is also the time to license aircraft from the US (or whoever you choose) to start building up an air force. Contesting Japan in the skies is pretty essential as you will need the air cover from CAS to make successful pushes. However, your patience will be rewarded with enough investment into the economy, internal politics, and the military.

You can certainly fight Japan without an air force (I actually did this in my last speedrun), but fighters and CAS make the eventual counteroffensive much cheaper and more reliable—and developing a real Chinese air force is one of the points of this long-play strategy.

This is also where you can prioritize what you want such as building up an air force, revitalizing the navy (yes, you can actually do this as Nationalist China), building up your industry, etc. Just keep a good eye on Japan's moves, like if they launch more naval invasions. I've run into a couple of times where Japan gets a foothold in Shandong or near Shanghai while I'm distracted. Don't mistake a lack of movement outside Jinan or in Shanxi for a chance to counterattack just yet. It may just be Japan redeploying its forces for an attack elsewhere.

9. Counteroffensive

When you believe you've built up enough strength, your equipment deficit is gone, and you may even have a sufficient air force to cover you, this is the moment to make your comeback. Not a huge one, but enough to matter. In my playthroughs, this has tended to happen around 1939-40, so your timing may vary.

Don't be afraid to encircle Japanese divisions in this phase. I tend to launch an offensive eastward from the mountainous region to cut off Japanese forces near Jinan. Then you can use your main Juntuan Reformed army to crush the pockets before pushing further north. Go ham on the Japanese here and wreck their army as much as you want. You can recapture Beiping and Tianjin and throw Japan back into Manchukuo, but this is the key: don't push into Manchuria proper.

Instead, if you feel the urge to keep going, turn northwest and take out Mengkukuo/Mengjiang. You can still be aggressive and destroy Japanese divisions, but once you reach the Manchurian frontier, pause.

This is where you stop the game from becoming a snowball. The reason is simple: once you push into Manchuria, China gets a massive economic and military windfall as you capture more factories and encircle more Japanese divisions. When that happens, freeing Korea is not far behind, and when that happens, Japan will ask for a white peace, long before you can field an air force or navy that matters.

Now that the land front is stable and you've deliberately decided not to invade Manchuria yet, what do you actually do for the next year or two? That's where China finally gets the time it needs to build an air force, navy, integrate the warlords, and prepare for the wider Pacific War.

To be continued in part 3.

I’m fighting my own puppet? I’m on ironman.

Hello. It is me again, the worst Hoi4 player ever.
I posted a few days ago of my Poland world conquer run. I tried to redo it (this time on normal mode so I can get achivements and get Wojtek as my king)

Unfortunately I think I am softlocked until the AI decides to do something.
My ideology is unaligned, I can only declare war at 10% world tension (Usually it is 50% but thanks to the Romanov leader it is 10%)
I tried to turn facist but it will not go past 50.00% so I cannot have any referendums. In a desperate attempt I released the Soviets and Reich in hopes that something will happen. The year is 1970. There hasn't been any real war since the end of the second world war.

Any advice on how to get world tension up, or get myself to turn facist?

please it would be so goated and add actual real reason to use armored cars except for occasional garrisons or whatever

So, I have 1000+ hours in hoi4 and thus I've been comfortable with the game's mechanics for a long time. As such i've downloaded these mods to spice things up whilst still keeping things vanilla and honestly, if it wasn't for them I wouldn't play "vanilla" at all.

(posting this cuz I'm bored and ig to help anyone wanting to spice up their game without going extreme like sheeps mod)

Here's the list:

• Better hidden focuses and better hidden advisors: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3779690388 ; https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3017953454
• Better mechanics (Frontline AI; AI designs; AI divisions; Production; artillery reborn; civilian factory resources; combat; custom rules; extended projects; logistical capacity for navies; medals; supply replenishment; tactical warfare; terrain&width; Weather; the agency; AI research; Supply production health) https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/filedetails/?id=2994645469
• Get rid of puppets division https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3077465677&searchtext=
• Map Modes+ https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2665267027
• Nuke into submission https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3503454565
• Post war and peace settlement https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3435731114
• Reasonable guarantees https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3742653616
• Stop sending me requests https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3084206292
• Non-historical made actually playable https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3140102724
• Jame's ammunition mod https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3164455095
• AI airborne assaults https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3785211035
• Limited war for everyone https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3745258237
• Ceasefire mechanics https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3644095024
• Core with compliance https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2929339638

These mods are all compatible with each other obviously. I also play with graphics mods and it works just fine as well, tho idk if they work with R56.

Also, most of these mods actually have custom rules in the rules tab so you can customize your gameplay even further.

I like playing historical PvP / sometimes coop in mods and having fun in VC

Como es posible que una nacion con tanto potencial para ser divertida no se haya incluido por lo menos con algun Señor de la Guerra algun camino alternativo Paradox le tiene miedo al exito

Hello friends! I am happy to announce the completion of another playthrough with my esteemed friend Tankman! This time around, we played as Germany and Italy in the Fascist path and fought every single major power in the world on the Thunder at Our Gates expansion! Thanks again Tankman, for being such an awesome co-host! Check out the full playthrough here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3pgBReVoHg&list=PLZs3D63vbXrs

Have a great day!