- Hearts of Iron III, a strategy game released in 2009 by Paradox Interactive. The game was released for the Macintosh and PC (Windows). Hearts of Iron III is a strategy game in which the authors focused on accurately reflecting the realities of World War II. The action takes place between 1936 and 1948.
- Hearts of Iron III: For the Motherland 3.03 Patch Free Heart of Iron III will be receiving a new expansion For the Motherland which will be the latest expansion in the popular World War II grand.
- Hearts of Iron 3 will follow that tradition closely while focusing on satisfying veteran players through a multitude of brand new features and systems, including a huge map with more than 10,000 provinces. Build a world power from more than 150 nations and 10,000 provinces. Control air, sea, and land troops from afar or at a granular level.
- Hearts of Iron III: Axis Minors Vehicle Pack Goodies For the Motherland manual Semper Fi manual Their Finest Hour manual wallpapers For the Motherland video diary Their Finest Hour video diary For the Motherland video interview.
Hearts of Iron III Hearts of Iron III lets you play the most engaging conflict in world history, World War 2, on all fronts as any country and through multiple different scenarios. Guide your nation to glory between 1936 and 1948 and wage war, conduct diplomacy and build your industry in the most detailed World War 2 game ever made.
Developer(s) | Paradox Development Studio |
---|---|
Publisher(s) | Paradox Interactive |
Producer(s) | Johan Andersson |
Designer(s) | Johan Andersson Christopher King |
Programmer(s) | Thomas Johansson |
Artist(s) | Jonas Jakobsson Fredrik Toll |
Composer(s) | Andreas Waldetoft |
Series | Hearts of Iron |
Engine | Clausewitz Engine |
Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, OS X |
Release | Microsoft Windows
|
Genre(s) | Grand strategy |
Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Hearts of Iron III is a grand strategyvideo game developed by Paradox Development Studio and published by Paradox Interactive. The Microsoft Windows version of the game was released on August 7, 2009, while the Mac OS X version was released on December 7, 2009.[2][3] A grand strategy wargame that focuses on World War II, it is the sequel to 2005's Hearts of Iron II and the third main installment in the Hearts of Iron series.
Initially, the game received a mixed reception, largely because of the large number of bugs present in the game at release. After several patches, the game's reception improved. In December 2009, it had an average score of 77 on Metacritic. A sequel, Hearts of Iron IV, was released on June 6, 2016.
Gameplay[edit]
Hearts of Iron III allows the player to take control of any nation in the world and guide that nation through World War II. The player controls virtually every aspect of their country, including production, research, diplomacy, warfare, politics. and espionage. The game centers around three factions: the Axis (led by Germany), the Allies (led by the United Kingdom), and the Comintern (led by the Soviet Union). All other nations can slowly align with one of the factions. Nations are more likely to side with factions that they are ideologically and diplomatically aligned with. The player can use a multitude of different divisions, fleets, and warplanes to engage in combat with enemy forces.[4]
Development[edit]
The first trailer from the Games Convention in Leipzig showed new features such as 3D graphics, possible due to the new Clausewitz Engine.[5] Paradox also released a series of developer diaries[6] and video showcases.[7]
Although happy with the scope of Hearts of Iron II, lead designer Johan Andersson wanted to improve upon every aspect of the game, starting again with a new engine.[8] The game's artificial intelligence (AI) was designed to be able to achieve strategic objectives and control forces delegated to it, including whole theatres of operation.[9] The AI can also remember and compare strategic possibilities as circumstances change.[9] Changing to 3D graphics helped improve other areas, as Andersson explained:
Going 3D meant we could do another type of architecture where we could support more screen resolutions, and develop our maps in a quicker way. The biggest advantage from going 3D though was the ability to offload more to the GPU. With the machine advances during the last decade this gives us the biggest benefits in development when it comes to gameplay and AI.[8]
Paradox had a vision for the style of the map, given that the player would spend the majority of their time looking at it: '[..] to create a map that feels like a WW2 map, like it could be a map which.. a commander in the War would be looking at himself'.[10] The content of the map was also altered; the number of provinces was increased to more than 15,000 over Hearts of Iron II's 2,600.[10] Customizable divisions were also added, each one containing two to five brigades. Each brigade increases the division's combat power and cost.[11]
Reception[edit]
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Hearts of Iron III initially received a mixed reception because the game shipped with a large number of bugs in the early release.[18] After several patches eliminated many bugs, reception improved and the game received generally positive reviews. In 2009 December it had a combined average of a 77 on Metacritic[19] and a 79% on Gamerankings.[20]
Gamepro wrote, 'Perhaps the worst problem is the interface itself, or more specifically, the amount of feedback it affords the player. In contrast to the old system, there is no instant way to assess how many divisions you have in each province, nor important values like their units' organization or combat values'.
On the other hand, the game has been praised as being 'tailored for experienced strat heads and wargamers with a lot of patience, but the game is more accessible than either of its predecessors and a great jumping-on point for new players who want to make the leap into a grand strategy epic'.[21]
Expansion packs[edit]
On 6 June 2010, the expansion pack called Hearts of Iron III: Semper Fi was released.[22] The Mac OS X version of the expansion was shipped from Virtual Programming on 23 July 2010.[23] A second expansion pack named Hearts of Iron III: For the Motherland was announced on 27 January 2011.[24] and released on 28 June 2011.[25] The Mac OS X version of the expansion was shipped from Virtual Programming on 28 September 2011.[26] On 22 November 2011, Paradox Interactive released the Hearts of Iron III Collection, which includes both expansions for Hearts of Iron III as well as all previously released sprite packs.[27] On 6 June 2012, Paradox Interactive announced the third and last expansion called Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour.[28] It was released on 29 September 2012.[29] The Mac OS X version shipped from Virtual Programming on November 9, 2012.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^'Gamespy Game Information, Hearts of Iron III'. GameSpy. June 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
- ^'gamer's gate's hearts of iron 3 page'. Gamer's Gate. August 7, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
- ^'Hearts of Iron III Released'. Inside Mac Games. December 7, 2009. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
- ^'Hearts of Iron III Preview'. GameSpy. Retrieved 2009-01-24.
- ^'First trailer at gamer.no'. gamer.no (in Norwegian and English). August 21, 2008. Archived from the original on August 28, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
- ^'Developer diaries at hoi3.com'. hoi3.com. 30 June 2009. Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ^'Video showcases on YouTube'. YouTube. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-30.
- ^ ab'RPS interview'. www.rockpapershotgun.com. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ ab'Dev diary 27'. hoi3.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
- ^ ab'Dev diary 1'. HOI3.com. Archived from the original on 2009-09-07. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^'Dev diary 7'. HOI3.com. Archived from the original on 2009-01-21. Retrieved 2009-05-06.
- ^Brett Todd (2009-08-12). 'Hearts of Iron III Review'. GameSpot.com. Archived from the original on 2012-11-05. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- ^'Hearts of Iron III Review'. IGN. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- ^October 2009, p.88 cited onMetacritic
- ^November 2009 issue, p.76 cited onMetacritic
- ^'Review: Hearts of Iron III'. Gamer Limit. Archived from the original on 2013-08-17. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- ^http://www.smartyweb.org/2009/08/17/hearts-of-iron-iii-a-world-of-hurt/
- ^See official patch notes and change log 1.1-1.3 Patch Changelog
- ^2009 December score
- ^2009 December score
- ^Brett Todd (2009-08-12). 'Hearts of Iron III Review'. GameSpot.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-12. Retrieved 2013-05-08.
- ^Semper Fi Announcement, Paradox Plaza
- ^Corey, J.W. (July 23, 2010). 'Virtual Programming Releases Hearts of Iron III: Semper Fi'. MacGamer. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2010.
- ^'Hearts of Iron III: For the Motherland Announced'. Paradox Plaza. Retrieved 2010-02-10.
- ^'HoI III: For the Motherland released today'. Paradox Plaza. Archived from the original on 2011-06-30. Retrieved 2011-06-29.
- ^Kruse, Cord (September 28, 2011). 'Virtual Programming Releases Three New Game Titles'. Inside Mac Games. Retrieved 2011-11-17.
- ^'Paradox Interactive release Hearts of Iron III Collection'. Paradox Plaza. November 22, 2011. Retrieved 2011-11-22.
- ^'E3 2012: New Expansion for Hearts of Iron III Announced'. Paradox Plaza. June 6, 2012. Archived from the original on June 9, 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-26.
- ^'Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour released'. Paradox Plaza. September 29, 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Hearts_of_Iron_III&oldid=979628294'
Publisher: Paradox Interactive
Developer:Paradox Development Studio
Hearts Of Iron Iii For The Motherland
Introduction
The third expansion for Paradox Interactive's acclaimed World War 2 real-time grand strategy game Hearts of Iron III has just been released. This expansion has come after the expansions Semper Fi and For The Motherland. Wargamers were promised additions and enhancements worthy of an expansion. Will they get these in Their Finest Hour?
Elite Units and Espionage
Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour has brought with it an array of unique elite units. These units include, but are not limited to: Ghurkhas for the United Kingdom, the Waffen SS for Germany, Imperial Guards for Japan and Rangers for the United States. The new and unique units that are added to each major power?s arsenal are a welcome addition to the game, as these units are more powerful and specialised than the standard army units that can be produced. However, these units do come with a production cap, so you cannot simply recruit as many as you would wish or desire. This realistically stops the player from over producing ahistorical OOBs that could seriously unbalance game play. As we can see below while playing Germany, Waffen SS units can be directly built within the ?Production? screen.
Espionage and covert operations have also been expanded with new missions. This extended system has many new additions that everyone will appreciate. Setting up your spy rings is now far more important than before. The first major change comes with the addition of ?Covert Operation? points that must be accrued to enable the player to set various spy missions in motion. For example, to launch a coup in a target country you must have a minimum of twenty covert operation points. The below figure will show you how the game displays covert operation points being gathered against certain countries. You can also directly influence provinces on the map by sending your spies to gather information, or slow down the enemy by causing confusion through changing road signs, etc.. The player can also set his spies to work with new missions on the intelligence screen: i.e. ?Counterespionage,? ?Military Espionage,? ?Tech Espionage,? increasing the perceived threat of a country (propaganda) and disrupting national unity. Now, all aspiring intelligence leaders and propaganda leaders have plenty to occupy themselves with!
Strategic Warfare and Combat Tactics
A new ?Strategic Warfare? screen is one of the other additions of this release. This compares your strategic losses to the enemy by using graphs and visual displays. As the war progresses, this feature will become an invaluable reference tool for all players. Visual displays are certainly a handy tool for those understanding and contemplating the complexities of waging a war. Also, there is a simple mechanism in the production screen that allows the player to ?Lend Lease? IC to his/her allies, making economic diplomacy much easier than in the past. The enemy can inflict losses on the convoys that are automatically set up to deliver these goods, but some aid will always get through. If we look at the two figures below we can see our land and sea losses compared to the enemy. (I really need to sort my convoy system out!!) There is also much more useful information available, at a glance. I love this enhancement.
Your leaders can now acquire new traits (as like seen in previous Hearts of Iron engines) such as ?Urban Assault Specialist,? ?Desert Fox,? ?Mountaineer,? ?Jungle Rat,? ?Ranger? (forest combat), ?Swamp Fox? and ?Hill Fighter.? These are indeed welcomed labels for your nondescript leaders to strive for! Combat tactics have also been added. Every battle starts with leaders picking a particular tactic, and this 'choice' can be affected by a new ?aggression slider? that the player sets (see figure below). Higher aggression levels translate into the commander on the spot picking higher risk tactics, so an element of trust in commanders comes into play here. The rules governing armour and armour piercing (anti-tank) have been revamped, making these weapon systems much more important in the scheme of things. I can see mini arms race's developing between opposing sides as one strives to out do the other in regards to building units that implements these attributes. Great!!
Hearts Of Iron Iii Free Download
Custom Game and Operational Orders Map Modes
The new ?Custom Game Mode? (CGM) is also a significant new feature. This allows you to customise your country of choice before you begin playing. The player goes to the customisaton screen and has a certain number of points to spend on, like ?Diplomacy?: by altering alignments, joining or leaving factions (although, for obvious reasons, you cannot alter faction leaders). The second stage is ?Research?: where you can start with a clean slate and choose the techs you?ve researched, or you can just alter a few within the constraints of how many points you have to spend. Lastly, there is ?Deployment?: you can produce and deploy your combat units and buildings on the map. All of this is great for those ?What-If? campaigns, testing and sandboxing. (see figures below for visual examples)
The ?Operational Orders Map? mode will also be an unfamiliar enhancement noticed by players of this expansion. This handy addition allows the player, firstly, to view all of World War 2?s operations in detail, like: Case Blue, Case Yellow, Citadel etc.. It also allows you to create your own detailed Operational Plans, enabling the player to share them with friends and allies alike. In addition, this is likely to enhance any AAR's tremendously, created by players. A nice touch I must say! (see figures below)
Naval Forces and Combined Arms Enhancements
Although the naval system still isn?t perfect, more in-depth naval invasions are now on the cards. No longer can you just sail your transports to some god-forsaken beach and dump them. They now take longer to unload, simulating the delays seen in historical amphibious assaults, so you can't just arrive on the beach and go in with all guns blazing. This graduated unloading system is now something players must consider into their strategies when planning amphibious assaults. It?s not all bad, however, as improved landing craft can now be researched and developed to overcome many of the logistical problems faced by the player. (see below)
The combined arms system has also been tweaked. When you go to the build screen, all units are now colour coded enabling the player to see at a glance the different types of units that can be built. There is also a handy little calculator to work out your combined arms modifiers. Infantry are now the key units in combined arms calculations. For example, if you combine an Infantry brigade with an Artillery and Tank Destroyer brigade, you can rack up a massive 15% combat modifier! Excellent!! (see below figure)
New Scenarios and Multiplayer Chat Mode
Included in Their Finest Hour are two new scenarios: ?The Spainish Civil War? and ?The Winter War 1940.? These are two interesting stand alone scenarios in their own right?resulting in key developments that affected World War 2 in various ways?but they also afford the new player a way to lessen the steep learning curve of this game (its complexity attained over the past several years), as they are far shorter and less involved than plunging head on into the larger campaigns. (see figures below)
In addition to all of this, there is also a new multiplayer chat mode. This has an auto ?faction join? function allowing new players to sign in. This is a great new feature that will hopefully encourage more ?old sweats? to take the plunge into the multiplayer arena. Multiplayer is where the game truly comes into its own, and if you can find the right crowd and you have a few hours/days on your hands, I can only encourage old and new alike to play multiplayer. If you don?t have much time on your hands, or you have trouble finding opponents, then the AI is ok. AI has been tweaked in this release, but the results of this seem to be both better and worse. However, the game is really transformed when played against human opponents.
Conclusion
This is a must get expansion for all HOI3 fans, as there are significant and welcomed additions/enhancements included here. These add even more to the games immersion factor and all-round playability. Veteran players will appreciate all the additions in this new expansion.
The game?s overall complexity is one of its many attractions, but for new players the learning curve is certainly steep. Hearts of Iron 3 has been about for several years now, and each expansion seems to increase its complexity on top of a foundation (the original Hearts of Iron 3) that was already seen as too complex by those who were used to the Hearts of Iron II engine. Some may even find this intimidating. The two smaller scenario's included in Their Finest Hour will be a welcomed addition for new players; while they will allow seasoned veterans with not too much time on their hands to dip their toe into the multiplayer side of the game.
A few may argue that some of the enhancements included are more chrome than game changing, but I would disagree. I think Their Finest Hour is a must have for any serious HOI3 wargamer and newbie alike. The changes to espionage and the additions of elite units alone, make the expansion worth purchasing. The marriage of Hearts of Iron III and Their Finest Hour has created something so immersive, detailed and fun to use, that hours can go by without even notice (?yes dear..I'm switching it off right now....?)
Pros
1) The AI appears to be smarter on the defence now.
2) Artillery and Anti-Tank units are now more important both on offense and defence.
3) Espionage and enemy covert operations are now more dangerous and must be factored into your overall strategy.
4) The Custom Game mode opens up endless opportunities both for the serious modder and casual gamer alike.
Cons
1) Minors have slightly less freedom in the overall scheme of things.
2) The AI will still occasionally make reckless and wasteful mistakes when on the offensive. Paradox Interactive has not gotten the AI balance quite right yet, vis-a-vis a player?s offense/defence. It's good, but with a promised AI patch next year, we will have to keep our fingers crossed and wait. Or (if you have the time), you could throw caution to the wind and try multiplayer!!
Review written by: Chris Cole
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About Chris Cole
Chris Cole started wargaming in the late 1960s after finding the hobby via chess and model soldiers. His first wargame was SPI's PanzerGruppe Guderian that arrived in his first ever Strategy & Tactics magazine, which he is still collecting!! From that moment on, he was hooked!! By the age of 14 he was playing SPI's War in the East/War in Europe. After serving in the army as a tank crewman he joined the AA, even playing chess in the turret of a Chieftain tank!! He loves all wargames, from ancients to sci-fi!! But his favorite games include World in Flames (ADG), War in the Pacific: Admiral?s Edition (Matrix Games) and Hearts of Iron III (Paradox Interactive). Chris is also an avid film buff who collects black-n-white films, and a keen reader and student of military history. He lives in Cannock, England with his lovely wife.
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