Hearts of Iron 3. PC Game. Paradox Interactive. $39.99.

Passed Inspection: Good strategic level of war with enough operational level to make it fun; division-building with mix-and-match brigades is a major step forward in the genre; tech tree covers wide breadth of era tech advancement but stays simplistic enough to grasp by most players. Industrial production, research and development work well. Unit graphics are passable, and map is easy to read and understand.

Failed Basic: Even at version 1.3, game is often buggy and crashes. Odd diplomatic processes result in strange alliances and unexpected results that will ruin a game. AI still needs tweaking on production, diplomacy and technology to create a historically accurate and balanced simulation. Heavy system requirements require a fast computer, fast graphics card and lots of memory. Supply system is confusing and poorly implemented.

Hearts of Iron 3 is a still-incomplete game, even after the third patch.

First, a confession. I’m a long-term Paradox junkie, beginning with Europa Universalis I and continuing through the Hearts of Iron series; I even adore the much-maligned Victoria. Consequently, I tend to buy whatever Paradox puts out on the first day its available, complain with the rest of the grognards on the very active Paradox Forums, and wait, like they do, for the inevitable series of patches that ultimately result in a excellent end product.

Subscribe Today

• Subscribe to Armchair General Magazine
• Subscribe online and save nearly 40%!
 

However, fanboyism aside, I am getting more than a little weary of Paradox products that basically put the onus of beta testing on the consumer.  Hearts of Iron 3, sadly, is not an exception. When I picked up the game in version 1.0 for review, I decided to wait until the first patch or two came out to write this essay, as it is a rare thing indeed for a Paradox game to be ready to go at version 1.0. So I waited, and here it is.

 Hearts of Iron 3 (HOI 3) is a still-incomplete game, even after the third patch. All the parts are there-technology trees, unit organization, internal politics, diplomacy, industrial production, supply and espionage. The issue becomes one of how these parts-all functional and excellent on their own-come together to create a playable game that can satisfy both the historical realist and the alternate history wargamer at the same time. HOI 3, while entertaining, falls short of being the great World War II strategic wargame for the PC, a fact that becomes evident quickly as a player fires up the game.

Beginning in 1936, the game progresses in accelerated real-time at an hourly rate. This was the core problem with the early version(s) of the game as poor coding resulted in even the most advanced computers bogging down until a single month in 1940 would take 30 real time minutes to complete. That is, until the game crashed. Luckily, by the most current patch these problems have been somewhat resolved, but the gamer who wants to play HOI 3 should be clearly aware that it is a resource-heavy program that only those with very fast graphics cards, plenty of memory and a fast chip should attempt to play.

As to gameplay, the player has the ability to not only research technologies, but to select from all combat doctrines and other areas previously limited by nationality in Hearts of Iron 2. This is a big improvement, as it allows the United States, for example, to develop German-style blitzkrieg doctrines, or Japan to adopt Soviet-style mass army doctrines. Another winning point of the game is the ability to mix-and-match brigades within a division, with improved technology allowing for up to five brigades per division. Now, a player can form a fast-moving division of several motorized infantry, light armor, and self-propelled artillery brigades to exploit a breakthrough, while other divisions (a heavy tank brigade, several leg infantry brigades and towed artillery) attack and eliminate surrounded units. The number of different brigades is quite impressive, from military police brigades for suppression of guerrillas, to heavy/medium/light armor and airborne brigades. This is, in my opinion, one of the most enjoyable facets of the game, as it allows players to build ground forces to suit their style of play.

Help Armchair General by bookmarking to