Paradox is making changes to how groups like the Axis and Allies work in the World War 2 game Hearts of Iron 4 but it will take a while.
Not much has changed with factions since the game came out says Hearts of Iron 4 design manager Wrongwraith. Now more countries can create factions but they all still feel the same. Playing as the Axis, Allies, Comintern or Chinese United Front doesn’t feel different he explains. We want to fix that and make each faction feel more unique and immersive.
Wrongwraith says the game is still in the very early stages So there aren’t many finished designs or artwork yet just some simple mockups. The main ideas they’re working on include things like faction goals, rules, plans and how much influence each group has. At the start every faction will have a manifest that shows what they’re all about like taking over land, stopping fascism or something else.
Your progress is tracked with a percentage and reaching certain levels gives you rewards. Each faction also has short-term and long-term goals like capturing areas getting resources or adding more countries to your team. These goals guide your path. You don’t have to follow them but you’ll get rewards if you do.
Factions will have certain rules. These rules can decide which countries can join who can declare war for the faction and when. For example only countries from the same continent as the leader might be allowed to join. They may also need to not be at war and not support fascist ideas. Some rules can also remove a country from the group or let it become the new leader.
The leader will be able to change the rules during the game. Factions earn special points by completing goals. These points can be used to add, change or remove rules but only if you're allowed to. Paradox says these points will be rare so rules won’t change too often. They also promise you won’t get too many decisions at once.
Initiatives can also be used in other ways. For example member countries can share research or military ideas build research centers together or choose one main leader for the group.
The last thing to understand is influence. It shows how much power each faction member has. You can earn it by joining wars, building things, taking part in events and helping others. You help by giving supplies to other members or the whole group. The more influence you have the more rewards you get for completing goals and you’ll earn more points when your side wins a peace deal.
If you want to become the new leader of your faction you’ll need to gain enough influence first. Also Paradox is working on a new feature that lets you tell your allies where to focus more. They won’t stop doing other things but they’ll pay extra attention to that area.
If it works well the changes could make teamwork between allied nations in Hearts of Iron 4 much better. But we’ll have to wait and see how things develop before they’re added to the full game.
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