StarDestroyer.Net BBS

White Sun
An After-Action Report of Kuomintang China in Hearts of Iron 2

The Beginning

The Kuomintang: A coalition of warlords, politicians, businessmen, and other, less respectable warlords. It currently claims to rule all of China, but reality is somewhat different. An assortment of warlord cliques, allied to some degree or another, control much of China. Even worse, the filthy communist Mao hides in the mountains with his inferior and stinky forces. We are going to root him out any day now.

The vast lands of KMT China:



Of course, this great nation is ruled by his Democratically Elected Without Rigged Votes or Voter Bullying Majesty for Life Chiang Kai-Shek. He's a pretty good ruler, assisted by a cabinet of geniuses, like these able administrators:



Meanwhile, the Great Wheels of Chinese Industry begin to turn. Some nations would be hampered by the fact that a full quarter of the populace is in open revolt and dissent, Chiang and the KMT see this as a fabulous opportunity to prove Chinese superiority by bravely ignoring necessities like troop build-up and reinforcement and hurling the might of the great nation into producing trinkets and gewgaws to calm our largely retarded peasant population:



Our best scientists are collaborating on a series of projects designed largely to ensure that our military and industry, in the words of the Great Chiang himself, "Stop sucking so much."

Our best trained peasants get right on it:



Our two best tech-teams are in action right now. One is a bit of masonry, the other, a German.

Operation Vacation's Over

The Great Vacation has been underway for some time. Forwards-thinking KMT officials have positioned the vast majority of the army far away from the front with the Communists, in a clever attempt to make it appear like we are not involved in a war after all, hence lulling the enemy into complacency. The Communists have complacently been kicking the living shit out of us for a while now, so Chiang has decided to attempt a small re-organization. This new doctrine concentrates our force by actually putting it in contact with the enemy! Truly, his wisdom knows no bounds.

Chiang's extremely able subordinates immediately draft a plan, notable not only for it's flawlessness, but it's inherent and beautiful simplicity:



Immediate Goals:
1. Reposition the Army to defeat the Communists in the mountains.
2. Get dissent down to manageable levels.
3. Replace the chorus of idiots, thieves, and gangsters who make up the cabinet with useful ministers.
4. Research infantry, industry, and land doctrine techs so that the army can be semi-modernized in time for the inevitable Japanese invasion. Interceptors will be necessary as well.

The Winter Campaign
The Shaanxi Provinces, Winter 1936

As the troops along the border re-organize in expectation of the arrival of most of the KMT army, the Filthy, Sneaky Commies execute an unprovoked surprise attack. Their target is the province of Tianshui- guarded by two divisions from the army of the Clique of Xibei San Ma- a family of Muslim Chinese generals who control much of Central Asian China. The troops of the Ma family prove the many advantages of a poorly trained army of conscript peasants. Many lives are saved and much devastation is avoided when said peasants cut and run in the face of the hardened Communist veterans. Such is the glory and wisdom of the Kuomintang war-plan!



Immediate counter-attacks are ordered. A mixed Ma and KMT force attacks the province of Pingliang, just vacated by Communist troops marching into Tianshui. There is no possibility of Communist reinforcement closing the gap. Meanwhile, Operation Vacation's Over continues at a pace much like that of a very speedy snail or small turtle. It is estimated that the majority of the Chinese army will be on-station in time to watch their Communist enemies expire of old age.

The Ma Clique troops attack with a handful of KMT divisions assisting. Looks like those commie reinforcements arrived after all:


Ma's troops bravely charge the Communist guns, ignoring the mounting resistance, drastically superior Communist equipment, and poor terrain. Victory is assured!



Oh.

The Tide Turns

One of China's greatest generals is assigned to command the Southeastern Front Armies. That is to say, he is entirely inexperienced, barely talented, and utterly insufficient in command skill to co-ordinate forces of the size that are needed.



Victory is assured!

Seventeen KMT divisions consisting mostly of crappy conscripts with a stiffening portion of crappier militia begin the offensive to retake Tianshui on February 23. Two Ma divisions, the heroes of the First Retreat of Tianshui, join the offensive, commanded by the Ma patriarch's least favorite son.

General Pang Bingxun's zeros in everything command-related are put to work hurling illiterate peasants into the machine-guns.


The shattered Ma and KMT forces in the Northwest are recovering from their recent and glorious defeats in the face of the Communist's sneaky and immoral unprovoked defense. One of our few compotent generals is assigned to lead the troops- you can tell that he's going to do well because he's not actually a member of the KMT.

You may remember him- in addition to shoring up the collapsing Xibei San Ma forces, he's also in charge of researching doctrines for the KMT army. You might say he has his hands full.


The Commies now have another river to hide behind. Grrrrrrr.

I'm being copied! And upstaged too, your images are more sophisticated than mine. But what can I say? I take screenshots when I remember to, change them to PNG format, and upload to imageshack. Anything else is too much work.

It looks interesting Thirdfain. Hopefully, and unlike me, you won't try to make custom events and endure long delays because those are a pain in the ass to write.

Mobility focus as China, eah?

Innocentbystander: Yeah, Mobility Focus leads to the Soviet Human Wave tree, which for obvious reasons is of use to Nationalist China.

Adrian Laguna: Hardly sophisticated, sir! And I hope to see more of your AAR finished soon!

The Tide Turns
(Continued)
February, 1936

As Pang Bingxun's Southeastern Front Armies hurl themselves into the Communist lines in Tianshui, the Northwestern Front organizes an attack into Lanzhou, a city near the mountainous source of the Wei River. They enjoy significant numerical advantage- 12 divisions to 3- and are lead by one of the best generals in China- the indomnitable German, Von Falkenhausen. When successful, the Northwestern Front will link up with the main Southeastern army, opening lines of communication between the KMT and the House of Ma.

With Falkenhausen at the head, defeat is impossible!
February 24: The attack is launched!


Oh, my. Well, this is an unfortunate turn of events. It seems the Xibei San Ma troops have placed the indistinct General Fuzzyface in command. But perhaps his unclear and ephemeral tactics will secure a vi...



Oh.

February 27:
Pang Bingxun's first three divisions arrive in Tianshui, victorious. They immediately come under vicious counter-attack. Outnumbered and outgunned, one of Pang's lieutenants does his very, very best.



The offensive into Tianshui is a mess. Poorly co-ordinated forces arrive peicemeal, walking in dribs and drabs into a determined Communist advance. An immediate change in tactics is in order!

The Tide Turns... Again.
March, 1936

More peasants are ordered into the breach.

March 2: The bulk of Pang Bingxun's forces break in to Tianshui, marching over the retreating mess which had been the vanguard.

Our generals are surprised again by another sneaky counter-attack! Damn Commies. The time has come to set things right KMT style. Most Communist forces along the border are hurled into the counterattack at Tianshui. Their flanks are guarded by rivers, mountainous terrain, and fortifications- never mind the superior quality of their troops.

Suffice to say, we order a general offensive.



Oh, BALLS. Pang Bingxun's main force breaks. KMT troops stream out of Tianshui in disarray after occupying the province for only a couple hours. Without their anvil to hold the Commies in place, the flank attacks will never succeed.


Oh!

Von Falkenhausen and Fuzzyface are turning out to be an unbeatable team. I only need to make sure they are only involved in combat situations which play to their advantages: ones where they enjoy a 12-1 numerical superiority.

Well, my luck must surely have run out by now....


Oh!

March 4: SUCCESS! Our other flanking attack succeeds as well! Our troops swarm over the river into Communist mountain redebouts, recently vacated by Communist columns marching into Tangshui! We defeat their rearguard barely, and begin moving in.

This talented gentleman leads the attack, commanding 11 divisions:


Both flanking attacks are successful!

In Tianshui, a new player has arrived on the scene:



The battle begins, March 5: Chiang leads yet another wave of peasants into the Communist lines in Tianshui. They've held off vast numbers of KMT for over a month- but they still have fight in them.

March 9: The reserves under Chiang attack again, still bloody from the last attempt, charge into the breach once more- there is only so much the Commies can take. This attack bursts through the Communist lines, throwing a force of 6 Communist divisions reeling into retreat!



The small Chinese airforce, recently arrived in the airbase at Chengdu, begins strafing the retreating Communist columns in Tianshui and Lanzhou.



It is now a race against time. The Communist army has been smashed at Tangshui, and Zhang Fakui's army of 11 divisions has crossed the Yellow River and begun occupying the hellish Communist fortresses in the mountains around Xianyang. The forces of the Ma family, stiffened with a KMT detachment under Falkenhausen, are pouring in to Lanzhou. The Communists have lost one vital province- if Yan'an falls, the Communist revolution will be doomed.

March 19, Zhang Fakui occupies Lanzhou. His exhausted and disorganized men take position in the recently vacated fortifications, preparing for the inevitable counter-attack.

The battlefield in Shaanxi province and around Yan'an, March 20, 1936:


The time has come to finish off the Red Menace!

Hey Thirdfain, if you want experienced commanders, start training your Major Generals. Put every single division under a Major General's command, they gain experience faster than anyone else. So long as at least one division in the attack has someone of high enough rank (ie a nine div formation needs a General somewhere) you won't have nasty command penalties.

I would probably have gone for the infiltration assault doctrine, personally. But to each his own.

Pablo Sanchez: I intend to switch to a mechanized force after defeating Japan, so Human Wave works for me. I intend most of my late-game fighting to be persecuted by mechanized and armored formations, not infantry.

Adrian: Already done, actually.

The Xi'an Incident and White Peace

March 23: The Xi'an Incident. The traitorous KMT general Zhang Xueliang's troops kidnapped Chiang Kai-Shek while he was away from the front meeting with ministers in the city of Xi'an. Zhang was found to be in the pay of the Japanese- he hailed from the provinces in Manchuria, which today are ruled by Pu Yi, the last Qing Emperor and a puppet of the Japanese government and Kwantung Army. Zhang had been expelled from Manchuria in 1931 during the Mukden Incident by the Japanese, so few believed he would support the Japanese. The extent of the threat Japan presented to China as a whole was immediately obvious.

Chiang had no choice but to sign a white peace with the Communists, as it was necessary to present a unified front against the threat of Nipponese imperialism.


Defeat from the Jaws of Victory!

At least we haven't run out of peasants...

Reconstruction, Research, and Redeployment

The Communist Menace is contained, for now, and the lines have been re-drawn to prewar boundaries. Concerns about the machinations of the Japanese have penetrated even the thick skulls of the KMT's cabinet, forging a tenuous peace with the Communists.

However, the expansionist goals of the KMT are not to be ignored. The Guanxi Clique occupies the rich industrial city of Guangzhou as well as the strategically important island of Hainan. The factories in Guangzhou would bolster the might of the KMT considerably, and Hainan would provide a naval base out of the range of Japanese bombers based on Taiwan. The corrupt Guanxi administration needs to be replaced with a somewhat less corrupt KMT leadership.

Our forces begin to redeploy to the front:
Guangxi Clique's Region, March 28:


The months pass as we prepare for war once again.
We are not the only ones who are busy. On April 18, Mussolini makes a grand proclamation: Ethiopia has fallen to his legions.

We are sure that this addition to his Empire will make him ever so happy.

June 6: our industry has produced a grand pile of trinkets and kitschy widgets, successfully quelling the rebellious instincts of the populace. Dissent is down to zero, helped in no small part by the end of the war with the Communists. Our industry is re-tooled to war production- but first, Chiang shows he is in it for the long run by starting some construction which may seem foolish:


5 units of troop transports will prove useful in the coming years, and besides- we haven't finished researching the 1936 infantry yet, so there is not much for our factories to do otherwise.

June 10: Our brave scientists complete research into basic machine tools. We set them to work on census tabulating machines, which will eventually lead to computers to improve our research speed.



The Kuomintang-Guanxi War



Dumbasses.

(More to come later today!)

I love this report, I'm laughing my ass off reading it. Out of couriosity, what difficulty and version of the game are you using? Is this the Doomsday edition?

I remember once beating the Commies before the Xian Incident as Nationalist China, but it required some Machiavellian backstabbing. Anyway, by mid March, I was able to get Shanxi on my side against the commies, who had left Yan'an unguarded to pursue their offensives against me and Xibei San Ma. I then used the Shanxi forces loaned to me to take their capital before they could react. Although they didn't hold it for very long, the "Scorched Earth" effect left all the Commies' industry and resources devastated and their armies starved, so they sued for peace by offering me Xianyang (big mistake), and I accepted. Since most of their forces were either in Xianyang or the territory they took from myself and Xibei San Ma, they ended back in the Force Pool after the cease fire. After moving my mighty forces into Xianyang, I then declared war, swiftly siezed Yan'an, and annexed them. Unfortunately, this also had the effect of raising my belligerence to 21, and my unrest by 8. I didn't pursue that game much farther than that, but I'd like to when I have the time again.

Everytime Von Falkenhausen pops up I get a laugh. So random.

The Kuomingtang/Guangxi War
June, 1936

The fools who rule the Guangxi province under our express permission have declared war in an attempt to wrest control of the government away from His Democratically Elected We Promise Majesty, Chiang Kai-Shek.

The KMT army is already prepared for this move, and a battle-plan is presented to the Generalissimo:



Chiang Kai-Shek is in command of Army Group center. His forces assault Guilin, eighteen KMT divisions against five in the service of the warlords.

June 12: The enemy collapses soon after contact is made. The faith of those loyal to the Guangxi Clique is fading quickly...


The same day, Army Group East breaks through at Chao'an. The enemy falls back, pressed against the coast:


No Plan Survives Contact With the Enemy

In the west, the situation is somewhat different. Even as the strong Eastern and Central army groups take their targets almost effortlessly, the offensive towards Liuzhou collapses unexpectedly. One of the flanking forces assigned to the attack, two divisions personally loyal to the Ma family stationed in Kaili, are themselves attacked before the main blow can fall. As a result, Army Group West's attack also fails, as it is without support.

June 15: Guangxi troops have occupied the province of Kaili in positions recently vacated by fleeing Ma family militiamen and retainers. However, Chang Kai-Shek as taken a page from the book of his Communist enemies- the rebel divisions are immediately beset by the remains of Army Group West from one direction and a powerful force from Army Group Center.


The results:


June 17: Army Group West attacks Liuzhou again. The following day, the bulk of Army Group Center occupies Guilin. A detachment under one of our better Lieutenant Generals re-directs to assist the assualt on Liuzhou that night.

Ford Prefect: I love the guy- one of Nationalist China's best generals. However, he will actually wind up sitting out the KMT-Guangxi War due to a paperwork error. Ah, the joys of Nationalist China. Any mistakes you make can be fobbed off as an attempt for historical accuracy

Ma Deuce: Ouch, that is some backstabbing... I try not to break peace treaties, I want to wait for the Marco Polo Bridge event for war with Japan, and the Nips love to attack you if you screw around to much with the warlords.

Raj Ahten: Thank you very much! As for difficulty, I'm playing Normal/Furious, version 1.3a, Vanilla.

The Kuomintang/Guangxi War, Continued
June, 1936

The Kuomintang's Navy executes a daring sally, helped largely by the fact that our enemy has no navy to speak of. Onboard a transport is the elite Kuomintang Amphibious Corps- all ten thousand peasants have been well educated in the art of swimming, and most even have rifles! This elite unit is under the command of one of our least mediocre generals:



An immediate assault is ordered, and Lin Wei's troops swarm onto the shores of Zhanjiang. Taking this province will gut off the isle of Hainan from enemy supply and capture the first of 3 Guangxi-controlled ports.

The attack is successful. There is now no chance that the Guangxi legions will retreat to Hainan en masse- they are trapped on the mainland, at the mercy of the Kuomintang armies. Thirteen days after the engagement of hostilities all initial objectives have been taken, despite the setbacks in the West. Mop-up forces move to retake Kaili and to take the province of Shaoguan, exposed by the loss to KMT troops of Chao'an.



June 28: Reinforced, supplied by sea, and refreshed, Lin Wei's troops begin the first of a series of assaults aimed at depleting and destroying the slowly starving Hainan garrison.

The attack is a failure, but the Guangxi garrison is at less than half strength and has no way of replenishing it's losses, while Lin Wei's forces are constantly reinforced by sea.

The July Offensive
July, 1936

All initial objectives have been taken, and the mop-up behind the lines is complete. A general offensive is ordered- waves of KMT troops hit the enemy lines in vast numbers.


Brute force and pig ignorance work when you have sufficient brute force...

July 3: the Amphibious Force crosses the channel again, to continue wearing down the defenders of Hainan:



July 5: The advancing forces of Army Group Center arrive at Maoming. Elements of Lin Wei's division, still unsuccessful, greet the recent arrivals with great joy- they now have an open land supply route, and with it the equipment they need to strike again.

Finally, on July 6:


Six more days pass. Fighting is light, and the Guangxi troops retreat on every front. On July 12, both Guangzhou and Bose have fallen to advancing KMT and Xibei San Ma columns.



The Guangxi Clique's renegade generals no longer control any territory of import. Their troops are tired and out of supply, disappointed and without faith in their commanders. Near midnight, an official and total surrender is signed. After less than a month of fighting:


Perfect!

All lands and surviving divisions of the Guangxi Clique come under Kuomintang leadership.

Victory!

Goals:
1. Upgrade the Army and Air Force to prepare for war with Japan
2. Prepare to annex Shanxi, the warlord nation to the north.
3. Rock Out.

A most excellent AAR. I'm currently also playing Nat. China, but with Total Realism mod. Yay 15 IC, and infantry with all the fighting qualities of militia.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Thirdfain wrote:Ma Deuce: Ouch, that is some backstabbing... I try not to break peace treaties, I want to wait for the Marco Polo Bridge event for war with Japan, and the Nips love to attack you if you screw around to much with the warlords.

I usually honour peace treaties myself, but in this case I was utterly determined to take out the communists before the Xian Incident, and in my view the costs of the "arrest them all as traitors" (which among other things usually results in Japan DOWing you) option was even steeper than the effects of breaking the treaty. Although Japan had not attacked me by the time I stopped playing, one interesting event happened that never did otherwise: Sinkiang entered an alliance with them.

I went off HoI2 when it became clear over multiple games that when playing as the USSR, Germany will never, ever, ever, never ever never ever never ever never ever never ever never ever attack you.

Ever.

Vympel wrote:I went off HoI2 when it became clear over multiple games that when playing as the USSR, Germany will never, ever, ever, never ever never ever never ever never ever never ever never ever attack you.

Ever.

I don't know, Germany seems to attack me every time around June 1941. Of course, I have Doomsday, maybe it's different in vanilla.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

fgalkin wrote:A most excellent AAR. I'm currently also playing Nat. China, but with Total Realism mod. Yay 15 IC, and infantry with all the fighting qualities of militia.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Oh, I hate that kind of bullshit...what's the point of playing this game if there's absolutely no possibility at all to change the outcome of WW2?

What, to see who can recreate history better? It's fortunate Total Realism is just a mod, and not the way vanilla was shipped.

P.S.
That's the best damn AAR I've ever seen. More humour, please!

PeZook: Thank you very much! There will be more humor coming, though some of the more intense campaigning will be focused more on the combat than humor.

Vympel,
fgalkin: I've had similar experiences as Fgalkin- a strong Nazi attack in '41. Maybe you need to get the patch, Vympel? Or download one of the excellent AI improvement packs, like DAIM? I can give you the url, it REALLY improves the game.

Ma Deuce: Sinkiang/Japan Alliance? I'm honestly just not scared

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Spoils of War
July, 1936

What's the point of fighting if you can't gloat after?
-Sun Tzu

War with Guangxi has brought unimaginable riches. By that, I mean that I control a marginally less depressingly underdeveloped and medieval nation. Also, bajillions of easily manipulated peasants have entered my service, most already pre-organized into divisions by the lovely Guangxi generals! 23 divisions enter the KMT army this way.

Three important cities have come under my control. They are all damaged by the fighting, and it is estimated that it will be weeks until their entire resource and industrial production can be utilized, thanks to damage suffered in the fighting.


Spoils of War rule!

July 19: Someone else has the same idea- Francisco Franco, a good old fashioned Generalissimo (but without Chiang's grand democratic heritage, of course!,) has become dictator of Spain. Much of Spain disagrees, however, and war ensues:



Of course, Chiang's advisors are unsure of which side to support. On one hand, Franco is a Fascist, in the vein of the terrible Japanese enemy. On the other hand, the Republicans are Commies, in the vein of the hated rebels within our own nation. However, as our support for either side would consist of nothing more than cheerleading, it isn't terribly important.

Even a glacier moves eventually, as proved on July 24- not only have we completed research into 1936 quality Infantry, but we've gotten a new tech-team slot thanks to the conquest of Guangxi! Our best peasant scum are put immediately to work building airplanes and hoeing fields. One task they excel at. The other, will take some work.



August 30, more research is completed: von Falkenhausen's painstaking reorganization of the Army continues. Peasants across KMT-controlled China learn to focus super hard on moving.



The Summer 1936 Resource Crisis

The economy of Kuomintang China is in the able hands of this clever gentleman:



Chiang wakes one morning to find that the Chinese military/industrial complex is down 13 IC, due to lack of sufficient energy. Oddly enough, Yan Xishan, Minister of Armaments, seems to have been able to purchase a half-dozen Mercedes and a big-screen TV despite the resource shortfall. At least he's a corrupt kleptocrat with style.

The great mastermind of the KMT's foreign policy is called in for a consult.


He negotiates a trade- Chinese supplies, money, and oil for American rares and energy. Victory is assured!



Oh.

We search for less, shall we say, challenging tasks for our Parliament of Idiots.



Uruguay. Greeeeeaaaaaat. Maybe we can zero in on the rich fields of Monaco next, huh? Open up a trade-route for the Andorran coal fortune? Mebbe import some rares from the Vatican?

Needless to say, it's not enough.

Dumbasses. Chiang gets quite irate, and suggests that it's time for some Rule of the People. He's a person, so he makes the rules, and the Rules aren't going to treat corrupt and incompotent ministers very nicely any more.



September 21: After nearly a month of shortfalls, we fill our coffers at moderate expense.
And all that without flogging!

Lovely.

Rest, Relaxation, and Rearmament
Sept-October, 1936

Work continues. The first KMT divisions are equipped up to modern standards, and the Navy is enhanced by the addition of five more transports and a slew of convoys. Nothing interesting happens, besides the herding of a couple hundred thousand bleating peasants to the North.

October 26: A grand re-organization of the Army is underway. We are redeploying North, to meet the growing Japanese threat. Warlords of Shanxi need not lose sleep over our huge deployment to their borders- these troops are friendly, and hardly ever inclined to rapine and pillage. Besides, would the Kind Chiang *ever* attack his Chinese brethren?

The Kuomintang/Shanxi War
November, 1936

The taxes coming in from Shanxi province are a couple decades late, and no amount of whining or complaining has brought them into the Government coffers. It's time for some auditing, old school style.

The forces and preparations so far:



The Kuomintang army is still essentially a peasant rabble, commanded by a smattering of officers, mostly insufficient in skill and doctrine to effectively lead the large numbers under their command. Some effort has been made to minimize the problem, by dividing the military into three major commands.

The first command:


Under Chiang's personal command, this force is very potent, and also includes many of our new modernized divisions.

The second command:


Von Falkenhausen is a good leader, and well suited to the mountain battles ahead. His co-commander, Zhang Zhizong, is much less competent, but will enjoy huge numerical superiority over any enemy he might face. Quantity has a quality all it's own...

The third command:


The terrain this army must cover is very unforgiving- largely, vast stretches of desert, sparsely inhabited and with very poor roads. The troops are mostly loyal to the Ma family- which, fortunately, remains loyal to Chiang and the KMT. General Wan Fulin is green, but it is expected that resistance will be light- and the campaign is certain to toughen him up!

Finally, off the coast of Tianjin, the Navy and the Amphibious Force:


Everything is in order. Bayonets are sharpened, and letters are written home (not many- illiteracy and all that.) Finally,

November 4


Let's ROCK.

On all fronts, KMT and allied troops surge across the border. Morale is high, and military experts, some of the nation's most highly educated peasants, predict a rapid victory.

This is a most excellent AAR, and I can't wait to see more, especially when the Japs attack and the real fun begins.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

cool

Makes me want to play HOI again, though I only have HOI I

I love reading these reports

I've had similar experiences as Fgalkin- a strong Nazi attack in '41. Maybe you need to get the patch, Vympel? Or download one of the excellent AI improvement packs, like DAIM? I can give you the url, it REALLY improves the game.

When last I gave HoI2 a run around the block, I of course had it fully patched up, but it changed little I'm afraid. I didn't have any AI improvement packs- call me old fashioned, but I expect small events like Operation Barbarossa to occur without third party tweaking

I really liked the original much better- it's R&D system was undoubtedly superior (though flawed, HoI2's cure was worse than the "disease") and it didn't try and put you on rails of repeating history nearly as brazenly as HoI2 attempts to.

What's Doomsday do?

Vympel wrote:

I've had similar experiences as Fgalkin- a strong Nazi attack in '41. Maybe you need to get the patch, Vympel? Or download one of the excellent AI improvement packs, like DAIM? I can give you the url, it REALLY improves the game.

When last I gave HoI2 a run around the block, I of course had it fully patched up, but it changed little I'm afraid. I didn't have any AI improvement packs- call me old fashioned, but I expect small events like Operation Barbarossa to occur without third party tweaking

I really liked the original much better- it's R&D system was undoubtedly superior (though flawed, HoI2's cure was worse than the "disease") and it didn't try and put you on rails of repeating history nearly as brazenly as HoI2 attempts to.

What's Doomsday do?

Doomsday, the expansion to HoI2, extends the game till 1954, adds an alt-hist Doomsday scenario of a war between the USSR and the West in 1945 (it starts with the nuking of Moscow). It also adds the "Intelligence" tab, which gives access to spies, that can steal blueprints, sabotage industry/techteams, raise dissent/belligerence, fund partisans, and so on. If you're lucky, you can even coup a nation, although its hideously expensive, and has such a small chance of success that I've never seen it happen.

Also, it adds stuff like the "do not upgrade" button, on units, and the automated production sliders, so you don't have to tweak everything by hand. Plus, you have stuff like escort carriers, hospitals that return manpower, and so on. And, obviously, the AI has been tweaked so that the Germans actually do invade.

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin