Hearts of Iron IV lets you micromanage as Hitler

Paradox Interactive have just unleashed a large amount of information on Hearts of Iron IV, their upcoming history sim. This includes a dev diary, a livestream and new screenshots.

Hitler’s handsome mug takes up the centre-piece of the most recent dev diary released on Paradox Interactive’s forum. The most interesting bit of news involves a new “Political Power” system. Players make promises to achieve certain national goals. Most of these goals are rooted in history in order to “guide the A.I”. Others seem to break from history. A screenshot displays the option to form an “Anti-Cominterm Pact” or to “Militarize the Rhineland”. Alternatively, you can play as Hitler and “Support Democracy”.

Describing what inspired the mechanic, Paradox explain that “We modeled this mechanic around how Hitler historically secured his grip on Germany and started WWII, the idea being that you need to pull off some stuff to build confidence in your ruling powers.”

Political power can be spent on what appears to be a whole variety of things. You can appoint ministers, hire companies for your military, and set laws regarding conscription, Economics and Trade. For example, you can play as a “Disarmed Nation” with “Free Trade” and a “Civilian Economy” – all run by Hitler and the Nazi party.

A lot of the fun in Paradox Interactive’s history sims come from the joy of messing with history. These micromanagement options may appear dull to many, but if you sink your teeth into it you end up creating these majestic watercooler moments that don’t easily leave you.

Some additional information coming from the dev diary: Hearts of Iron IV’s release date is being pushed back to Q2 2015. As a counterpoint: Paradox Interactive have finished hosting a livestream for Hearts of Iron IV. The livestream footage can be found on YouTube.