FULFILLMENT OF DESIRES
Do you remember the tale of the greedy Raja and the Golden Antelope? Of course, remember. Is it possible to forget how the greedy raja shouted: “More! Give me more!" and then, "Enough! Enough!", choking in a pile of gold that fell on him. By the way, he did die in it. And all because the irrepressible appetite and hyper-greed will definitely end badly. That is the moral of the story.
Why am I? Of course, to the recently released global strategy from Paradox "Hearts of Iron 3" or in the Russian version of "Victory Day 3". What does the mentioned raja have to do with it? The fact is that, having familiarized myself with the game, I felt like such a greedy rajah. Yes, and the sculptors from Paradox in my mind became that very generous Golden Antelope, who simply drowned me in realized desires.
It all started quite a long time ago, in 2005, when “Victory Day 2” shone as an indisputable hit among the same indisputable paradoxical hits. Having played enough of your favorite strategy, any computer commander will make a so-called wish list for himself, a wish list, which will include everything that the player thinks will make his favorite game even more perfect. If little children send their wish list to the North Pole to Santa Claus, then the fearless multiple conqueror of the world will go to the developers forum, where he will post his list and demand the fulfillment of desires. And God forbid, the developers will listen and fulfill them.
What is the most frequently requested change in DP2 by users? First, remove the rigid binding to history. The lack of alternatives to what is happening in the world can make anyone bored after a dozen campaigns in the same scenario. Secondly, something to do with the research group system. To give small countries the opportunity, under certain conditions, to develop science and technology. Thirdly, numerous forum fans of tanks and other equipment of the Second World War were offended in their best "religious" feelings, watching Shermans, T-34s and some German panzers of the same characteristics in the game. Give me, damn it, variety and authenticity, they demanded. Why can't battleships and cruisers be upgraded, others asked, citing lengthy quotes from works on the issue. The fourth to cast their votes were amateurs to scrupulously build the "vertical of power" division-corps-army-front-headquarters. Why do commanders only exist for corps in the game? Where is the military hierarchy, huh? Fifth, there are just too few provinces on the map. Well, what kind of maneuvers can we talk about if there are only five or six provinces along the front? You give spacious Europe so that there is a place for tanks to drive the enemy into boilers!
What to hide, much of what was voiced was supported by your ruffy servant, that is, me. If only the developers would do that, implement it, I dreamed. And what would you think? They took it and implemented it. Now I don’t know myself whether to rejoice or cry, thank or curse, myself or them.
The concept of DP3 exactly copies that of DP2. The game is mainly dedicated to the second world war. Action time 1936-1948 There are several starting dates to choose from: 1936, 1939, 1941 and 1944. The end of all campaigns is 1948. The alignment of forces at the start of each of the campaigns is presented with historical accuracy (of course, within the game conventions, within the framework of the game model chosen by the creators). Since the main events will almost inevitably take place in 1939 (if the player does not hurry them up with their actions), the early scenario will give time to prepare for war, and the second scenario will immediately plunge the player into the abyss of world slaughter, etc.
Having chosen a country, the computer commander will assume the duties of the head of state, the council of ministers and the general staff at the same time. He is responsible for choosing the path of development, for the structure of the armed forces, for prioritizing research, for planning military operations, for diplomatic negotiations. In general, for everything. The portraits of ministers flashing in the game, elections taking place in places, pop-up events will not cancel this state of affairs. The player is the Lord-God, the guardian angel and the devil-destroyer of his country. Everything depends only on him.
There are five tabs-windows in the game - according to the number of player's activities outside the battlefield. In the diplomacy window, we are negotiating with potential enemies or allies. In the production window, we distribute production capacities: we allocate part for the creation of new troops, the other part for the production of military supplies, for the replenishment of parts with new equipment, and what remains - for consumer goods. Also here we monitor the profit-loss of resources. There are very few different types of which, by the way: metal, energy, oil, fuel, rare elements. Military supplies and money, in my opinion, stand somewhat apart. They do not depend on the favors of nature, but only on the will of the player.
In the research window, we determine the ways of scientific development of the power. Whether we will focus exclusively on the infantry or whether we will allocate a significant place to mechanized units, what is more important, the fleet or aviation, whether the superpower needs nuclear weapons - we decide here. In the policy window, we shuffle the ministers, whose skills and abilities to some extent depend on production or research indicators. Here we determine how to deal with the countries that have become dependent on us, what regime to establish on the occupied lands. It is also possible to pass a small number of laws. The purpose of the exploration window is clear without explanation. Of course, for intelligence. For what else? Actually, for something else, but more on that later.
But all these windows, all these types of game activity do not cover the main thing for which the game was created - the conduct of hostilities. "Victory Day" is a strategy not for those who like to accumulate good in the bins, not for enthusiastic construction and creation. This game is for war and only for war. The main energy expenditure of the player for hitting the keyboard and mouse buttons will serve only one purpose - to crush, destroy the enemy, surround his divisions, sink his ships, bomb cities, sow panic in his rear. However, it doesn't look as scary as it sounds. After all, DP3 is a global strategy. This means that the player is looking at what is happening from, so to speak, upper layers atmosphere. For him, there are no fighters - there are only divisions, there are no settlements - there are only provinces, there is no civilian population - there is only an abstract indicator of the level of discontent. So crush boldly - this is a plasticine world. The only thing that can suffer is a mouse smashed to smithereens or lessons not learned in time.

ROMANIA. START.
I drove my first campaign in the already distant DP2 for Romania. I saw no reason to refuse such a thing in this case. So, Romania, the year 1936. At the head of the state is King Carol II, "a magnanimous gentleman," as the developers described it. I did not understand the parties and the sympathies of the population. What for? The king, he is the king, he will not go anywhere.
Since the DP traditionally sins that there is practically nothing to do before 1939, I pause and calmly study the situation. The number of Romanian provinces is not only uncountable, but even the screen is not always removed - the result of splitting the map developers into ten thousand provinces (in the previous version there were eight to ten times less). It's even a little scary. Here he is - side effect fulfillment of dreams.
The first attention is on the industrial potential of PP (this can be considered the number of large factories in our country). Already small - 35 units - it is still halved by the laws on the economy, which there is no way to change right now. Yes, it's harsh. Well, at a minimum - for consumer goods, a piece - for the replenishment of troops, everything else - for the production of military supplies. I can’t lay down new plants - it’s too expensive, 7 PPs are required. Okay, apparently, industrialization is not for small, but very bourgeois Romania. Let the communists indulge in this.
The available research points are enough to conduct three studies in parallel and train diplomats (or officers for the army). I immediately decided to neglect the training of spies. If the Romanians decide to find out what and how in the neighboring country, it is better to send a dozen or two divisions for reconnaissance. They will get much more reliable information. It was decided to investigate the economy in order to increase its efficiency.
In general, with technology it turned out somewhere even interesting. Firstly, all science is divided into a dozen areas: infantry, armored vehicles, fighters, bombers, fleet, industry, etc. In each direction there is a set of technologies that need to be studied. Moreover, each technology has several levels. Such is the multi-layered science. This allows each player to choose their development strategy. A more detailed representation of military units also makes a pleasant impression. We are not simply researching the “infantry of a sample of such and such a year” technology. No. We research and introduce into production the technologies “a rifle of such and such a sample”, “mortar such and such”, “anti-tank gun such and such”, etc. All this, as we study it, becomes available for rearmament of troops.
The idea of ​​gaining experience by researchers as they study and implement technologies is noteworthy. Research is underway in the chosen direction - the experience and speed of studying the next levels is growing as skills are accumulated. Abandoned research - research groups begin to lose experience. Everything seems to be logical.
The amount of research being done in parallel depends on the power's Leadership score. The number of points itself is determined by the base potential assigned initially to each province. Tio can be imagined as a collection of educated citizens of the country. This number can be increased by passing the necessary laws, appointing the appropriate minister and conducting a series of studies in the required area. Oh yes, I forgot to mention the most effective way: to capture provinces with these same points from a neighbor.
Having dealt with the civilians, I turned my benevolent gaze on the military. So that banderlogs bite me, our desires are also realized here. A clear subordination structure has been introduced in the army from the brigade (regiment) to the supreme command. Moreover, each intermediate link (corps, army, front) is represented by its headquarters, headed by lieutenant generals, full generals and field marshals. Each step of command gives the troops subordinate to it a bonus, depending on the skills and abilities of the commander. Only the highest headquarters, the so-called theater of military operations, are set by the mechanics of the game. Everything else is up to the player.
To celebrate, I began to shuffle my armed forces according to the principle army = three corps, corps = three divisions. And then he cluttered up everything at different levels with headquarters. I must say that the divisions themselves can be completed to taste. "Infantry" does not necessarily consist of infantry. Each division can include up to 4-5 brigades (regiments). And they can be both infantry and artillery, both tank and motorized.
What frustrated and worried me is that the combat units - divisions - cannot be combined into corps that can be selected with one click. You have to deal with each division separately. Of course, at the headquarters there is a button “Select all subordinate units”, but what if I don’t want to select all units? If I need two of the three divisions? This is where the abuse of the mouse buttons and my nerves begins. Good for the Romanians with their three dozen divisions. But what about the Soviets or Germany with their hundreds? Hmm, they wanted the best, but it turned out as best they could. "Enough! Enough!" (c) Raja.
In principle, the game provides for the transfer of entire theaters under the control of AI. However: a) I'm just sorry to give the sweat and blood cherished divisions at the mercy of the silicon mind; b) what will I do then? Sit and watch the screen? Somehow I don't care.
Having clicked all the buttons, looked into each menu, I got bored. The game blocks any possibility of declaring war on anyone. Let suicidal, but at least a little entertaining. It is forbidden. As it turned out, the neutrality of Romania is too high, and the aggressiveness of the surrounding countries is too low for a war. The only ways to reduce neutrality were found in the Politics and Espionage tabs. You can appoint a minister who regularly pushes the country to war or give the task of intelligence within the country to reduce neutrality (it sounds, however, somehow delusional). However, progress in this way is slow, as they say, a teaspoon per hour.
In general, I took an interesting book from the shelf (by the way, about the second world war), sat comfortably in front of the monitor, started the game at full speed, and immersed himself in the description of the fighting on Guadalcanal. Only occasionally did I get distracted to slightly adjust the trade agreements in the game and look at the neutrality parameter. While I was reading, the Japanese war with Chiang Kai-shek began in China (Japan unexpectedly lost it), the Spanish Republicans fought with the Francoists, Germany staged the Anschluss, annexed the Sudetenland, and then the Czech Republic, Molotov and Ribbentrop signed a historic agreement on the division of Poland - a standard development of the pre-war script. The only thing that went non-standard was the shift of Romania towards the USSR. Not geographically, of course, but politically. Between fascism and communism, King Carol II quite unnaturally chose communism. Well, even on the chest of the Swedish king Johan, they say, there was a tattoo "Death to tyrants!" In 1939, Royal Romania joined the Comintern.
Strictly speaking, the shift of countries to one or another bloc of the three (Axis, Allies and the Comintern) is also a consequence of the fulfillment of the desire for a greater alternative, greater freedom of action. Sometimes, however, the result of such freedom is the entry of the United States into the Axis and other incredible metamorphoses. "Enough! Enough!" - I sometimes want to repeat after the Raja.
World War II broke out in May 1939. Germany quickly overwhelmed Poland, historically sticking to the "strange war" in the west. But Italy, which entered the Axis, briskly rushed to beat the French. In the early autumn of 1939, the Italian divisions were a stone's throw from Paris. Personally, it seemed to me that a little more and France would come to an end. However, the descendants of the Gauls and Franks mobilized hidden reserves, showed truly heroic fortitude, and by winter almost completely cleared their land of invaders.

HOW I DEFEATED THE FASCISTS
Meanwhile, in January 1940, elections arrived in Romania ... which King Carol lost outright. However! In paradoxes, you see, and kings are chosen. Where he disappeared after the defeat in the elections, history is silent. It is only known for certain that the socialist Goga, a “carefree amateur”, according to the developers, stood at the head of the state. Delighted by this turn, the neighbors unanimously, as one, made claims to poor Romania. Bulgaria claimed its rights to Dobruja, the USSR to Bessarabia (an ally is called!), And the Hungarians urgently needed the Carpathians. That's it, Gog's friend, a carefree dilettante. Probably, I thought just as carelessly to sit with a book in my hands, as Karol II sat, but it won’t work.
Bessarabia, of course, had to be conceded - only a madman like a little Austrian corporal with big Aryan manners can fight the USSR. Bulgaria and Hungary were refused in a particularly rude manner. Stunned by Goga's rudeness, the Bulgarians decided to wipe themselves off and not stick out from behind the Danube. But the Hungarians decided to achieve their force of arms. So on January 2, 1940, the Romanian-Hungarian war began. With the outbreak of the war, the government (in the person of me) passed a number of important laws: "Service on demand" - an increase of 50% in manpower and officers trained daily, "Total mobilization of the economy" - an increase of 50% in industrial potential and something even less important .
Here we need to make one more digression and say a few words about mobilization. In peacetime, most of the divisions retain only the minimum personnel, on the basis of which they are deployed in wartime. Replenishment to their full-time staff does not occur immediately. The speed of replenishment depends on the PP allocated for this purpose.
So, my unmobilized divisions faced full-blooded Hungarian ones. I had to retreat, gaining time to mobilize. The General Staff (in the person of me) adopted the following strategic plan. All forces, primarily tank and cavalry units, should be concentrated in the western direction, giving freedom to the Hungarians in the north. Having replenished parts of the western front, go on the offensive. Cut off and press against the Slovak border the Hungarians who broke through in the north.
Well, a person is not a piece of iron, we, old people, are still capable of fooling AI. The operation was played like clockwork. In February, the northern group of Hungarians was cut off. The infantry took up the liquidation of the bag, and the mobile units rushed deep into enemy territory, depriving the enemy of a strategic base. On March 18, 1940, the Hungarian government fled to Germany, the entire territory of Hungary was occupied by the Romanians. On the occupied lands, Goga established a regime of military administration.
However, the Romanians did not have long to triumph. Already on March 19, it was understood that Romania was at war with the entire Axis. Goga ran for help to Big Brother, to Joseph Vissarionovich. So and so, they say, the Nazis are beating ours! The eastern monster stirred, called Hitler to account. I will not give, they say, to offend the little ones. The USSR entered the war with Germany.
As expected, the Union turned out to be unprepared for war and almost immediately began to retreat slightly in the Baltic states and Belarus. "Slightly" - this is due to the unpreparedness of the Wehrmacht for the blitzkrieg. The Mansteins and Guderians had to squeeze the Soviet divisions out of the cities with banal frontal attacks.
The Romanian General Staff (yes, yes, in my person) immediately began to develop a new strategic plan, code-named "Hitler Kaput". In general, the plan became a masterpiece of strategic thought, beating the Schlieffen plan by twelve and a half points. It had only one weak point. Namely: the German OKW and OKH must act in accordance with the plan proposed by the Romanians. I suspect that the Romanian Stirlitz managed to slip it where it should be, since the Germans acted exactly as they should and nothing else.
At the first stage, the occupation of Slovakia was envisaged. With luck, it would be nice to take Vienna and gain a foothold on the middle Danube. Since it was here that during the second phase it was supposed to go on the defensive with the possibility of retreat. For a retreat, the more space the better. However, the main events of the second phase should unfold not on the Danube, but on the Vistula. While the German forces are squeezing the Russians out of the Baltic states and Belarus, the shock fists of the Romanians must break into Poland from the south through Slovakia and along the Vistula with a swift march to the Baltic Sea, cutting off Eastern front Germans from Germany proper. The third phase involved the transfer of troops to the Danube and the defeat of the Germans advancing there. Big Brother, meanwhile, must destroy Hitler's de-supplyed Eastern Front.
The fighting on the Danube turned out to be heavy. But, I must say, and the most interesting of the entire campaign. The weaker Romanians were forced to slowly retreat, snapping as much as possible and dragging out the pace of the German offensive. But in Poland, success accompanied the Romanians and did not accompany the Germans. Due to the small number of forces and the huge number of provinces, I did not succeed in encircling dozens of divisions, but one or two of them fell into the boilers with enviable regularity.
In the summer, the Romanians went to the shores of the Baltic Sea, washed their boots and turned sharply to the southwest. In the meantime, undefended Berlin fell. Pressed down from the north, the Germans on the Danube began to retreat to the west. Big Brother finished off the Eastern Front. The British landed in Wilhelmshaven (near Holland), the Yugoslavs pressed from the south, the French dealt with the Italians. The Third Reich was living out its last months.
As the enemy territory was captured, Romania increased its industrial potential, the number of leadership points and parallel research. If in March 1940 I had 63 SP and 5.44 points (launched 4 parallel studies), then in August I had 101 SP units and 15.5 leadership points (12 studies at the same time).
In general, everything went well and even more - wonderful. Suddenly, on October 20, 1940, Hitler committed another meanness - he shot himself. Germany capitulated, and its wreckage was urgently divided among themselves by those who did not deserve it at all. Austria and Czechoslovakia gained independence. The territory known in our world as the GDR was ceded to the Soviet Union. Italy went to France. Provinces not occupied by us West Germany the United States withdrew - a blatant injustice of the developers! Romania, which made the main contribution to the defeat of fascism, received only pitiful bits. In protest, I went to the menu so as not to return to this plasticine world full of injustice. Next time I’ll sit down for Germany, I’ll show you all how to divide the globe.

SENTENCE
What to say in conclusion? Anything good? Do not want. Any bullshit? Perhaps. "VE Day 3" is a clear case of "barbie extortion", on the path of which the "paradoxes" have firmly set foot. The game leaves the impression of a half-finished product, a semi-finished product, to which there will be more add-ons. And only by paying three times, we may get a decent strategy.
The disadvantages of the game include terrible graphics. A submarine the size of half the Baltic Sea - what could be worse? The map looks dead and boring, the units are sloppy and ugly. The brakes of the game should not even be attributed to the minuses, but to crimes against humanity. You can't bully users like that. Sometimes in an evening on a very strong machine I managed to move only a few months ahead. And this is sometimes even without any game activity. No, of course, I understand: reading books is very useful, but I sat down to play, not read books. The very poor training built into DP3 does not allow you to master the game at all.
More or less like this. We still have to work and work on the game, and we still have to pay and pay for it.

It seems to many uninitiated people that absolutely all games based on the events of the Second World War are utterly primitive. Then the player is forced to land in Normandy for the hundred and first time, weighed down with ammunition, like a Christmas tree with garlands. Or conduct another blitzkrieg, simultaneously managing a meager list of resources. Creations of the same Swedish studio Paradox Interactive have long established themselves as pleasant exceptions to this rule. Her Global Strategy Series Hearts of Iron, known in our homeland under the name "Victory Day" provides gamers with almost endless possibilities to play. What is there to say, if still in Hearts of Iron 2, released in 2005, is still enjoyed by fans of this rather monstrous genre. It is for such people, as well as for those who just want to try themselves in this field, that I want to announce good news. Finally the long awaited Hearts of Iron 3 which we will talk about today.

Geography lovers

In the third part of the game, you will still be able to lead absolutely any state that existed on the political map of the world between 1936 and 1948. In addition, the number of provinces has increased significantly compared to its predecessor - now there are more than 10 thousand of them. No one forbids all patriots of our vast country to choose the USSR for the game, but whoever prefers distant exoticism will be able to try themselves in the role of an Arab sheikh, playing for Saudi Arabia. It is clear that, depending on the chosen country, you will have more or less natural resources or production potential. To play for any state, you can choose as many as 7 time periods. "Road to War" (since January 1, 1936), "Before the Storm" (since September 1, 1938), "Blitzkrieg" (since September 1, 1939), "Barbarossa" (since June 22, 1941), "Day of Shame" (since 7 December 1941), "Fracture" (from February 1, 1943) and "Twilight of the Gods" (from June 20, 1944). For lazier players, there is the possibility of a quick start using one of four global scenarios - USA (1936), Germany (1939), Japan or USSR (1941). The best part is the ability to quite strongly reshape the well-known course of world history, although the developers have set certain restrictions for us. For example, no matter how much you invest in science and what industrial potential you have, create atomic bomb in 1940 you can't do it.

Of course, no strategy game can do without the process of formation of troops. And here in Hearts of Iron 3 we are waiting for some changes (in my opinion, pleasant ones). From now on, you will be able to compose your divisions more flexibly, focusing on specific tasks. The fact is that divisions now consist of four brigades, each of which can be unique. For example, no one will stop you from combining artillery, motorized infantry and armored vehicles in one formation. If you entrust the creation of your victorious army to artificial intelligence, then be sure that all divisions will be "knocked together" according to historical patterns. However, it is worth noting that there is no point in creating colossal army groupings numbering several dozen divisions. The problem is that they will not be able to engage in battle on one sector of the front at the same time, since most of them will be in reserve.

Spy games

It is unlikely that you will be able to assemble a truly strong army if you do not systematically develop research work. With their help, you can seriously re-equip your troops, gaining a significant advantage over the enemy. To perform such actions, so-called leadership points are required. Although you don’t need to think that with their help you can only develop your military industry. You will be quite capable of improving your diplomatic skills or hone the art of espionage. Intelligence, by the way, with skillful use can provide you with invaluable assistance in preparing for hostilities. You will be able to regulate not only the number of your residents in the states you are interested in, but also set quite specific tasks for them. Indeed, in the event of undermining the national unity of the country and supporting the opposition forces, it will be much easier to establish a puppet government on its territory. Or vice versa, it will not be difficult to turn a neutral country into your allies, provided that its ruling party is loyal to you. And don't forget about domestic intelligence, because if you overdo it with military spending, it will immediately affect the amount of consumer goods, which can lead to popular unrest. Try to set your fellow citizens on the inevitability of war and they will more willingly follow the slogan "Everything for the front - everything for victory!"

By the way, you can achieve the goals you want not only by military actions and espionage, but also by quite peaceful diplomacy. It is quite possible that the country you have chosen will not have great technical and industrial potential. It would seem that waving fists in front of stronger neighbors is pointless, which means that you have no chance to develop the state. By military means, of course. But if you have rich natural resources (think of Saudi Arabia as an example at the beginning of the article), then it's time to develop trade relations with richer neighbors. The weapons purchased with the proceeds will help you not only defend military interests, but also increase your technological level. Do not be surprised by such a statement, plagiarism is one of the engines of progress. I'm not talking about the possibility of imposing an embargo or allowing the passage of foreign troops through their territory. Plenty of possibilities.

Everyone can become a leader

For lovers of political battles Hearts of Iron 3 will also be of interest. Are you dissatisfied with the actions of this or that politician? Ruthlessly retire him and replace him with a more zealous one. It is worth noting here that for connoisseurs of history, the game is of additional interest in this aspect. All the main leaders of states are copies of people who actually held these posts. And if you are firmly convinced of the mediocrity of this or that minister in his field, then there is no need to wait for confirmation of your knowledge. In the game for Germany, your humble servant did not sit out until the complete collapse of German aviation, but simply took and prudently removed Hermann Goering from his post. In the same field of activity, there is an opportunity to determine the domestic and foreign policy of the state. This is expressed in the adoption of some important laws for the country and the choice of methods of government in the occupied territories. Whether the country will develop the occupied countries or exploit them mercilessly depends only on your decision. Yes, and redraw the whole political system is also quite possible. In those harsh times, very many countries did not hear anything about the elections. This injustice can be corrected and democracy can be planted in the Middle East much earlier than it can be done by one star-striped country.

Do not forget that you can give almost any direction by the leadership of the state to the computer. This, of course, will allow each person to concentrate on their favorite industry. Born diplomats will not need to bother themselves with the difficulties of production. Generals will not be forced to pass laws and establish friendly relations with other countries.

Summing up

In a word Hearts of Iron 3 the game is so large-scale that it covers almost all possible major areas of government. The advantages of this approach are obvious. Complete this game from start to finish is impossible in principle. It will give you an infinite number of options for passing the same scenario, multiplied by the number of countries available for selection. Cons are also visible to the naked eye. The main masses of players who are not familiar with this genre, the game will scare away excessive complexity in development and conservative appearance. It seems that nothing explodes anywhere, the horvesters do not collect spice, and enemy bases do not collapse. All right. That's just Hearts of Iron 3 allows you to feel like a full-fledged head of state, responsible for the fate of the country entrusted to him. And this, I tell you, is worth a lot.

tactical map

The map in the game "Victory Day III" accurately reproduces the headquarters maps of the Second World War.

The tactical map will be the first thing you see when you enter the game, since it takes up most of the screen. By default, your attention will be presented with a physical map of the world, which marks the features of the terrain, rivers, mountain ranges, deserts, and so on. At the beginning of the first turn, the map will show the country you decide to lead. Move the cursor to the edge of the screen or use the arrow keys on your keyboard to move the map.

The selected province is highlighted and becomes brighter compared to other provinces of the state. Please note that the provinces of your country and allied countries are also highlighted in color, and any province that is far from them is covered by the "fog of war". This means that you have no information about the events taking place there.

Minimap

The mini-map is a small copy of the world map located in the lower right corner of the screen. It shows which part of the globe you are currently looking at and also allows you to instantly select the area to be displayed on the main map. To do this, just click on it once with the left mouse button. The white frame on the minimap shows the part of the world map that is currently displayed on your screen. This frame will shrink or enlarge as you zoom in on the map.

game windows

Governing a country is not an easy duty, which includes the need to control the activities of the government, legislation and foreign policy. Diplomacy, industrial development and espionage should also not be overlooked. In the game, all decisions related to these areas are made through tabs in the information bar at the top of the screen.

Province window

The province window appears at the bottom left of the screen every time you click on your province or an opponent's province and contains all the necessary information.

In the upper left part of the province window there is a picture showing the prevailing type of terrain. Hover your mouse over this image for a comprehensive overview of the area. Next to this picture, the name of the province and the flag of the country to which it currently belongs are displayed. If the province is occupied by enemy troops, the invader's flag will appear on top of the first flag.

The upper right part of the window shows all the provinces that the selected province borders on. If the border follows a river, this is indicated by the corresponding icon: a blue loop on a green background. Maritime borders are highlighted in blue. Straits - water barriers that can be crossed with the help of ferries (that is, without the use of transport ships) - are marked with a wide blue stripe on a green background.

Below the description of the terrain type is the meteorological report for the selected province. Here you will find information about the current cloud cover and precipitation, here you will also find information about temperature and wind speed. In addition, the summary warns of frost or sleet.

There are a few more icons in the middle of the screen. The camera icon reflects your level of awareness of the state of affairs in the province (depends on the state of your agent network in the selected area). The gun icon shows the likelihood of an armed uprising if the territory is occupied, and the soldier icon shows the amount of manpower available in the province. The flag icon marks the amount of leadership points a province earns you. The icons in the second row show what resources are produced by the industrial and mining centers located here. From left to right, these are: energy, metal, scarce raw materials and crude oil.

Be aware that when viewing data for a province that is not owned by you or your allies, you may see question marks ("?") instead of exact values. This means that your intelligence does not have sufficient information about the area of ​​​​interest to you.

At the very bottom of the screen are indicators showing the level of fortifications in the selected territory. More details about the fortifications will be discussed below. If the fortifications were destroyed during the hostilities or suffered from bombing, information will also be indicated here about how soon they will be restored and what condition they will be in after that.

Diplomacy window

This window displays information about your country's diplomatic status and also allows you to make foreign policy decisions.

Pay attention to the triangular display on the right side of the diplomacy window. It reflects the ideological spectrum: its angles correspond to the three military and ideological alliances represented in the game. The position of a country's icon on this display reflects the ideology of that country and serves as an indicator of which way the nation's political majority is leaning. Country icons gradually shift on the display due to many factors such as internal events and diplomatic efforts of other countries. To get comprehensive information about the political currents in a country, hover over the icon of that country on the display.

Three alliances are displayed at the top of the diplomacy screen: the Axis (countries of the Nazi coalition), the Allies (democratic governments) and the countries of the Comintern (communist governments). Here you can see which countries have joined a particular alliance. It also displays scales with alliance victory points, which allows you to quickly assess how things are going for you or your opponents.

On the left side of the screen is a table with information about the diplomatic and trade agreements of different countries. Above it, there are four filters that will allow you to sort it. First of all, this screen is used to manage the foreign policy of the state (in other words, to perform diplomatic actions).

In the lower left corner of the window is the panel of diplomatic decisions.

At the top of the screen, you will see the flag of your chosen country and the icon of the political party that is currently in power. Under the flag is a surrender indicator. In most cases, it will be green, but if a country is losing a war and has already lost some of its territory, it can change color to red. This means that the leader of the country is ready to make a decision to surrender if the situation at the front does not change for the better in the near future.

Even lower is a brief diplomatic summary, from which you can find out with which countries the selected country has entered into an alliance, and with which it is at war. This summary also contains information about the relationship between your countries and what agreements are in force between them. Clicking on the double arrow next to this information will open a detailed diplomatic summary showing all agreements in force between the selected country and other powers.

Next to this window, you will see another one, which will show the possible diplomatic actions towards this nation. If an action cannot be performed at the moment, it will be highlighted in gray. Hover over it to see why it's not available to you. Each action has a tooltip with a brief description, and more details about diplomatic actions can be found in the manual.

The most common diplomatic act is the conclusion of a trade agreement between two countries. You can use the list on the left side of the window to see what resources your potential trading partners have. If a country is experiencing a shortage of a particular resource, its name will be marked in red. By hovering over the name of the resource, you can get more detailed information about how much the country is in need or how much supply of this resource it can provide.

Industry window

In the upper right part of this window, you will see several sliders that will allow you to direct the production power of your state in one direction or another. To fix the slider at its current position, double-click on it with the left mouse button or once with the right mouse button.

To the right of the sliders, a number is displayed that indicates the current need of your state in the development of a particular industry. If the resources you have allocated are not enough, this number will be written in red. In all other cases, this number will be white. If you click on the number to the left of the sliders, they will be automatically distributed and fixed to suit the needs of the army and the population.

You can use industry resources for the following purposes:

Rearmament: You can spend part of your production points to upgrade obsolete units and thus increase their effectiveness on the battlefield. Even if your army is equipped with the latest technology, it makes sense to send some resources to this area so that new units appear in your army as soon as new technology is created.
Replenishments: in military clashes, people die, and equipment fails. By directing resources to this area, you will be able to fully or partially compensate for the losses incurred.
Supplies: In order for your army to remain combat-ready, it needs ammunition, fuel, and warm clothing.
Manufacturing: Investing resources in this industry is necessary to create ships, aircraft, and more.
Consumer goods: the civilian population is in need of consumer goods.
To the left of the sliders is a list of resources that shows how big your supply is and how fast it replenishes or decreases. When you develop the appropriate technologies, your strategic stockpile of nuclear weapons will also be shown here.

The left side of the production window shows the three categories of units available for production: ground troops, air force, and navy. In each category, it is necessary to indicate to which division, air base or seaport the created unit will be assigned.

A little lower is the production queue. To the right of each production unit is a summary, from which you can find out the name of the ship, division number, and so on. On the left, the expected completion date and speed of work on the state order are shown: if the state's production capacity is not enough or the priority of production is lowered, work will not be carried out as fast as possible, and the name of the unit of production will be highlighted in yellow. If the name is highlighted in red, it means that the work has been suspended for some reason.

You can determine the order in which units are produced in the queue by prioritizing each one using the red and green arrow buttons - the down button lowers the priority, the up button increases it, and the fast forward button (two triangles one above the other) moves the selected unit to the very top of the list. The priority system will allow you to keep working on the most important projects even if your state lacks production capacity.

Below the production list is a list of requests from theaters of war. It indicates the number of brigades, aircraft and ships that your commanders need to make up for losses during the hostilities. To satisfy a request, just click on the button next to it. If you check the box at the very bottom of the screen, the computer will automatically satisfy the requests of the command, distributing the created combat units as they form in accordance with the current requests.

Under the sliders are two panels dedicated to international trade. The top one shows all of your active trade agreements. If you hover over this area, you will see a detailed report on the number of imported and exported resources. If the trade stipulated by the terms of the agreement is not conducted (you do not have the resource itself or not enough merchant ships), the corresponding line will be highlighted in red. Click on the cross next to the trade agreement line to break it.

Just below that is a section that shows the ships in your cargo fleet, both merchant ships and supply ships. For each ship, the port of destination and port of registry are indicated; hover over the name of a ship to get detailed information about its cargo and escort vessels. The names of unused ships and ships without escort ships will be highlighted in red.

Merchant transports should be distinguished from transports that are used to transport troops.

The upper part of this window shows the available cargo ships and escort ships. There is also a "Create Convoy" button, which will allow you to form a new convoy from them.

Research window

In the upper left corner of this window, you will see four sliders that will allow you to allocate the so-called "leadership points" - a shorthand for the intellectual resources of the state. Each province in your state gives you a certain number of leadership points. You can find out exactly how much by opening the window of the province you are interested in. The total number of these points reflects the intellectual power of your nation.

Leadership points can be distributed among the following areas:

Command staff - every army needs officers. The lack of experienced and talented commanders has an extremely negative effect on the combat effectiveness of the army and often leads to a panic flight of soldiers from the battlefield and mass desertion in units. To fully staff a division, 100 officers are required.
Scientific research - the well-being and prosperity of any country depends not least on how successful its military developments will be. Of course, small countries are unlikely to be able to compete with the superpowers, which allocate millions of dollars for such research, but careful planning and proper prioritization will help close the gap.
Diplomacy - the number and effectiveness of your country's diplomatic missions directly depends on the amount of diplomacy points you have accumulated. Since no country can have more than 100 Diplomacy at a time, it makes sense to reallocate intelligence resources after you've reached that maximum.
Espionage - the effectiveness of intelligence and counterintelligence activities of your agents directly depends on the number of leadership points directed to this area.
Most of this window is occupied by a tree of technologies available for study. The tabs at the top of the screen will allow you to select the desired research category. On the left is the research queue, which functions in all respects in the same way as the production queue described above. At the bottom of the window is full list achievements of your country in various theoretical and practical fields.

It is in this window that you can prioritize and manage the progress of scientific research.

Policy window

The right side of this window displays the political situation in your country. At the very top of the political information column is the ruling political party. Table political structure shows how influential the main political parties in your country are. Just below it is a popularity graph that shows which parties the population supports.

The colors on these graphs symbolize the ideology of each party: blue for liberal parties, red for socialist or communist parties, gray for fascist or Nazi parties.

Under the graphs is the indicator of hostilities. If your nation is at war, it shows how much your citizens approve or disapprove of what is happening. This indicator has a strong influence on the national unity in the country.

Even lower are the buttons that will allow you to mobilize your army, grant independence to the countries you have conquered, liberate the provinces you recaptured from the invaders, or put puppet governments in power.

The central part of the policy window is occupied by a list of ministers in charge of the country, including the current head of state. The window above this list shows which ideology your ruling party adheres to.

At the bottom left is a list of categories related to your legislative policy. Click on it to issue a particular law and thereby change the policy of the government.

On the right is a list of countries your troops occupy, and shows the type of government you have established in the occupied territories.

Intelligence window

The intelligence window allows you to make decisions related to intelligence, espionage, and counterintelligence activities. In addition, information about other countries is collected here, obtained with the help of your agents.

The upper left corner of this window shows information about the state of intelligence in your country. The partisan activity indicator shows how much you are hated in the provinces occupied by your troops: the higher this indicator, the stronger the partisan movement will be. At the bottom of the window is a list of countries to help you decide where to send trained spies. Above this list there are several buttons that will allow you to filter the list of countries by one or another attribute.

On the right side of the window is detailed information about the country you have selected. The amount of information available will depend on how active intelligence activities you conduct in relation to this state. In the intelligence window, you can see how many of your spies are active in enemy territory (circled number) and how many counterintelligence agents are trying to counter enemy spies (the number above the number of your spies). To issue an order to a spy, select an order from the list below.

Statistics window

This window contains a number of tables providing important information about countries around the world, including yours. They will allow you to determine how well you are performing in your role compared to other world leaders, and will also help you plan your next steps.

Encyclopedia
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This section contains useful information that will help you better navigate the game and make important decisions easier. Please note that the data below is subject to change as patches are released and custom modifications are added.

Landscape

Terrain features can have a huge impact on the course of a battle. An experienced commander-in-chief can take advantage.

All terrain type bonuses or penalties apply at the division level. For example, if a division has brigades that are well trained in mountain warfare, this advantage will offset the reduced effectiveness of other brigades in the division.

landscape types
Plains are open areas of the land surface without hills. This type of terrain does not interfere with the movement of soldiers and military equipment and does not positively or negatively affect the outcome of the battle.
Deserts are arid flat terrain characterized by sparse and sparse vegetation. Armies forced to fight in the desert suffer heavier casualties.
Arctic - ice and land covered with snow. Due to low temperatures, losses in the armies increase sharply.
Mountains - mountain ranges significantly impede the movement of troops. The conduct of hostilities in the mountains is extremely difficult, but this does not apply to detachments of mountain rangers. Army losses are slightly higher than on the plains.
Hills are open areas often punctuated by high ground. The movement of troops is difficult, visibility is limited. Motorized troops cross hills more slowly than usual. Mountain Jaeger units do not suffer from these restrictions.
Forests - forests make it difficult for all units to move. This limitation affects motorized and armored forces especially strongly. Aviation is less efficient than usual.
Groves are young forests. Restrictions on the movement of troops and the conduct of hostilities remain, but are less severe than in areas with dense vegetation.
Jungle - Like forests, jungle makes it difficult for troops to move and fight. Soldiers suffer from heat and high humidity.
Swamps - flooded plains are a significant barrier to ground troops and transport. This type of terrain restricts the movement of troops, hinders the conduct of hostilities and interferes with supplies.
Cities are areas of dense development. All troops, except for armored ones, receive advantages in defense. The effectiveness of the armored forces is reduced.
Fortifications - although the fortifications are man-made, they have no less, and sometimes more influence on the course of the battle than the natural features of the landscape. A fortress or coastal fortification helps the defenders hold the province, reducing the effectiveness of the enemy's attack and reducing the losses of the defenders. Divisions that include engineer brigades experience less difficulty in assaulting forts and fortifications. Please note that coastal fortifications only help in repelling attacks from the sea.

natural borders
Natural boundaries and other specific obstacles also influence the course of hostilities.
Rivers - a water barrier is an obstacle and interferes with both the movement of troops and the conduct of hostilities. If an engineering brigade is assigned to the division, this greatly facilitates the fulfillment of tasks. The Marine Corps is experiencing less difficulty than conventional troops.
Straits - a wide strip of water separating one seashore from another. The crossing is difficult, as it requires a ferry, but there is no need to use sea transport to move to the other side.
Coastal Fortifications - As is the case with normal forts, coastal fortifications protect the coastline and reduce losses among the defenders, but only in the event of an attack from the sea.

Weather

Unlike other games where weather is a minor convention, VE Day III uses a complex and realistic system to calculate weather conditions. When determining the amount of precipitation, the direction and strength of the wind and the trajectory of the movement of thunderstorm fronts, atmospheric pressure, humidity level and average annual temperature are taken into account. The synoptic map will give you the detailed information you need for strategic planning.

The meteorological report for each province contains the following information:
Air temperature (in degrees Celsius) - knowing the temperature will help you predict the likelihood of snowfall or the onset of spring thaw.
Atmospheric pressure - this indicator affects the movement of atmospheric fronts and determines the weather in the region for the near future.
Wind speed - the wind rose affects the movement of thunderstorm fronts and may affect the success of aviation operations in the region.
Humidity - helps determine the likelihood of precipitation.

The combination of these factors can lead to the following weather conditions:
Cloudy - Heavy cloud cover can interfere with air raids or even make them impossible.
Precipitation - rain, snow or thunderstorms reduce the effectiveness of patrols, make it difficult to detect and can affect the course of hostilities.
Road conditions - ice or slush can adversely affect the speed of movement of troops or interfere with the course of the battle.
A careful study of the weather map will allow you to determine in advance what weather conditions your troops will face, and turn this knowledge to your advantage. For example, the weather has a strong influence on naval battles, as it greatly affects visibility and can interfere with the timely detection of enemy ships.

Taking the weather into account in tactical and strategic calculations is not as difficult as it might seem at first glance. For example, rain is always accompanied by dense clouds, and this has a strong influence on the success of aviation operations. Over time, the clouds dissipate and the humidity in the area drops. So, it can be assumed that after the rain, air raids will resume, although residual cloudiness may make them less effective. Prolonged rains can lead to mudslides, which will make it difficult to supply troops and move equipment. Heat or extreme cold negatively affect the combat capability of the soldiers.

Weather

When planning combat operations, you will have to take into account the following weather conditions:
Cloudiness - clouds gather at high humidity and make it difficult for aviation.
Rain - very high humidity leads to rain. The lower the air temperature, the lower the level of humidity required for precipitation. In hilly or mountainous provinces, rain also falls when the humidity is low. Prolonged rains or snowfall gradually lower the level of humidity in the province, after which precipitation ceases.
Storm - meteorologists issue a storm warning if the wind speed in a province where it is already raining rises above 30 mph (on the Beaufort scale, such a wind is called very strong). Such weather affects the success of combat operations and makes the use of aviation impossible.
Snow - Snow falls under the same conditions as rain if the air temperature in the province is below zero degrees Celsius.
Blizzard - A snowstorm begins if the wind speed in a province where it is already snowing rises above 30 mph. Like a storm, a snowstorm makes it impossible to use aviation and makes it difficult to conduct other military operations.
Frost - Frost occurs in provinces where the temperature has not risen above freezing for a long time, or in provinces where snow has fallen or a snowstorm has passed. If the temperature in the province rises above zero, frost often gives way to slush.
Slush is dirt on the roads that can almost completely paralyze the movement of road transport and impede the movement of infantry. Most often, mudslide occurs after prolonged rains in provinces with undeveloped infrastructure or in swamps and jungles. The slush makes it difficult for ground troops to move and supply, which in turn leads to an increase in the cost of maintaining the army.

Times of Day

Since the unit of time in Victory Day III is an hour, the time of day plays important role in the conduct of hostilities. Thus, air raids can be carried out both in the daytime and at night, but before the introduction of navigational radar, the effectiveness of night raids will be low. The same is true for ground combat: fighting very difficult at night. Careful planning and timing of attacks can be the real key to victory.

To the left of the sliders, you will see a list of available resources. This window displays the current amount of the resource and shows how your supply increases or decreases with each turn.
Energy: reflects electricity generated by power plants and hydroelectric power plants, as well as from other sources. Factories consume 2 units of energy per 1 unit of industrial output. If there is not enough energy, the production power of the state is significantly reduced.
Metal: reflects your industry's need for enriched ore needed to smelt iron and steel, as well as copper and tin. To produce a unit of output, the factory absorbs one unit of metal. If there is not enough metal, the country's productive capacity will decrease.
Scarce Raw Materials: Reflects your industry's need for less common but equally essential resources: antimony, magnesium, gold, rubber, and phosphate.
Crude Oil: Oil is often referred to as the "blood of war", however, crude oil is not used in industry. It must first be delivered to processing plant where fuel should be made from it.
Military supplies: a set of goods necessary for the normal functioning of the army: food and warm clothes for soldiers, cartridges and shells for weapons. The consumption of these resources can vary greatly depending on how many combat units are in active combat, how many are on the march, and how many are in reserve.
Money: A country's monetary resources are sometimes more valuable than all other resources combined. Money cannot be spent to directly speed up the production of troops (this requires industry points), however, a country's gold reserve can be used to purchase resources from other countries. This will allow your industry to operate as efficiently as possible.
Fuel: A supply of refined oil, that is, the fuel consumed by motorized, armored and air troops, as well as ships in your fleet.
Atomic bombs: after your scientists create the appropriate technological process, you will be able to produce nuclear weapons. Your strategic stock is shown here.

Diplomacy

You can exert diplomatic influence on other countries by spending diplomacy points you have accumulated.

The political spectrum of the game features three forces called alliances: the Allies, the Axis, and the Comintern. Historically, there were very serious "philosophical differences" between these three alliances, which the "realpolitik" of the 1930s and 1940s pushed into the background (remember, for example, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact).

In the game, the government can "side with the alliance" and start moving towards its ideology, which will give the potential opportunity to join this alliance over time. In 1936, which is the beginning of the game, each alliance was represented by only a few countries.

Please note that sympathy for a particular ideology does not yet make a country a member of the corresponding alliance. To become a full member of the coalition, the country must receive an invitation from the leader of the alliance. When a country accepts it, its position on the ideological spectrum will stop changing.

When one of the member countries of the alliance declares war, all member countries of the alliance receive an offer to support these military actions, but they are not obliged to do so. If you declare war, you will be informed which countries of the alliance refused to support your initiative. On the other hand, they may intervene later if their leader changes his mind for some reason.

Disputed provinces

There are national provinces that are claimed by several countries. Very often, such territories become the cause of conflict, and in your game, they can give rise to World War II. Your national provinces that are outside the borders of your state are marked on the diplomatic map. The presence of disputed territories increases the "Threat" indicator, simplifying the process of declaring war.

If a disputed province is captured by a country that historically claimed it, then that province will be integrated into the winning state after a peace treaty is concluded.

Threat level and neutrality

Each country has a threat indicator that affects the attitude of its neighbors towards it. The level of threat is determined by the other country, depending on the size of the state being assessed and on the distance between the two states. The threat indicator has a negative or positive impact on the light in which all diplomatic initiatives of the state are considered.

First of all, the threat indicator determines the opinion of neutral states. If you declare war on someone, the governments of neutral countries form their opinion on this event, which in turn affects what laws they pass and what diplomatic actions they take (declares war, join an alliance, and so on).

To declare war, a country must perceive the enemy country as a threat to its well-being, that is, the level of threat must exceed the level of neutrality. In addition, fascist nations (Axis powers) gain the ability to declare war when their own threat level rises relative to others. In other words, they can act as aggressors. Any action of any one country resonates all over the world.

Please note that the creation of a puppet government in the country you captured is most often perceived as a gesture of goodwill, therefore it reduces the level of your threat in relation to neighbors.

Diplomatic relations

Each country has a Diplomatic Relations indicator that determines how popular it is in the world and how much trust it has with other countries. This indicator determines how willingly other countries will support its diplomatic initiatives and conclude trade agreements with it.

Friendly diplomatic actions

Diplomatic decisions allow you to change the world without resorting to war. Diplomacy largely determines who will be on your side in an armed conflict, and who will stand on the other side of the barricades. In addition, diplomacy helps states to get the missing resources.

If you are at war with a country, the range of diplomatic options in relation to it will be severely limited. The decision to conclude peace can only be made by the leader of the alliance.
Send expeditionary troops - this will allow you to send your troops to help an ally. The troops sent will come under his command. You can send expeditionary troops only to an allied state and only after it has officially declared war on someone.
Offer a military alliance - you offer the country to conclude an agreement with you on mutual military assistance.
Propose a non-aggression pact - two countries formally promise not to declare war on each other. Subsequently, nothing prevents you from breaking this word, but be prepared that not everyone in your country will support your decision.
Guarantee independence - you promise to declare war if any state starts a war against the other side of the treaty.
Ask for the right of passage of troops - enlist the permission of the country to lead your troops through its territory. This will allow you to transfer troops to the border of a hostile state with which you do not have common borders.
Grant the right of passage for troops - give permission to the armies of another country to pass through your territory, and the fleet to use your ports.
Influence the country - you can spend part of the diplomacy points to influence the state and persuade it to the side of your alliance. Only countries that have already joined one of the three alliances can use this opportunity.
Join Alliance / Invite to Alliance - allows your country to join an alliance if you have received an invitation from its leader, or invite another country to your alliance if you yourself are its leader. Please note that you can only join an alliance at the invitation of its leader.
Buy license - allows you to purchase a license from a friendly or neutral country for the production of equipment, the level of which is higher than the level of your technological capabilities.
Allow to trade on credit - you allow the country to purchase resources from you on credit.
Propose a trade agreement - this diplomatic move will allow you to purchase resources from another country or sell your resources to another country to replenish your gold reserves.

Note: The Grant Independence action is not considered diplomatic and is done through the policy screen interface.

Hostile diplomatic actions

Declare War - allows you to initiate military action against the country. To declare war, for most countries, serious reasons are needed, or at least an excuse.
Declare Limited War (Axis only) - Same as Declare War, however the allied countries are not required to take part in the hostilities.
Call to Arms (Axis only) - Allows you to ask your allies to intervene in a limited war, turning it into a full-scale hostilities.
Embargo - allows you to impose a ban on trade with a particular country. Your puppet governments will follow suit.

Military alliances

An offer to create a military alliance (or receive such an offer) can only be made through diplomatic negotiations with a country that can no longer or does not want to remain neutral. In other words, a country entering into a military alliance is preparing for war or awaiting a declaration of war. By entering into a military alliance, you undertake (with some restrictions) to come to the aid of the country if it is attacked.

Scientific research

The game "Victory Day III" introduced the so-called "leadership points", which reflect the country's intellectual resources. To achieve scientific and technological progress, leadership points must be directed to the appropriate areas of development.

Your scientists do not develop entire units of production, but their individual components and elements of technology. Each of these elements affects the effectiveness of a combat unit in battle and other characteristics of the produced equipment.

By researching and implementing new components within a particular category (for example, improving tank guns or tank engines), you are gradually approaching a breakthrough, after which you will be able to create fundamentally new models of military equipment. At the same time, the introduction of individual inventions increases the efficiency of old models of technology immediately after their modernization.

Every technology has a "year of discovery". After this date, you will no longer receive penalties for trying to research this technology. If scientific progress in your game moves faster than it did in the real world, it will be more difficult for you to make a technological breakthrough before the time allotted for it by history.

Theory and practice

In the Victory Day III game, we decided to separate practical knowledge from theoretical knowledge. Scientific research provides theoretical knowledge, thanks to which scientific and technological progress as a whole develops. Practical knowledge is the experience gained in the process of implementing and using technologies.

This means that the success of scientific research depends not only on the research of scientists within the walls of laboratories, but also on the field testing of tactical doctrines and military equipment on battlefields around the world.

It is impossible to accumulate practical experience in the course of laboratory research. This means that you will have to create the latest military equipment and use it in combat to support your researchers.

At the bottom of the research window, your achievements are shown separately based on a theoretical basis, and separately achievements verified during field tests. Theoretical disciplines (such as military doctrines) will be highlighted in green, while proven technologies will be marked in blue. When working on a new project, your scientists rely on 30% theory and 70% field test results, so the higher each of these values, the faster scientists will succeed. You can see what technologies help in the work on the project by hovering over the name of the development.

Loss of scientific resources

If you discover a technology but don't put it into practice, over time you will start to lose scientific resources: the scientists and engineers who worked on this project will turn their attention to other tasks, and the production lines will be retooled for other purposes. Not only theoretical, but also practical developments suffer from the loss of scientific resources, however, there are ways to slow down this process, for example, appoint the Minister of Science right person. Military equipment that takes part in hostilities almost does not suffer from the loss of scientific resources.

Research progress

In the science window, under the sliders, there is a list of technologies that you have chosen to study. This is the so-called research queue: the indicator directly above the list shows the number of current projects and the maximum possible number of projects at the moment. The number of projects that your scientists can work on at the same time depends on the number of leadership points you have allocated to science. If there are too many projects, work on them will be carried out in accordance with the set priorities.

Politics and government

Government

In VE Day III, the government of your country is represented by you personally, your ministers and army commanders, who are also appointed by you. Your government makes political decisions, legislates and resolves conflicts.

Your leadership position is undeniable, you cannot be removed, but this does not apply to your government and its ministers. You can only appoint ministers belonging to the ruling political party, over which your influence is limited to a greater or lesser extent.

Each country is headed by a ruling political party, but elections, revolutions, putschs and some other events can lead to a change of power. When the party at the head of the government changes, this can lead to a change in the composition of the cabinet.

Ideology

Every government leans towards some ideology. The player cannot control the ruling ideology - it is determined by the party in power. With the advent of a new party, the ideology of the government may change.

ministers

One of your tasks as the leader of the state is the distribution of responsibilities within the government. Each country has ten ministries headed by officials appointed by the head of state. Each minister has his own views, which may not coincide with the ideology of your government. Each of the ministers has a hidden loyalty indicator that determines how loyal this person is to your country.

Your government meets in the capital of the state. This city is of great strategic importance, losing it will have a huge negative impact on your victory points and the industrial power of your country. The defeated government can leave the captured capital and settle in the capital of the allied state, becoming a government in exile.

Laws are a set of provisions that are binding on the territory of a given state. Some states cannot pass certain laws (for example, it is impossible to introduce censorship in democracies). However, there are other restrictions, many of which depend on events taking place in and around the country. For example, you cannot declare a general mobilization without good reason.

national unity

The indicator "National Unity" reflects the support of the government by the people and directly affects the amount of resources (natural, military and human) that the country has. Obviously, a nation torn apart by strife is extremely vulnerable, and maintaining national unity is one of the primary duties of the ruler.

National unity changes under the influence of many factors, among which are government decisions, military losses and diplomatic actions. The adoption of certain laws may also have an impact on national unity. For example, Soviet "purges" have a positive effect on national unity, although they can be disastrous for the country as a whole. The adoption of some other laws may have a negative impact on national unity or even lead to armed uprisings.

In a country deprived of national unity, the flames of revolution may flare up, or the government will simply be replaced during the next elections. The political party that brought the country to this state is unlikely to stay in power for long.

Occupation governments

After a country captures a province belonging to another state, it must establish its own government in it. The tougher the occupation regime, the more natural resources the conqueror gets and the higher the risk of an armed uprising. In addition, in a province with a tough occupation regime, people will not cooperate with the invaders, which negatively affects the replenishment of human resources in it. The national policy of some countries limits their choice when introducing an occupation regime.

Collaboration government - the formation of a collaborationist government is the least rigid occupation regime, which significantly reduces the likelihood of an armed uprising and makes it easier to find volunteers who are ready to join the invader army, but the efficiency of extracting natural resources in this case leaves much to be desired.

Military government - at the head of the captured provinces are the military, which ensures order in the occupied territories without interfering with the activities of the civil administration. This helps to keep the extraction of natural resources at a sufficient level, but slightly increases the likelihood of an armed uprising. It also reduces the number of volunteers that can be recruited in the province.

Full Occupation - Martial law is maintained in the captured provinces, and administrative decisions are made by officials appointed by the occupying state. Such a regime significantly increases the likelihood of an armed uprising, allows you to ensure the uninterrupted extraction of resources and sets the inhabitants of the province against the winners.

Rigid exploitation - the military administration and the police are doing everything to squeeze the captured provinces dry, so the risk of armed uprisings under this regime is extremely high. The townsfolk hate states that impose their will on them in this way.

Espionage and intelligence activities

Efficiency

Your state receives information about other states from three sources: from army intelligence, through signal interception and espionage. There are a total of nine intelligence performance levels that determine how well you know the current state of affairs in each individual enemy province. For reconnaissance activities in enemy military units, there are five levels of effectiveness.

army intelligence

Army intelligence has only the data that the reconnaissance soldiers were able to obtain from observation from the ground. Each combat unit in the territory covered by the "fog of war" provides one level of effectiveness of reconnaissance activities. Intelligence information is updated every hour. The effectiveness of army intelligence is determined by various factors.

Radar stations and interception of radio signals

Radar stations serve not only to detect enemy aircraft, but also to intercept encrypted enemy radio signals. The range of the stations is quite limited, but extends further than simple visual observation, and covers approximately two regions around the radar station. The information obtained through the interception of signals is usually less detailed than information from other sources. For example, troop location data may be accurate to the region rather than to the province.

The spy window will allow you to select which country you wish to spy on and prioritize if you have selected multiple countries. The effectiveness of your intelligence activities depends on how high a priority you have assigned to each particular country and how large the allocations allocated to foreign intelligence. If a country is not marked as a priority at all, your spies will not be in it.

Combat units
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Troop control

Management Basics

Left-click on a unit to select it. You can only give an order to the selected unit. You can select several neighboring units or units located in different provinces by selecting them with a frame. By default, only ground units will be selected. If you want to select air units or fleet ships, simply select the appropriate unit before using the box.

Note that there are orders that can only be given to units individually, as well as orders that can only be given to units in a particular province, or only to units of the same type. Any order you give will be executed by all selected combat units.

Several selected fleets or air units can be combined by clicking on the appropriate button. The same is true for ground troops, but only at the divisional level. If the number of selected brigades exceeds the maximum possible number of brigades in a division, it will be impossible to merge them.

Keep in mind that you can form and move brigades individually to include them in a division as soon as they arrive at their destination. However, you should be careful when deploying individual brigades: a support brigade will most likely be destroyed if it accepts combat without being part of a division.

It is impossible to disband or change the structure of a unit in battle or during a retreat. To re-form, take the unit out of combat.

To order a unit to move to another province, select it and right-click on the destination. An arrow will appear on the map (blue if the movement is not hindered, and red if the unit has to advance with battles), which will show the selected route. Note that unit commanders always take the fastest path, not the safest or shortest.

Troop organization

The basic organizational unit in VE Day III is the brigade, but in almost all cases you will be in command of divisions. Divisions form corps, which make up armies, which in turn make up army groups. Several army groups form a theater of operations. Each level is commanded by a responsible officer: brigades are commanded by brigadier generals (not represented in this game), divisions are commanded by major generals, corps are commanded by lieutenant generals, armies are commanded by generals, and army groups are commanded by field marshals.

The basic organizational unit of the air fleet is the aviation wing, which consists of 100 aircraft. Several air wings can be combined into a larger group. Since there are no larger air groups for the air fleet, air wings are assigned directly to one or another theater of operations.

Naval vessels up to the level of light cruisers are individual combat units, but for destroyers, submarines and transport ships, the squadron is the basic organizational unit. In addition, each ship is part of a fleet and will be marked accordingly on the map, even if the entire fleet consists of only one ship.

Ground Forces Management

The symbol on the division panel displays its main composition. That is, if a division consists mostly of infantry brigades, the infantry icon will be displayed on its panel. The same panel shows the name of the division commander.

By clicking on the division icon (several times if there are several divisions in the province), you will call up the order panel, which will appear in the upper left corner of the screen. If several icons are displayed next to the portrait of the division commander, this means that you have clicked on the division headquarters. Click again on the division icon in the HQ order panel to select the desired organizational unit.

In the upper left corner of the orders panel is the image of the division commander. To the right of it are the symbol of the main composition of the division and its name, under which the name of the commander is shown. Nearby, the division's combat readiness and two columns are displayed: yellow shows the strength of the unit, green - its organization.

Just below it shows in which province the division is located at the moment. It also contains information about the current state of the division (for example, the “Losses” parameter) and its maximum movement speed (km/h).

Below are two scales. The first shows the level of supply of the division (sufficient or insufficient), and the second - the level of supply of fuel to the division. By hovering over them, you will get more detailed information about the deliveries. If the supply is not organized well enough, the scales will change color to red, the division's combat capability will drop. In the event of interruptions in the supply of fuel, the division will begin to move more slowly.

A shovel-shaped icon may also appear on the division panel. It means that the division has dug in and is ready to hold the line. By hovering over this icon, you will see how prepared fortifications will help your troops in battle. Other icons on the panel display other modifiers. So, reserve divisions are marked with a separate icon, a special icon shows whether the division has radio contact with the headquarters.

The panel at the bottom of the screen displays all orders already issued to the selected combat unit. Below them are several buttons, the first of which allows you to assign the unit to the headquarters of the theater of operations (green arrow) or cancel this action (red arrow). The next button will only be available if the unit is not assigned to a theater of operations. By clicking on it, you will create a new headquarters, and the selected division will be automatically assigned to it.

The next seven buttons, from left to right: The first button has either a green star or a gray star with a red X above it. In the first case, this means that the selected unit is on the priority list and will receive the latest military equipment and reinforcements. In the second case, this means that the unit is not included in this list. The second button shows four soldiers. If the button is active, the division will receive reinforcements. Sometimes there will not be enough manpower to sufficiently replenish all divisions, and you will have to de-reinforce some divisions in order not to scatter forces. First of all, it is necessary to cancel the replenishment of divisions located in the rear and not taking an active part in the battle. The next button shows a dot in a circle. If it is active, the unit will receive the latest technology (i.e. be in the priority list and improve as new technologies become available). The fourth button will order the division to board the transport ship, and the fifth button will order the air transport. The sixth button (with a cross) will allow you to disband the division. The latter, with two arrows pointing in opposite directions, will give you the option to reorganize the division's brigades, for example, to create a new division.

Below the buttons is a dark gray bar that shows how many brigades are assigned to the selected division. These brigades themselves are listed just below: the list shows the badge of the brigade, as well as its name and main composition. The number of people in the brigade is shown on the right, as well as the scales of the strength and organization of units - the aggregate value of these indicators determines the combat capability of the division. In the event that some brigades suffered more heavy losses than other parts of the division, hover over the brigade to get more detailed information.

Repair speed

Military equipment can be damaged during the battle, and the infrastructure of the province and fortifications can be damaged by bombardment. The repair rate determines how soon their efficiency reaches its maximum again.

The repair rate is calculated according to the standard formula, taking into account the technological progress made by your scientists. The higher the repair rate, the faster damaged combat units return to service.

Troop types

ground troops

Please note that at the beginning of the game, not all types of combat units are available to all states. Some technologies were so narrowly specialized or so expensive to manufacture that they did not appear until the end of the war and only in the service of the superpowers. If you want to use such developments in battles, you can change the priority of scientific research.

Armored troops - units are formed mainly from tanks, often accompanied by lighter units. There are several categories of armored forces, ranging from lightly armored to heavily armored.

Mountain rangers - units consisting of mountain rangers are designed to conduct combat operations in the mountains. This means that they gain an advantage in military clashes in such territory and suffer fewer losses than conventional troops.

Infantry is the backbone of any army. The infantry was the backbone of the armed forces of any power during the Second World War. Infantry often accompanied artillery or armored units. Detachments of the military police and air defense forces were formed from the rear infantry units.

Cavalry - before World War II, in many countries, it was cavalry, and not armored units, that were considered the most mobile and effective. World War II changed the balance of power, but in 1936 (at the beginning of the game) there were many cavalry units in the world, hallmark which had excellent maneuverability and poor protection.

Militia - local units of conscripts who received only minimal military training. Such detachments were most often used to maintain order and did not take part in the main hostilities unless the situation became desperate.

Garrison troops - Like the militia, these soldiers often did not receive full military training, so they did not fight on the front line, but maintained order in the rear and defended fortresses and cities remote from the front line.

Armored cars - in fact, these combat units replaced the cavalry and were used for reconnaissance and cover for armored brigades, as they were mobile and at the same time well protected enough to counteract enemy infantry.

Motorized infantry - infantry units that use motorized vehicles for delivery. These units were more mobile than regular infantry and performed the same functions. The price for their improved mobility was the need for a regular supply of fuel.

Mechanized infantry - infantry brigades escorted by tracked armored vehicles. These units were vulnerable to attack from the air, but otherwise often proved to be much more effective than conventional infantry due to the additional protection and support of heavy equipment.

Anti-tank infantry - infantry units armed with anti-tank shells. Often used in ambushes or directly on the front line to neutralize enemy heavy equipment.

Tank Destroyers are heavily armored and heavily armed tanks equipped with enough firepower to destroy enemy armored vehicles. Heavy armor largely protected such vehicles from infantry and even from enemy tank fire.

Air defense - during World War II, aviation began to play such an important role in military operations that air defense units were assigned to many divisions in order to somehow protect troops from air attacks.

Artillery - Howitzers and field artillery changed the course of warfare forever. By the beginning of the Second World War, artillery was a powerful force, which was impossible to ignore. The coordinated actions of artillery and other types of troops sometimes gave amazing results.

Engineer troops - units of specially trained engineers could perform many of the most difficult tasks. The support of these troops is necessary when forcing rivers, capturing fortifications and creating fortifications. The presence of engineering units in the division significantly increases its movement speed.

Military Police - Military police units are less expensive than garrison units or militias, since these fighters do not take part in hostilities, but they are extremely effective in cracking down on guerrillas, deserters and insurgents.

Marines - infantry troops specially trained for amphibious operations. Such detachments operated on both sides of the Pacific Ocean, but they were most widely used in the United States of America.

Airborne troops are light infantry units specially trained for airborne landings behind enemy lines. Because paratroopers are fairly lightly armed compared to conventional infantry, most commanders used conventional infantry troops to reinforce the success of a surprise amphibious attack.

Air Fleet

Aviation wings control

By clicking on the air base where the wing is stationed, or on the wing icon on the tactical map, you will open the orders panel. It differs little from the orders panel for ground troops: in its upper part, to the right of the commander's name, you will see the number of air wings that make up the selected flight. A dark bar below the order buttons shows how many air wings of each type are assigned to the flight, but otherwise the interface of the orders panel for the air flight is identical to the orders panel of a regular division.

At the very bottom of the orders panel, the transport capacity of the aviation link is indicated, that is, the weight of those troops that the link can lift into the air. If no wings of transport aircraft are assigned to a flight, its transport capacity will be equal to zero. If the flight is carrying paratroopers, their division badges will be shown here.

Air units

Interceptors are aircraft used to destroy enemy bombers before they reach their target. They were also used to destroy enemy escort aircraft.

Multi-purpose aircraft - such aircraft could perform a variety of tasks, although they were less effective than highly specialized models. They were used as escort aircraft, although they were inferior to interceptors, and were used for tactical bombing, although their carrying capacity was less than that of bomber aircraft.

Tactical bombers are small, twin-engine aircraft with a relatively small amount of ammunition, capable of delivering fast and accurate bombing strikes. Sometimes these aircraft were also used for strategic bombing, however, due to their lower carrying capacity and flight range, they were less effective than strategic bombers.

Air Support Planes are small, maneuverable bombers used to support ground troops. Such aircraft are especially effective against tanks and armored vehicles.

Naval bombers are two- or four-engine aircraft designed for long-range patrolling, detection and bombardment of enemy ships. Such aircraft could carry torpedoes or drop bombs on the decks of enemy ships.

Strategic bombers are large four-engine aircraft used for heavy bombardment of cities, factories and fortifications deep behind enemy lines. Such aircraft could stand up for themselves, but were usually accompanied by fighters.

Missiles and projectiles - these unmanned aircraft and vehicles appeared at the very end of the war. They were used to bombard strategically important targets.

Missile Interceptor Fighters are one of the most advanced technologies available in the game. These extraordinarily fast aircraft are capable of outrunning escort aircraft and destroying their wingmen without suffering serious casualties.

Carrier aviation group - a group of carrier-based aircraft capable of inflicting a quick and accurate strike on an enemy ship or protecting its own aircraft carrier ship. An aircraft carrier aviation group is inseparably linked with an aircraft carrier ship: when a ship dies, the group dies with it.

Navy

Court management

The order panel for the navy is very similar to the order panel for the air fleet and military divisions. The dark bar below the order buttons shows the number of main ships within the selected fleet, the number of covering ships, and the number of other ships.

As in the case of aviation units, the transport capacity of the selected fleet is indicated at the very bottom of the orders panel. If the fleet is carrying infantry divisions, their icons will be shown here.

Naval combat units

Battleships - by the mid-1930s, most of the fleets of the world powers consisted of these ships, which had proven themselves in the wars of past years. Some admirals were sure that the naval battle was and remains the confrontation of battleships; others thought that battleships should only be used as support ships in major battles.

Heavy battleships are a reinforced version of a regular battleship.

Cruisers - as it turned out later, these ships looked good on paper, but left much to be desired after launching. Their designers took an ordinary battleship as a basis, but did not make it heavier with armor in order to give it an advantage in speed. Cruisers are highly maneuverable ships, but extremely vulnerable to battleship and aircraft fire.

Heavy Cruisers - Many states that could not afford to maintain a large fleet of battleships chose to make do with a few heavy cruisers, since these ships did an excellent job with most combat missions, second only to battleships.

Light cruisers are small, very fast ships with almost no armor, which were used to carry out swift strikes against the rear of the enemy or as cover ships for the main ships of the fleet. Light cruisers performed well against destroyers, but were more often used for reconnaissance than for combat.

Destroyers are fast and light ships, lightly armored and lightly armed. Destroyers were used to protect the main ships of the fleet or attacked the enemy with torpedoes, using their numerical advantage.

Transports are ships designed to transport soldiers. They often had greater speed than conventional cargo ships. Some transports were converted during the war from passenger liners.

Submarines - for the first time these devices appeared during the First World War. At the beginning of the war, it was believed that it was the submarines that would determine the fate of England. Submarine torpedo salvos destroyed large warships and escort ships.

Aircraft carriers - by the beginning of World War II, aircraft carriers were not widespread, since not all strategists appreciated the tactical opportunities that opened up before them. An aircraft carrier is a ship carrying an air group capable of delivering surprise strikes from a great distance. On the other hand, aircraft carriers are extremely vulnerable to enemy torpedoes.

Military command
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command structure

When creating VE Day III, we tried to make the process of commanding huge armies as easy as possible, so you don't have to issue routine orders to hundreds of units yourself, unless you yourself want to. To give you the opportunity to shift some of the work onto the shoulders of the commanders-in-chief, we have introduced a system of theaters of war into the game. If you wish, you can entrust artificial intelligence with command on one of the fronts of your campaign, or entrust it with a separate headquarters or several divisions.

Creation of new headquarters

To change the command structure of an army (for example, open a new front), select any unit that is not currently attached to any headquarters and use it to create a new headquarters. The headquarters thus created is a brigade of 600 soldiers who are automatically recruited from the manpower reserve. A general stands at the head of the headquarters (this requires 100 leadership points). In the event that a headquarters division is allowed to receive reinforcements, over time it will expand to 3,000 soldiers. After creating a new headquarters, you can attach any of your armies to it. Note that the general in command of a headquarters gains experience each time any of the units assigned to that headquarters enter combat, and that all units assigned to the headquarters enjoy the benefits of that general's experience and personality.

Radio communication

Headquarters use radio communications to give orders to troops. Each headquarters has a communication radius. Units that are outside this radius lose the benefits that their command gave them. The communication radius of the headquarters can be increased in the course of scientific research.

Leadership

In VE Day III, each combat unit is led by a commander who has the experience and skills to help him in battle.

As the commander-in-chief of the army, you must build a chain of command: you are at the head, field marshals follow you, then army generals, and so on down to the division commanders at the very bottom of the chain. Each commander is responsible for the troops entrusted to him and can make independent decisions, giving them orders and conducting combat operations without your participation if you give him freedom of action.

Commanders gain experience and new skills over time. In addition, you can promote them by entrusting them with larger military formations, but do not forget that after promotion, the commander will again have to gain skill points from the very beginning.

Appointment of commanders

To assign a squad leader, open the unit's command panel and click on the name of its current commander (or where it should be if the squad does not have a commander), then select a new commander.

Experience and skills of commanders

The experience gained by the commander in battles will allow him to acquire new skills over time. After the battle, the commanders of all units that took part in the battle receive experience, even if the commander was at that time two hundred kilometers from the battlefield, however, commanders on the front line gain experience faster.

Strategic Doctrines

Ground Combat Doctrines

The study of strategic doctrines will allow your soldiers to fight more effectively.

There are four ground combat doctrines. Strategic doctrines are developed gradually, but each stage achieved immediately brings results and positively affects the effectiveness of the respective troops in battle.

The Forward Squad Concept - Many German generals preferred to rely on light armored vehicles, which allowed them to strike quickly and quickly retreat to regroup, exhausting the enemy. This doctrine is based on mobility and flexibility, which allows it to be adapted to different situations, up to the use of vehicles in defense instead of offensive.

Superiority of firepower - American military leaders have developed a doctrine that relies on the use of large divisions of mechanized and motorized infantry. If the enemy does not surrender, he is destroyed! The disadvantage of such a strategy is increased fuel consumption and heavy dependence on good supplies.

Large scale strategic planning - British strategists preferred to develop detailed plans military campaigns, in which each detachment was assigned its own role and all possible scenarios were taken into account: enemy counterattacks, the use of reserves and available military equipment. The emphasis in such plans was usually placed on the infantry.

The concept of massive combat - Soviet generals were often forced to lead numerous, but poorly armed troops, consisting of partisans and civilian volunteers, into battle. This led to the emergence of military doctrine, the main idea of ​​which was to stun the enemy and overwhelm him with a living wave, regardless of losses.

Doctrines of Naval Combat

The doctrine of naval combat determines exactly how the admiralty will use the state-owned fleet and which elements of it will play a decisive role in armed conflicts.

Use of Aircraft Carriers - As the name implies, this doctrine relies on the use of aircraft carriers as the main strike force, and also seeks to increase the effectiveness of escort ships protecting aircraft carriers. This approach encourages the active conduct of hostilities in enemy waters.

Defense of sea routes - this defensive doctrine protects the interests of your state by concentrating a fleet formed from battleships in places where the enemy is most likely to attack and protecting strategically important sea routes with the help of patrol ships.

The use of submarines - this doctrine implies the active use of submarines to destroy enemy convoys with the support of light cruisers.

Air Combat Doctrines

Doctrines of air combat are less rigid than doctrines of naval or land combat, since their individual components are not as dependent on each other. In other words, it is perfectly acceptable to develop several components of one doctrine and then several components of another in order to use one type of air force with maximum efficiency. In addition, work on one air combat doctrine facilitates work on others by providing the necessary theoretical background and practical experience.

Use of Fighters - At the heart of this doctrine is the achievement of air superiority through the active use of fighter aircraft both in attack, to clear the way for bombers, and in defense.

Use of tactical aircraft - this doctrine emphasizes the use of light bombers to destroy enemy manpower and fortifications.

Air support for ground troops - such a doctrine involves the use of aircraft to destroy enemy manpower during battles on the front line.

The use of strategic aviation - this doctrine involves the use of heavy bombers to destroy the infrastructure of the enemy and demoralize him.

The use of naval aviation - this doctrine advocates the use of aviation to support the fleet during hostilities against enemy ships and naval bases.

All air and sea combat units are assigned to air bases and naval bases, respectively. Since their fuel supply is finite, they are forced to return to their bases from time to time. If an airbase or seaport is captured by the enemy, the aircraft and ships located there automatically retreat to the nearest friendly base.

Airbase management

Despite the fact that an arbitrarily large number of aircraft can be located at the airbase, the limiting factor is the provision of fuel for the aircraft: when the number of air wings at the base exceeds a certain limit, the supply of some aircraft becomes impossible. Please note that for some time you can keep more aircraft at the base than it can provide, since each base has an emergency thirty-day supply of fuel.

Naval Base Management

The size of the naval base determines the number of ships that can be repaired on it at the same time, as well as the number of ships that can restore organization points while in the port. In addition, the size of the base determines the throughput of supplies that are transported by convoys.

Combat operations on land
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If you order a unit to move to a province occupied by enemy troops, you are ordering the troops to engage in combat.

There is a more precise way to give orders to ground troops. Select a unit or group of units, press and hold the Ctrl key on your keyboard, and right-click on the province you want to send troops to or attack. An order window will appear.

Of course, you can give a simple order to attack a province, but it is no different from a normal deployment of troops followed by an attack. The order window gives you more room for strategic action. For example, you can order troops to support an attack carried out by another division, or order them to use rail transport.

An order to support the attack of another unit will allow the selected unit to take part in the battle, but after it the unit will remain in the same province where it was - it will not occupy the attacked province, even when the enemy leaves it. Usually such an order is given to avoid problems with supplies or in order not to disperse forces, otherwise the advancing army may be surrounded.

Front line

In VE Day III, each division is considered to control a certain area around it. Taken together, the zones of control of different detachments make up the front line, along which the battles take place.

The border of each province is divided into 10 squares. When combat begins, the defending forces are randomly distributed along this border, one brigade per square. If an attack is made from several directions, the province border is considered to be divided into squares on each side: the front line becomes wider and allows more divisions to participate in the battle.

During the battle, the army is divided into two parts. Since the number of troops that can be on the front line at a time is limited, only a part of the troops will participate in the battle. All other divisions will wait in reserve.

Note that each brigade in reserve or on the front line incurs a penalty to offensive and defensive effectiveness, as it is very difficult to coordinate the actions of so many units. Warlords with a high Leadership score can negate this negative effect.

As a rule, each division consists of three or four brigades, which occupy the squares of the front line. Other divisions will be placed in reserve. Usually three divisions are enough to completely block the front line of one province, if each division has at least three or four brigades.

Also, units that, for one reason or another, do not take part in the battle are considered reserve. Reserve detachments, in which case, can be sent to the front line to close the gap that has appeared or to push back the enemy that has broken through the front line.

Divisions in reserve do not take part in the battle, unless they are advanced to the front line during the battle. When losses or other circumstances lead to the appearance of a free square on the front line, one of the divisions, randomly selected from among the reserve ones, is advanced into it.

Note that a situation may arise where the forward units lose the battle before the reserves have time to join the battle. If the forward units are broken and retreat, the troops in the reserve are also forced to retreat, even if they could take part in the clash.

Efficiency in combat

All ground troops have certain parameters that determine their effectiveness in battle. Here is a brief description of these options.

Strength - the number of soldiers in the squad. Please note that if a unit suffers from exhaustion, bad weather, and so on, its combat capability is reduced. In this case, the strength of the squad shows the number of soldiers in the squad and its actual combat capability as a percentage of the maximum.

Organization - the ability of the detachment to conduct combat operations. A poorly organized unit may run or retreat from combat, even if its strength is comparatively high.

Efficiency - when calculating the effectiveness of a unit, two indicators are taken into account: effectiveness in attack and effectiveness in defense. Please note that the unit's performance modifier is displayed on the unit panel and has nothing to do with modifiers such as weather penalties and bonuses for experience, leadership, and so on.

Front width - the place that the unit occupies on the front line. Scientific developments reduce this indicator, allowing you to increase the density of fire in battle.

Anti-personnel attack - the effectiveness of the unit in the battle with the infantry.

Anti-tank attack - the effectiveness of the unit in the battle with armored vehicles.

Anti-air attack - the effectiveness of the unit in countering aircraft.

Security - the ability of the unit to avoid losses during the attack of ground troops.

Fortitude - the ability of a unit to avoid losses from barrage fire when attacking enemy ground troops.

Suppression - the effectiveness with which the unit counteracts the activity of guerrillas and rebels in the region.

The proportion of infantry is the ratio of people and military equipment used in calculating the outcome of the battle.

When the organization of the unit drops to zero, he tries to retreat from the battle. Note that this is an organized retreat, not a stampede. This means that a unit in reserve can take its place.

Both strength and organization in battle are calculated for the division as a whole, while the losses incurred are distributed among individual brigades. In other words, the brigade cannot retreat, run or perform any other similar action separately from the division.

Calculation of the outcome of the battle

Some people prefer to study the mechanics of the game, others may not be interested in it at all. This chapter is for those who prefer to know exactly what goes on "behind the scenes" of strategic battles.

One round of combat lasts one hour. Each round is divided into several phases. The first is the shooting phase, during which the troops suffer losses. Subsequent phases are determined by a number of factors and are not directly related to the course of the battle.

The following indicators of a unit affect the outcome of a battle: anti-personnel attack, anti-tank attack, share of infantry, protection, durability and strength of the unit, as well as two modifiers (effectiveness in attack and effectiveness in defense), which change depending on leadership, weather, terrain features and so on. You can see exactly which modifiers affect the outcome of the battle by hovering over the unit icon in the battle panel. The attack effectiveness modifier is applied to the anti-personnel attack and anti-tank attack stats. The defensive effectiveness modifier is applied to the unit's defense and toughness scores.

Please note that two divisions or two brigades can participate in the battle. Unless the brigade is removed from the division, it is ignored as a separate combat unit and is considered only as part of the division.

Shooting phase

Only divisions on the front line participate in the battle (that is, reserve divisions do not participate in the battle).

Depending on which side is the aggressor, divisions are considered attackers or defenders. Attackers are shown on the left side of the combat panel, defenders are shown on the right. The troops in the reserve can take part in the battle, replacing the troops on the front line during the battle. During the shooting phase, the opponents exchange shots, the exact number of which may vary depending on which troops are engaged. The shooting phase continues until both sides have reached the end of their hourly shot limit.

The number of shots fired by a division depends primarily on its anti-personnel attack and anti-tank attack indicators, which are modified by the unit's combat effectiveness. In addition, this indicator is affected by an insignificant random factor.

Each round of combat, a division randomly selects an enemy division to fire on. She then determines whether she will fire at people or at military equipment, using the indicator of the proportion of infantry of the enemy unit for calculations. For example, a division that fires at an infantry division with a 70% infantry share will fire at humans with a 70% chance. The division then opens fire unless ordered to cease fire.

The number of shots fired by each division depends on the anti-personnel or anti-tank attack rating, which is affected by the squad's combat effectiveness rating depending on whether the division fires at people or at military equipment. To determine the combat effectiveness indicator, the attackers use the attack efficiency indicator, and the defenders use the defense efficiency indicator. If a division's Attack Rating (modified by its Attack Effectiveness Rating) is greater than its Shot Rating, it opens fire. For example, if a division's Modified Anti-Tank Rating is 7.8 and its Shot Rating is 5, then it opens fire as the values ​​are rounded down. If the shot rate were 8, the division would not be able to fire in this phase.

If a division is forced into inactivity because its Attack Rating is less than its required Shot Rating, it may open fire in another round. For example, a division whose anti-tank attack value is 2 will be inactive in combat with an armored division whose shot value is 3, but will open fire on an infantry division, since its anti-personnel attack value is 6, and its infantry shot value is 6.2.

After the number of shots in the round has been determined, the units open fire on each other. The divisions participating in the battle can avoid losses: for example, the defending side uses its defense indicator, modified by the defense efficiency indicator, to do this. The attacking side uses its Toughness Score, also modified by its Defensive Efficiency Score, to do this. The matched defense or toughness values ​​determine how many enemy shots will not harm the division during the shooting phase of that round of combat. For example, if the defending division has a defense score of 6.3, it can withstand the next six hits without loss, but all further hits will cause damage to it.

From all that has been said, it follows that the commander-in-chief should avoid battles in which the enemy has more divisions on the front line than himself, as well as battles with troops whose anti-personnel and anti-tank attack indicators greatly exceed those of the defense and stamina of his troops. Such a situation is especially unfavorable, since almost all the blows of the enemy will hit the target, and in the course of the battle the situation will only worsen.

Any division that comes under enemy fire during the shooting phase suffers casualties. The organization of the detachment falls, and along with this, its strength may fall. The number of losses depends on the enemy's anti-personnel or anti-tank attack rating, modified taking into account the strength of the firing unit. Thus, a unit whose strength is 50% of the maximum, deals only half the damage.

When the outcome of the battle is summed up, the non-combat phase begins. During this phase, tactical maneuvers are performed and all other events that can affect the outcome of the battle happen (or don't happen).

Each round, there is a chance that one of the divisions involved in the battle will flee the battlefield. This probability increases significantly if the strength or organization of the unit falls below critical or if most of the officers in the detachment died. The chance of fleeing is reduced if the unit is commanded by a general with a high leadership score or if the unit is made up of veterans, but any division has a limit beyond which it flees.

Survivors after fleeing automatically retreat to the capital of the state, where the division can be restored. The recovery speed depends on the amount of human resources available to you, and the strength of the squad can only be restored through new reinforcements. The division will retain a portion of the previously accumulated experience, proportional to the number of survivors after the flight. If the fleeing unit has been cut off from the supply lines, it surrenders and no longer takes part in the hostilities.

A particularly unfortunate flight of one unit may lead to complete confusion in the ranks, and it may happen that the entire army, including troops in reserve, retreats.

offensive phase

Each round, there is a chance that the attacking troops will go on a decisive offensive. This occurs when the defender suffers heavy casualties and is forced to retreat. If the offensive is successful, then the infrastructure and fortifications of the province that has become a battlefield will surely suffer.

Reorganization phase

If, at the end of a round, an empty square appears on the front line (the division occupying it was destroyed, retreated, or fled from the battle), one of the divisions in the reserve can take the vacant place, thereby strengthening or even expanding the front line. With a high degree of probability, the reserve divisions will not be able to move forward at the same time.

tactical maneuvers

Both attackers and defenders can resort to tactical maneuvers to gain an advantage in battle. The availability of maneuvers is determined by the doctrine that your generals adhere to.

Please note that the effectiveness of these maneuvers may change as patches are released to the game.

Assault - attackers inflict additional damage on defenders.

Encirclement - the width of the front increases by about one and a half times, which allows more units from both sides to take part in the battle.

Deterrence - The defenders do not allow the attackers to advance and gain a foothold in new positions.

Surprise Attack - Defenders deal less damage to attackers.

Counterattack - Defenders deal additional damage to attackers.

Tactical retreat - the width of the front is reduced by about half, which allows the defenders to neutralize the numerical superiority of the attackers.

Onslaught - the attackers move forward, gain a foothold in new positions and push the defenders.

Ambush - Defenders lure attackers into a disadvantageous position and force them to do less damage.

Attacks from the flank

In most games, attacking from the flank is usually more successful, as it gives additional penalties to the defenders. In real life, this happens extremely rarely, since staff officers are almost always ready for such a development of events and take measures against the environment in advance. In VE Day III, flanking expands the frontline, allowing more units to take part in the battle from both sides. However, fighting on two fronts is more difficult than just defending, and therefore the defenders still receive some penalty.

If the attackers are attacked from the flank (for example, as a result of a counterattack by the defenders), events can develop in different ways, but in any case, the defenders get an advantage and can bring additional troops from the reserve into battle.

In the event that the battle for the province takes place on several fronts, a defeat on one of them leads to a defeat on all fronts.

Other events

The longer the battle goes on, the stronger the influence of concomitant factors becomes. Divisions suffer losses, their combat effectiveness is reduced. Units may be forced to retreat for a variety of reasons, from poor organization to the death of a commanding officer.

Results of the battle

The battle ends when one of the sides retreats from the front line: voluntarily or when it has no combat-ready divisions left. A side that has no combat-ready units left on the front line is considered defeated, even if it still has units in reserve: they did not have time to reach the front line in time.

Summarizing

Retreat

A defeated army doesn't just retreat to an adjacent province: in VE Day III, retreating has more serious consequences. Please note that in case of defeat, not the entire army retreats, but its individual divisions. Each round of combat, the unit retreats a certain distance. The enemy pursues him, trying to force the retreating defenders out of the province. To gain control of a province, the defender must be completely driven out of it.

A unit whose organization drops to zero retreats. If a unit suffers from a lack of officer cadres, it may start retreating even earlier.

For obvious reasons, the retreating unit cannot go on the offensive and does not take part in the further battle.

Damage to infrastructure

If the battle drags on, the likelihood increases that one of the parties will break the resistance of the enemy and go on a decisive offensive. A battle in which the attackers quickly overwhelm the resistance of the defenders will not cause significant damage to the infrastructure of the region, but a prolonged battle can destroy it almost completely. Since roads are also considered part of the infrastructure, this slows down the advance and hinders the advance of the attackers.

Fortification Damage

A unit holding a fort or fortress never retreats. Instead, the fortification loses one level of fortification, and the battle continues. If the defending troops are defeated again, the fortification will continue to lose fortification levels until it is destroyed. After that, the defenders retreat in the usual order.

Losses of officers

When your divisions suffer casualties, part of those casualties are among the officers. Killed officers will be replaced from the national reserve (they are listed in the information panel at the top of the game's main screen). If there is a shortage of officers in the country, this has a negative effect on the organization and combat effectiveness of the troops.

The detachment taking part in the battles gains experience, which helps it in the future. A unit made up of veterans receives positive modifiers to its combat effectiveness. If a unit suffers casualties, it may lose experience (since experienced soldiers are replaced by inexperienced recruits).

Please note that commanders of troops and generals also gain experience, but in their case it is calculated differently and brings different results.

Recovery after the battle

Like any combat unit, divisions gradually restore their combat effectiveness, recovering from losses suffered in battle. If the unit is not experiencing a supply disruption, it rebuilds the organization at a rate determined by the repair rate. The unit regains strength by receiving reinforcements. To do this, the state must direct part of its resources to replenish losses (see the industry window). In addition, the detachment must not be on the list of divisions to which reinforcements are not allocated.

Fighting at sea
Press here!
Control

Select a fleet and right click on a province to open the order panel for it.

Movement - the fleet will move to the selected sea square and stay there.

Relocate - By selecting a province with a naval base, you can order ships to change their home base. Please note that it may take several days for supply ships to get the fleet back on the new base.

Reserve - fleet ships will be used to replace damaged and destroyed ships of another fleet assigned to the same naval base. Damaged ships will be placed in reserve where they will be refitted and repaired.

Patrol - the fleet will go to the specified square and will patrol its surroundings, trying to detect enemy ships or aircraft, and then return to the naval base.

Intercept - your fleet will wait in the port until an enemy fleet is detected within its radius of action. After that, he will try to get close to him and engage in battle.

Sortie - the fleet will go to the specified square, after which it will return to the naval base. Sorties differ from patrols in that they are usually carried out for a specific purpose.

Convoy interception - the fleet will go to the specified square and patrol its surroundings, trying to detect and destroy enemy cargo ships (unlike other ships, convoy ships are not visible to ordinary ships). Your fleet will not attack enemy warships, but can be attacked by them.

Transportation - This mission is only available to transport ships and the ships that accompany them. Transport ships will deliver the troops loaded on them to the specified naval base.

Landing is another mission available only to transport ships and escort ships. Order the ships to go to coastal waters near the land province you want to land troops in, and issue that order to launch an attack.

Escort - such a task is essentially the opposite of the "Intercept convoys" order. Your fleet will escort cargo ships, protecting them from enemy raids. Seeing the enemy, he will try to engage him in battle. If enemy ships have been ordered to intercept the convoy, they will try to avoid collision with the escort ships.

Having decided on the order, you will need to clarify whether your fleet should look for enemy ships (this increases the likelihood of their detection) or avoid them. You can also set a mission priority, which determines how soon your fleet will receive reinforcements in case it suffers losses during the mission.

Detection of enemy ships

The visibility rating determines how easy it is for an enemy to detect a ship, while the surface detection rating determines the ability of a unit to spot hostile ships in its vicinity.

Radar installations help to detect enemy ships in a timely manner. Interception of signals can also reveal the location of an enemy fleet; it is carried out both by radar installations on ships and by stationary radar stations.

If a fleet approaches an enemy naval base, it risks being detected by enemy patrol aircraft.

sea ​​battle

There are three types of ships: the main ships of the fleet, cover ships and others. Cargo ships and escort ships are not displayed on the map.

During the battle, the main vessels of the fleet - battleships, cruisers and heavy cruisers - maneuver, trying to take a position that will allow them to open fire on the enemy with their main guns. Cover ships protect them from enemy fire.

Positioning

After the two fleets have detected each other's presence, each ship determines its position relative to the enemy's ships at the start of the first round of combat. The following modifiers are taken into account: the size of the ship (the main ships of the fleet are not as maneuverable as the ships of the cover), the order given to the fleet (search for enemy ships, avoid enemy ships, or not engage in battle) and the naval combat doctrines you apply.

If at the moment the battle begins, the ship is out of range of the guns of the enemy ships, it is considered to be out of battle until it can take part in the battle. Transport ships, aircraft carriers and heavily damaged ships will try to avoid combat.

The more successful the positioning was, the closer the ship will be to its optimal firing range at the start of the battle.

First of all, positioning affects the accuracy of shooting. The more successfully a ship maneuvers, the easier it is for it to fire at the enemy: when calculating a hit, the distance between the ships at the time of the shot is taken into account. The closer this value is to the optimal firing distance, the higher the ship's chances of inflicting damage on the enemy fleet. Shooting accuracy is also affected by a number of factors that may seem random, but actually reflect a number of important characteristics of a naval battle, such as the speed at which a ship puts its guns on alert.

Distance and centerline

Each ship has an optimal firing range (specified in the ship's parameters). This is the distance at which the ship uses her guns and torpedoes most effectively. Note that vulnerable ships such as transports and aircraft carriers are always trying to disengage from combat. Heavily damaged ships may follow suit.

In a naval battle, your ships and enemy ships are separated by a conditional center line. In order to engage in combat, a ship must approach it, stop at an optimal firing distance, and open fire.

Covering ships will try to take a position between the center line and the main ships of the fleet, causing fire on themselves and not allowing the enemy to shoot at the main ships and especially vulnerable ships (for example, aircraft carriers). The optimal firing range for the main ships of a fleet is usually large enough to fire at the enemy while staying behind the covering ships.

An exception is the situation in which the firing range of enemy ships is less than the firing range of your main ships. In this case, your ships will try to fire in such a way as to prevent the enemy from approaching and returning fire, unless there are other priority targets behind the enemy's covering ships.

Cover ships

The task of the covering ships is to protect the main ships of the fleet from the fire of enemy ships. Normally, escort ships are lightly armed and fire at enemy escort ships (whose light armor is vulnerable to small caliber guns) or fire torpedoes at the main ships of the enemy fleet.

Light cruisers and battleships are most often used as cover ships. In a naval battle, they cut off the enemy's fleet from the main ships, forcing him to disperse his fire and not allowing him to get close enough. If the covering ships of one side are destroyed, the covering ships of the other side approach the main ships and also begin to shoot.

If the entire fleet consists only of covering ships, they do not try to protect each other and fight as usual.

Covering ships are faster and more maneuverable than the main ships of the fleet, which allows them to easily change position in battle, moving in and out of firing range as needed.

Naval battle panel

If you select a fleet participating in the battle, a line with the name of the current battle will appear at the bottom of the fleet screen. Click on it to open the naval combat panel.

The name of the current battle is indicated at the top of the panel, under which there are brown and green scales that display the strength of the opposing sides.

A little lower you will see the flags of the countries involved in the battle, as well as the portraits and names of the fleet commanders. The parameters of the attacking side are located on the left side of the screen, and the parameters of the defending side are located on the right.

The images in the middle of the panel show the modifiers that affect combat. There is also a scale showing the number of ships on one side and the other (the more ships involved in the battle, the greater the penalty for "Bad control"). The attacker's ships are on the left side of the screen, the defender's ships are on the right. It also shows a list of all ships participating in the battle, starting with ships of the cruiser class and above, as well as battleships and submarines. For each ship, its name is given, as well as indicators of strength and organization. The type of a ship can be determined by its symbolic image, which will be dark if the ship has not entered the battle yet, and colored if it is already engaged in the battle. Please note that this image does not show the location of the ship.

Shooting phase

Like land combat, naval combat consists of one-hour rounds during which ships exchange shots. At the beginning of the first round of the battle, the ships fire from the positions that they managed to occupy before the start of the battle. In subsequent rounds, the ships will maneuver to get closer to the center line (unless they are trying to avoid combat). Ships not participating in the battle will join the battle as soon as possible.

Targets for shooting are selected randomly from all ships within the range of your ships. The ships continue to fire until the target is destroyed, retreats from the battle, or leaves the firing zone.

A ship's effectiveness in combat is determined by its naval attack rating, which is contrasted with the target's naval defense rating. Otherwise, naval combat is calculated in the same way as ground and air battles, but taking into account modifiers for the positioning of the ship. Please note that the commander's leadership indicator plays a more significant role in naval battles than in other types of battles. Also, the doctrines of naval combat that you use are taken into account.

air attack on ships

Air Wings can attack ships using their naval attack value, which is countered by the target's air defense value. To fire back, ships use their own air attack index, which is contrasted with the air defense index of the air wing.

Damage in naval combat

When a ship successfully hits an enemy ship, it is more likely to lower the target's organization level and less likely to lower its strength. Actual damage depends on the naval attack value modified by the ship's current strength and divided by the value of the ship's hull value.

There is always a chance of a critical hit, which greatly reduces the strength and organization of the target.

Recovery after the battle

Like other units in VE Day III, ships regenerate losses incurred in battle over time. If the naval base is not cut off from supply lines, the ship will regenerate strength and organization at a rate determined by the repair rate. An isolated base may have difficulty re-equipping battle-damaged ships.

Retreat

Some ships - such as aircraft carriers - will try to avoid combat, but conventional ships may decide to retreat if they are seriously damaged or if the fleet is heavily outnumbered by the enemy.

Each round of naval combat, there is a chance that ships will lose contact with each other. If the battle drags on, the ship's chance to fight off the squadron increases, especially if it takes evasive maneuvers or tries to get out of the battle. Night time and bad weather also increase this probability. Note that even if both sides try to retreat from the battle, the battle does not end, as ships that have lost contact with the fleet may return and continue the battle. If a naval battle takes place during a storm or poor visibility conditions, ships may enter and exit the battle repeatedly.

If two fleets lose sight of each other, they remain in the same sea square, however their detection rate drops temporarily so that they do not immediately relocate each other.

The presence of a radar installation on the ship reduces the likelihood of losing contact of an individual ship with the rest of the fleet.

If the Fleet Organization score drops below a critical value, the Fleet retreats to the nearest friendly naval base.
Taken from the site: http://www.strategium.ru

Fans of furious strategies all over the world rejoice - it's out. It was possible to rejoice in advance, without even getting acquainted with the game. After all Paradox can't let you down... But for some reason, after the appearance of the demo version, panic began. It's not like that, it's different. So today we will dot the i's and decide whether this project deserves our attention or whether it is better to wait for something more interesting...

Before the start of the game, we can choose one of the time periods and any country. You can ignore the recommendations of the computer.

Eliminate the illiterate

If you have never rewritten history before and have not encountered similar games, then you should start with a little educational program.

"Victory Day 3" is a global historical strategy, the action of which takes place in the middle of the 20th century, just before the Second World War and a little after. The player can take control of absolutely any state that existed at that time. The whole further path depends on the choice of the country. So with Germany you will have to conquer the whole world and make the Axis the most powerful and influential alliance. Yugoslavia and Romania have simpler tasks - they just need to survive and join a powerful alliance. At the same time, you do not have to lead a European power. If you want, sit in the chair of the Brazilian leader and try, for example, to completely subjugate the whole of South America.

However "Victory Day" consists not only of war. The game presents almost all aspects of the life of the state. You are engaged in foreign and domestic policy, sign trade agreements, conclude alliances and non-aggression pacts. Increase the industrial potential of the country, grow the army, make people happy, issue various laws, choose the best ministers, engage in propaganda, spy on opponents and purge the state apparatus.

That's about it all the global strategies of the "paradoxical" type. And today we will talk in detail about the third part, its features, innovations and differences.

We got the triangle back. With him it is very easy to understand which country gravitates towards which alliance.

Rewrite history

The previous games in the series were notorious for the fact that we ourselves wrote history. Germany could attack France and not touch Poland, the USSR was the first to declare war on Germany without difficulty and, with the support of Romania, took Berlin, while England and France were only shaking with fear and were afraid even to squeak in response.

This is the highlight of the project. However, it was implemented a little strange. Imagine that you are on excellent terms with Poland, almost allies, you want to attack Germany together and then exactly on schedule, on that very day, at that very hour, the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is concluded. And nothing depends on you. It's just such a historic event.

Well, or another example. You put pressure on Germany in every possible way, all of Europe is boycotting it, France has matured and can strike so hard that Hitler will shoot himself long before 1945. But comes June 22, 4 am and - the war! I don't care that it is unprofitable for the Nazis.

All wars, pacts and alliances were accomplished, of course, not because of some dates. Stalin did not go to a fortune-teller to find out what date he should attack the Finns. He just chose the most opportune time - and led the troops to the north. And if the player does everything to make it unprofitable for Germany to attack on June 22, then why the hell did the computer get into battle anyway?

What we see depends on the height of the camera. Now the soldiers are indicated by rectangles, and if we get closer, they will turn out to be ordinary three-dimensional figures.

This misunderstanding was corrected in the third part. Historical events have remained, but they have become much smaller, many of them appear far from every game and they are allowed to be ignored. Now if you choose Germany, you can drag even the USA or China into allies. And it will not be necessary to arrange the Anschluss of Austria and say that Poland and Czechoslovakia are spread over the original German territories. You can make classic good-natured and charming people out of Germans. And everyone will think that you are a very peaceful and extremely eloquent little dictator with a funny mustache and a stupid habit of throwing your hand up ...

True, it is still unclear why certain historical events appear in the game. This is due to the Great Random, or "Victory Day" truth calculates the probability of occurrence of this or that act?

The new system, however, has its drawbacks. So almost all countries behave terribly unnaturally. Let's say you play for the USSR and completely repeat what Stalin did. You just develop, communicate a little with the West, sell steel to Germany. Everything is historically accurate. But at the same time, Canada can go over to the side of the Nazis, Japan will end up in the camp of the Allies ... Here you are no longer rewriting history, but she herself has plenty of fun. Tired, poor thing, from year to year to tell the same thing. Decided to mess around...

Another problem is the very conserved political system in totalitarian states. Whatever you do, Stalin will not leave his post. Hitler is also not in danger of being replaced. And the ruling parties will never be outsiders. You can even spit in the face of every citizen and speak indecently about his mother - all the same, the Communists will remain on horseback. Yes, absolutely no actions can save us, including the change of all ministers, increasing discontent and reducing the authority of the ruling party. When a complete ass begins, and uprisings break out in the provinces, the country will simply be captured by the first neighbor that comes across. People will go over to his side. But there will be no democracy in the USSR.

And even if this is partially true, but in such a game there could be mechanisms for changing the government. Yes, it is possible in the UK. But there are elections, and where there are none, forget about changing course. It remains to wait for the mods.

One of the historical events that cannot be ignored. But it takes place within the country and looks quite harmonious. If there are communist parties in Germany, then they must either be banned or allowed.

Prepare for war

Domestic politics is only a small part of everything that is in "Victory Day". You will certainly have to deal with it, but perhaps the least. You can make laws, but you cannot write them yourself. There are several directions and patterns. So, for example, in conscription laws, you can choose how many years you serve in the army: voluntary, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and on demand. Moreover, the more severe you are to your citizens, the higher the return for the state. It's even a little weird. All the most delicious decrees can be issued only during the war. The economy will increase to the sky, civilians will no longer demand bread and circuses, factories will puff so much that they just have time to pick up tanks from the assembly line. What about fines? Yes, practically none. It is simply beneficial for the state to be constantly at war.

By the way, this is one of the important shortcomings. "Victory Day". Suppose, commanding a European power, you guarantee the independence of some Asian country. Or even anyone. As soon as a war breaks out there, you automatically join it. Using this, you change the laws and begin to actively develop. In this case, you will not see a single battle. I don't care what happens on the other side of the globe, the main thing is that now you will pull ahead strongly.

Another important aspect the life of the state is research. They have changed a lot since the second part. Previously, all key states had their own technology tree. The Germans were developing the Panthers, the Russians were moving towards the T-34. Moreover, historical accuracy was preserved. In Great Britain, all the main technologies revolved around the fleet, and Germany relied on tanks. In the third part, the developers abandoned pre-scheduled developments. Now all countries are… equal. Yes, the folk flavor, so to speak, has almost completely disappeared. The technologies are the same, only the names are different. That is, the Russians are improving the Mosin rifle, and the Germans are improving the Mauser, but the result is the same: + 5% to attack.

This approach allows the player to determine the development of the state. If he decides in 1936 that the USSR should become the strongest "air" power - there is every chance of success.

However, the transition to this type of research is still ambiguous. Now the historicity that was before is not felt. And how nice it was to instruct that same plant to develop the same T-34 ...

But now absolutely everything is in the power of the player. The technology tree is vast. Firstly, in it we simply improve equipment and weapons. There is a branch for armored vehicles, infantry, fleet and aviation. And each section has its branches. The infantry is divided into cavalry, militia and ordinary soldiers. Tanks - light, medium, heavy and super heavy. These sections are followed by theoretical studies. They can either improve developments in the chosen area (for example, we are training our engineers for a deeper and more detailed study of the fleet), or have a beneficial effect on the entire army. This is, for example, the study of blitzkrieg or attacks on a wide front. And that's not it. Next to the military "skills" there are also industrial ones. Such as converting electricity into oil or improved steel production. Increasing industrial potential and better manufacturing of supplies for the army.

If you start the game from 1941, then all historical events up to that moment are observed. That is, the USSR will have to immediately fight the Nazis. It's not always interesting.

The head is spinning. A beginner will definitely get lost in all this diversity. To be honest, this is almost the first time I see such a comprehensive technology tree. But in order to start researching something, you need to allocate leadership points for this, and they are also needed for espionage, diplomacy, recruitment of officers ... A real test for strategists!

It is very difficult to talk about all aspects of the game. We touched on domestic politics and research. But you have to constantly engage in diplomacy. If you control Germany, you will have to win over to the side of the Axis those powers that will help you in the future. For example, since they decided to attack the USSR, it would be nice to make friends with the Finns, Turks and China. Then, during the offensive, the Soviet Union will be hit from several sides. And Stalin will not be able to fight on four fronts.

And you are not the only one. Strong states are of interest to both the Allies and the Comintern. They, too, are constantly engaged in diplomacy and alliances. Every day something happens, someone reconciles with someone, quarrels, trades. And you can not lose sight of all this. ***

And what is the result? "Victory Day 3"- this is really a very difficult, but equally exciting game for strategists. Now she still has a lot of shortcomings. Due to the huge abundance of provinces (there are more than 10,000 of them!) it is incredibly tedious to organize world wars. The developers handled the problem elegantly: they only allowed you to plan the offensive, dumping all the routine work on the computer ... but it doesn’t work. Bugs, bad AI and more. And such shortcomings - three convoys. The game slows down, lags for some reason, hits saves ... But, nevertheless, it is brilliant. Paradox I just stuffed a piece into my mouth that I still can’t worry about. Gradually, patches will be released, great mods will soon appear, and then the project will fully open and bloom. In the meantime, we must either wait or put up with all the shortcomings .. We never regret it.

Pros: an old school strategy game that requires hours of brain-teasing.
Minuses: a large number of shortcomings.

We knew this would happen long before the game was announced. When Europa Universalis III came out, it became clear that the victorious march of the new paradoxical Clausewitz game engine would not end there and that the super-popular Hearts of Iron was among the first candidates for the release of the new part. And so it happened - we got completely new opportunities in managing the state, science, the army and other areas of life during the Second World War, our actions became more logical. Yes, that's bad luck - the game is now like an ugly duckling. There is no doubt that she will turn into a swan, but how many patches, additions and months it will take is another question.

Breaks in reality

Hearts of Iron III confidently walks along the alternative history path of its older sister Europa Universalis III. Instead of mandatory events, decisions are provided to countries. Want to purge the Red Army? button at your service. If you don't want to, no one is forcing you. All the key events that were in the second part became decisions. For each of them there are requirements, some are not difficult to fulfill, like the already mentioned repressions among the officers in the Soviet Union. And for the Anschluss of Austria, the Germans will have to deploy an agent network on its territory and maintain it for a long time.

On first launch, the game offers a quick start with varying degrees of AI control. But the true happiness of the strategist is hidden behind the button at the bottom right.

Predicting the development of the party has become much more difficult. It is not at all obvious that Germany will take Czechoslovakia apart together with Hungary and get Romania and Bulgaria into its bloc (this has almost always been the case). Moreover, it is very likely that the Balkan states will end up in the Comintern or rush to the allies.

Some things are not only redone and changed for the better - the leadership system and science without false modesty gorgeous. And at the same time simple and realistic at the same time. Leadership is a new resource, an indicator of the number of educated people in the country. It is generally not tied to industrial potential, as it was in the first part, or to fixed design offices, as in the second. In one case, one could theoretically increase one's scientific potential to infinity. In the second, there was the second extreme - a small but very proud country, which became a great power, was forced to trail behind with its backward design bureaus. Now Paradox managed to find a golden mean.

What we will spend leadership on is our business. The choice of science, diplomacy, espionage and education of junior officers. It may be nice, playing for the USSR, to arm yourself with the slogan “Give the army AK-47 by the beginning of the war with Germany” and launch two dozen researches, but all this will end with an army with the most modern weapons, but without command staff and with complete defeat on the invisible and diplomatic fronts. It will remain to rattle the blued steel of the trunks and conquer everyone and everything, or even sit in the trenches on the border in anticipation of the second coming with high neutrality.

Front line

War is an important matter, a fundamental matter. And to make it more interesting, now we have been given a powerful tool in our hands - the hierarchy. We can fully organize our armed forces, from the headquarters of the theater of operations to the very last police brigade in the garrison. Or give it to artificial intelligence. You can transfer him any level up to the corps, and then he will, according to his own understanding, solve the assigned tasks and ask for reinforcements. We can make decisions easier by specifying the provinces we want to get, and computer generals will take care of themselves. Or you can drive each of the units manually, just keep in mind that the account for large countries goes to thousands of brigades, not hundreds. Generous in the number of provinces, the map allows even more tactical maneuvers and cauldrons.

There is only one drawback in this whole scheme - the game itself determines the theaters of war in an extremely strange way. And the chaos begins. It is treated simply - the headquarters of the theater of operations should not be given independence, but at the same time the army.

Perpetual motion machine of science

Sparsely in Germany with troops in the thirty-sixth. But in three years a huge army will be rebuilt.

Science is a masterpiece. In order to produce something, you need to research it. And in order to explore something, you need to ... produce it. No, these are not problems with logic, in fact, everything is correct - practice moves theory, and theory moves practice. Mutually. For example, to get to heavy tanks, you need to conduct two and a half dozen researches, open and thoroughly improve light ones, and then medium ones. In this way, we will earn a theoretical stock of knowledge, and each subsequent technology will become easier and easier for us thanks to this. But after all, all our inventions will be possible to build - the divisions of light and medium tanks produced will give practical experience, which will also facilitate scientific developments in the field of tank building, and even subsequent models of equipment will be easier to build. But here's the problem - skills in practice and in theory are constantly falling, and they need to be maintained.

As a result, the player will have to decide what to bet on. All countries have some predisposition to certain areas of activity. For the USSR, these are infantry, tanks and aircraft, and for Japan, the navy will be a strong point. You can take the path of least resistance and develop "real" directions. Or create alternate history and develop carrier formations for the Kriegsmarine from scratch.

Knights of the Round Table and the invisible front

The countries lined up along the Allies-Comintern line. At this point, who will win more friends over to their side.

The three blocks are fighting among themselves long before the start of hostilities between them. Getting as many allies as possible is their main task. All countries are placed on a "diplomatic triangle" showing how close they are to a particular bloc. States can influence each other to change Political Views potential partner as close as possible to their own. Under the influence of a host of factors, non-bloc states move away from or towards the heads of the alliances and eventually get close enough to be invited to join.

Domestic politics is pure pleasure. We can change ministers and laws as we please without any penalties. But with conditions - they still have to be fulfilled. Otherwise, it will hardly be possible to abruptly introduce a three-year conscription instead of voluntary service or abolish the freedom of the press.

In addition to diplomacy, you will have to be puzzled by the creation of intelligence networks. Even Germany, with all its aggressiveness, cannot now declare war from January 1, 1936. Please prepare the ground for the attack. Firstly, the country itself must have the lowest possible neutrality, and secondly, we must also prove to our own population and the world community that our potential victim is worthy of an attack. Of course, it became more difficult, but more interesting.

Another diplomatic feature is the ability to form a government in exile. If a country loses a war, it can go on without territory. Although, rather, to exist, it is hard to argue that the industrial potential of five units and two-and-a-half leaders allow oneself not to deny anything. But on the other hand, you can build troops and manage partisans on your territory when they appear. And wait until the allies deign to liberate our lands.

cockroach race

In troop-to-figure mode, you can even look at the animation, but without too much movement.

Everything would be fine, but the game is some kind of insectarium. Absolutely inadequate brakes, incorrect work with multi-core processors, the inability to load saves from the forties, disappearing units, incorrectly colored provinces, incorrect calculation of the consumption of industrial potential during mass production ... Diplomacy is something in general. Countries are so willing to join the bloc of allies that in the fortieth year the number of its members goes to dozens. It would be nice if these were small states seeking to avoid the forged boots of the German army at all costs. So Japan can get there too. And simultaneously with National China with whom she is at war.

The balance is also off. The Japanese are very often thrown into the sea by the Chinese, the Germans trample on the Maginot Line and play the role of whipping boys, and the Italians consistently take Paris. There are statistical deviations, but in general the picture looks strange.

The interface too... could be better and more convenient. Do you like to straighten the sliders of industrial potential distribution every game day? And it will have to. But autocorrect with priorities was in Doomsday. Also, the distribution of leadership periodically slips somewhere - you will also have to follow it. Only an experienced "European" can quickly find a button with the hierarchy of troops, for everyone else a small plus can become a sudden discovery or be completely ignored.

Do you hear chanting voices: “Pa-a-atchi! .. Pa-a-atchi! .. Pa-a-atchi!”? They are also heard in Sweden. When this article was being written, a message appeared on the paradoxplaza.com forum that patch 1.2 would be released in late August - early September. For now, we are content with 1.1s.

Paradox Interactive learns from project to project, just like the scientists in this game. They managed to achieve almost ideal on the third attempt in the series and a whole host of their other projects. Diplomacy, science, war, industry - all areas of the game have been redesigned and shine with new colors. One problem common to all large modern projects is that it is too damp and unstable.

	ADVANTAGES	LIMITATIONS
Fascination 10	the ability to simulate almost any alternative history	not marked
Graphic arts 5	models of soldiers, ships and aircraft	the map is scary in any of the modes
Sound 9	battles, the interface is voiced, let's say, appropriate	not enough music
Game world 10	world before the Second World War, the opportunity to participate act in the territorial redistribution "on behalf" of any country	not marked
Convenience 7	hierarchy of troops, the ability to give AI control over any area of ​​activity	interface errors, performance, instability

About reports and reports

The first thing we will do is not to study the game, but to ensure our comfort during the process. Namely - setting up messages displayed on the screen. There are four options in total - show as a line in the log, display as a pop-up window, pause and center the event on the map, if there is a link to it. Pop-ups should be customized to your liking, you can even enable everything, and then remove it as unnecessary. But there are some things that need to be put on hold. This must be the end of research, so as not to waste time and resources. You can also think about the results of random events to make adjustments. During the war, you will have to add work to yourself - the game should stop every time units enter the battle.

Unfortunately, one important thing that doesn't count as an event at all is the completion of a unit or structure. It remains to follow the icon in the upper left corner and press the spacebar when it appears.

A very useful button is the structure of our army. Is she big and noticeable? No matter how! A small gray plus sign on the right side of the screen just below the interface panel is what you are looking for. And there is everything. Hierarchy of troops, ships and planes, battles on the ground and in the air, ongoing bombardments.

Country in facts and figures

Resources

Energy, metal, rare earth materials and raw oil- extracted resources. The first three are necessary for the industry of the country, will not be enough - and all factories will become useless. Oil is processed into fuel. The price of the wealth of the subsoil varies greatly - from penny energy to really golden oil. Not surprisingly, almost all major countries are abundantly provided with coal, and the trade in it is creaking. And only Venezuela and the USA can be proud of the abundance of oil, but the USSR does not live in poverty.

On a note: cheap energy can be turned into expensive oil, the rate depends on the level of technology. You can also increase the natural extraction of all resources.

Industrial potential there is a basic one (how many factories have been built in the country) and an actual one - already taking into account all political and technological modifiers. The larger it is, the better, but the consumption of resources also increases.

supplies is the result of industry. And, at the same time, a stable source of currency for a developed country. The same Germany, in order to provide itself with oil, is simply forced to earn money by processing raw materials into the final product. Production depends on how much industrial potential we allocate for the manufacture of supplies. More than necessary - stocks will grow, less - decrease down to zero and the army's combat capability will fall.

Fuel now a value separate from oil products, it is it that is consumed by the army. Produced from crude oil, the daily volume depends on the size of the industrial potential of the country and is equal to half of its actual value.

Money. Universal resource - the time of bartering is a thing of the past along with the second part. Now only countries of the Comintern can exchange resources according to the netting scheme. The rest - if you please, spread the money on the table for each contract. Some influx of money each country steadily receives from the sale of manufactured consumer goods to its own population. And you can also spend - you can buy a license for the production of a certain amount of military equipment from your allies in the block for a modest amount. Enough money or not depends on the adopted laws, the more war-oriented the economy, the higher the needs. But for diplomacy and espionage, money is no longer needed at all, they have their own "currency".

Conscripts- the number of people we can send to create new units or to replenish existing ones. It is characterized by monthly growth, depending on laws and technologies. The resource is very finite - if almost everything else can be bought somehow, then without people the divisions will gradually fade away.

Diplomacy Points. The total score is shown. They are spent once on “complex” diplomatic actions (you can trade for nothing) and on influence on other countries.

spies. The daily increase is shown, the stock is not formed, and all the fighters of the invisible front accumulated to the whole are immediately sent on missions.

officers. The percentage of staffing of the army with command staff is always indicated, ideally it should be one hundred percent, if less, there will be fines. An excess of pluses does not give, but allows you not to worry about it for a while.

Discontent. It is given as a percentage of the total population of the country. Our people may be dissatisfied with the lack of consumer goods or some results of events. This does not bode well - fines for industry and combat effectiveness of troops begin.

national unity. It makes it clear how the residents are determined to fight for their homeland. If the losses of key provinces are too great, then the country may surrender itself. And the higher the unity, the later it will happen.

Leadership

Leadership is a special resource that shows how many smart people in our country are able to work in the most important areas. It is determined as the sum of the leadership of the provinces owned by the state, then the education technology modifiers are taken into account. So, Berlin gives three ones, and Moscow - one and three tenths. That is, the value is little subject to change.

You will have to spend your leadership on four areas - technology research, espionage, diplomacy and officers.

Research. Direct costs for research and development. How much will be allocated for research from the available stock of full leadership units, so many technologies will be studied at full speed. Not an integer slows down the last study according to the remainder: we select eight point and twenty-six hundredths - so it will be studied with an efficiency of twenty-six percent of the norm.

Espionage. Each unit spent gives a spy for twenty days. Or five hundredths in twenty-four hours. We need to decide whether we will be engaged in foreign intelligence or not, our investments depend on this. We cannot accumulate the required number of invisible front fighters in the target country, which means we are increasing them. With internal intelligence, this question does not arise - it must be, but it is enough to fill in all the vacancies and not really think about maintaining them in the future.

Diplomacy. Every two units add one diplomatic influence. Usually the cost of this item is minimal, but if we influence another country, we will have to increase it by four points each.

Officers. And here - the value is very variable. Each unit per day gives one officer, excluding conscription policy modifiers. For full-fledged work on one division, they need a hundred. The larger the army, the higher the need. In theory, you need to allocate so many points so that new units receive the full number of commanders. So, if we build three divisions of three brigades, we will need nine hundred officers. If the construction period is ninety-eight days, then we need to allocate a little over nine points to meet our needs. However, nothing forbids the accumulation of command staff for the future. But it is not at all desirable not to teach them.

Espionage

Former in the previous parts is not particularly exciting and important occupation, espionage is now in first place among all other bookmarks. Especially at the beginning of the game. Spies can influence their own state policy - increase support for the ruling party, reduce neutrality and increase the unity of the people. And indirectly, by changing the last two variables, they can influence the possibility of adopting certain laws.

Inside your country...

counterintelligence. Our spy network begins to engage in a business pleasing to the head of government - the destruction of hostile elements on the territory of our country. They are already caught, but now things will go more efficiently. Such an occupation can greatly reduce the time spent on research and production - our workers and scientists will not be put a spoke in the wheel.

Support for the ruling party. Compensates for the decline in popularity of the ruling party when the spy network of a foreign state tries to expand its political movement. In countries where the political situation is not very stable, it can make the position of the government more stable. In democratic states, some laws require a very high support of the ruling party by the people - this is also the concern of intelligence officers.

Decreased neutrality. With the maximum number of working spies, the fall will reach three hundredths in one game day, that is, one will fall in a little over a month.

Increasing national unity. It grows at about the same rate as neutrality decreases. The impression is subjective, there is no direct indication of such a number. But there is a certain abstract percentage, twenty for each agent working in counterintelligence.

...and beyond

We are trying to strengthen the Communist Party in Romania.

counterintelligence. The first step in deploying the network is the destruction of agents capable of revealing our knights of the cloak and dagger. Competing with a large country is problematic - there is not enough leadership for everything. But to eat a small one with offal is easy.

military espionage. Our spies focus on the composition of the enemy army.

Technological espionage. In this case, scouts try to get information about ongoing research and the strongest and weakest technologies.

political espionage. Agents try first of all to get information about the popularity of political parties.

On a note: all three options for espionage may be useful only during the accumulation of a dozen agents in the country. All together they easily receive this information at any other task.

Support for the ruling party. It depends on the party at the helm which bloc the state wants to join. For countries with a similar ideology, it is worth choosing this particular item so that they do not drag it to another bloc.

Support for our party. And this tool should be used if the country seems to be ready to join the bloc, but the difference in ideologies gets in the way. This process is very, very slow, therefore its justification is in doubt.

Decline in national unity. The enemy can be defeated even before the battle - bringing confusion and vacillation into the minds of the population of the enemy country. The better we try, the sooner they will scatter from the battlefield.

Rebel support. The level of discontent begins to grow in the country, that is, there is an impact on industrial potential. Either due to losses from the strikers, or due to the increased allocation of it to the production of consumer goods.

Industry sabotage. Increases production time. How much is unknown, AI does not use it, and the damage from our spies in the camp of the enemy cannot be seen.

Research Sabotage. The most harmful thing is that a crowd of spies will come running and begin to do harm. And for each - a percentage of the fine. Three or four countries can instruct not only spokes in wheels, but crowbars. Counterintelligence does not fully help either. If several different technologies suddenly ended at the same time, it means that this is only one thing - the contra was caught. This happens because at the moments when pest activity decreases, the study period is checked again, from the beginning, and if the completion date has passed, we get the result.

Rising Threat. It is impossible to attack any country at will. To do this, you need to reduce your own neutrality ... or raise the threat of a potential victim. And even better, both at once. And one day, not at all beautiful for the enemy, it will be possible to declare war.

Technology

Most importantly, research is linked not to industrial potential, but to the significance of the country's leadership. This slightly equalizes the chances of small states - with active territorial expansion, they will be able not only to improve their production capabilities, but also to get more educated people.

The principle of research has changed. Each technology requires some base time for its research - 125 days. But the final development time is very much influenced by several factors. The first is existing knowledge. By the standards of the game, they are divided into theoretical (green pictograms) and practical (blue). The first can be earned as a result of research, and the second - only after the completion of construction or production.

But from practical knowledge, it would be worth highlighting combat experience in a separate group. You can earn it for the fleet and aviation only in battles, for ground troops an indulgence has been made - some technologies give this particular advantage. The solution is very interesting from the point of view gameplay- absolutely all doctrines are tied to experience, and it is much easier to learn how to fight in battles than in offices.

It is important: accumulated experience gradually decreases. A good value can only be maintained by constant research, production or battles, depending on the area.

The level of knowledge in the field, and especially their lack, greatly affects the speed. Zero skill gives a penalty of fifty percent to the time of the dependent part of the study. Exactly five - levels the slowdown to zero. And everything that is in excess goes into plus, but not by leaps and bounds, but much more slowly, and the growth will be non-linear. So, 7.0 will give an acceleration of 14.8%, 14.0 - by 30.1, and 20.0 - "only" by 39.5%. This is already the limit, everything above will not play a role. As you can see, it is necessary to maintain a skill that is not very actively used for more than five, and the demanded skill itself will gradually grow.

Many of the technologies require you to quickly learn knowledge in multiple areas. In such cases, each of them takes a certain percentage, from ten to eighty. And already this fraction of time is multiplied by the effect of the level of knowledge.

On a note: some ministers have research-related specialties. For example, aircraft carrier practical decay (in Russian translation "the practice of aircraft carriers (decline)"). She or something like her means that the natural decline in knowledge in the specified area will be slower.

Each study has a discovery date, and when it is studied before the specified year, the rate drops very much, by fifty percent for each year of advance. The reduction of terms is on the first of January, and not as before, with a minus for each day. Almost all technologies in the lines are stepped - each subsequent one shifts further and further along the timeline. The total length of the ladder is ninety-nine.

Another factor affecting speed is complexity. Denoted by a number from one to ten. The higher it is, the slower, even the color gradually changes from neutral white to more and more aggressive. Each level adds one tenth to the duration - the first one will eventually give 1.1, and the tenth 2.0.

Let's analyze all of the above with an example:

According to the Molotov-Ribbent Pact
ropa went east to the USSR
part of Poland. We are concentrating forces to a new frontier.

Let's take the technology "medium tank weapon of the fourth level". The historical year is 1942, the current year is 1941, difficulty is 2. The contribution of the theory of motor vehicles is 30%, its level is 10 (plus 22.5%). Cannon artillery construction practices - 60%, level - 4 (minus 10%). Tank building practices - 10%, level - 20 (plus 39.5%). Learned tabulator technologies and two levels of a mechanical computer - 2% to research speed each.

We consider the influence of complexity: 125 × 1.2 = 150.

Taking into account the impact of technology: 150×(0.3×(1-0.225)+0.6×(1-0.395)+0.1×(1+0.1)) = 105.82 days

Now the advantages of accelerating research: 105.82 × 0.94 = 99.47

And the penalty for being one year ahead is fifty percent: 99.47 x 1.5 = 149.2 days, rounded up.

The time and cost of industrial potential for construction and production also depend on the level of knowledge. But already without any frills - the dependence is linear. We have 3.0 in the only practical skill - here both speed and cost will be three percent less. And with the mentioned 55.1, construction will cost just as much cheaper and faster. The figure, by the way, is absolutely real - these are the consequences of the intensive industrialization of the USSR in the late thirties. The number may continue to grow for a very, very long time, but the actual limit of the reduction in time and cost of industrial potential is sixty percent.

A completely different approach in the third part to the construction of a technological tree. The number of branches has been significantly reduced, but they themselves have become noticeably thicker and contain up to four lines. That is, we will not separately study fighters, interceptors and strike aircraft carrier groups and attack aircraft. All this goes in the general group of light aviation. But in it you will already have to study the hull, weapons, engines and fuel tanks separately. The scheme, with some variations, applies to any technique in general. The differences can be in the details. So, for destroyers and light cruisers, anti-submarine warfare assets are placed in a separate column. And tanks, on the contrary, are divided into light, medium, heavy and very heavy, and each has its own four technologies. But this is justified - they appear within a decade, and each requires certain knowledge in the previous category.

Let's go directly to technology.

Infantry the bookmark, in addition to the armed forces of the same name, is responsible for the study of cavalry, militias and partisans. Here you can open motorized and mechanized types of infantry, units special purpose- mountain shooters, naval and airborne troops, as well as equipment for different conditions. Police and engineering teams are also researched here. The most important bundle of technologies here is for conventional infantry. And the point is not that it is relatively cheap and any country can afford it, unlike the same tanks. It's just that absolutely all types of infantry and special forces depend on technology. Only militias with partisans stand apart, but they are for extreme cases.

Bookmark technology responsible for the research of tank units, cannon and rocket artillery, air defense and anti-tank weapons, armored vehicles. It is worth noting that tanks are researched sequentially - light, medium, heavy and super-heavy. For the next step, you need to develop all four components of the previous one to the third level. But a simple sequential study is somewhat problematic: if light tanks date back to the mid-thirties, then super-heavy tanks date back to the forty-fourth year.

Along with light tanks, armored personnel carriers and mechanized infantry are being improved (that is, they depend on two branches at once and become very useful). And with medium-sized self-propelled artillery - cannon, jet and tank destroyers.

Development progress of all escort and big ships in many ways similar, according to different bookmarks they are divorced for convenience because of the great variety. Yes, classes help. The entire surface fleet has four mandatory parameters - armor strength, main armament and propulsion system. For destroyers and light cruisers, anti-submarine warfare weapons can be upgraded, and for all ships younger than a heavy cruiser, air defense guns can be upgraded. Only a submarine stands apart, but even there there are no special frills - a hull instead of armor, sonars and torpedoes.

Aviation bookmarks are also divided by functionality - separately bombers and fighters. But in fact, these are studies of different components - one for light aviation, and the other for medium and heavy aircraft. The second group includes tactical, strategic, naval bombers and transports, and the last three types still need to be invented. It also explores a new type of aircraft - assault, but further improvements to dive bombers are in the class of light aircraft.

Industry- perhaps the most important and diverse bookmark in content. Here you can find an increase in the efficiency of production, extraction and processing of resources, research, development in the field of electronics, atomic physics, jet aircraft and reconnaissance equipment. This is the first place in research to look at at the beginning of the game and choose to study industrial potential, agriculture and supply generation.

Bookmark first secret technologies you may not look. Unless you really want to lick your lips at the future power of the state. They have quite high requirements for unlocking other technologies, but the pluses are decent.

The Polish government can already pack their bags to be sent into exile.

That's why it's in the game theory in such volumes - it is difficult to understand. Only a few technologies are really valuable - those that increase infantry combat experience as a result of research and thus open an easy path to pre-war study of doctrines. Yes, and the main pluses are very useful. The rest ... just given one to the chosen theory. Let the one related to a specific task be studied a little longer, but in addition to this most abstract unit, it also gives quite definite practical advantages. Unless some kind of rocket science can be advantageously accelerated, but even then there will be more benefits from studying rocket artillery.

Ground Troop Doctrines varied and almost all useful. If you have resources, it is worth researching three branches out of four in order to make your army the most combat-ready. The first doctrine forward divisions, dedicated to heavy self-propelled machinery. Improvements to morale and organization for them are researched here, as well as increasing the chances of drops and the effectiveness of events in battle related to the speed of movement of troops in battle. Here, by the fortieth year, one can study the reduction in the width of tank units from two to one (more on this in the "Army" section).

The second doctrine fire superiority, focused on cavalry, motorized and mechanized infantry. In addition to increasing morale and organization, events to deter the enemy are explored here. It seems that you can spit and not waste resources on studying the doctrine, but very useful inventions can be obtained by the fortieth year - pluses for combined armies, self-propelled rocket artillery and the ability to increase the number of brigades in a division to five.

third doctrine, great battle plan, focused on infantry, special units and artillery. It is noteworthy that it is impossible to raise morale here, only the organization. From combat events, counterattack and assault are improved. Also at the beginning of the fifth decade, you can get to a useful thing - the very plan of the great battle, which gives as much as five percent to the chance of reinforcements in battle. You will have to explore these doctrines - the vast majority of troops will always consist of infantry, and without organization there is only one way - to retreat.

The last doctrine, according to the HoI series, is primordially Soviet, - human wave. Some countries will be very useful, such as France or Poland. After all, it is focused on partisans and militias, which the government in exile will have to build. This will help all the same increase in organization. Events are also "partisan" - an ambush and a shock. Subsequently, it will be possible to study a technology that is very valuable for countries relying on these types of troops - changing the width of the front of partisans and militias to 0.5, which can strengthen the army up to two times in a separate sector of the front. Just for the sake of numbers. But everyone else will be able to find useful things for themselves - a decrease in the pause between battles and some improvement in the interaction of a large number of troops.

Advice: before taking on army doctrines, it is worth researching technologies for combat experience in the bookmarks of theory and industry. It affects the speed to a much greater extent than the doctrines themselves.

AT fleet doctrines everything is much easier. There are three starter researches that give access to the same number of technology groups. The first is dedicated to aircraft carriers and light cruisers, the second to destroyers and battleships, and the third to submarines, artillery and heavy cruisers. Slightly pushed towards certain schemes, but for a slightly higher price, you can form a fleet of any composition. And taking into account the fact that some technologies in each of the branches are universal and just ask for study, this problem does not exist, the only question is research priorities.

If it was easier with the fleet than with the ground forces, then everything here is generally almost primitive. Aviation Doctrines divided by types of aircraft - fighters, attack aircraft, tactical, naval and strategic bombers, along with transport aircraft. The number of points in each group depends on the range of tasks performed, in addition to them come morale and organization.

Industrial potential and its distribution

So, we have a certain number of factories in our country, which, together with laws and technologies, gives the second value - the final industrial potential of the state. Or its production facilities. Now it must be distributed among the five spheres.

It is important: distribution is not constant - costs change all the time in one direction or another. Therefore, the industry will have to spend almost as much time on the screen as on the map. There is no automatic adjustment of the sliders by priorities, as it was in HoI 2: Doomsday. But they promise in patch 1.2. We believe and hope for getting rid of the routine.

The result of the decision to issue an ultimatum to the Baltic countries is that our territory has become somewhat larger.

Slider improvements very unstable. We studied new technologies related to the equipment and equipment of troops - it sharply goes to the right. But it is not necessary to fully expose, just improvements will go a little slower. It's not that critical.

Replenishment restores the number of units to the maximum, and the cost of industrial potential here is for equipment for recruits. The slider is the most capricious, because in the game, in addition to combat losses, there is also a natural loss of fighters. Because of this, he constantly jumps within certain limits, and you have to either correct him daily, or simply spit and put him on top. With a great need, you can just as well not allocate everything you need at once, but stretch the pleasure over a longer period.

supplies is also not constant. The daily need depends on how much was delivered to the units. Small means that the requests will be large. And the fact that the stock in the warehouses is enough to feed the entire army for three months does not seem to be taken into account.

Production - the only relatively stable quantity in this changing world. Allocated required amount, and until the end of the construction of something, it does not change. If we do not allocate enough industrial potential here, some of the orders put into production will be frozen.

Common consumption goods are at the bottom of the list. But the importance of this point cannot be underestimated - residents, dissatisfied with the lack of everyday things, conduct politically slick conversations in the kitchens and begin to build insidious plans to overthrow the government.

Provinces and their infrastructure

A province is the smallest unit of territory. We are equipping it, and only armies can move between them. There are more than ten thousand of these “cells” on the world map, but each one still occupies a decent area - in diameter, the average European territory for fifty kilometers, and in the Russian outback it can reach several hundred.

Each province touches several others. The border can run over land, along a river, over mountains, or across a strait. The river gives movement and combat penalties, the mountains are generally impassable in places, and the straits between the islands can be blocked by nearby hostile fleets.

Several provinces, usually four or five, are grouped into regions. But this does not make much sense for the gameplay, except that aviation can be set to work on such a territory. Sea provinces are much larger, equal to a region.

In any land province, you can build several different upgrades, ten levels for each. Most can be built anywhere, some require certain conditions. Each level adds an equal share of power.

On a note: in the second part, the construction was a thankless task because of the high cost. But here you should not trust your experience, it is profitable and necessary to develop your territories.

The radar is now super useful, detecting high-level headquarters even in France, Italy and Scandinavia.

Infrastructure. One of the main characteristics of the province is that it directly affects the combat characteristics of the army. The speed of units directly depends on the level of infrastructure. And indirectly - their supply, without which neither an attack nor even the movement of troops into enemy territory is possible, and the battle goes on at half strength. Protecting your infrastructure and destroying the enemy's during the fighting is almost half the victory.

Industry. Each plant adds one to the base industrial potential, from which the actual is calculated. Therefore, a war can go on on this front - the destruction of industries will undermine the economy of the enemy. Of course, this requires strategic aviation, and even with it it is problematic to get the USSR or the USA, but in the confrontation between Germany and Great Britain this can become a decisive argument.

Aerodrome. The presence of an airfield allows you to deploy aviation in the province, and its level affects the speed of restoration of numbers, organization and morale.

Port. Allows the fleet to be based, where it is being repaired and where it is supplied from. Can only be built on the coast. But, unlike the airfield, the port has one feature - the ability to receive convoys with supplies. The value is currently negligible - only four units per day for each port level. And this is six infantry brigades or three medium tank brigades, if we do not take into account losses for transportation. That is, a fully rebuilt port is capable of serving ten to fifteen divisions, which is not enough for a serious offensive.

Advice: transport aviation will help supply a large army. Expensive but what can you do...

Coastal fortifications. Increase the combat capabilities of defenders when repelling amphibious assaults.

fortifications. They are built in any province and increase the characteristics of troops in defense. Each level grants an "extra life" to defenders, allowing it to be traded for defeat.

On a note: both types of fortifications and infrastructure can only be built in the province, they cannot be ordered through the industry menu. Therefore, they can only be developed sequentially. For airfields and naval bases, only the first level can be placed from the map, the rest are already from the province.

Stationary air defense systems. Industry and infrastructure are tidbits for enemy aircraft. Therefore, provinces with high resource extraction, industry or key in the movement of supplies from the capital to the front should cover the air defense. One minus is real estate, but you can look at this disadvantage from the other side - this is the best practice in the production of cannon artillery, and it will speed up the research of guns quite well.

Radar. Experienced players remember that radars were in the second part for show and no one ever built them. Forget that experience, it is deceiving. Now the radar is the most valuable invention for military intelligence. A single level 10 building in the outskirts of Eastern Europe is capable of providing information on individual units in Scandinavia, France and Italy, and in closer areas the map opens completely. The border areas are generally in full view. We get the most valuable thing - information and are able to adequately assess enemy forces.

Nuclear reactor. It is necessary to advance in the atomic research line and, subsequently, to create a nuclear bomb.

Missile range. Similar, but required for further study of rocket science.

Domestic politics

Domestic politics includes the political parties in the country, the cabinet of ministers, including the head of state and head of government, and the enactment of laws.

Political parties in countries are given to us from above, straight from Sweden. In the USSR, these are the unconditionally leading communists, Bukharinites and Trotskyists, and several smaller parties, with views ranging from liberal to Nazi. In the US, there are classic Democrats and Republicans. In Germany, too, a whole bunch, but at the head is the NSDAP. In fact, the name is not the main thing, the color matters. Bright red - communists. Black - Nazis. Blue is Democrats. It is impossible to change the party, only to strengthen one of the smaller ones by external efforts.

With the composition of the government, everything is simple - if we have several candidates for a post, we can choose the most suitable for a given situation, if not, then there is no choice. Acceptability can be determined by eye and taste, and for each country you need to look separately. A large nation would benefit greatly from an increase in supply production, while a smaller nation would benefit from a reduction in construction time. Moreover, new candidates periodically appear for ministerial posts, and this nowhere indicated. Go see if there is anyone outside the office.

With the laws, at first glance, everything is obvious - move yourself down the lists, and universal happiness will come for the ward country. AI does just that. In some cases it is, but sometimes the race ahead is not justified at all.

Civil law. The choice here is unequivocal - down the list. An open society can only boast of fines to counterintelligence, and the restriction of individual freedom gives a whole bunch of pleasant effects. But the law cannot be changed within arbitrary limits - it largely depends on the ruling party. And if authoritarian regimes allow to be shifted to totalitarianism, then democracy will allow only partial tightening of the screws. To move lower and lower, the democratic state must necessarily be at war, and the ruling party must be highly popular. With the support of the population of seventy percent, it is possible to achieve a level of repression, totalitarianism is prohibited for them in any case.

Military duty. The lower down the list, the better. The influx of conscripts and officers is growing at the same costs, the turnover of personnel in peacetime (and the expenses of conscripts) is decreasing. But there is one caveat - a voluntary army allows you to create reserve divisions with a quarter of the maximum strength and with the same costs of industrial potential compared to personnel. This number grows with each step up to sixty-six, fifty, twenty-five and finally ten percent. That is, you can easily put four times as many divisions on the map. And this is for two purposes. Firstly, they can be mobilized faster than building new ones, and at the same time they will also ask for a quarter to eat. And secondly, for the growth of practical skills, it does not matter whether it is a reserve division or a personnel division, and therefore both research and further construction will cost much less than immediately impudently.

For the full mobilization of the economy, the only condition is not met - war.

To move from conscription for a year, two and three, you will have to fulfill similar conditions - to grow national unity and reduce your own neutrality. For democracies, the conditions are slightly more stringent than for others. Any country can enter the service on demand only while at war.

Economy. The economic laws are also almost unambiguous. Gradually, during the transition from a completely civilian economy to a militarized one, the size of the industrial potential and the extraction of resources grow, but the need for consumer goods increases in peacetime (and then decreases in wartime) and the flow of money from them decreases. Consumer goods are easily offset by growth, but money can be a little difficult. In most countries, this can be solved by selling surplus resources or supplies.

The requirements for changing the law are similar to those for conscription - a decrease in neutrality and an increase in unity. With exactly the same toughening for democracies and the need to be at war for the total mobilization of the economy.

Education funding. One of the most important points, and yet there are no requirements for it. The lower, the more leadership we have, but we pay for this with money from the sale of consumer goods to the population. But choosing something other than large investments makes sense only in a very difficult financial situation, when it is not possible to get gold. Otherwise, leadership costs much more, since the resource is not renewable.

industrial policy has only three provisions, but these are perhaps the most diverse versions of laws. Focus on consumer goods reduces the need for consumer goods in peacetime and reduces dissatisfaction by 0.02% daily, but you have to pay for this with a decrease in the efficiency of in-line production. You can change to this type of industry only in peacetime.

The other extreme - focus on heavy industry. In-line production is more efficient, supply throughput is higher, but the need for consumer goods in peacetime is as much as ten percent more than the norm. This is a very serious investment of industrial potential, so it is worth thinking carefully before choosing such an industrial policy. To move to heavy industry, the country must be communist or at war, in addition to this, there are requirements for the level of national unity.

Looks like an ideal mixed industry- reduced consumption of consumer goods in peacetime and wartime and increased throughput of supplies through the transport network. But in peacetime, only fascist states can choose this option, and in time of war, any.

Freedom of the press law. There is generally a very clear division for democratic states. Free press is available to everyone, but there is only one benefit for democratic states - a natural bias towards the allies. But there will always be penalties for national unity and counter-espionage. censored press can only be entered during the war, it will only give an offset to the allies, but less than the previous paragraph. State press access only to non-democratic states, it will give political drift from the allies, pluses to national unity and counter-espionage. The last option is propaganda press, for states with totalitarian ideologies, the effects are the same as in the previous version, but stronger.

military training has no requirements, it simply allows us to decide whether we will take by number or by skill. You can produce troops quickly, but without experience, or more slowly, but after training. In the short term, it may be necessary to quickly set up a large number of troops, but in the more distant future, an experienced army is much more valuable. After all, in a command structure, a gunpowder-sniffing army takes up as much space, consumes the same amount of supplies as recruits, and fights better.

Diplomacy

Characteristics of relations with other countries

Diplomacy starts with relations between countries. As is customary in all paradoxical games, they are measured on a scale from hate at minus two hundred to love at plus two hundred. But the main difference from everything we know is the inability to directly influence them. To spoil - a lot of actions, but to improve ... except perhaps by long-term trading. There is only one benefit - the chances of reaching an agreement are higher. And with very good ones, you can, even without being in an alliance, acquire licenses for production.

Mutual threat - two more options. They also seem to affect relationships. The lower, the further from the attack and the more peaceful the mood.

Neutrality opponent means the same thing as ours - how soon he can declare war.

For our convenience, we put the ratio in a separate line our neutrality and the threat of the opposing country. He talks about the possibility of declaring war. More than one - we can not, less - the button is active. Since neutrality cannot be greater than 100, a country that exceeds this threat value can declare war on anyone.

The last line - who represents the greatest threat to the country. Usually this place of honor of the year since the thirty-ninth has been consistently occupied by Germany.

Diplomatic actions

Declaration of war is an obvious action, but it requires a balance of neutrality and threat.

Alliance offer. This can be done by any country, including the head of the bloc. The difference is that the block is chosen forever, and the alliance can be broken, and independent states can also enter into an alliance. The state in the bloc cannot

Nonaggression pact. The parties enter into an agreement prohibiting attacking each other even with such an opportunity. This is a very good way to secure their borders, but for some reason countries are in no hurry to sign an agreement, even if they are already fighting on three fronts.

The Guangxi clique decided to surrender completely. For us, this is the worst option, the annexation will create problems with the guerrillas, and the creation of a puppet - with the supply of armies.

Announce Guarantees. One country guarantees the security of another, and in the event of an attack on the client, the aggressor receives a decrease in neutrality.

Ask for the right of way and offer right of way. One country offers or asks the second for the right to move troops through its territory, to use its ports and airfields. They are also not very willing to do this, but if the countries are in a union or one bloc, then the all-inclusive service is used.

invite to faction. A button specifically for the three leading countries of the alliances - Great Britain, Germany and the USSR. Allows you to invite a country to the bloc, provided that its political position is close to the position of the bloc. That is, if they are located approximately in one corner of the triangle.

declare an embargo. From that moment on, all existing trade agreements are broken, and the conclusion of new ones becomes impossible.

Buy a manufacturing license. It's easier to live in a block, it's more fun to live in a block... everyone can focus on their role, and buy additional types of troops based on unexplored technologies from allies. The number of parallel series and the number of teams in each is ordered.

Allow trading on credit. Scheme money in exchange for goods changes somewhat - money is deleted from it. A very good way to support a partner. Theoretically, he will begin to repay the debt immediately after the war, within fifty years, but by the standards of the game, this means "never".

influence the country. This action is time-consuming and costs two diplomatic points per nation per day. Affected countries begin to slowly drift towards the influencing bloc. The final speed depends on many factors, they can be seen on the "diplomatic triangle"

Propose a trade agreement. For a certain amount of money, you can buy or sell resources. It is much easier to buy than to sell an excess - you have to wait until someone comes to pick up the goods.

It is important: the buyer always carries the goods and money for it. If he does not have enough transport ships, losses will begin. During the hostilities, he also bears the burden of protecting the route.

Army and combat

The structure of ground forces is built on a hierarchical basis. Pluses from headquarters are transferred to all their subordinates if they are within reach. The hierarchy will have to be respected - each level has its own command limit; as a rule, it is equal to five lower units.

Theaters of war, the top level is six stars. There are few of them, usually the fingers of one hand are enough. Theater coverage areas can be viewed on the map with a special filter. The limit of action is 2000 kilometers, therefore it is worth putting the most gifted commanders at the head of the headquarters.

Fronts or army groups. The next level, smaller, is five stars. The range is 600 kilometers.

armies. An even smaller unit with a range of 400 kilometers.

Corps. The most junior staff unit and therefore the most frequently used. The range is only 200 kilometers.

Divisions - tactical units on the battlefield. Cannot be directly controlled by AI, can only be split manually. They can consist of four brigades, of five - after additional research.

Brigades- the minimum units from which an army is built. Several brigades make up a division, and the characteristics of the unit depend on their composition. A distinction is made between the main ones, which are directly involved in the battle, and the supports, which increase the striking power of the main ones.

This is not a complete list of army brigades. And each of them has its own scope.

All troops can be subordinated not only to headquarters of the corresponding level, but also to higher ones. In addition to ground troops, the headquarters can be given aircraft and ships, united in air divisions and flotillas. But if there are too many of them, then when controlling AI troops, they can be transferred to the command of the headquarters for more than high level. So don't be greedy.

A subdivision from the corps to the headquarters of the theater can be given to the subordination of the AI. All subordinate units are puzzled by the execution of a part of the issued orders. That is, if an army has to capture three provinces, then its corps will be distributed evenly and, most likely, puzzled by taking only one. Artificial intelligence can be given a behavior model.

Training. The troops are in deep defense, trying to strengthen their orders and do not attempt to move deep into enemy territory.

Defense. Somewhat more aggressive behavior - the troops are mainly trying to hold their own, but if the command senses the weakness of the enemy, then they will hit this place.

Attack. The main task is to break forward, but with an eye on the environment. If there is a threat of the enemy breaking through the front, the command will prefer protection.

Blitzkrieg. Only an attack, the headquarters tries to reach the indicated points at any cost, weakening the rear and exposing the flanks. But this is a justified tactic with a numerical superiority, it allows you to very actively surround and destroy enemy units.

A headquarters with an order for independent action assesses the situation, compares its forces with the forces of the enemy and even a potential enemy, and requests the required number of units of the required types.

All headquarters are identical in terms of combat characteristics and correspond to one infantry brigade of three thousand people. But it is not necessary to build them on an industrial scale, everything is made simpler. Each stray unit, except for the headquarters of the theater of operations, can either be attached to one of the surrounding higher units, or a new command post can be created. So, for a brigade it will be the headquarters of the corps, for the corps it will be the headquarters of the army, and so on. The new unit always has a very low strength, about one hundred and fifty people, but quickly gets to the personnel of three thousand. Headquarters can be given additional brigades, such as air defense.

ground troops

The army is the most non-obvious part of the game for an experienced strategist in the games of the series. Firstly, there is no discreteness in the succession of troops, in the third part there is development in separate directions, up to four. More about this was discussed in the "Technologies" section. Secondly, divisions are now assembled from brigades, which "cubes" we use, we will get such a result. And if the choice is not very good, you can get more minuses than pluses.

Let's go through the characteristics of the troops.

Strength. Expressed in numbers. For the main units - 3000 people, for support brigades - 1000. The detachment that has lost all the fighters is destroyed. If the number is incomplete, the combat capability is proportionally reduced.

Organization. This is the resource that is spent in battle; if it drops to zero, the division retreats.

Front width. One of the key characteristics of the army - the width of the front in a single battle is limited to between ten and twenty-five kilometers, determined randomly. With a large concentration of troops, some of them simply will not fit. For all the main brigades, the width of the front is one, and for tanks of all types - two. Therefore, tank units are far from always superior to any others. But over time, it will be possible to learn doctrines that reduce the width of tank units to one and militias to half. The support brigades do not have a width, but there cannot be very many of them, some will remain out of their lot.

Attack(on living targets, on equipment, on air). This parameter tells how many attacks of the specified type can be carried out by the unit in one hour-long round.

Security. The number of times a unit has a chance to dodge attacks of the specified type per round while defending.

Fortitude. The number of times a unit has a chance to dodge attacks of the specified type per round during its attack. Most often slightly below security.

Air defense. Similar to the previous two, but evasion counts from air attacks.

Percentage of manpower. When an attack passes, its type is checked and it is considered where it hit. If it matches, damage is dealt.

It is important: a very low percentage of manpower is also bad. If such a unit runs into an anti-tank platoon, it will suffer heavy losses. And these are costs. A good ratio is forty percent.

Speed. In kilometers per hour.

suppression. How much the activity of partisans in the province decreases from the presence of the brigade. Everyone has a small value of this indicator, about a quarter of one, but garrisons and military police are out of competition.

Supply consumption and fuel. The daily value is shown.

officers. In most ground units, the number of officers is the same - one hundred. But for garrisons, military police and militias, this number is less. Especially for the latter - only ten people per squad. Therefore, in countries with low leadership, this can be a good solution.

A breakthrough by a tank division will almost completely deprive the German troops of the chances of escaping from the boiler.

Daily and construction time. Related quantities. They show how many PPs need to be allocated daily in order to carry out a unit within a specified period. If the capacity of the factories is not enough, more time will be required. As production progresses, hands-on building experience will increase, while costs and time will fall.

Number of conscripts. How much will have to be allocated from our reserve of manpower for construction.

On a note: The characteristic of a division is the sum of the characteristics of its brigades. The only exception is speed. The fact that the number does not coincide with the sum of the components is normal, because in statistics, numbers are always rounded to the nearest integer, and when summed, the fractional parts add up to one more unit.

Assembling a division is wise. First you need to decide for what purpose it will be used. If this is an ordinary regular division, whose task will be to contain the enemy and slowly move forward, then you can take three infantry brigades and one artillery, or their own, but two by two. For fast breaks better than lungs tanks have not been invented, but to get additional advantages from combining troops and reduce the cost, it is worth diluting them with mechanized or motorized infantry. The marines will be in good company with engineering teams with their pontoon crossings ...

You can go even further. When heavy and super-heavy tanks are invented, crawling at the speed of infantry, it is worth diluting them with ordinary infantry divisions. For example, one brigade of tanks and infantry, and two of artillery. A relatively small front line, and therefore there is huge damage per unit area, high protection and a good percentage of manpower - only 78%. This scheme also has disadvantages, since ideal solution no. There will be no pluses from the combined army, and the narrow front will increase the number of divisions in the battle and increase the control penalties.

It is important: the number of the division cannot be less than 5000 people. That is, four support brigades do not pull on a full-fledged unit.

In any land battle, the determining factor is the width of the front. Depending on the number of attack directions, it can vary from ten to thirty (and theoretically it can even more), very often it is equal to fifteen. The number shows what is the maximum total width of the crews. Everything that does not fit on the battlefield remains in reserve. The usual width of one division is three to five. That is, three to four typical divisions are placed on one battlefield.

Some more of them may be in reserve and replace those leaving due to the loss of the organization. But too much is also bad, there are penalties for management, it is difficult to manage such crowds of people. A talented commander can fix this, but there are few of them even in a large state.

Fleet

Ships have always been special in the game series. They never improved. Here they did not go very far - the hull, armament and engine are built together once and for all. Radars and air defense systems can be upgraded, and teams can be trained.

There are no frills with the formation of divisions - the ships make up the fleet. And this one can be seconded to any headquarters. Although it makes no sense to give it to units with a rank below the army group.

Organization. The ability to fight, when the organization drops to zero, the ship is out of combat.

Attack(convoys, sea, underwater, air targets, coastal shelling). How many attacks on the target, depending on its type, the ship can carry out in one round.

Protection(from sea and air attacks). The number of times a ship can avoid being hit in a round.

Visibility. How easy it is to spot a ship. The leader in this is the aircraft carrier, but with the study of technology, it becomes less and less noticeable, and the battleship comes out on top. The most inconspicuous are submarines.

Transport capacity. Relevant only for transports, they include forty units of cargo.

Range. In kilometers from the home base.

fire distance. The larger the ship, the farther its guns hit. And with a good commander, the small fleet of the enemy simply will not be able to reach the distance of a shot.

Speed. In kilometers per hour.

Frame. Shows how many points of damage the ship ignores if the hit does pass. So, if a battleship has four hulls, and a destroyer has the same attack, there is no chance of damaging the battleship. With an increase in the power of guns, there will be no zero values, but even such a decrease is already very, very good.

Positioning. How well the ship is positioned in battle. Increases only with naval doctrines.

Supply consumption and fuel, industrial potential costs and time, number of conscripts

Aviation

On the right - the plane before improvement, on the left - it is after. It can be seen how, as we move along the technology
The logical tree does not just change numbers, but new models come into service.

Fighters and bombers in the game are almost half of the victory. Their production is expensive, but it is justified. It is worth collecting aircraft in regiments of three or four divisions. This is not very much so as not to receive control penalties, and enough so that superior forces do not dismantle the aircraft piece by piece. Whether or not to combine different types of aviation is a difficult question, for the versatility of the tasks performed and the greater combat capability in air combat, one has to pay with the inaction of some air divisions during the execution of specific orders.

Organization. Similar to this parameter for the army and navy.

Attack(in terms of manpower, equipment, ships, strategic, air). The number of attacks per round against different types of opponents.

Protection(from attacks from the ground, from air attacks). The number of chances to dodge attacks.

Ability to detect(navy and aviation). The ability to find a fleet at sea or aircraft in the air. This is greatly facilitated by stationary radars.

Transport capacity. Relevant for transport aircraft, similar to transport ships.

Radius of action. In kilometers.

Speed. In kilometers per hour.

Supply consumption and fuel, industrial capacity costs and time, number of conscripts. Similar to ground troops.

You now have the key knowledge of statecraft in Hearts of Iron III. Forward to the victory!