Hearts of Iron: 1984 mod

Mod is also located on Steam Worshop

Latest update released May 13 2018

Description

Nuclear warfare has ravaged much of the world, and from the ashes came the new world order. The three remaining super-states vie for global domination: Oceania, Eurasia, and Eastasia, and between them lies the Disputed Zone. An armistice has been declared, but on January 1st, 1984, the truce shall expire and the second apocalyptic war will begin.

This mod utilizes the setting from the George Orwell novel Nineteen Eighty-Four to create a more competitive multiplayer scenario designed for a massive three-way war between teams of players, with the likelihood of developing shifting temporary truces between the factions to achieve short-term goals. The fourth faction, the Resistance, exists to serve as a focal point of the war, as most of the world’s resources lie within the borders of the Disputed Zone, creating a high priority target for the other three factions. For this reason, it is not recommended for players to select Resistance nations in multiplayer games.

This mod is very light on events and may not be for everybody. The stories you will create will not come from alternative history "what-ifs", but purely from your own strategic choices and actions on the battlefield.

Looking for people to play with and discuss the mod? Join the public Discord server.

Main Menu theme: Makeup and Vanity Set - The Cross

Key Features

• Designed primarily for multiplayer. Best enjoyed with 3-15 players.
• Two starting scenarios. 5 countries per faction or 1 mega-country per faction.
• Semi-symmetrical starts. All countries start equally, but some are more equal than others to account for geographical realities.
• New National Focus trees. For Totalitarian nations and Resistance nations.
• Conscription & Economy Laws overhauled. These are now no longer “click and forget”. A savvy player will manage these closely and pay attention to what the enemy is focusing on.
• Air war tweaks. Helicopters replace Heavy Fighters, CAS are now Multirole, Tac Bombers improved, most air ranges were extended, and some air zones were tweaked.
• Exploit prevention. The abilities to release occupied nations and to leave factions have been removed to prevent exploitative behavior.
• DLC support. Support for technology sharing in the ‘5 countries per faction’ bookmark if the game host owns the DLC ‘Together for Victory’.

Timeline

• June 1980 to ‘Start the Races’
  • Build-up phase.
  • Watch what other countries are doing and adjust your Intel & Security Focus if you can’t see what they’re up to. It could be okay to let them strike first and divert the AI’s attention, but if they ramp up world tension too quickly then it could create a problem for you.
• ‘Start the Races’ to 1984
  • Resource wars.
  • When you attack the Disputed Zone countries, try to seize the resources you need before the other factions do. There is no peace conference at the end of this conflict; the territory & resources you seize now are the ones you will end up with when the 1984 war begins.
  • Consider the fact that your efforts may be wasted if you chase after an indefensible position. Also, try not to lose too much equipment against stubborn defenders. The Disputed Zone nations are not pushovers but you will need this equipment later.
  • If you’re hitting a brick wall, search for the glass doors.
• 1984 Onward
  • The main war begins on or around January 1st, 1984.
  • It is unavoidable and cannot be started earlier than this.
  • Good luck.

Factions

Oceania / Big Brother

• Consisting of Great Britain, North & South America, South Africa, and Australia/New Zealand.
• Maintaining naval superiority is vital for this faction in order to protect the trade of resources, lend lease equipment, and troop movements. The threat of naval invasion to nearly every location in the world will keep countless enemy divisions tied down as port garrisons. Control of the seas facilitates both offense and defense, and the loss of this would be disastrous.
• On the other hand, failing to field an adequate land army can be equally disastrous. The vital resources of the Disputed Zone can only be taken and secured by ground forces. In the hands of the enemy, these resources would eventually allow them to out-build Oceania in the air and the sea.

Eurasia / Mother Russia

• Consisting of the lands of the former Soviet Union, Continental Europe, Scandinavia, and Anatolia.
• Capable of maintaining a good balance between ground and naval forces, Eurasia is in a unique position due to their ability to strike Great Britain from the air as well as their ability to quickly seize complete control of the Mediterranean and claim the rich territories of North Africa. Although crossing the Atlantic may prove difficult, it is certainly attainable. Eurasia could soon strike anywhere in the world if that is what they wish.
• The large coastal areas of continental Europe can be difficult to defend. Losing Gibraltar would open the Mediterranean to invasion, but failing to seize the Suez Canal could be even more disastrous. The large front with Eastasia may be worth abandoning in favor of strong offenses elsewhere.

Eastasia / Immortal Father

• Consisting of Asian territories starting at Persia, stretching through the Himalayas and China and including the Japanese home islands.
• Although at first glance, this faction appears to be in the worst possible starting position. One could argue that the exact opposite is true. Eastasia is in the best position to quickly strike into the heart of the Disputed Zone. Eastasia seizing the middle east and the Suez Canal early would prove disastrous for Eurasia, as this would effectively cut them off from attacking India, Indochina, and Indonesia. Maintaining a resource monopoly is not easy to pull off, but to players in Eastasia this could become a very real possibility.
• The faction with the most resources presents the juiciest target. Eastasia is already somewhat ‘sandwiched’ between the other two factions. Controlling the majority of the world’s resources would likely result in a faction coalition against them.

Resistance / Emmanuel Goldstein

• Consisting of the free countries of Africa, Arabia, India, Indochina, and Indonesia (which includes the Philippine islands).
• The Resistance starts with decent battle-ready armies and somewhat larger navies than their totalitarian counterparts. The majority of the world’s resources lie in their territory, which is known as the Disputed Zone.
• The rest of the world desperately wants to murder them. Until 75% world tension has been reached, these countries must stand on their own with severely limited production output. For these reasons, playing in one of these countries in multiplayer is only recommended if you are willing to fight gloriously until you eventually die.

Notes

• Totalitarian countries are desperately short on oil and rubber at the start. They may trade for them in the interim, but taking the 'Unnatural Resources' national focus is highly recommended and will make synthetic factories much less painful to build.
• Disputed Zone nations in 1980 start with strong militaries, but they lack civilian factories and also start with a hefty penalty to military factory output. Attacking them too early could be disastrous, but the same could be said for attacking them too late.
• Disputed Zone nations are unaligned in 1980, but will create their own faction and join each others’ wars once World Tension has reached 75%. They will also lose their penalty to factory output when this happens.
• Totalitarian states can justify war goals against the free countries at any time, but the resource race can be jump-started by completing the ‘Start the Race’ national focus once World Tension reaches 10%. When one country completes this focus, it becomes bypassed for all.
• Civil wars will kick off once a foreign ideology reaches 50% popularity. This can be easily avoided if you take action early, but it can be very lucrative to take risks.
• Ignoring the Disputed Zone completely is a bad idea. The free nations wish to 'liberate' the world and will take action when they smell blood in the water.
• Diplomacy between factions and making unofficial ‘truces’ is encouraged.
• Back-stabbing other factions during unofficial ‘truces’ is also encouraged.