Hello everyone and welcome back to another development diary for Hearts of Iron IV. This week have been rather focused as we are closing in on the beta milestone. Today we’ll take a deep look at USA.
The United States is one of the largest countries in the world in 1936, but the only major power outside eurasia. They control several islands in the pacific, and the Philippines is a puppet. All of the americas is guaranteed by USA at the start as well. Obviously the USA’s states don’t fit 1 to 1 on a game-mechanic-concept, so some lesser states have been merged.
When it comes to resources, the americans live in abundance. They have more than enough of Oil, Steel, Tungsten and Aluminium, and will profit greatly from their exports in the early game. They lack rubber and chromium, but Chromium can be gotten from Cuba and rubber from Brazil, augmented by synthetic production.
USA starts with two national spirits.
- The Great Depression, costing 1 PP every day, until removed in the 1940 election.
- Home of the Free, which allows them to create factions, but not to join any faction led by another ideology.
The US also have disarmed nation & undisturbed isolation as laws from the start, which needs to be changed to unleash their power.
The US Army is not that strong at the start, with 36 divisions, and about half of them being basically garrison brigades.
The Navy is relatively strong, with 3 carriers, 15 battleships, 15 heavy cruisers, 9 light cruisers, 115 destroyers and 77 submarines, but that is just a fraction of the power they will be able to unleash when they have built up.
The airforce is not that big, with less than 900 planes in it, and not yet any B-17’s available .
The focus tree for USA is big and gives plenty of options.
- Issue War Bonds – Allows for powerful bonuses, but only possible if at war with another major.
- WPA & War Propaganda – Targeted buildups depending on which country USA ends at war with.
- Air War Plans Division – What to focus the US Airforce on?
- Bureau of Ships – How to strengthen the US Navy.
- Reaffirm Monroe Doctrine – Turning entire americas into democracies that like the US, with possibilities to create pro-democratic civil wars.
Next week we’ll be explaining why its a bad idea to tell 40 mechanized divisions to attack the Gobi desert.
