For those unaware, Darkest Hour is a grand strategy game published by Paradox Interactive. Set in the early 20th century, the game features multiple scenarios, from WW1 to 1933, 1936, all the way up to the downfall of the Third Reich.
Though it was
published by Paradox, they did not actually make the game. The engine that HoI2 runs on was made available for people to create games off of, and a group of modders set out to remake Hearts of Iron 2 into something... a little more robust, and including the Great War. Instead of driven entirely by events, the game designers managed to create a decision system, like in EU3! So now, instead of waiting for certain events to fire and twiddling your thumbs, or perhaps being caught off guard, you can enable certain key aspects of the War when you are ready! Coupled with an entirely new map, and a few ease-of-use interface tweaks and how the game calculates certain aspects, it's like an entirely new game. Because it is! Darkest Hour.
The game, like it's predecessor Hearts of Iron 2 (and like pretty much every Paradox game) allows you to take control of any country that was independent in each scenario. From the British Raj as a puppet of the Empire, to the Third Reich itself, to Communist China or one of the warlords, to my home and native land, Canada, any country that had self-government at the time can be controlled by the player! Industry, warfare, technologies, they are at your fingertips to play the artillery-barrage and field-march songs of the War to End All Wars.
That said, this is where you come in! I have a few ideas of countries I might play, but I'm leaving it (mostly) up to you! I'm not that good at the game. I understand a good deal of it, but when it comes to making plans, I'm not... the greatest. So I'll lay out a few of my favoured choices, and you can pick from among them, or if you have a better idea, I'll see what I can do.
First up would be, of course, Germany. Basically Easy Mode, especially if you start in 1936 and know how to build up.
Then I'd consider France or perhaps Britain. France would be interesting to try and stem the tide of the Wehrmacht early, and Britain because the Royal Navy would fend off any German incursions while I build up to take the beaches.
Then Italy, under the Muscleman Mussolini. Dude was a failure, even I could do better than him. Albania? Seriously?
Brazil is one option, too. It's in a good position to dominate the South American continent, and I BELIEVE they can join the Axis fairly easily. Might be Argentina, but it's not much harder to invade it's neighbors.
After that, there's the Soviet Union, Nationalist China or perhaps Communist China if you're feeling particularly wretched, Japan, Spain, or Yugoslavia.
As I said, if you have a better idea for a country I can play, feel free. Special mention goes towards certain countries, though. USA? No. Not gonna deal with the bloody Yanks. Boring-ass game, almost purely event driven until 1942. Plus, navies aren't my strong suit. Also, Poland? I MIGHT consider the Polska, but I'm almost certainly doomed and the game would not be that long, even with a trial-run to see what's what.
Other countries I won't play are basically the ones you can't do jack-shit with. The Raj -might- fall under this, depending on what I can do as a puppet. Austria, Czechs, Hungary, Greece, Albania, they're all out. Nearly nothing to do as one of them, can't influence anything, and they're basically there as cannon fodder in the face of the Wehrmacht and/or Red Army.
So I leave it to you, dear friends! Who shall we take to the heights of glory? Or, more likely, the depths of foul defeat.
One final note? I've never really recorded anything. This could all be a wash if I can't manage! No idea what I sound like on voice, and for all I know, the game is unrecordable!
Hooray! Also, we could get punched in the face at the first opportunity and lose horribly~
Author
Topic: Let's Play: Darkest Hour (Read 2525 times)