Hearts of Iron IV- Game Design
Observation
• Hearts of Iron IV is a Real-Time War Strategy set before, during, and
after the WW2.
• The gameplay can differ from player to player. It depends solely on
the strategy the player chooses. The game allows you to focus on
different aspects of strategy, such as diplomacy, combat, trade, etc.
Your nation becomes stronger as you research technologies,
doctrine, and machinery.
• Sometimes the game felt frustrating to me, especially if AIcontrolled
states started making random decisions that didn’t really
make sense and just ruined my game plan.
• During my first 40 hours of unmodded gameplay I understood that
the game can be extremely overwhelming for beginners and it can
take up to 100 hours to get a grip of some gameplay mechanics. This
is a pattern also seen throughout other strategies made by Paradox.
For me, it was caused by complex UI and a lack of tutorials inside the
game itself.
• I am the target audience. This game is very addictive and timeconsuming.
For me, it was always this “just one more thing before I
go” feeling and also the urge to restore The Roman Empire to its
former glory.