OVERVIEW
Vanilla + is a collaborative effort to improve the base Hearts of Iron IV experience by fixing bugs, adding interesting and varied new content, correcting historical inaccuracies where possible, and attempting to better the AI.
It is not a total conversion project along the lines of certain larger, better-known mods; it does not and will not attempt to re-write fundamental gameplay mechanics, add unique national focus trees for every nation on the map, or force you to use NATO counters.
There are new technologies, but they are added sparingly and only where we feel they are justified; as a rule, we are against adding techs and unit types simply for the sake of doing so, and at present the AI is ill-equipped to deal with all of the existing techs as it is.
As of right now, the mod has been removed from the workshop.
Vanilla + adds to and improves upon many of the base game's features, including:
- six new countries: Burma, Manchukuo, Sichuan, Newfoundland, Rhodesia, and Slovenia
- dozens of new leaders, ministers, design companies, generals and admirals for numerous countries
- 250+ new high-quality, hand-made leader and minister portraits, design company icons, national focus icons, etc.
- revised and expanded national focus trees
- new technologies for anti-tank weaponry, special forces infantry, railway artillery, zeppelins, airship support, pocket battleships, and jet heavy fighters
- Japan will now form the Co-Prosperity Sphere in Historical Mode rather than join the Axis
- Soviet players now have a number of good reasons to bring back Leon Trotsky
- numerous AI tweaks, fixes, events, strategies and division template improvements
- countless bug fixes, syntax improvements, event and national focus trigger improvements, etc.
- increased combat width from 80/40 to 96/48
- disabled AI expeditionary forces; improves both AI and gameplay performance
- no more AI division or naval invasion spam
- events for peace treaties and territorial transfers following CHI-JAP or JAP-SOV victories
- revised and improved historical OOBs
- revised and more realistic conscription, trade and economy laws with improved custom tool-tips
- revised and expanded AI national focus priorities and diplomatic strategies
- new battlecruiser techs, making them relevant throughout the game
- reduced military factory output; prioritize important divisions and maintain a strategic reserve! [temporarily disabled]
- 200+ new gameplay and flavor events; everything from historical coups and assassinations to the World's Fair
- numerous map fixes and tweaks, new straits, new states, new rivers and lakes, revised province setups in China and South East Asia
- ...and lots, lots more!
COMPATIBILITY
- Vanilla + v1.36b for Hearts of Iron IV v1.4.2 [a48d]
- NOT Ironman compatible
- NOT compatible with other gameplay mods
- compatible with most cosmetic (music/GFX) mods so long as they do not change the checksum
- English language only; no other translations are currently available, so please load the game in English to avoid problems
FEEDBACK
Vanilla + relies very much on community feedback and contributions to expand and improve, so feel free to get involved.
If you'd like to contribute ideas, submit a bug report, or simply leave feedback - good or bad - please visit us on:
Please do not report any issues with Vanilla + unless all other mods are disabled.
MOD TEAM
- Sleight of Hand, project lead
- Prinz Wilhelm, concepts/testing, graphics
- Aeron Greyjoy, concepts/testing
- Retroliser, graphics
SPECIAL THANKS
- Jamryl, for some of the design company logos from the Better France mod
- EmperorTojo, for some of the leader portraits
- veBear, for some of the focus icons
- tom_jones, for various artwork
- Jay dey Long, for various artwork
- Acinonyx, for the mod logo image
- Mannock, for the pilot ace names
- Wolferos, for the Issue Gasmasks focus icon from the Great War mod
- Centerbe, for the pocket battleship tech icon
- idmw, for his plane tech icons
- Axe99, for naval suggestions and general feedback
- Moser, for AI suggestions and general feedback
- Zwirbaum, for his combat_tactics.txt fixes and improvements
- PeanutButtaJellyTime, for his transport plane tech icons