Why is Hoi4 So Popular?

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
  • Hearts of iron 4 was released on june 6th 2016 and it sold 200,00 copies after 2 weeks of release making it the most well received product in the paradox strategy collection… This was due to a variety of things mainly… A large marketing campaign An already dedicated fanbase A salvaged reputation And a good release of a previous game In this video we will follow the timeline of Hoi4 and the adjustments its made to stay relevant…
    Notable TH-camrs Mentioned: ‪@TommyKay‬ ‪@Bokoen1‬ ‪@iSorrowproductions‬ ‪@thespiffingbrit‬ ‪@FeedbackGaming‬
    Twitter: / sponkoo
    Discord: / discord
    Twitch: / sponko_

ความคิดเห็น • 1K

  • @sponko
    @sponko  2 ปีที่แล้ว +905

    L
    i need an editor
    hmu on discord if you know how

    • @quincyames2014
      @quincyames2014 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      i know how

    • @ugfpandas007
      @ugfpandas007 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I don’t lol

    • @PixloPRO
      @PixloPRO 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      am pro

    • @russian240
      @russian240 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      sponko is gay

    • @very7611
      @very7611 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ugfpandas007 why did u reply then idiot

  • @iSorrowproductions
    @iSorrowproductions 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5130

    Pretty interesting, small little footnotes for added historical YT stuff. I made a video or two when the game came out but nothing special and definitely lost to time, I think I was just playing Canada and shitting on the game.
    My channel probably only ever blew up from playing Kaiserreich in November 2016, I remember in December alone I’d refresh my TH-cam and my sub count would go up in the hundreds sometimes thousands every refresh which was pretty astounding at the time.
    And lastly my best ever month on TH-cam in terms of views was actually last year around October right in the midst of Hoi4 A2Z which actually gave me a couple videos with over 1 million+ views alone (both the Denmark and Czech videos) overall this was definitely a blast from the past. Thanks for tagging me in it for the nostalgias.

    • @Sir_Humphrey_Appleby
      @Sir_Humphrey_Appleby 2 ปีที่แล้ว +418

      You have a position of one the greats of the hoi4 community, we thank you for being our slave.

    • @extremegrieferjesus4354
      @extremegrieferjesus4354 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Funny rat man is here

    • @gggghhhh1288
      @gggghhhh1288 2 ปีที่แล้ว +108

      Every releasable nation A-Z Anti-Tank only month of madness when?

    • @paowoww
      @paowoww 2 ปีที่แล้ว +47

      do light tank only Tannu Tuva world conquest

    • @sealgaming2396
      @sealgaming2396 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      ISP

  • @RunicRhino22
    @RunicRhino22 2 ปีที่แล้ว +882

    Never underestimate man's desire to paint maps and encircle units

    • @nope7120
      @nope7120 2 ปีที่แล้ว +44

      *When you go back to a peace treaty for the third time because the new map still doesnt look like exactly as you want it to look like

    • @awonoto
      @awonoto 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +12

      The world denounce it, but there's always a bit of Britain inside every man.

    • @nathanwaldrop3723
      @nathanwaldrop3723 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      I remember when I was a kid I would play on paint and pretend I was moving armies around. I’m so glad this game exists

    • @chaost4544
      @chaost4544 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      This is the #1 thing for me. There aren't many things in gaming as satisfying as encircling a f ton of divisions.

  • @AndrewArminRyan
    @AndrewArminRyan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3550

    it allows me to carve out my fascist dystopian fantasies
    (most progressive hoi4 player btw)

    • @currahee
      @currahee 2 ปีที่แล้ว +263

      this comment was paid for by vice

    • @AndrewArminRyan
      @AndrewArminRyan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +20

      @@currahee ☺️

    • @thaimapping
      @thaimapping 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Wow such a leftist smh

    • @Tortellobello45
      @Tortellobello45 2 ปีที่แล้ว +80

      I am a leftie Liberal and i think this is based

    • @fasuto8656
      @fasuto8656 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      True

  • @eli8922
    @eli8922 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1226

    I think the reason why hoi4 is so good is because it's pretty fun to learn because you can figure out the mechanics yea it's a steep curve but the youtubers like bittersteel and feedbackgaming with there guides

    • @harikeshg3823
      @harikeshg3823 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Alex and bittersteel helped me master the game damn well

    • @michaelchristy5652
      @michaelchristy5652 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      And then there is tommykay who just makes himself look good but never actually shows enough of the game to show how he does it. No hard feelings for him tho, he still cool

    • @eli8922
      @eli8922 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      @@michaelchristy5652 yea if you watch his TH-cam you don't know whats happening but his live streams are abit better

    • @eli8922
      @eli8922 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Aleksandar Milović look up a guide

    • @eli8922
      @eli8922 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @Aleksandar Milović well then test it

  • @koneser8197
    @koneser8197 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1200

    To me Hoi 4 is still mostly kept with interest for it's modding community and diversity in what they provide, you can go from German won WW1 timeline which feels like an extra mode to the base game, be a warlord in postapocaliptic wasteland from Fallout and even genocide whole nations as talking horses from that one kids show. The level of replayablitly to this game that mods bring are for me and many others decide to still not touch grass.
    Edit. I wanted to edit few spelling errors and lost my heart, bruh

    • @AdrianRO1918
      @AdrianRO1918 2 ปีที่แล้ว +83

      mods basically saved the game from death

    • @visigoth3696
      @visigoth3696 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      @@AdrianRO1918 actually multiplayer is the biggest reason why it’s still alive.

    • @AdrianRO1918
      @AdrianRO1918 2 ปีที่แล้ว +81

      @@visigoth3696 no lmao. multiplayer is nothing without mods

    • @cosmicdistortion4350
      @cosmicdistortion4350 2 ปีที่แล้ว +65

      @@AdrianRO1918 facts. out of the 1000 hours i got on the game, maybe 40 is the basegame. everything else falls under mods like kaiserreich, kaiserredux, tno, red flood etc

    • @how_to_be_a_Old_legionary44
      @how_to_be_a_Old_legionary44 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

      yeah me to. i am 400 hour in hoi4 mostly in owb with random warlords. bdw ave truth to ceasar!

  • @FeedbackGaming
    @FeedbackGaming 9 หลายเดือนก่อน +272

    +1 because its set a more modern era

    • @sponko
      @sponko  9 หลายเดือนก่อน +17

      Damn feedback u kinda missed the hype on this vid

    • @LoliPolice-bf7mw
      @LoliPolice-bf7mw 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      set a more

    • @jmgonzales7701
      @jmgonzales7701 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I wish there was more on an hands on rts approach like controlling your troops and all.

  • @BritishRifleman
    @BritishRifleman 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2934

    Honestly, I think it's updates may be it's downfall, every update has made it more complicated, e.g, designers, supply, bigger focus tress, complex navy, army generals, resistance etc, there needs to be a "beginer mode" where resistance is AI controlled, navy is simple, generic tank designs, and auto supply

    • @eggisfun4217
      @eggisfun4217 2 ปีที่แล้ว +340

      yes to boats
      naval mechanics are very shit and need to be fixed

    • @yuvaleshel106
      @yuvaleshel106 2 ปีที่แล้ว +212

      I won’t understand anything of the plane designer. Also I live is Israel and the full game here costs about five hundred shekels or about one hundred and sixty dollars, and although the game is worth it most people can’t afford a 160$ game (with all the dlc)

    • @gonshi9
      @gonshi9 2 ปีที่แล้ว +177

      Altough more complex, i found updates make things 'easier'. I remember old resistance.... and i hope i never have to go back. The same with supply now

    • @renefilippov1734
      @renefilippov1734 2 ปีที่แล้ว +75

      Disable dlc

    • @Kaiyoo0
      @Kaiyoo0 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      Isn't the more feature the funner?

  • @lostbladder
    @lostbladder 2 ปีที่แล้ว +70

    I was obsessed with plastic soldiers as a kid. Hoi4 was the game I always wanted but never knew existed. When I found out about it, I got it. I opened it, thought it was too confusing, shelved it for a year, then learned how to play it and have been playing it a few times a week for the last 4 years.

  • @Fumingbroccoli
    @Fumingbroccoli 2 ปีที่แล้ว +402

    Isorrowproductions was the reason I started playing hoi4, if it wasnt for his video appearing in my recommended 4 years ago I would have never bought this game

    • @bigsquid960
      @bigsquid960 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Same here, too bad he fell off tho

    • @eduparada970
      @eduparada970 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      Same, I was thinking in buying HOI4 because one roblox game I played (I believe its name is Rise of Nations) and I wanted more complete but I was reluctant if I should buy it or not until I saw one his video about El Salvador invading Japan and I finally decided to buy it lmao Best decision ever

    • @homersimpson6585
      @homersimpson6585 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      I remember when hoi4 first came out I pirated the game not understanding a single thing and shortly after I found Isorrowproductions his vids taught me everything

    • @holy_crusaderoftheholyland4713
      @holy_crusaderoftheholyland4713 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@eduparada970 AY same here but what rise of nations does not have is A HUGE PONY MOD LIKE WHAT THE HELL

    • @Ananas-280
      @Ananas-280 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Absolutely same i played this game because of his videos

  • @3.2187_Kilometres
    @3.2187_Kilometres 2 ปีที่แล้ว +263

    While it is mentioned. I feel like the array of mods available for HOI4 played a large part of it's success and because of that it'd should've been mentioned more within the video. For example, I would've never downloaded HOI4 if it wasn't for TNO and later Kaiserreich and TWR.

    • @AdrianRO1918
      @AdrianRO1918 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

      bruh you ve played tno first and then kaiserreich?

    • @3.2187_Kilometres
      @3.2187_Kilometres 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@AdrianRO1918 Yes.

    • @3.2187_Kilometres
      @3.2187_Kilometres 2 ปีที่แล้ว +37

      @@Clev9 How can TNO be "doomed from the start" if it hasn't ended yet. It's still in active development with the latest update having recently gone into active testing before it's released. So why are you talking like TNO has been abandoned and this was always going to be it's fate?

    • @ravleow9748
      @ravleow9748 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

      @@Clev9 >Doomed
      >Is still under active development
      >is still releasing updates
      People who strongly dislike TNO just don't like EU4 or Vicky2

    • @kraigisboss
      @kraigisboss 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@ravleow9748 More of the massive controversy it got into with the dev team. Or the fact they are trying to add mechanics into the game which don't exist in the base so the AI can't even begin to handle said mechanics without a massive rework. And also the fact the mod's stability comes into question depending on what happens. like if you manage to instant cap a great power with paratroopers and finish the peace deal the mod strait ups crashes. Also if I wanna managed economics I'll just play Vicky2 then. HOI4's timeframe is not built for decades and constant focus tree changes from leader to leader. [base is 1936 to 1948 which is 12 years and by 45 the AI really starts dying.]

  • @Omnicide101
    @Omnicide101 2 ปีที่แล้ว +173

    As a total conversion modder, I cannot stress how much the modding scene of HOI4 has kept the game alive, and how much HOI4's mechanics facilitate modding in a way that no other Paradox GSG can. The focus tree system sets HOI4 apart from games like EU4 and CK3, turning it away from the more traditional map painting sandbox game and towards a more narrative-driven game. This is strongly reflected in the most popular mods - Kaiserreich, EaW, TNO, OWB all of these mods are incredibly popular because they provide compelling stories with cool alternative histories or fictional settings. While being less friendly to sandbox-style play (see: the game completely shits itself if you go alt-history and get weird shit like the Whites in Russia supporting the Stalinists in Spain because the game hardcodes the Soviets to be friendly to those, regardless of ideology), it more than makes up for it by providing a really amazing tool for crafting narratives. It's just a shame Paradox themselves didn't realise this until quite a few DLC's in.
    TL;DR 6/10 game but 15/10 foundation for modding and modders are carrying this game like fucking Atlas.

    • @jmgonzales7701
      @jmgonzales7701 4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      yeah its not a game for me u barely control the army or even participate within a battle. Fps still my go to

    • @chrisalex82
      @chrisalex82 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      fr when i discover there can be custom achievement i was like *_w h a t_*

    • @Omnicide101
      @Omnicide101 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      @chrisalex82 Yeah implementing those was so much fucking fun

  • @MsKm373
    @MsKm373 2 ปีที่แล้ว +50

    video title: "why is hoi4 so popular?"
    video content: dosent even answer that qustion

    • @sirllamaiii9708
      @sirllamaiii9708 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

      My take?
      Not as in depth as eu4 or something, war is fun so the economy stuff takes a backseat. WWII is a very popular setting. The troops moving and taking over countries and seeing the color change, plus the whole number crunching and green bubbles and direct bonuses is very brain tickly

    • @novitrix9671
      @novitrix9671 หลายเดือนก่อน

      He did answer throughout the entire video, preexisting well regarded brand, content creators doing unpaid shillings of the game, mods, depth of mechanics, continuous features and updates.
      We didn't watch the same video.

    • @dyslexicbatnam1350
      @dyslexicbatnam1350 24 วันที่ผ่านมา

      The reason I got into the game was because it looked like an awesome super realistic computer version of Axis & Allies and I stuck around for the mods and TH-cam content. It sort of does answer the question in a weird way.

  • @ivoni3978
    @ivoni3978 2 ปีที่แล้ว +122

    Simple it is good game

    • @lollo_C
      @lollo_C 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      Simple it’s a good game 👍

    • @SaulusTheGoodMan
      @SaulusTheGoodMan 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Ohhhhh that why is so popular

    • @jmgonzales7701
      @jmgonzales7701 4 หลายเดือนก่อน

      yeah its not a game for me u barely control the army or even participate within a battle. Fps still my go to

  • @bayonnaise0726
    @bayonnaise0726 2 ปีที่แล้ว +101

    I love when a game’s community is big enough for someone to create an analysis and essay of the game.

    • @MyUsersDark
      @MyUsersDark 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +5

      Many games have done this

  • @sako5751
    @sako5751 2 ปีที่แล้ว +82

    For me its mostly the huge variety of high quality mods for the game. I have barely played Hoi4 Vanilla, but I've played a lot of Kaiserreich, Old World Blues or mods that expand the basegame like Road to 56.

    • @mihnea-um5gy
      @mihnea-um5gy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      Don't want to be that guy but i suggest mastering vanilla before you go into mods. It's like driving an automatic car before a manual one.

    • @sako5751
      @sako5751 2 ปีที่แล้ว +16

      @@mihnea-um5gy I think I've got that covered with 2000 hours ^^

    • @mihnea-um5gy
      @mihnea-um5gy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      @@sako5751 then why do you say barely played hoi 4 vanilla?

    • @sako5751
      @sako5751 2 ปีที่แล้ว +12

      @@mihnea-um5gy Because I barely played HOi4 Vanilla and almost exclusively played modded Hoi4 :)
      You dont really have to play a lot of Hoi4 Vanilla, you can just learn Hoi4 while playing Kaiserreich or other mods, since they're mostly similar gameplaywise

    • @mihaimercenarul7467
      @mihaimercenarul7467 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@sako5751 playing with mods? that's sad

  • @davidlogan4965
    @davidlogan4965 2 ปีที่แล้ว +45

    One thing not mentioned at all here is the incredible growth of the playerbase.
    HOI IV averaged 10,000 players post launch and is now at an average of 45,000. Honestly incredible for any game to still have a growing base after all these years.

  • @Tortellobello45
    @Tortellobello45 2 ปีที่แล้ว +210

    Main reason is that it’s focused on WW2 and recruit difficulty makes the game a bit easier for femboys, Soviet kids, Kaiserboos, that make up 70% of the community

    • @Liam-uq7rb
      @Liam-uq7rb 2 ปีที่แล้ว +17

      Don't forget werhraboos

    • @fatchins9126
      @fatchins9126 2 ปีที่แล้ว +92

      @@Liam-uq7rb well he said Femboys didn't he?

    • @ninguemlg
      @ninguemlg 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      femoboys? what is this?

    • @thatoneguy7792
      @thatoneguy7792 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      @@ninguemlg boy with skirt and wig

    • @dani-mx1si
      @dani-mx1si 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Recruit difficulty is also good for people with skill issues, like me

  • @luceliorodrigues7504
    @luceliorodrigues7504 2 ปีที่แล้ว +86

    One thing i hate about the 2 latest released DLCs is that thh new focus trees look nothing like the old ones. They are more messy and have fancy simbols , alot more fun*. Also, each individual DLC gives to much enfasy in one feature, making it disbalanced.

  • @Man_of_Various_Cultures
    @Man_of_Various_Cultures 2 ปีที่แล้ว +92

    ngl drew is the youtuber who got me to play this game even though he barely played it himself because he showed me the amount of things i could do in this game and man, buying this game is one of the best decisions i have ever made.

    • @ryanfarrelly4647
      @ryanfarrelly4647 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

      Drew introduced me
      ISP keeps me entertained
      Alex the rambler... That's where I learnt about the hunbke bundle deal and actually got the game for €1

  • @SilvrCoconut
    @SilvrCoconut 2 ปีที่แล้ว +36

    Small note, kaiserreich released much earlier than the workshop page might represent, since it actually had to swap pages. I remember there was a time where BOTH kaiserreich pages were on the top rated of the workshop cuz the old one still had that much interaction from before, which was released to the workshop Dec, 2016. Kaiserreich releasing at the end of 2016 also helped a lot because it really helped stifle how bad TFV was and keep the community playing the game, and was updated at the same pace as the game, it really felt like there was double the amount of updates as kaiserreich would drop a large update inbetween droughts of official content

  • @dapizzasnake8462
    @dapizzasnake8462 2 ปีที่แล้ว +79

    This is my most played game at almost 600 hours, when I started seeing hoi4 content first time, there was only national unity. I got so good at single player I can win almost any war. Accept endseig, which I'm getting better and closer every try.

    • @currahee
      @currahee 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      national unity? was this a precursor to stability?

    • @ternemoy3689
      @ternemoy3689 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

      @@currahee there was national Unity before stability and war support

    • @KaidenOZ
      @KaidenOZ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

      me with 5200 hours (homer slide into bushes)

    • @aurelienrodriguez3252
      @aurelienrodriguez3252 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      600h? You have to step up those roocky numbers !

    • @dapizzasnake8462
      @dapizzasnake8462 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@aurelienrodriguez3252 still am, alot to do in mods still!

  • @Toumahitoedits
    @Toumahitoedits 2 ปีที่แล้ว +25

    “Well, since not everyone can change history by their own hands. They can change it through the keyboard and a mouse instead.”
    -Me who loves HOI4

  • @just_hris
    @just_hris 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

    The immersion and mods are just what makes hoi4 perfect (+ all the features in the vanilla game and DLCs)

  • @timhand3380
    @timhand3380 2 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    It shows such promise, it could be great, hoi4 keeps dlcing into what we wanted in hoi3 by 2052 with 15 more dlc it will be🙏

  • @skycaptain95
    @skycaptain95 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    It's so popular because it takes people 50 hours to figure out that they don't know what they are doing.

  • @ShawkyJames
    @ShawkyJames 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    HOI4 is a very arcady and player friendly game that gives you freedom to lead a nation during the Second World War. Personally as someone who started from HOI2, HOI3 BI has so much more depth than HOI4. But I guess the simplicity of HOI4 attracted a much larger player base which is a big success to Paradox.

    • @doctorwhat779
      @doctorwhat779 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Player friendly game? Seriously?

    • @ShawkyJames
      @ShawkyJames 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@doctorwhat779 Yes

    • @doctorwhat779
      @doctorwhat779 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@ShawkyJames they selling annexing puppet system with dlc, agency system with dlc but putting no step back's fucked up railway system to the main game and you says they are player friendly?

    • @platinumm4730
      @platinumm4730 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@doctorwhat779 I think he was referring to the skill level required to play. games like CK2, Viccy 2 and EUIV are all pretty in depth and complex games to get a hand of, compared to HOI IV which is relatively user friendly

    • @doctorwhat779
      @doctorwhat779 25 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@platinumm4730 yeah I know, this comments from two years ago and I was new at the game

  • @thekommunistkrusader3921
    @thekommunistkrusader3921 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    Part of the reason hoi4 is so popular is a mixture of love for history and modding community, I haven't played vanilla hoi in quite some time

  • @TurbulentEitri
    @TurbulentEitri 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Honestly, I saw but never looked into HOI4 much until a friend started sharing and talking about Equestria at War. The MLP overhaul mod for the game that somehow puts a majority of the workshop content to shame with how much effort was put into it.
    It was then that I slowly branched out into the base game and a variety of other mods that take advantage of the game's workshop support. I got to experience good times with Hololive of Iron even. The VTuber overhaul mod that was constantly updated into something more and more packed with content and references.
    And now? I'm something of a HOI4 Modder myself. Currently working on figuring out how to get the AI to do what I want since documentation is a weak spot for the game. Still, it's been an emerging hobby for me.
    I suppose that's why I'd say DShakey has been a top favourite TH-camr for HOI4 content. Seeing another person make his own mods to then showcase is entertaining as it is encouraging. Alex the Rambler has a nice casual flair to his videos and Pravus Gaming's uncondensed playthroughs of HOI4 mods was nice to catch onto smaller nuances of the mods as he figured them out.
    If there's ever to be a HOI5, it has a grand mountain to surpass now. I look forward to that day but will happily play HOI4 for a long time.

  • @michaelk4896
    @michaelk4896 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I've stopped playing Hoi4 maybe like 2 years ago and no real desire to pick it up again, but watching content on youtube is always fun.

  • @weezypeezy508
    @weezypeezy508 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I think it's popularity also has to do with the mods, like holy hell they're so good. TNO was the reason why I even got hoi4 in the first place.

  • @Richtofenfan
    @Richtofenfan ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I play both HOI 3 and 4. I would say TH-cam is probably the bigger reason why this succeeded along with being a lot more simple with it’s frontline mechanics. I mean despite the videos by a few with gameplay of HOI3.
    TH-camrs like EmpireErwinRommel and Marco Antonio. Hoi3 didn’t get enough attention likely because it was seen as too micro-management focus.
    Which is true unless you play Germany or Japan they have good ai.
    Which is easier, if you have all the dlcs.
    With hoi4 I hate the manpower and resistance system. I prefer hoi3’s manpower system and resistance system. Yes you get uprisings but they’re usually restricted to one province uprisings and not a national scale.
    If you add the war goal of taking western Poland in TFH as Germany Poland cannot enact a mass uprising (hilarious). You can do this to France and Belgium and Netherlands by adding the war goal to take their lands in Europe. Take northern and western France whilst also adding the “fall of France” goal. Free IC and manpower increase for Germany.
    It is much easier to get manpower in HOI3 than in hoi4 I’d rather not wait for war support or political power. It’s all dictated by money and neutrality levels.
    It’s easy by simply assigning spies to increase threat from the Soviets and enact consumer goods economy to ensure the game detects your neutrality as high and allows you to select the prepare for war decision. Or align with the Axis.
    I’ve done these methods in hoi3 to build a big Yugoslavia which is fun. Although if you join axis Germany will be weaker thanks to you taking Austria and Czechoslovakia.
    Either way in spite of all this, I very much enjoy HOI4 it is also ridiculously easy to play too. HOI3 maybe takes some time but over time you get used to it.

  • @chadwell69
    @chadwell69 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    I think its interesting to note that a decent chunk of the fallout community started playing this game because of Old World Blues

  • @GrishaPutin
    @GrishaPutin 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Cool video, for a game i burried 7000 hours in

  • @nomad9563
    @nomad9563 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Hey Sponko thanks for making this video, It is detailed on the whole history of HOI4 so far. I remember hating HOI4 on release and loving it after together for victory. I have no lifed this thing for 4352.6 hours... I stopped playing this thing religiously 2020. However looking forward to this game coming back and being fun.

  • @janhecker1175
    @janhecker1175 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    tldr edgy teens

  • @joeslater8693
    @joeslater8693 2 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    Allows me to war crime my little ponnies (least rightwing furry)

    • @Crow_Duskwing
      @Crow_Duskwing 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Yes, I was looking for this comment😅

  • @anexx
    @anexx 2 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    the entire history of hoi4, i guess

  • @lerbronk
    @lerbronk 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    it will be living hell for first 10hrs. after you learn micro, macro, which stats do what, then the real fun begins

  • @zodiaccowboy2131
    @zodiaccowboy2131 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I think the problem is that there’s too many DLC they need to compress them and make room

  • @jaghataikhan2902
    @jaghataikhan2902 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

    I haven't played vanilla hoi for over a year now. God bless Kaiserredux

  • @jeroenboth167
    @jeroenboth167 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I’m surprised that all of the AI only videos didn’t get mentioned

  • @461Masterchief
    @461Masterchief 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Stop censoring.

  • @evandickinson3254
    @evandickinson3254 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    3 minutes into the video and you haven’t really explained why it’s popular. I respect the editing but it feels misleading

  • @fikec
    @fikec 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    If drew didn't pop up in my recommended in 2017, I would probably never play the game

  • @FrancescodePazzi94
    @FrancescodePazzi94 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    1:54 can someone tell me the name of that second officer (black and white photo) please?

  • @itzdave1249
    @itzdave1249 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    One of the best games I have ever played! I have 1500+ Hours on it, with all dlcs. I must say that the Dlcs are the thing that are keeping the game alive. Most like also Kaiserredux and other best mods.

  • @barb1493
    @barb1493 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I appreciate the vince staples background music used in the vid, cheers :)

  • @martinuskkk8027
    @martinuskkk8027 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I remember my first time watching OLD school TommmyKay. That day I knew I found something I would never forget

  • @Crazy_Based_Mf
    @Crazy_Based_Mf หลายเดือนก่อน

    I remember coloured buttons. I loved it

  • @happycrusher1282
    @happycrusher1282 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    As someone who stopped in 2018 and started playing again last year. It was difficult to get back in since the game was completly different. I am still not into everything lol

  • @MrJones._
    @MrJones._ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Just as the number of hoi4 players go up so does the number of people with no friends

  • @senbontorii2680
    @senbontorii2680 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I think the reason it's popular is simple in principle, but affects the entire direction of the game: it's war focused.
    Unlike CK2, EU4, Vic2, and Stellaris, HOI4 is a game about war, so all its mechanics are put into the context of how they will affect the war. Combat is far more detailed, politics determines what side of the war you'll be on, the economy keeps the war effort going, stability and war support give buffs to your capacity to engage in war. Since warfare is the most active part of a grand strategy game, players feel more like they can actually *do* something instead of watching time pass and hoping for a good outcome.
    It's also vastly simpler to mod than other Paradox titles, which helps keep the modding scene alive.

  • @fireironthesecond2909
    @fireironthesecond2909 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Why was the only ad I got for this video a “Are you gay?” test 🤔

    • @sponko
      @sponko  2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Why is TH-cam only giving you one ad 😔

    • @fireironthesecond2909
      @fireironthesecond2909 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@sponko because I’m gay

  • @arielbemeliahu8619
    @arielbemeliahu8619 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hoi4 is a den of dissapointment and despair it is just addicting though.

  • @ugfpandas007
    @ugfpandas007 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    After watching a sneak peak it might actually be kinda good

  • @MisandryToday
    @MisandryToday ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Five minutes into the video...and next to no discussion about anything within the game itself that makes it popular...only a clout chasing monologue of other larger channels who liked the game...🤮

  • @KameroonEmperor
    @KameroonEmperor 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    Amazing video, one thing thought is that you forgot to mention Alex and Drew, and drew even quit hoi at some point but still made a lot of views and personally he made me discover hoi IV and the whole community

  • @Jesuschristforever.b
    @Jesuschristforever.b หลายเดือนก่อน

    hoi5: 29.99 for the menu dlc:

  • @GHP15300
    @GHP15300 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    This game is like a sandbox about geopolitics on ww2 where we make decisions that are better than the historical leaders made. It is also fun, it is like playing a game and watching alternate history hub at the same time

  • @g_g1241
    @g_g1241 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    1. It's about WW2, an AMAZING time period for history newcomers, edgy peoples, but not just "edgy peoples", EDGY PEOPLES.
    2. It's a war game completely focused on war, literally like 90% of the research categories are for war stuff.
    3. It doesn't have a complex economy, basically more factories = more production = more success and more land = more population = more manpower = more success.
    4. The diplomacy is kinda railroaded to go for WW2 most of the time, with historical AIs off though it can go differently of course, but even then, the diplomacy one can do in HOI4 is very limited.
    The economy and the diplomacy are the reasons why at some point, some move from HOI4 to EU4, Victoria 2 or other games not so war-focused, to feel the realism of a longer campaign while also having to focus on an actual economy and diplomacy for nation building.
    I played HOI4 for 2 years before moving to Victoria 2 (in which i also have been playing for over 2 years) and this is what i learned from that.

  • @swatinmates8828
    @swatinmates8828 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It allows me to restore the monarchies of the world

  • @kilianfirebolt
    @kilianfirebolt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    To be honest the competetive multiplayer community has about 50 really good esport players and is overall pretty dead

  • @kk7324
    @kk7324 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It allows me to project my inner most fantasies without any repercussions. I hope they give us the options to commit war crimes in latest dlc.

  • @mapleunion3072
    @mapleunion3072 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think the amount of mods is what really sold it for me

  • @hawksnebula1506
    @hawksnebula1506 2 ปีที่แล้ว +10

    Your editing isn't too bad. However, I feel like the video was just summing up each DLC one by one without really diving too much into the analytics. Also Kaiserreich came out before 2018. The title could also be something more like how it rises because as you said the game hasn't recovered since 2018 which was actually the year I first saw the game on TH-cam.
    Anyone you have gained a sub and a like from the algorithm so you're doing a lot right.

    • @sponko
      @sponko  2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      I wanted to go more in depth but I had no clue how this video would do

    • @hawksnebula1506
      @hawksnebula1506 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

      @@sponko Something else I forgot to mention was how I think the departure of Drew Durnil from Hoi4 really hit the community and popularity of the game as he sort of faded away after 2019.

  • @512TheWolf512
    @512TheWolf512 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Battle for Bosporus is BROKEN still, and will never be fixed seemingly. Just like the sino-japanese war bugs will never be fixed. The team at paradox that works on hoi is SHIT.

  • @Erty_
    @Erty_ 2 ปีที่แล้ว +4

    2:54 as a Czech I feel anger

  • @Hatsuzu
    @Hatsuzu 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    People who want the game to be easier need to shut up. Like just stop. The game is not hard if you spend at least 10 hours at it. Its not hard to understand the game.

  • @tyger5645
    @tyger5645 2 ปีที่แล้ว +5

    I feel like TNO also deserves a mention for setting a precedent that made total overhaul mods jump in quality.

  • @fedbat2199
    @fedbat2199 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I think hoi4 became so popular because:
    1 it's all based on war, while Stellaris, Crusader Kings and maybe Victoria and EU (haven't played yet) aren't (Crusader Kings and Stellaris are literally just moving your troops from place to place, in Stellaris the only thing you have to study is the design)
    2 it takes place during the WW2 which anyway is something most people know about, at least more than Middle Age or the 19th century
    3 it's really nice to look, with these coloured nations, countries name which get bigger and bigger and so on and so on
    4 the alternative history is really funny, my last game was so messed up that Europe seemed how americans think it is
    5 invading gives you the idea of being a superhuman, it's just amazing

  • @parallellia1509
    @parallellia1509 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I remember me and my friend waiting for a Turkey-focused DLC. We talked about how much players Paradox has in Turkey etc.

    • @TuniEich
      @TuniEich 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      That DLC turned turkey from a fun nation to play into a fucking annoyance. Atleast Bulgaria is fun.

    • @noldo3837
      @noldo3837 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@TuniEich There is a rule in PDX - a new focus tree makes a nation weaker, except for fascist countries, those are buffed. Always. PDX are worst sort of wehraboos and in privacy probably even worse.

    • @nein236
      @nein236 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@noldo3837 You are calling the staff Wehraboos because they "buffed" fascist nations? Seems legit.

    • @platinumm4730
      @platinumm4730 26 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@noldo3837 bro have you played the Soviets, USA or China? after a couple years build up they get ridiculously strong

    • @noldo3837
      @noldo3837 25 วันที่ผ่านมา

      @@platinumm4730 I did, I have over 7k hrs, all achievements and all medals

  • @Raceryan8
    @Raceryan8 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    This video being a year old shows how much better the game has gotten, hoi4 now has an ever growing player base and is becoming more and more well known

  • @darthbigred22
    @darthbigred22 2 ปีที่แล้ว +6

    Nice WW2 videos
    I think when Drew Durnil left that summed it up. Paradox games are a 60/40 community. 60% are history nuts and 40% are the MP guys who don't get why a game all about a quasi realistic WW2 sim isn't appealing to most people because some countries like France and Poland are fucked (as they should be).
    I think the meta stuff is what kills is most of all though, some MP dork goes and does a CAS only run, it ruins the illusion the WW2 4x is good. Plus the plane/navy/tank designers go way too far.

  • @danielblaze6193
    @danielblaze6193 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    waking the tiger says hello

  • @Okay-pr9fp
    @Okay-pr9fp 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +4

    Bought this game, played for about 30 minutes and refunded this crap, there’s no way I’m stairing at a map and numbers for hours and hours trying to learn each and every detail about this game

    • @verbatim545
      @verbatim545 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +7

      You just admitted to skill issue

    • @justacat2
      @justacat2 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +3

      bro has no attention span

    • @Okay-pr9fp
      @Okay-pr9fp 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@justacat2 you have too be alittle bit autistic or on drugs too sit and stair at a map and numbers for 2,3 or 4 hours at a time

    • @Lessa95
      @Lessa95 3 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@Okay-pr9fp bro ur right how can people look at maps for so long

    • @BlackoutGootraxian
      @BlackoutGootraxian 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

      I sort of agree. It gets boring after a while, and there isnt that much replayability either. No matter what mods you use, the game is pretty much just staring at numbers and waiting for something to happen so you can click a couple times, only to go idle and wait again. I have a couple hundred hours in hoi4 and victoria 3, and i am already bored of both.

  • @TheArklyte
    @TheArklyte 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Because for the first time Paradox did something unusual for their games - simplified it for more casual playerbase so that it'll be fun to play and easier to learn. And if someone wanted "true classical" HoI experience... they'd be told to f//ck off in direction of Black Ice-like mods;)

  • @lGNITED
    @lGNITED 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I'm a huge history fan, WW2, Civil War, Chinese revolution, Napoleonic wars, you don't need to be a history fan to play this.
    I always dreamed of invading countries and being a country leader, like, I just wanted to be like Napoleon, but of course, that's just straight up evil.
    HOI4 is a game, it's a simulation, you can do whatever the fuck you want, invade countries, become allies with countries, join a faction, become any country.
    I love HOI4 because I just, feel like Napoleon. Haha.

    • @_casanova
      @_casanova 2 ปีที่แล้ว +3

      I agree, I love HOI4 for the same reason. But being like Napoleon is pure evil? How?

    • @nein236
      @nein236 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@_casanova Invading pretty much every country in Europe (including fking switzerland), millions dying because of that, for what? If that isnt evil idk.

    • @lGNITED
      @lGNITED 2 ปีที่แล้ว

      ​@@_casanova Invading countries
      I don't think Napoleon is evil, not at all, I think that invading countries for no reason is evil, and I want to invade a country, for fun, that's evil.

  • @Bob36509
    @Bob36509 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    It actually allows to create the most out of shit world scenario ever

  • @KairuinKorea
    @KairuinKorea 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I must be the only HOI4 player that actually LOVES naval in this game.
    I mean.. I did make TWO ultimate naval tutorials, one is 5 hours long lol...

  • @saladbruh2625
    @saladbruh2625 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    hoi4 vanilla is still raw in my opinion. boring ahh game , mods come in clutch

  • @snensnmt
    @snensnmt 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    As much as I love HOI4 I gotta say that it's objectively a terrible game. Broken mechanics, lackluster vanilla gameplay, terrible AI, it just feels unpolished in every corner. I think the recent updates (supply hubs, trains and the upcoming new division manager) make the game a bit more sophisticated and interesting, unfortunately, knowing Paradox, none of these work, or will work, in any satisfying form. The game gets repedeatly broken by new mechanics while old ones never really worked well in the first place. And if you've played the game a bit more thoroughly you are soon gonna realise how shallow it is. If it wasn't for the superb modding community, the game would've been decent at best. But the sheer capability of some modders is staggering. Modders have done thus far more for the replayability of the game than Paradox itself. HOI4 success lies in the dedication of the community and Paradox monopoly on the genre. There is no other HOI4 type game that can compete.

  • @TomyrisTK
    @TomyrisTK 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I haven’t even watched the video yet but I just wanted to say I’ve never played a hoi game and I don’t even have a pc but I love watching me some hoi. The day it comes out on console or I get a pc will be one of the best days

  • @TastyChicker1L17
    @TastyChicker1L17 3 หลายเดือนก่อน +2

    don't forget that no step back introduced the sickest trailer ever and also the ability to print man outof nothing (ideological loaylty spirit of the army)

  • @DioBrando-mr5xs
    @DioBrando-mr5xs 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It's easy. It's a baby game for vanilla. Mods are the only way to improve it, but it still can't fix a lot of the issues caused by simplification. But for non-grognards, that's a good thing.

  • @brianlempa
    @brianlempa 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I'd make sure not to discount some of the other youtubers that have split off over time...Rimmy (Rimmy Downunder) honestly was a big reason why I suck around for hoi4 with his relatable yet quirky personality to say the least
    Also his approach to content like his Infamous "peaceful" bad man video.

  • @Chirchy
    @Chirchy 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Chirchy’s my fav hoi4 youtuber

  • @anonimo2932
    @anonimo2932 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    you didn't talk about the BEST mod of Hoi4
    Equestria at war

  • @sovietpowersupereme6231
    @sovietpowersupereme6231 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Controversial opinion: Equestria at war Is the best Mod on the hoi4 workshop

  • @mikayari185
    @mikayari185 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    It's really just another Fallout 4 if you ask me. HOI4 isn't as buggy as Fallout where you literally need an Unofficial Patch and a few other mods to not only fix bugs but completely revise small systems in the game.
    But mods equally make up the bulk to what's "fun" in HOI4, especially for instance when the devs give focuses to the most irrelevant countries like Ethiopia that is better off given to Austria (the most important nation in WW2 and it still uses the generic focus tree.)

  • @johannesdolch
    @johannesdolch 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Just saw this on Steam for 10 bucks, yay. Then realized that to actually play the entire game they want 85 bucks (on Sale!!!!). No, thank you!

  • @B121AN1
    @B121AN1 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    I guess you forgot to mention Drew Durnil

  • @Xavier17.5
    @Xavier17.5 2 ปีที่แล้ว

    because it's good.

  • @ElDotore651
    @ElDotore651 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Bruh of course Hoi4 is immortal.I took 300 hours only playing 1 country didnt try other countries(i played that 1 country muuuultiple times with different strategies) only to learn little by little and still didnt find that sweet conquer whole world fast.

  • @CrazySeanYT
    @CrazySeanYT 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    If their where no mods for this game it would have died a long time ago. Mod's are the only reason i have played past 350 hours.

  • @technoimperialist9509
    @technoimperialist9509 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    The only problem with HOI4 is 1. It's kind of boring very quickly 2. THE LAUNCHER

  • @CptDawner
    @CptDawner 2 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    When Peter Griffin said: “Would you rather be homeless with a 5% chance of getting inherited by a rich guy, or be Hitler two years before the end of WW2?” I selected option 2. Who doesn’t wanna try being hitler?

    • @sponko
      @sponko  2 ปีที่แล้ว

      Messed up big time. ALot of dead Jews

  • @Matihood1
    @Matihood1 2 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    I have 2084 hours in HoI4. I think the vanilla game is terrible. But Kaiserreich and other large mods are awesome.

  • @justsometimber1nthelake873
    @justsometimber1nthelake873 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Simple answer, only game where u can play as WW2 Germany without major setbacks.

  • @teph1256
    @teph1256 2 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I think the reason hoi4 became popular is because of its simplicity.
    there is some depths, but it's not a case of putting a foot into the water and instantly drowning like previous grand strategy games.
    you have relatively few and straight forward systems, which while they do have some weirdness to them, aren't apparent, and therefore it's not overwhelming. You get a few choice in each system at first, and get a pretty good idea of where it vaguely lead without having to read every step of the way.
    So the new player experience (at least at first not without 25 dlcs pilling up) a new player can learn and launch themselves into their first game, and look deeper into it for later games after seeing what went wrong instead of having a cliff to climb at game launch.