Hears of Iron IV: Man the Guns - 6/10

So, I've had some time to marinate with Man the Guns, as it has been out for a few weeks at the time of writing this. My review here is not meant to cause controversy or flame Paradox, but rather to give some insight about what this DLC got right, and what it got wrong.

With that being said,

1 - Unfocused Trees

One of the biggest things I happened to dislike in this pack ended up, shockingly, being the focus trees. Maybe it's because I'm just not interested in somewhere like the Netherlands, but just the way they went about doing the US, UK, and the Dutch trees just felt so wrong. And I couldn't really put my finger on why until I read the review from @guachiman. An excerpt from that review: "Every nation is now completely controlled by it's own focus trees"; I couldn't agree more. The ahistory of the gameplay (I.E. fascist demagogues and communist revolutionaries) seems completely neglected. Now decisions and focuses basically decide what you'll be for you. This makes the game feel more linear. Nations are now dependent on their trees not for bonuses, but for most of the things you do in the game.

Now, in being fair, I'd like to mention how wonderful the Mexican focus tree truly is. It's definitely my favorite in the game, and if every nation in this DLC got a path along the lines of Mexico's the pack would be vastly improved. The guy who made the tree should be in charge of all the trees, because he clearly did his research and made a truly unique and interesting tree. Kudos for that.

2 - We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

So, the main gameplay expansion from this pack is boats! Yes, boats! I'll be totally fair here, the improvements are good ones. Naval terrain, Naval exercises, and Templates are all welcome changes. But, again, I'd like to quote someone from an MTG public game I hosted:

"i didn't understand naval combat before, and now i double don't understand it"

The truth is that the changes are not easy to learn. Unlike Waking the Tiger, where the changes were easy and simple to grasp, it took me around 5 hours of gameplay to learn how to work my Navy. Maybe I'm just an idiot, but it really shouldn't take anyone more than 30 minutes to learn how to work the new system.

3 - Black Gold, Texas T

Fuel, my friends. It's a thing now. And it's actually a really good gameplay improvement that I totally endorse. It's simple to understand and it's something that will directly affect a nation like Germany.

4 - The End

There is still the question that needs to be answered: Is Hearts of Iron IV: Man the Guns worth buying?

Eh. Maybe? I guess.

In conclusion, it's okay at best, and annoying at worst. If you like what you see, then you'll probably enjoy the pack, but don't expect to be blown away. If none of this interests you, then you're not losing anything by passing. Maybe it's because it has to live up to Waking the Tiger, a pack that improved gameplay and effectively gave 10 or so nations new things to do, but either way Man the Guns felt really underwhelming.

~~ Captain Tom

Hears of Iron IV: Man the Guns - 6/10 So, I've had some time to marinate with Man the Guns, as it has been out for a few weeks at the time of writing this. My review here is not meant to cause controversy or flame Paradox, but rather to give some insight about what this DLC got right, and what it got wrong. With that being said, 1 - Unfocused Trees One of the biggest things I happened to dislike in this pack ended up, shockingly, being the focus trees. Maybe it's because I'm just not interested in somewhere like the Netherlands, but just the way they went about doing the US, UK, and the Dutch trees just felt so wrong. And I couldn't really put my finger on why until I read the review from @guachiman. An excerpt from that review: "Every nation is now completely controlled by it's own focus trees"; I couldn't agree more. The ahistory of the gameplay (I.E. fascist demagogues and communist revolutionaries) seems completely neglected. Now decisions and focuses basically decide what you'll be for you. This makes the game feel more linear. Nations are now dependent on their trees not for bonuses, but for most of the things you do in the game. Now, in being fair, I'd like to mention how wonderful the Mexican focus tree truly is. It's definitely my favorite in the game, and if every nation in this DLC got a path along the lines of Mexico's the pack would be vastly improved. The guy who made the tree should be in charge of all the trees, because he clearly did his research and made a truly unique and interesting tree. Kudos for that. 2 - We're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat So, the main gameplay expansion from this pack is boats! Yes, boats! I'll be totally fair here, the improvements are good ones. Naval terrain, Naval exercises, and Templates are all welcome changes. But, again, I'd like to quote someone from an MTG public game I hosted: "i didn't understand naval combat before, and now i double don't understand it" The truth is that the changes are not easy to learn. Unlike Waking the Tiger, where the changes were easy and simple to grasp, it took me around 5 hours of gameplay to learn how to work my Navy. Maybe I'm just an idiot, but it really shouldn't take anyone more than 30 minutes to learn how to work the new system. 3 - Black Gold, Texas T Fuel, my friends. It's a thing now. And it's actually a really good gameplay improvement that I totally endorse. It's simple to understand and it's something that will directly affect a nation like Germany. 4 - The End There is still the question that needs to be answered: Is Hearts of Iron IV: Man the Guns worth buying? Eh. Maybe? I guess. In conclusion, it's okay at best, and annoying at worst. If you like what you see, then you'll probably enjoy the pack, but don't expect to be blown away. If none of this interests you, then you're not losing anything by passing. Maybe it's because it has to live up to Waking the Tiger, a pack that improved gameplay and effectively gave 10 or so nations new things to do, but either way Man the Guns felt really underwhelming. ~~ Captain Tom