Paradox Entertainment is turning its focus to 20th-century history. The Stockholm-based development house that wowed grognards with the exhaustive Europa Universalis series last year is now working on Hearts of Iron, a game that shifts the focus forward a few hundred years to World War II. The turbulent 1930s and 1940s will be standing in for the Middle Ages and the Renaissance in the new game, which is tentatively scheduled for release in North America this October.

　　Hearts of Iron will take the grand strategy of Europa Universalis into WWII. Expect comparisons to be made between Europa Universalis and Hearts of Iron, as the latter is being constructed around the framework of the former. Although there will be obvious differences in regard to timeline and technology, Hearts of Iron will also be a game of grand strategy that spans the world. You may start off with the basic European struggle between democracy, fascism, and communism, but you will soon open up new fronts in far-flung corners of the globe left untouched by the real conflict. Every nation on earth will be playable, and the detail will be so thorough that you'll be able to command thousands of historical figures from heads of state to minor functionaries and military officers. This will be accompanied by a painstaking simulation of government operations and diplomacy, along with an all-new combat system featuring more than 100 different ground, sea, and air units. GameSpot recently spoke with lead designer Johan Andersson for more details.

　　GameSpot: How similar will Hearts of Iron be to the Europa Universalis games? Have you replaced the Hundred Years' War with Axis and Allies?

　　Johan Andersson: That's one way to describe it. However, the game is so different that it is very hard to compare it to any other game. In Europa Universalis you guide a nation through four centuries of history, involving yourself in more aspects than war. Hearts of Iron is focused more on the great conflict of the 20th century and the circumstances surrounding war such as military maneuvers, technological research, logistics, and diplomatic cooperation.

　　GS: What are you trying to accomplish with gameplay? Are you trying to re-create the feel of Europa Universalis, or branch out in different directions?

　　"We are trying to create a game where you can try to change the course of the war."-- Johan Andersson,

　　     Paradox Entertainment JA: Of course we want the feel of Europa Universalis, as it's obviously what people like. We are trying to create a game where you can try to change the course of the war. Our goal is to create a game which has enormous depth and replayability, but at the same time is easy to get into playing. What we really want to have is the ability to refight the Second World War. You'll be able to change the course of history--or merely try all of the "What if?" questions everybody has always imagined about the conflict. What would have happened if the Soviet Union had decided not to invade Finland, and thus never learned how vulnerable their forces really were? Or what would have happened if Germany had decided to implement Operation Sea Lion and invaded Britain before embarking on the invasion of Russia in Operation Barbarossa?

The Grand Campaign

　　The conflict in Hearts of Iron will span the entire globe. GS: Can you describe what players will experience in Hearts of Iron? Is it going to be a "grand campaign" style of game that looks at the entire struggle between democracy and fascism? Or will it be more of a set-piece game, with the focus on specific scenarios?

　　JA: I would say that it is more of a grand campaign game, where you try to make your side win a large-scale struggle. There are actually three different sides to the conflict, and one side--the communist Comintern--can join either the Axis or the Allies, or stay neutral. The rest of the countries are neutrals and will be affected by diplomatic actions by the major powers. Democratic nations cannot go on offensive wars without positive popular opinion at home or a parliament fully in favor of it. This will make the USA a fun nation to play, as you can't go into war until you are attacked or the public opinion is in favor of it, and the opinion for war is primarily increased by Axis or Comintern success. You will focus on the strategic planning of wars, with some tactical options, and build large coalitions through diplomacy. Complex convoy systems will be required to provide raw materials for your industries. You will provide logistics for your armies and develop new technologies and doctrines for your troops. You can also send out submarines to hunt the other nations' convoy routes and order bombing missions on enemy cities and industries to reduce their capabilities.

　　GS: How will the game be balanced between diplomacy and combat? Is more emphasis being placed on battle here because of the focus on a war instead of a time period?

　　JA: Well, the diplomatic system is deeper than in Europa Universalis, but I would have to say that war is a bigger focus here. I don't think you'll check your diplomatic actions every day, while you might at some points focus on detailed battle plans progressing by the hour. Your primary focus is the battlefield, as everything else you do is an extension of combat. You research new technology so your troops can fight better, you spend time using your diplomatic options to make your battles easier, and you maintain your logistics routes so that your troops can fight, or even to make sure that you have troops at all.

　　GS: Does technology play an important role? Will players be able to research advancements like jet power and atomic weapons?

　　JA: The technology system we have developed is the most advanced ever made for a computer game. We currently have about 700 technologies that can be researched, in 14 categories like rocket technologies and naval doctrines. The system has been designed and researched by some military historians for almost a year. I can take one technology as an example, the basic submachine gun, which is an application in the infantry category. When you have researched that technology, all new infantry units utilizing it will have better soft-attack values.

　　GS: Europa Universalis II walked a fine line between players being able to make up history as they went and certain specific events that were unavoidable. Is the new game being designed like this? Will certain trigger events from real-world history take place no matter what the player does?

　　JA: I personally don't like events which take place no matter what. I like events that are hard to avoid, but can be avoidable at a great conscious effort. We will try to have the same balance as in Europa Universalis II. One thing that definitely will be included is the option to select which party will win elections in the democratic countries.

Command Rommel and Ribbentrop

　　GS: Will players encounter historical figures? If so, what sort of personalities can they expect to come across? Just major political personages, or military leaders as well?

　　You'll command some of the most decorated generals of WWII. JA: Each country will have a government with a head of state, a head of government, and eight ministers/staff chiefs. Each of the latter group will include historical persons like Ribbentrop, Molotov, and Roosevelt. These ministers each have a distinct personality, which gives various benefits or penalties to their field of work. They also have various skill and loyalty levels. The research work being done here is staggering, as we are implementing everything from the Foreign Minister of Belgium (Paul-Henri Spaak) to the Brazilian Minister of Justice (Alexandre Marcondes Filho). We also will have most army, corps, and divisional commanders of the Second World War available in the game to command your troops, including Rommel, Alexander, Montgomery, and Fleischer.

　　GS: How are you handling the more sensitive aspects of the Second World War? Are you addressing Nazi and Japanese atrocities at all? Will there be any reference to the Holocaust?

　　JA: No, you will not be able to build any concentration camps. We will not even have the American [internment] camps for people of Japanese descent in the game. This is supposed to be a game, and simulating or referencing acts so vile that they make wars look humane [in comparison] does not make a game fun.

　　GS: Any fears that you'll encounter WWII burnout? A lot of games based on the war have come out over the past few years, in all genres, and there's a sense that some gamers are a little tired of it all.

　　JA: I don't think that is the case, as there have not been any grand strategic games on the World War II era for almost a decade. Of course, games such as Sudden Strike and Return to Wolfenstein have been in this flavor, but there have not been any strategic games recently released. The last grand strategy game set during the Second World War was Clash of Steel, released almost 10 years ago.

　　GS: What multiplayer options will be offered?

　　JA: This will be similar to Europa Universalis II, where each player controls a nation at a certain point in time. The difference is that in some later starting dates, the alliances are more or less set in stone, so the game becomes much more cooperative. And with the diplomatic system we are developing for the game, there are some very interesting cooperative features. For example, as an Italian player you might let the Germans take control over almost your entire army on the eastern front while you focus on Africa. We have completely overhauled our Valkyrienet service, so multiplayer gaming should receive wider support.

　　GS: Is Hearts of Iron being built with the Europa Universalis engine? Any significant changes being made?

　　JA: It is being built on the Europa Universalis engine in the sense that it is a huge code library with an event-driven architecture, which makes developing easy. We kept a lot of things, such as the interface system, the concept of country and province, and the map engine. There's a large amount of new code in the game compared to the Europa Universalis series. For example, technology, unit, and combat elements have been written entirely from scratch.

　　GS: How are you handling sound? Are you planning a period score like that used to great effect in Europa Universalis II?

　　JA: We are going to use really good recordings of music which was played during this era. The game will feature everything from soft lounge tunes to very dramatic classical music.

　　GS: Thanks a lot for your time.

　　JA: It's been my pleasure.