Arsenal of Democracy strives to bring realism to the WWII simulation genre

“Combat is now based on historical research and complies with the simulation of military theorists”

World War II has long been a favorite for war-combat game publishers as well as for hobbyists who like to play tactical military games. There have been any number of games based on the event, from board games to video-games. Arsenal of Democracy is tossing its gaming hat into that ring, but is striving to bring a depth of realism to the genre that heretofore has not been present.

Some of the features of the game include:

• Totally reworked combat mechanics, new missions and realistic combat behavior and losses
• Several new technologies
• New espionage interface and reworked espionage system
• One of the most detailed economy and production systems found in any Hearts of Iron game as well as a realistic logistics system
• Everything is moddable
• AI reworked and now poses a genuine threat, even to experienced players

Lennart Berg, co-project lead on Arsenal of Democracy at BL-Logic, talks about the title.

What makes the WWII setting such a viable environment for a game, and one that continues to drawn gamers?

Lennart: WW2 is the largest and most bloody war ever to face the Earth - a time of chaos, a time of possibilities, a time of great technological advances and the dawn of the modern – or should we say, post-nuclear – era.

Any number of small odds and chances in that timeframe have determined history and made our way of life.

The idea to go back in time and see “what if” is an intriguing possibility … especially when the time in question is a world-changing event like WW2.

Tell us about the revamped combat within the game. How do you create that authentic battle experience? 

Lennart: Ohh… that is a big question.

Well, in Arsenal of Democracy you play from the viewpoint of a general – meaning you don’t see each man running around, but focus on entire divisions – that means their strength, organization, logistics and equipment.

Those who know a little about the Hearts of Iron franchise will recognize the combat immediately, but under the hood it’s an entirely different beast.

Combat is now based on historical research and complies with the simulation of military theorists.

So the units fight with diminishing returns, taking into account the frontage of the combat, each division has a stock of supplies that is used in combat and refilled by the logistical situation – that means both the provincial / domestic and infrastructure separating the division and the nearest supply depot.

Effects of defensive unit stats have been remodeled, and new stats like artillery bombardment have been added.

Combat engagements are now many times longer, and grow in time as the number of units increases on both sides. The “softness” of units is now very important, giving tanks options to break through dug-in troops, and brigades now offer real specialization and opportunities.

And there’s much, much more to combat in Arsenal of Democracy – it’s really quite a big subject, and that was only land combat.

Also for the real historians: Battle reports now give man-loss stats, and the new ledgers to compare losses for all countries and losses per combat effectively allow for much more immersion into the historical aspect.

What is new and different about the espionage system in the game?

Lennart: For one we totally removed the need to start each mission – just set a priority for each country, select the mission to be executed and invest some money into espionage, and the system is ready to roll. Behind the scenes each day is divided into three phases for the espionage system:

• The Domestic – try to detect enemy spies
• The International – sending spies according to priority
• The Mission – each spy tries to complete / advance its assigned mission, while still trying to stay hidden.

What changes were made to the AI to improve the challenge for players?

Lennart: Well, we have tweaked and improved the AI pretty much all around, but I think noteworthy would be that the AI now is smarter about shipping its units into remote areas – its naval invasions are meant disrupt and also to do some harm.

The production AI has been totally revamped and it now uses all the new features, like upgrading production lines to newer models and lengthening / shortening serial builds, and effectively uses each Industrial Capacity point (IC) as well as the player… so prepare for big showdowns with industrial giants like the USSR and USA.

Actually, there are a lot of features that both the AI and the player gain advantages from, like the automatic distribution of aviation to do the most damage. The AI also has been limited in its actions somewhat, like naval units only being able to move within their historical range from friendly ports, instead of wasting its time on the wrong side of the globe. Meaning it concentrates its forces more and therefore poses a bigger threat.

With the amount of modding open to players, can they forge their own paths through the war and create their own quest lines that might lead to a different outcome?

Lennart: They can even make their own maps and scenarios, if that’s what they want. We have removed a lot of limits for the modding community and ported pretty much every combat and economic variable to external files to open up for modding purposes.

Will players be able to share mods? Does the game have a social network in place or other multiplayer features?

Lennart: We are using Paradox’s infrastructure for this, so this means a forum-based solution where users can meet and interact. Multiplayer matchmaking will also be supported via GameRanger, a free download. There also are forum threads for sharing mods and requesting features.

What did you try to accomplish with this game that has not been done before?

Lennart: In short: adding the depth of a real hardcore WW2 simulation, without having to give players spreadsheet syndrome and losing gameplay and ease of use.

We tried to model the whole setting as realistically as possible, while simultaneously taking care that actual gameplay options, user friendliness and overall fun should increase in direct correlation.

Our secondary focus lies on near 100% historically correct facts and data, as well as optimized balancing that represents fun gameplay and hard-edged accuracy as well.

With so many changes to the game, from the interface to the gameplay mechanics, what do you think will take players by surprise and what do you think will create a new fan base?

Lennart: I think players will first of all be surprised by the tons of small detail changes we made and implemented. We have integrated so many tiny improvements besides the big changes, that we have reached a level of complexity and accuracy that can be quite fascinating. Most of them are only visible through updated and new tooltips, or are just noticeable through large amounts of gameplay itself. E.g. we take into account aging personnel to avoid late-war unit overcrowding, or give small bonuses for concentrated industrial capacity to simulate the advantages of high-density industrial regions. I think we will build a new fan base through a combination of high-value big and medium features like rapid production or national ideas, accuracy and an intense focus on smaller details.