HOI4 Tutorial Stream [A US Let's Play for Hearts of Iron IV]

Join me on an exciting journey back in time to 1936. We must defend the world from Fascists, Empires, and Communists!
We'll move slowly through the game, explaining the different facets and providing hints and tips on how to get the most out of your forces.

[@Thumper770]

Dude, you sound like a young Tom Hanks. LOL

[@hotwaff]

Thanks a lot Bridger, this video helped clear up some things that were confusing me. Especially regarding "Prepare Intervention". I didn't realize the USA started with Undisturbed Isolation and that changing to Isolation was actually an improvement. Cheers.

[@harveyvaughan4948]

Amazing Stuff! your a great channel! and you deserve so much more subscribers and views!

[@paulobrien6978]

Very much like you're style of commentary and play, thanks for the videos!

[@LibertarianUSA1982]

im so confused with this game, just downloaded it and I have no idea what im doing.

[@MikhaelAhava]

T20 was a prototype for the T26 commonly called as Pershing, later on the T26 was improved and renamed M46 Partton, then the M47 Patton came along as an improvement, then M48, the M60 Patton.

[@iRebels08]

I'm from Connecticut as well, nice video. Subbed!

[@DreadX10]

Can't find the time-index anymore where you talk about creating a new airwing. You can set the desired (future) size of the airwing prior to clicking the 'ok' button by using the icon that shows you current/desired size. No need to remember and go back to the airwing after it has deployed to an airfield.

[@thomasskelly8485]

If you decide to finish this. If you join the allies it would give you the chance to join the main war (earlier then history). It would allow the War bonds. Not sure if you are ready for a direct confrontation from japan yet though. Loving your content new sub!

[@northeee]

Learning this great game slowly 👍🏻 great help thanks

[@badejong]

Wow Bridger! Another 3 hours watching this one and I realy learned a lot from you about the game. I have bought the game last friday but only installed it so far. Something I always do is watching playtroughs to see if (a.) I like the game enough to purchase it and (b.) watch some more to start playing as noob+... I would realy like to see you playing another game just like this one but starting as a country not involved in the war and far away from the major powers.. And the see how that turns out... Hands together for this one!

[@despair7887]

he is a country who is far away from the major powers and a country that will join the war late

[@CaptainHightop]

Don't know if it was covered in the chat during the stream, but the B24 Liberator was a superior bomber to the B17 in almost every way. It had greater payload and range, and more B24s where built and saw service than B17s. So the game having them as the more advanced strategic bomber is accurate.

[@Viper5delta]

But were they as tough?

[@craighauser9482]

Ur vids are fantastic. Bettter then the official youtube guides. Too bad there is no guides for the updates the dlcs added to the game!

[@lastfirst5863]

This is all very well and all, but can Poland into space?

[@danielm6739]

There's an achievement related to that

[@alcapwn7622]

1:19:00 They built tens of thousands of Pattons and it's variants.

[@reticentraven]

Fun fact: 1:07:43 the Maple Leaf came into use on February 15, 1965 (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Canada). The flag featured here in HOI4 is the Canadian Red Ensign (1921 version I believe - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Red_Ensign).

[@Slaw444]

Poland government never surrendered. On 17th of September Soviet Union Army entered east of Poland. In response to that polish government evacuated to Romania and then to France. So did polish army or what was left of it. But wasn't that Reds attack from back polish army would have fought much longer. I just thought you would like to know that. Thanks for tutorial.

[@ethantrent297]

I think a war plan Britain series would be extremely cool

[@pclubwon]

Why not build the max amount of factories before you come off pause?

[@TheBanditBren]

Liberator did a TON more work than the b-17. B-17 got the glory because it looked more intimidating and had a cool nick name, Flying Fortress

[@JavisoGaming]

Bridge you're in CT?! I'm in NJ,

[@ThisOLmaan]

Bridger: ok my question to you is. Was it hard and overwhelmed form all Tabs, tech trees, Ect? cuz there's a lot. i mean i see many plays this game, and every single Friend on steam has this game.

[@venom17a]

great vid thx! Im trying figure out y i lose when fighting starts, Im no good at the details. like how do i send fresh built forces across the ocean, like as japan, them nations near china easily defeat me bcuz i cant send new forces or help with ship bombardments

[@Captain_Lui]

Venom Blueangry lol same

[@Ocrilat]

just a weird question. I see as the USA that you can build 2 models of tier 2 CV...the Ranger and the Yorktown, and they both look identical, except for the name. Is there a difference?

[@Bridger15]

They do indeed. The Ranger is a Variant of the yorktown that has +1 point in all 4 categories (speed, armor, reliability, deck size). You get both at the start of the game.

[@Ocrilat]

Bridger Oh...interesting. I'll check it out. Thanks!

[@TwoBitWriter]

One very interesting thing I noticed. the build penalties from your economy type does not impact dockyards. Perhaps a good build strategy for the USA is to start with Dockyards so you can get an early boost with a super-charged navy. Once you get to partial mobilization or war economy you are looking at a ridiculous number of civilian factories ready to build war factories at an increased speed.

[@Bridger15]

Well the only problem with that is the lack of "good" naval units to build. IIRC the US only has one or two Tier 2 naval units. In addition, the US providing lend-lease can be very valuable in the period before they can get into the war.

[@TwoBitWriter]

+Bridger If the US is able to build a massive Pacific Fleet early I think it could quickly shut down Japan in the Pacific and wreck their convoys with sub and destroyer spam backed up with decent capitals. At the very least I find it interesting that dockyards don't get penalized as military factories do.

[@Asmodai.]

why is providence where old saybrook is supposed to be

[@flamedrag18]

you should have the parts sectioned off in the description for people looking for specific things, like rockets, ect.

[@Bridger15]

Unfortunately I don't have 3 hours to perform that task :( I'd be happy to throw them in the description if somebody wants to send me the time stamps. I'm already quite a bit behind schedule. There are 3 videos I should have had uploaded by now but I just haven't had time to finish them :(

[@pira707]

You should put a link to your twitch on your profile thingy.

[@Frosty14748]

yeah he should

[@Bridger15]

Done!

[@dragonzord6615]

im really trying to get into this game but every time i open it and start a game i get overwhelmed in the options and depth of it and close it soon after :(

[@Bridger15]

It helps if you have a friend who you can play co-op with. Even just playing a multiplayer co-op with someone and being the guy who controls production and research while the other guy makes all the main decisions can be helpful for learning.

[@ptracey9560]

that naval base named Providence is in the wrong spot, but the naval base was in New Port RI which is correct on the map almost. its just named wrong really should be called New Port Naval Base. I know my grand mothers brother died at the New Port Naval base of Cancer

[@Oggmasta]

dude i'm Spanish guy living in Uk, and I know the B-24 (Liberator) was a bigger more powerful than the B17 (Flying fortress), but the B17 was built in greater numbers and more extensivly used in more war theartres

[@jimmyyin9650]

i like the BGM

[@matthewitt7453]

Nationalist and Republican Spain both can get 6 research slots so it isn't exclusive to the US. But hey 6 research slots is a bonus for the US considering it is always backwards tech wise in HOI games.

[@hunterwagenaar7936]

how can you add theatres if it is not doing it for you?

[@Bridger15]

Select an army, then look on the right hand side. There should be a "new theater" button. Just click on that to put the army into a new theater. This button may not pop up if you only have 1 army total.

[@G4MR1]

Have you tried twitch.tv? I think that viewer base would appreciate your presence there :) Edit: Watching the video you started talking about twitch chat, what's your twitch channel?

[@Bridger15]

www.twitch.tv/bridger15/ I stream to both at the same time. KZbin allows me to stream at higher quality though. So i stream at 1080p60 FPS on youtube and 720p30 on twitch.

[@ScottNguyenRCAC]

I'm waiting right now...

[@SirRemski]

starts at 8:45

[@royrached6668]

can you plan for air raids against cities or airfields or ports...

[@Rich_828]

If the transport is in range yes

[@darkdayskelly6190]

great video! you sound just like tom hanks

[@mantic0251]

Just came to watch a US playthrough and tutorial. So, when I first started watching I totally thought Tom Hanks was actually playing HOI4 and giving the tutorial as some promotion thing. He does sound totally like him. :D

[@Bridger15]

WILSOOOOOOOOOOOON!

[@Spewaks]

+Bridger YOU! ARE! A! TOOOOYYYYYY!!!

[@buckn5]

What faction would you suggest for a first time HOI4 player like I am?

[@Bridger15]

I always suggest France (on recruit difficulty), because it has a clear goal (build up and defend) and if you don't survive, you have an excuse (the game is stacked against you).

[@philotas4539]

Wow you really want people playing for the first time to lose, do you? :D

[@Bridger15]

Yeah, but you're probably going to lose anyway, and this way, you can just blame France :P

[@philotas4539]

well if you don't lose at some point, you're not really learning. Are you

[@MrMiska12345]

play my first game with finland and ended up becoming facist and seizing all scandinavia and former soviet union, still wondering wtf just happened

[@EastEvolutions]

is it my computer? every time I play Hoi4 It gets really laggy

[@mad_max21]

Yes, because we're supposed to telepathically know your PC specs without you posting it.

[@youonlyhadtochooseaurl]

My computer chokes a lot of this game and I'm running a i5 4690k and a R9 290

[@aztkshorty9138]

late game it'll choke for everyone. No matter how good the pc because the game gets unstable. late game theres atleast 1,000 units for every major and that lags the games engine to hell

[@Thumper770]

I think it was supposed to be Hartford.

[@craighauser9482]

U were right about Providence btw. lol

[@RIDICULOUSTRUTH]

....and, in this scenario, of course, neither fully before you've ridden yourself of Depression &such

[@youonlyhadtochooseaurl]

That wasn't the pacific that was south Asia

[@GenghisVern]

problem building early ships is they don't upgrade.

[@Bridger15]

True, but lower level ships is better than no ships, and building them takes a LONG time. Why not use your naval capacity while you have it?

[@GenghisVern]

I put it into Ranger class, made another 5 carriers while I researched sims then fletcher class. and enterprise of course Do you know if planes upgrade? I've never been sure.

[@Bridger15]

No, but the attrition rate for planes is much higher than for ships, so you'll likely lose the weaker planes as they get destroyed and eventually your ships will be filled with your most recent planes. Also: Even if your older planes don't get shot down, your carriers should automatically replace them if there are extra, more modern versions available in your stockpile.

[@GenghisVern]

Providence RI lol

[@reubenhawk6414]

book mark 2:06:02

[@nathanrobinson1099]

The new deal did not actually get rid of the great depression.

[@B2Roland]

Exacty, the war did. Gotta love FDR taking the credit when selling munitions, weapons and resources to the rest of the planet was the real savior.

[@nathanrobinson1099]

B2Roland Well they were already helping out the British militarily before Pearl Harbor, and American capital already completely built up the USSR and heavily aided Germany.

[@Normacly]

It was the combination of the New Deal idea combined with the booming militarized economy that lift the USA from the depression. Sure the USA made a lot of money out of selling weapons, but most Americans would have never see much of that wealth if not for pro-worker New Deal laws. Workers were able to legally unionized and businesses had to negotiate with the unions, the Federal government stepped in to help establish better wages, and etc. It was because of these policies that the US experienced its highest wealth equality during WW2. After the war, the Federal government again stepped in by providing veterans with the GI Bill. With that, large numbers of veterans were able to attended colleges. The GI Bill also provided veterans with low-interest loans for homes and small businesses. The Federal government provided insurance for banks in exchange many large banks lowered the down-payment and interest rates for home/car buyers. The Federal government funded massive highway construction throughout the nation allowing for the creations of suburbans. It was only through these "socialist" policies that a large percentage of White Americans achieved middle class status. Otherwise, it would been a repeat of post-WW1 where corporations hoarded nearly all the wealth and kept their workers in poverty aside from the few managers/supervisors. It is important to note that I mentioned only White Americans as mainly benefiting from these policies. While the bills didn't directly mention the exclusion of African Americans and Hispanics, states (dominated mostly by White supremacists) were given the power to choose who could received the Federal benefits such as the GI bill. Nearly all the major banks also refused to sell quality homes and provide the low-interest loans to qualifying black and sometimes Hispanic buyers. Therefore, most black families who could have achieved high middle-class were forced to take out high-interested loans and buy overpriced homes or rent overpriced homes/apartments, thus restricting them to low-middle class and the working class.

[@nathanrobinson1099]

***** Lol I see you have idealized the New Deal. Without any mention of its vast thefts and absolutely destructive policies. It was actually the new deal that extended the depression, the war fixed it.

[@Normacly]

Nathan Robinson ...I didn't idealized the New Deal. Also, the only who created the claim that was "destructive" happened to be all who opposed labor laws and minimum wages. Heck, even Reagan himself admitted that the New Deals was a good thing. You need to study your history more. Look at the US when there was no legal rights for workers, no social laws, and etc. i.e. the Glided Age. Sure was a paradise for the average Americans.

[@modernzombieguy2672]

Man I wish he continued the American campaign

[@Bridger15]

I plan to in the future. It's on my long list of things to do. Being part-time youtuber is hard :\ Specifically, I'd like to try out some of the AI mods when they mature a little more. I hope they can make the game more enjoyable :)

[@modernzombieguy2672]

+Bridger Awesome man that's great.Your one of the few I watched who know what they are doing

[@dalemccoy7764]

you sound like john lithgow

[@RIDICULOUSTRUTH]

....a silent workhorse will always "pay off" from the very moment he is hired... it won't max out for Three years, though.

[@Bridger15]

Well yes, his bonus is applied from the moment he is hired, but you are "in the hole" 150 pp that could have been spent elsewhere until he pays himself off completely after the ~3 year period. If another minister would have been critically valuable for that 3 year timeline, then it would be the better choice. If having an extra minister 6 years later was a better value, that would be the best choice. Since I always have every slot I really care about filled by 1940 or 41, it's usually not worth it for the silent workhorse. For France/US, however, with those big penalties to PP gain, silent workwhorse can help you catch up later on.

[@RIDICULOUSTRUTH]

....though you'll have more political Power, and thus be able to do alot more all the while you're waiting for it to "pay off"... a payoff, in it's own right... nothing like a few small annexations, before tensions Reach so high states are guaranteed Independence, eh? ...in a warsimulator, I mean ;)

[@Bridger15]

Until it pays for itself, you'll be at a net negative vs. taking something more useful. in June of 1936 I have 150 PP. I could use that to hire a minister who gives me .05 Land XP per day or I can hire a silent workhorse and get a small increase in political power for 3 years. At the end of 3 years I can have 55 land experience or I can have a small pp boost for the rest of the game. Much of the time that land XP is more valuable, because for most nations, PP isn't hard to come by, and you only critically need to apply 3-4 ministers/law changes before the rest are "nice to have but are not critical."

[@rocketsboy044]

Why doesn't he have the Philippines?

[@Bridger15]

In this first release of the game, the Philippines was considered a "Colony" by the game mechanics, so it was not directly controlled by me.

[@Ronin.97]

You said if you nuke Washington like 2 times they surrender. Guess not in my game as Germany I nuked the US about 13 times. Washington, New York, Boston etc etc and there was little progress towards them surrendering.

[@Bridger15]

I nuked washington twice *and* occupied New York, Boston, Washington, basically the entire northeast and mid atlantic. The nukes only lower national unity. I got the US unity from ~65 down to 25%. That means I only needed to occupy 25% of their victory points in order to force them to surrender. Nukes by themselves don't cause a surrender, but they make it so you don't have to take as much from them.

[@Ronin.97]

Ah ok makes sense. Im having trouble invading the US Since they just have overwhelming amounts of forces and If i bring like one army of 24 they have hard attrition since little supply ( i always take a port in invasions first as well but doesnt help much )

[@RXTRUX1]

Lol, wow did the makers not understand Imperial government.

[@Bridger15]

Not sure what you mean?

[@HamsterPants522]

I think Yiglic might mean in the sense that the function of an empire isn't to dissolve the governmental and societal structure of the countries they conquer, whereas all of the countries in this game effectively do that when they conquer territories. Just my guess. That's the main way I could see the "empires" in this game being unlike real empires.

[@alanwu9019]

why did u never spend ur political power efficiently = =

[@Bridger15]

Because I spent the entire stream trying to pay attention to the chat, answer all questions there, and explain in detail all the things i was doing on my 4th game ever of playing HOI4 >_

[@alanwu9019]

Fair enough... I guess chat is really distracting.

[@briandoyle6534]

"I can't invade Mexico, I'm a democrat" lol. Didn't seem to cause Jame K Polk much fuss. . .

[@jakebradley6399]

Xx

[@nickmyers3065]

tHIS GUY HAD 40 HOURS AND is giving advice haha

[@Bridger15]

Yeah man, check the date. This was recorded on release day :)