Why Austria in HOI4 Doesn't Interest Me

Today in Hearts of Iron 4 it's finally time to take a good long look at Austria, this nation has gone unplayed by me ever since they got their focus trees, which was quite some months ago, so I'm going see what they're about.
From their focus tree, reuniting long extinguished empires and taking on former allies, we will look far and wide into Austria, we will see what's good, what's not and what ultimately is the problem that keeps me from playing them...
Music used from:
A Hat in Time:
Hearts of Iron IV:
And only that because I forgot to record hoi4's ambience. Oops.
31-01-25.

[@BubblesZest]

Just so we're clear I probably will play Austria again, it would be silly not to. There is still a lot for me to do with them. I just wanted to get this out there so it's out of my head.

[@xeanderman6688]

So.. it's all in le head?

[@poochthedog1]

They felt bad for the rng fest of the old austria hungary path so they overcompensated with one where they give you everything you want

[@duartepereira9400]

I want a wife

[@_owl_]

@@duartepereira9400You want a wife

[@orlandodanielgonzalezalcar3360]

I want the pain to stop​

[@socire72]

I want the other guy’s wife

[@AccelEng]

A bit of personal experience one might find interesting -- I always play on ahistorical, and for some reason, getting the Eastern Europe to submit by asking nicely becomes way more challenging in this case. They refuse you way more often, and if they join a faction (even if it's weak as heck), it becomes essentially impossible. It still doesn't change the fact that such a subjugation is somewhat easier than it should be, but my experience with Austria was kind of the opposite compared to BZ's. I've tried Austria out a few times, but it felt so weak that I just decided to go blue/gray Germany into the EU -- the overall mechanic is quite similar yet also more satisfying. Just my five cents~

[@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA]

I'm trying to do Hugeoslavia and i swear every time Austria or Hungary go for their democratic federation alliance path i can do nothing it's so annoying

[@cameronmcgregor2583]

Achievements are easier on historical 99% of the time ​@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA

[@freetime5803]

Maybe Im just becoming an old man (22) so I generally dont find the alternate paths in vanilla hoi interesting anymore

[@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA]

Some are interesting some are just too strong to be interesting.

[@eliasvsaa]

The real fun was in playing historical democracies all along

[@bltsevdallarfanclub641]

They cheapened it eith stupid lienchstein and women in high castle

[@Ne_Ne_Vova_UA]

@eliasvsaa historical US yaay afk for half of the game

[@Finn_the_Cat]

Get back in the retirement home Unc you need to take your meds, hows that joint pain? (I'm 21 btw)

[@zegmakker5869]

i can't wait for the next mongolia dlc where you will be able to create the full borders of the mongolian empire and get cores on the rest of the world in a 35 day focus

[@dorito3366]

I just wish focuses from hungaries path were added to Austria like the Mexico or Spain one

[@ar2014]

What do you mean? I played Spain a lot of times but not mexico so far

[@42carlos]

5:28 Put the Zest(y) in Bubbles Zest

[@slava313630]

Other Austria's pathes have interesting buffs for irregulars, pretty good experience.

[@wolfsoldner9029]

I am a bit annoyed that Paradox barely cares about weapon and vehicle icons anymore. Back then they gave hungary for excample some plane designs which were based on the design language of some real prototypes.

[@Fusseliko]

They could atleast make the vehicle icons attempt to match what they were before. How many times have I designed 1940s CAS and have it end up looking like a freaking inter-war biplane? How hard is it to make the default icon fit the type and era of plane?

[@dustydinoface]

joining a faction will bypass anschluss meaning you dont have to fight germany

[@BubblesZest]

Yeah in that moment, but if it's the allies, comintern or something else most of the time you're just delaying the inevitable.

[@_maestro08]

well in most of the case you will try to get czechoslovakia and then you will be forced to fight the germans

[@braddlesharris3577]

​@@BubblesZestjust make the central powers with Bulgaria and Turkey no one attacks them

[@OliverSkogly]

I wish they would add regnal numbers for the Habsburgs, and the other monarchs of Hungary. It looks so much nicer than the "von Habsburg" surname. Every monarch should have a regnal number. I also wish they changed the portrait of Otto to that he has as a general.

[@doctorwhat779]

8:52 yeah tbh people are really two faced about this. They cried like babies when ToA gives a few green numbers to South American nations but now Austria and Germany can conquer entire europe without a single shoot and I heard anything from crybabies this time.

[@fiendish9474]

Yugoslavia immediately bending the knee is insane, considering the last world war started because the Serbs refused to submit to Austrian demands

[@_maestro08]

I have so much hours on austria and i still didnt manage to get the 'Antischluss' achievment, it really frustrates me that austria still has so much rng. i capitulated germany one time, and then i wasnt able to get all the starting territories sadly

[@NotGuy64]

Bubbles do you think it’s a bad precedent for paradox to sell dlc solely based around reworking old focus trees from older dlcs?

[@kirby1225]

reworking old focus trees for free would be too based for paradox.

[@KAPTAINmORGANnWo4eva]

I like doing the [Brown] Austria path where you take over Germany directly by integrating Bohemia and puppeting Slovakia & Hungary on my flank. It's about as fun as Historical Finland, but with a bigger payoff. Habsburg Austria is too much of a retread of Habsburg Hungary, and I think it's better to have Hungary be the Austria-Hungary reunifier since they did have real historical potential to actually bring the dynasty back.

[@P0PG03S]

(Who deleted my comment?) You can actually evade Anschluss altogether if you play the historical path if you focus entirely on removing your Fascist support. You will also lock Germany out of its focus tree because they can't bypass the focus.

[@BubblesZest]

Even if that's viable if wouldn't be surprised if Paradox fixed that in due time, stuff like that can be gamebreaking in certain situations.

[@Fusseliko]

Very likely, it wasn't a person that deleted it. KZbin has a crazy sensitive auto-delete algorithm. You're lucky this one made it through, considering you used the word f*scist. Essentially, any comment even mentioning politics is at risk of getting flagged, even if there is nothing wild in there.

[@Shiro_.3]

i think there should be an third option for the anschluss to have a compromise with germany like joining the axis instead

[@cowsgobark]

Central powers focus will stop anschluss

[@pablo_escanor1681]

It doesn’t make sense to play hoi when they remove the pain. But i don’t think there really is a way to make this work tbh i rather have an overpowered path than what greece and turkey got

[@waplo6445]

Hi bubbles ^_^

[@HokushoSociety]

Sometimes the event that costs you 150 pp in the beginning regarding the advisor the second pop up doesnt proc so itll only cost 50 pp. im not really sure whats the condition for this or if its a bug

[@RostamCTM]

It's a series of events: •Austria bans the NDSAP •Germany can protest and ask you to install a pro German advisor •Austria can deny it for 50 pp or take the advisor and end the chain event •If Austria denied Germany the first time they can push for it one last time or simply give up on the austrian facist party •If Germany tried to push again for the Pro German Advisor you can once again deny it for 100 pp or install him as an advisor Both decision end the event chain

[@theSm1ley]

In my opinion Road to 56 Austria is way better, you actually have to fight for your old territory and Germany also gets the option to back down from Anschluss, so you don’t have to fight them. And when you attack them it is on your condition

[@JasonAntonyHoups]

It takes to long to fight them

[@gbranton2992]

The Austrian EU path is the biggest rng fest in the game to date. Otherwise I don’t mind the Austrian tree that much and you get huge buffs to your economy if you bother to do the whole tree. The monarchist path isn’t as good as hungarys though must be said

[@polishscribe674]

Hey Bubbles, will you ever make similar content about mods?

[@BubblesZest]

Maybe, maybe.

[@polishscribe674]

@BubblesZest *inser the "you know, I'm something of a scientist myself" meme* I would ask for a critique of my own submod since there's zero chance you'd find it yourself, but first, I'd like to propose Hearts of Minecraft. It's what you think it is, and some nations are in dire need for reworks, but the team is working very hard and commentary from someone like you is just what they need.

[@richardyong535]

Funny thing is that austria is my most played country in the new dlc, mostly ah or eu

[@sampel3660]

At least its more challenging than fighting soviets as finland/baltic. Just dig in, do some port cheese, encircle half the red army, gg

[@ooo_Kim_Chi_ooo]

The new DLC has made me stop playing HOI4. Without updating the other majors the game is just a mess now. Been playing Vic 3 again.