r/hoi4

I love playing France but the French tree is painfully old and riddled with historical inaccuracies. The most annoying thing overall though is it is one of the last “speed bump” nations with a unique focus tree that still needs a rework despite being a major power. So this is a list of critiques and suggestions for if France is updated again.

Firstly if/whenever France is reworked should have its focuses reworked to be mainly comprised of 14/28/35 day focuses with 70 day focuses being reserved for high yield reward focused.

Historical France

Some of France’s inaccuracies are labeled in this post by u/QuintillionusRex; https://www.reddit.com/r/hoi4/s/8gOlSPERrG Such as France having no change in political leader ship. Léon Blum served his political career from June 1936 - June 1937 and again from March - April of 1938. Ignoring the Government lead by his predecessor Albert Sarraut who served from January 1936 - June 1937, Camille Chautemps June 1937 - March 1938, Édouard Daladier April 1938 - March 1940, and finally Paul Reynaud who served from March 1940 until the fall of France in June 1940. Notably though the nation completely fails to acknowledge the nation’s actual head of state, President Albert Lebrun, who served from 1932 till the fall of France.

Now considering the France has so many Prime Ministers during this time period they should remain the National leader(s) while the French President, Albert Lebrun, is a National Spirit.

Some other inaccuracies mentioned by u/QuintillionusRex is that France also has several (edit: inaccurate) Military figures as advisors and Generals like; Charles De Gaulle who wasn’t a General until June 1940, Philippe Leclerc de Hauteclocque wasn’t promoted to general after the fall of France, specifically in August 1941. De Lattre served for Vichy France for around two years before defecting to Free France.

Alt Democracy (France Leads/Little Entente)

This path is really fun and good, curb stumping Germany before they can even build up is always fun. Genuinely this tree only held back the 70 day focuses and just needs a face lift.

Communist (French Commune)

Again another path the is hindered by the 70 day focuses, though it is just another communist path that is either create your own communist faction or join the soviet union but again thats basically every communist path. At least France is a major power so proclaiming a rival communist faction makes more sense then some others.

Fascist (Nation Française)

This path is just like non-aligned and fascist russia, the 70 day focuses lead the nation to doing nothing for most of the game when the ai plays it and forces the player to rush certain focuses to achieve your goals in a timely manner.

Non-aligned (Monarchist France)

France is one of the few countries to have a focus tree that lets you choose your King or Emperor, how ever these paths are not made equal. Clearly Bonapartist France is the superior monarchist path, the Orléanist France is second best, and Bourbonist France is just sad with the only fun thing being Franco-Spainish Kingdom. Also after completing repeal the law of exile the choice of the monarch of France should be a event or a 14 day focus.

Orléanist France should honestly be a Democratic constitutional monarchist path where France still joins the Allies. Charles Maurras should be the national leader and Jean III eventually Henry VI should be national spirits. Prince Jean III should have a scripted death event.

Bourbon France should try to strive to do more then just unit with Spain. Like reigniting its rivalry with the British, reclaiming Louisiana and Québec since France lost Québec in the seven years war and the Bourbons weren’t the ones who sold Louisiana. Bourbon France could also have the option to revive old French lead crusader kingdoms like the Kingdom of Cyprus under Prince Leon-Amaury-Gaston de Lusignan of House of Lusignan and the Kingdom of Jerusalem also under House of Lusignan, with Prince Khorene George de Lusignan as the national leader. Prince Alphonse I should have a scripted death event.

Bonapartist France arguably just needs a face lift since it is the best path, it would be nice if the Bonapartes could release puppet populist Kingdoms headed by Bonapartes or French Generals like the Kingdom of Naples under the House of Murat under Joachim 7th Prince Murat, Kingdom of Italy, Westphalia, Holland, Spain, and Duchy of Warsaw under french generals as “Regents”, and a secret Bonapartist America puppet under Jerome-Napoleon-Charles Bonaparte.

Free France

The Free France tree should just be a sub section of the main tree rather than a whole new nation, like Poland’s and Czechoslovakia’s exile focuses. The Free France tree should been locked until France surrenders though. Perhaps give a focus for the secret development of the ARL 44 heavy tank under occupation.

Vichy France

Should remain a small tree but should be remastered and given a face lift for modern hoi. With the new “Thunder at our Gates” DLC Siam can declare on Vichy France without Germany getting involved. Vichy France should no longer be a target of allied war goals but instead the Republic of Syria and Lebanon should be targeted and can’t call Vichy in once the allies invade them for the Middle East campaign, as well Vichy should be given a fictional puppet called Vichy North African Forces that is ruled by Pétain that the allies can declare on without pulling Vichy in to accurately represent Operation Torch.

Economics and military focuses

France has mediocre military and Economic focuses, I know that this is supposed to leave France weak so AI Germany and the Player can steam role France. However this same effect that can be achieved while still giving France better focuses for its Economy and Armed forces. Simply have the focuses locked behind prerequisites that the AI won’t achieve or can’t achieve before 1940.

Principality of Monaco

While remaining neutral during the war and being to small to be a nation represented in game I feel Monaco should be a National Spirt for France. Especially Vichy and Free France where the Principality of Monaco gives intel espionage and other boost against Vichy France, Italy, and Germany since Monaco did give any axis info the could to the Allies from Axis troops who entered the micro nation for RR.

What are some of your critiques of the French Tree and what would you like changed?

Haven't played in a year or so, so I don't expect my old build to work fully but I can't hold the Germans at the Belgian border.

This used to be trivial with a defensive inf build putting 4 x 24 on the 7 tiles with level 4 forts. Now you are under red air but that's what AA is for until you catch up with air production.

I have put 5 x 24 on the tiles and it still won't hold.

Template is 18 width with support aa, arty and signals and regimental AA. Comes out at like 400+ defense and still the Germans blow through it.

You can't even reform from the fallback lines to the Field Marshal front line as they blow through when it re-orgs.

What am I missing?

Irl there were battles with way more soldiers than can fit in hoi4 like kursk. Also changing combat width would solve the multi turreted tank meta issue and the artillery taking too much space issue (technically artillery should be combat width. There's a reason why irl quantity tanks worked well compared with few powerful ones and it's not represented at all in the game.

Something about taking the enemy's fleet and renaming them according to your nations naming conventions just feels like a cherry on top of a victorious war and peace conference. It's like the ultimate humiliation to your enemy to add salt to their injury. In my case it was renaming the remaining Royal Navy ships according to Imperial German ship names (I was doing Kaiser playthrough). I took some of their most prized ships like Carriers and Battleships and renamed them SMS Kaiser Wilhelm II etc.

Also breaking the enemy nation in to smaller separate states in a peace conference is a bonus!

Playing as the Soviet Union, I am trying something different from the historical path, i.e. stopping Germany during the invasion of Poland in 1939.

I thought the "Policy of Collective Security" focus tree would be a good path towards that. However, it doesn't really seem to help. The focus "Seek a defensive Pact with the Allies" makes the Soviet Union and France guarantee each other, but then France goes to war with Germany because of the invasion of Poland in 1939, and because that is not a strictly a defensive war for France, I am not called into it. And by the time Germany invades me in 1941, France has already capitulated, anyway, so the guarantee doesn't help me there, either.

There is an option for Poland to join the Soviet-French defensive pact, which obviously would help, but in my games, Poland always refuses to join (they'd rather be gobbled up by Germany, it seems!).

Am I missing something, or is the "Policy of Collective Security" focus tree utterly pointless?