GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURrunways, reducing their basingcapacity and forcing you tospend time and resources torepair them. You should payclose attention to the locationsof your enemy’s bases andeither render them inoperativeor consider attempting theircapture, while taking precautionsto prevent the enemyfrom doing the same to yours.Weather, Terrainand Time of DayWeather and terrain playedsignificant roles in theoutcomes of historical militaryoperations. It was the onset ofwinter that did much to halt theinitial German advance intoRussia in 1941, and it wasBurma’s inhospitable terrainthat added a heavy toll to theloss of life in that region. Mostmilitary actions also had to beconducted during daylighthours.Weather is synthesized ingameaccording to a complexrandom model and will play aprominent role in your games.Both rain and snow will have anegative effect on your militaryoperations, reducing units’combat effectiveness, quitesignificantly in some cases.Combat resolution alsoincludes a “visibility”component which adverseconditions will reduce, unlessspecialised equipment hasbeen discovered by yourscientists and supplied to yourforces.Certain types of terrain willalso reduce movementspeeds, hamper supply, andimpose penalties to combat.The effect will vary dependingon the unit type, generallyimpacting more severely onmotorised units than on footsoldiers, and in most casesthe terrain will give a defenderan advantage, reflecting hisability to make strategicdefensive use of thelandscape.Darkest Hour is played on aglobal stage over a period ofyears and includes accuratemodelling for both local time ofday and for seasonalvariations in the length of aregion’s daylight hours. Mostunits perform very poorly inthe hours between dusk anddawn when visibility is poor, soyou will need to take this intoconsideration when planningyour attacks. Certain technologicaladvances may mitigatethis somewhat, but you willprobably have better successif you plan your large-scaleoperations to begin shortlyafter dawn during seasonswhen the daylight hours arelong.CombatDarkest Hour does not seek tomodel combat on a highlydetailed, microscopic level.You do not control individualsoldiers, but you will issueorders to divisions or wholearmies. The actual hand-tohandfighting occurs behindthe scenes in your CPU andyour progress is displayedusing graphic and numericfeedback as combat ensues.Movement is Attackfor Land BattlesIn Darkest Hour, combat isinitiated as soon as a landforce begins to move towardsan enemy province that isbeing defended. The battle willrage on until one of the sideshas gained the upper hand, atwhich point either theaggressor’s movement isdiscontinued if it loses, or thedefending force begins towithdraw and the victoriousattacker concludes itsmovement into the provinceand assumes control. Forcesin adjacent provinces maysupport the armies involved inthe battle, and behind-thelinesreserves may bepositioned to make a last-ditcheffort to shore up thedefences. Air and navalbattles, however, do not usethis combat method and willcontest an air or sea zonewhile jointly occupying it.OrdersIf you play a larger nation, youwill find that the sheer numberand geographic separation ofthe forces you field can make19