GAME MANUAL - Steam

HEARTS OF IRON DARKEST HOURThe Date / Pause ButtonThe current date and time aredisplayed in a button at thebottom right of the top bar. Thetime shown always reflectsGreenwich Mean Time (GMT)and, depending on whatportion of the map is presentlydisplayed, could be significantlydifferent from the localtime. If you click on thisbutton, the game will pause foras long as you wish. Clickingon it again will resume play.You can also press the pausebutton on your keyboard topause and resume. Rightclickingon the button willdisplay a menu that allows youto quickly select a new gamespeed, to toggle betweensprites and counters beingdisplayed in the Main Mapfolder, to hide or show weatheron terrain map and hide orshow icons on diplomatic map.The Game Management MenuButtonImmediately to the right of thedate/pause button is a buttonlabelled “Menu”. Clicking thiswill bring up the GameManagement menu where youmay select from severaloptions:● Save: Allows you to saveyour game in its current state.The default file name will beyour country, date and time,but you may change this towhatever you like by simplytyping in a new name. Oncethe save is complete, you willbe returned to the game. Thesavegame will be saved in thespecific mod subfolder.● Options: This brings up thein-game options submenu,which is similar to the newgame options. Here, you maychange the game speed,toggle between sprite iconsand counters, change yourautosave settings, and adjustyour sound effects and musicvolumes. There is also a boxat the bottom of this submenuwhich allows you to changeyour message settings.● Hints: This turns on the hintboxes that are displayed whenthe game first launches.● Surrender: This ends yourcurrent game session (we allhave to sleep sometime). Yourcurrent game data is lost whenyou exit, so make sure you’vesaved first.● Return: Returns to thegame.Message BoxesYou will receive manymessages informing you ofthings that are happeningduring play. These may benotifi-cations of foreigndiplomatic offers; they couldbe reports from your armedforcesadvisingyou thatthey haveengaged inbattle orarrived at adestination;they mightbe reportsfrom yourscientists announcing a newtechnology; or they couldsimply be an intelligencereport about your own spies’clandestine activities orperhaps other internationalaffairs that are commonknowledge but may not seemto directly affect you.Most messages can bedisplayed in several ways, andwhen you first install DH thesewill initially be set to certaindefaults which you can laterchange to suit your preference.The most importantones will cause a messagebox to appear on the screenand will pause the game untilyou have acknowledged it.28