In the random hopes that some web crawler will bring this to the eyes of someone who cares at Paradox Interactive… I really enjoy the genre of the strategic wargaming where the details are intense and the gameplay realistic.
However, I have never been able to understand the interface for either of these games — try as I might.
Rome, Victoria, Europa, and now Hearts of Iron. The tutorials are terrible, and those making the game seem not to care.
Please… for the love of God… if you want guys like me who enjoy the Civilization series and the Total War series to get involved in this genre of strategy simulation, approach the game design from someone on the outside.
I spent plenty of time learning Avalong Hill and SPI wargames as a kid. Hell, I even learned a few GDW wargames as well — so I’m not exactly someone unwilling to invest time and energy into learning a game system that at least on the surface, folks rave about.
…but dammit, I want to enjoy the experience. Now wish I had rather pulled my fingernails out slowly and wondered why I just wasted two hours of my life.