If you must add diplomacy to the game, please ignore Costa Rica, Guatemala, Andorra, and other countries whose impact on world War 2 was at best marginal. That just INSISTS that I will spend most of the battle frustrated, panicked and annoyed. If I can control what ammo is used, what target engaged, what stance is adopted, and what hat is worn by my troops, and even take direct control of them, do NOT give me 150 of them in one mission. In my view, Men of War does the same thing. The result is a game like HOI 3, a game which absolutely bludgeons you with exceptional levels of micro-management and geekery. game designers, especially very insular ones with no hobbies or interests outside games, tend to go way too far in the direction of over-complexity and over features.

I agree, that’s a bit extreme, but the direction is possibly the right one. I remember people giving him a lot of stick about wanting to simplify combat to just one button. The older and more experienced I get, the more I understand Peter Molyneux. The game is, in my humble opinion, a design train-wreck of epic proportions, despite being a game production miracle of awe inspiring proportions. I lasted less than 1 hour of game time (5 minutes of real time), and quit in frustration. Having been kicked from a game of red orchestra, for no explicable reason (I presume another of many bugs), I fired up Hearts Of Iron 3, to give it another go.

Hearts of iron 2 vs 3