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"Neither an ox nor a donkey is able to stop the progress of socialism." -- Erich Honecker, General Secretary of the Socialist Unity Party of Germany "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum, a great variety of morbid symptoms appear." -- Antonio Gramsci  Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4mTbQ780eDv90Nla78GCgV?si=f218687e0b6549b1 Ostalgie is a 2018 pausable real-time video game developed and published by Kremlingames. Players assume the role of national leaders of Eastern Bloc countries (and a few others via DLC) in the final years of the Cold War, specifically from 1989 to 1992. You must walk the tightrope between adopting liberal reforms (to please Gorbachev’s USSR, whom you depend on for aid, if not your people) while maintaining social stability and keeping the party leadership satisfied. Reform too quickly and the nation collapses into chaos. Take too hard a line and you risk becoming a victim of a NATO invasion if the Soviet Union goes to pieces. This is an indie video game with unimpressive graphics. You cannot rotate the map or zoom in/out. No little tanks and planes are moving around or even NATO counters. The map only changes when countries change forms of government, with four corresponding colors: red = conservative socialist, green = reformer socialist, grey = authoritarian, and blue = liberal democracy. Much of the game involves clicking on these countries and clicking a button, ranging from just once to a tedious amount. The game also works according to a deliberate “black box” model where cause and effect are not always established. It tells you how much it costs to take diplomatic action or to build a type of building, but the consequences of your choices in events are not explicitly mentioned (instead vaguely alluded to in event text). Usually, there is some cost in terms of either money and/or state agents (the primary currencies of the game), but changing the political sliders (which you can do once each month) also has an impact on whether some events fire or some event choices are available, too. There is an enjoyable challenge in learning what is needed to unlock certain options, but once you learn by rote (or by an online guide) what to do, the game feels more formulaic. Now that I’ve listed the major criticisms, let’s start with the most obvious positive: there aren’t many Cold War strategy games out there, and if you’re a history and politics nerd (especially of the left-wing radical variety), there’s a huge appeal to this game. And while games like Hearts of Iron 4 offer a lot of pretty things to look at, the beauty of Ostalgie is hidden in its “black box.” Each country has its own unique character and special events. East Germany is wealthy and technologically advanced (and good for new players), while countries like Afghanistan and North Korea are… not so much. Afghanistan and Yugoslavia even have “civil war” mechanics, with some regions not in their control. The game is extremely historically accurate with references to the different cultures of each country. You can change ministers (and leaders under the right conditions), all of whom are based on historical politicians. And you also have the freedom to choose your path: traditional communism, left-wing nationalism like North Korea or Romania, reform-minded social democracy like Hungary or Poland, or even liberalism. You can help save the USSR from breakdown and create a stronger, better alliance or break free and become the head of a new communist collective security and economic union. Or you can hold free elections, convert to capitalism, and join the European Communities. While hunting achievements is a fun aspect of the game, you may also have fun playing in the sandbox (and there is an “easy mode” called sandbox) just rewriting history. If you do play with all the difficulties turned on, you will likely unlock at least some achievements by accident by making it to 1992 and choosing to end the game (be sure to click the arrow on the right to cycle through all the different endings, as you have to view them for any related achievements to pop, like whom the USSR elected after Gorbachev (if it survived)). This is a game that rewards initiative, such as randomly clicking on countries (including small ones like Taiwan and Kuwait) and seeing what you can do. And you can do a lot, from eliminating Saddam Hussein to Deng Xiaoping! In this LP, I will be playing as East Germany – officially, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) or Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR). The country has been led by the Socialist Unity Party since its inception in 1949, with Walter Ulbricht serving as its first secretary until 1971 when he was replaced by Erich Honecker. Under Honecker's leadership, the East German government has maintained strict control over the country's citizens, with censorship and surveillance being commonplace. The government has also pursued a policy of economic self-sufficiency, which has led to a lack of consumer goods and limited international trade. Despite these challenges, East Germany has experienced some economic growth in recent years, thanks in part to closer ties with West Germany. Due to its highly developed economy and technology, plus some agent bonuses, this is probably the best country for new players to play as. The plan is to make it from 1989 to 1992 while improving the economy, maintaining stability, and consolidating the socialist camp. This should be enough for anyone who is trying to learn the game themselves to get an idea of how to play it, especially since the tutorial and manual are somewhat lacking. We won’t be plunging to the darkest depths of the “black box” but swimming close to the surface. If there is enough interest in the LP, I might add other countries and go for the things you need a machine translation of a Chinese Steam guide to attempt. Hopefully, it encourages you to buy this game. 1. Getting Started: January-March 1989 2. Double Standards, Double Profits: April-June 1989 3. Shield and Sword: July-September 1989 4. Saving for Success: October-December 1989 5. Coming of Age: January-March 1990 6. Chain Reaction: April-June 1990 7. Peaceful Atom: July-September 1990 8. Saving for Success (Again): October-December 1990 Links Ostalgie Steam Store Page Kremlingames Web Site Kremlingames Discord Ostalgie Steam Guides Panama Red fucked around with this message at 16:56 on Apr 17, 2023 |
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Mar 30, 2023 22:51
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Getting Started: January-March 1989 When you start Ostalgie and select “New Game,” choose the following settings to play as the GDR with the potential to unlock achievements:  Let's get it started, comrades!  This is the main menu, which features a fixed map of Eurasia, parts of Africa, and a little menu with flags to represent some American countries: Cuba, Nicaragua, and the U.S. Clicking on most countries (not all) will offer at least one button that causes an action, ranging from establishing a trade deal to changing the character of the government. Most commonly you need money and/or agents to click these buttons, but there are also date requirements, event decision requirements, requirements for your relations with other countries, etc. If you’re playing around and find you are lacking in money and/or agents, try writing down a list broken down by month of when you need to meet certain requirements and in what order. This helps spread out the spending over time. Also, remember that small countries can be important. In Switzerland, as long as you have 8 money, you can put that money in the Swiss bank accounts of the party leaders and raise the happiness of the party. Similarly, it is easy to miss countries like Taiwan, Sri Lanka, and Kuwait, despite them having some important diplomatic options. Above the map we see choices for different menus: Politics, Economy, Science, View (containing miscellaneous information including who your trade partners are, how much aid you are getting from the USSR, etc.), and Statistics (where you compare your “country” versus the stats of its historical equivalent). The first three matter most. Before clicking on the menus, let us look at the HUD at the very top.
In the Politics section we see our leader (currently Erich Honecker), the head of government (SovMin), and a minister of ideology representing the party. The different ministers have effects that the game does not reveal (but can be found in this guide) and can be extremely useful in balancing the effects from leaders (who can only be changed via event) and event choices. As for the sliders, clicking the right arrow liberalizes the government, meaning transitioning to free and fair elections, a more market-oriented economy, and liberal open society. Clicking the left arrow does the opposite: toward one-party rule, a centrally planned economy, and a closed controlled society. The GDR is one of the more conservative members of the Eastern Bloc so for the first half of 1989 I would suggest moving the freedom slider right to lower your diplomatic reputation and raise popular support.  Reducing the sliders generally will take you from a conservative socialist country to an authoritarian state. Alternatively, increasing the sliders will take you to a reforming socialist country in a “thaw” period and finally to a liberal democracy with a capitalist economy. It’s also possible to keep a closed, one-party state while converting to a state capitalist economy like China or to have an open society with a planned economy. Countries can develop a nationalist characteristic, with party rule becoming blurred with a national cult of personality surrounding the leader (think Romania or DPRK). It can be tedious to use your once-a-month slider setting but it does make a difference. If you are just learning the game, I would suggest turning autosave to monthly in Settings. The game will then automatically pause on the first of the month, and you can use this auto-pause as a reminder to move a slider. The only problem is that you only get one save slot for achievements so that slot will always be the start of the latest month. You get to give two speeches a year, one in May and the other in November. These are useful for shoring up relations with the USSR, endorsing world peace to lower your diplomatic rating, or encouraging your people to oppose corrupt foreign influences. The big number in the top left is how much NATO considers you a threat. If the USSR isn’t around to defend you, it is almost a guarantee that NATO or the UN will invade you at the “end” of the game in 1992 if your threat level is high. Clicking on most of Western Europe enables you to engage in détente and lower the threat via money/agents. The figure in the bottom right represents how many state agents you have at home and abroad to impose your will. For large-scale operations, like provoking wars or killing world leaders, you will need advanced intelligence technology along with numerous agents. The default GDR ministers come with some nice agent bonuses, representing the historical strength of East German state agencies like the Stasi state security service. In the Economy section, you see the different regions of your country and the buildings within each. Since we are playing as East Germany, we can see the Berlin Wall in our capital. While being one of the richest of the Eastern Bloc countries gives us more funds to play with and more advanced buildings to build, going with the cheaper option is often advisable if it means saving money for key events. If you go into negative money, you have to privatize buildings, which raises money but also liberalizes your economy. Once you fill out the spaces in a region, you must pay to open more (“improve”).  Start by building a factory in the north. Factories are cheap and increase income, so they are good for building an economic foundation. However, researching technology also unlocks economic benefits, and not falling behind in research can be fiscally vital. While the GDR gets bonuses to agent production due to its default ministers, building a few intelligence agencies and army camps help a lot in the early game. Rather than using buildings to mitigate Westalgia, we will be using speeches and reforms to manage it.  In the Science section, only the intelligence research is left for 1989, so go ahead and research it. It will take over a year to complete unless we build research buildings to increase research (some ministers also increase research). Intel tech makes it easier to clamp down on the corrupting influence of Western pop media and commit espionage. Industrial tech helps your economy become more productive. Genetics is perhaps the most important because building a lot of farms and then completing this tree gives you the chance to convert your farms to producing genetically-modified crops. There is the option to research nuclear weapons if you have the blueprints. These blueprints can only be obtained through Romania or India (by event) or from Israel as a diplomatic option.  Let the game run and then pause it when there are three flashing icons on the map. Moving from left to right, click on France. Diplomats from around the world have met at a Paris conference to condemn the use of chemical weapons and promote the banning of such weapons. This was a historical conference called in the wake of the use of poison gas in the Iraq-Iran war. Choose the option to sign the declaration but to secretly keep the weapons. This sort of subterfuge will be a common theme of our first year.   In response to an uprising that occurred in June 1953, East Germany formed the Combat Groups of the Working Class (Kampfgruppen der Arbeiterklasse, KdA) as a civil reserve force. They provided support to the ruling Socialist Unity Party, ensuring public order and suppressing any dissent or opposition. Take the moderate choice of reforming them into a smaller paramilitary force instead of abolishing it altogether.   The release of "Intergirl" in 1989 was a significant moment in the history of the Soviet film industry as it marked a departure from the traditional themes and styles of Soviet cinema. The film, directed by Pyotr Todorovsky, was based on the eponymous novel by Vladimir Kunin and depicted the life of a young woman named Anastasia who worked as a prostitute in Moscow. The film was controversial due to its portrayal of the seedy underbelly of Soviet society and the issues of prostitution and sex trafficking. Despite facing censorship and opposition from conservative elements, "Intergirl" was a critical and commercial success, and its release was seen as a sign of the increasing openness and liberalization of Soviet society in the final years of the Soviet Union. Take the choice to release the film under state supervision to reduce your diplomatic reputation.   Since the start of the civil war in 1975, Lebanon has been divided into Syrian and Israeli spheres of influence. Syria, under the leadership of Hafez al-Assad, supported the Lebanese National Movement, a coalition of left-wing and pan-Arabist groups, while Israel backed the Christian Phalange party and other right-wing militias. As the war dragged on, both Syria and Israel established a significant military presence in Lebanon. Click on Syria on the map and choose to recognize Syria’s Lebanon and then establish a trade deal. Next click on China, establish relations, and set up a trade with their “socialist market economy.” Click on Japan and contact the Japanese Communist Party. In 1989 the JCP was focused on building alliances with other left-wing parties and movements, as well as increasing its presence in local elections. By engaging with these countries, we have lowered our diplomatic reputation while also getting new trade deals. In Japan’s case, we are planting a seed for later. Some events are chains, meaning you must do certain things to trigger them. As the GDR, contacting the Japanese communists is a necessity to put them into power in the July 1989 elections.     Around the end of January (circa the 28th), pause the game. You should have enough money to build a foreign intelligence center in the capital. We have some events coming up that require agents, and while that should not be a problem for the GDR in the long term, here in the early game we need to boost our production to be on the safe side.  In February, take your slider move (again, I suggest increasing the freedom level at this stage). Click on India and select the first option to sell weapons. This is a contract, so you don’t get a large sum of money right away, and selling arms to a Soviet-affiliated country is provocative. While India and the USSR had long had close foreign relations the former had always sought a non-aligned path. Still, the government of Rajiv Gandhi (grandson of Nehru, son of Indira Gandhi) is good to us, but his problems with the Bofors scandal, rising militancy in Punjab, and the war between the Sri Lankan government and the Tamil Tigers mean his Congress Party are unlikely to win the November election.    Speaking of Sri Lanka, because we have close ties with China and India, we can intervene on the island and support the Marxist–Leninist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and their leader, Rohana Wijeweera. The JVP has been waging a low-intensity insurgency since 1987 to set up a socialist state and our friends India, while not delighted, prefer any group to the Tamil separatists. This is just one step; it will take two more to turn Sri Lanka red, but as you can see, we had to do this one before March 1989. In March take your slider move. Once you have enough money, build another factory in the western region. Before the end of the month, click on the USSR. We want to save money for now but we could send money to Moscow, effectively subsidizing them instead of vice versa. This has the bonus of reducing the hefty cost of an event in early 1990 where the USSR ends all subsidies to its “little brothers.” For now, click on the option to support conservatives in the USSR. Again, it’s all “under the hood,” but helping the USSR in these ways slows down the Soviet collapse, helps the chance of a hardline coup succeeding against Gorbachev, or of no collapse with the USSR still hanging on by 1992. 
Panama Red fucked around with this message at 15:08 on Apr 4, 2023 |
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Mar 30, 2023 23:00
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Ostalgie is a very unique game that can be equal parts obtuse and amazing. It gives a soviet-orientated perspective on the era that is completely absent in pretty much any western stuff. It's got a very bizarre mix of completely realistic political portrayals at points with just plain bizarre and outrageous stuff at others.
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Mar 30, 2023 23:12
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Well I'm already learning about history from this post alone.
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Mar 30, 2023 23:54
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Double Standards, Double Profits: April-June 1989 Since 1986 Vietnam has pursued Chinese-style market reforms under Nguyen Van Linh and his “Doi Moi” policies, even permitting complete foreign ownership of domestic physical assets and outlawing the prospects of nationalization. In April we receive an event telling us that Van Linh has been hospitalized for what is believed to be a stroke, presenting an opportunity for us. Take the choice to launch a coup. Van Linh will be replaced by General Le Duc Anh, a major conservative voice in Vietnam's political system. At the cost of money and agents, we flipped Vietnam from a green reforming socialist state to a red conservative one. This also has the effect of preventing Vietnam from withdrawing its troops from Cambodia, which overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1978. Cambodia remains an occupied pro-Soviet puppet of our Vietnamese ally. The downside is that everyone disliked this, from the bourgeois West to the reform-minded revisionists in Moscow and Beijing. Fortunately, our actions earlier in the year mean we earned some goodwill with those countries that we can spend by being more aggressive.   As the month draws to a close build another factory building in the east. If you have reached 10/10 on the political freedoms slider, consider starting to liberalize the party. We do not want to liberalize too much or else we can trigger elections or prevent some choices in events from becoming available. Just like ]real life, too rapid transition from one system to another creates a sort of “whiplash” where popular expectations exceed what the government can provide (or is willing to provide). Since we are going to pursue automation through an event later, continue to leave the economy centrally planned. The 8888 Uprising in Burma (also known as Myanmar) began on August 8, 1988, with huge crowds protesting the military government's economic isolation and political policies. The protests grew rapidly and were met with a brutal crackdown by the military, resulting in the deaths of thousands of demonstrators. In September, a military coup led by General Saw Maung ousted the government and established the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to govern the country. We have the option of following the official Moscow line and ignoring the situation, providing limited help to the new regime, or intervening deeply as a key benefactor of the SLORC. Choosing this last option, we again antagonize the world community, but we gain another ally.   Since it is now May, we can do a speech. Go to the Politics section and click the speech button and you should see a range of choices. The first increases your party line (i.e., makes you more conservative/authoritarian) while the second does the opposite (makes you more liberal). Speaking about your friendship with the Soviet Union raises your relations with the USSR by 15 but also increases Westalgia. Speaking about the need to come together against external enemies lowers Westalgia but increases your diplomatic reputation (i.e., you become more of an outlaw state). A speech about peace in the world improves your diplomatic relations but increases Westalgia and costs a few agents. Generally, changes to the party line are better taken through slider moves, so you can leave speeches to manage Westalgia, Soviet relations, and your diplomatic reputation. In this case, I would suggest improving relations with the USSR with a pro-Soviet speech.  In China, peaceful protests in Tiananmen Square started in April had gradually escalated into a larger movement calling for democracy and government accountability. In June, the situation took a dark turn as the government cracked down on the protesters with force. Tanks rolled into the square, and soldiers opened fire on the unarmed demonstrators, resulting in numerous deaths and injuries. The images and reports of this violent suppression shook the world. While Moscow would prefer we remain silent on the issue, we decide to join the widespread condemnation of Beijing’s actions. After this, click on Taiwan and sign a trade agreement. We also have to re-establish relations and trade with Beijing, but that should not be a problem. Our diplomatic reputation is now so liberal we can restore relations with Hosni Mubarak’s regime in Egypt. After that, it's so low we can sign a friendship treaty with France, including establishing trade!    Before the end of June build a research institute in the south. You should now only have one free space remaining, and it should be in the capital. While factories are cheap and easy sources of income, the bonuses from researching scientific advancements cannot be ignored and are essential if we want to do things like pursue automation or build nuclear weapons. Research institutes are good when you want to save money for events but when you are more advanced economically electronics factories are much better: they only not only increase the speed of research but satisfy the needs of your people. 
Panama Red fucked around with this message at 15:13 on Apr 4, 2023 |
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Apr 1, 2023 15:51
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I have a feeling this is going to be a very... Sad, but interesting game.
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Apr 1, 2023 15:59
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3g-PLunYp4 Let's try our best not running this thing into the ground!
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Apr 1, 2023 16:11
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Shield and Sword: July-September 1989 Since its foundation in 1955, Japan’s conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) held power without interruption, but in 1989, that all changed. The 1988 Recruit insider trading scandal implicated numerous high-ranking LDP politicians, including Prime Minister Noboru Takeshita and former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. After Takeshita’s resignation, he was replaced with Sosuke Uno, who was also rocked by a scandal with a geisha entertainer who accused him of not supporting her during their affair. The Japanese Communist Party cannot hope to take power, but it can become part of a coalition with the Japanese socialists. Decide to support the JCP with money and agents. Japan should turn from blue to green, signifying it has shifted from a liberal capitalist country to a moderate socialist one. The new government is not going to join any Soviet alliances, but we just gained a friendly and important ally in East Asia.    In 1989, Libya was ruled by Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, who came to power in a military coup in 1969. Gaddafi's government was a socialist dictatorship, with all political power held by the Libyan Arab Socialist Union (LASU), a political party that Gaddafi founded. Under Gaddafi's leadership, Libya pursued a policy of Arab nationalism and anti-Westernism. Let us use our influence to push Libya into a more conventional Soviet-aligned form of socialism by bribing the opposition and recognizing Libyan claims from the recent Chadian–Libyan War (which Libya lost). Of course, associating with a state with such strained relations with the West, we need to have a high diplomatic reputation, and our actions only serve to alienate the US more. Still, having a socialist regime in Tripoli means we can also divert some oil production to us, which gives a one-time boost to party unity. Speaking of which...   Continuing with our plans in Sri Lanka, first, click on India and get an assurance from the Gandhi government that, if there is trouble, our political leadership will be granted asylum. This has the effect of raising party unity, but that should not be a problem for us right now. We are doing it now because we want to do something even more provocative later! Now that we have the guarantee from India, click on Sri Lanka and choose to organize the security service for the JVP leader, Rohana Wijeweera. Once that’s done, before the end of the month, build a research institute in Berlin. At this point, you should have used up all your free building spaces and will need to expand for more. By August you should have moved the freedoms slider so you’re well into “Limited Rights” territory. Start liberalizing the party to increase party unity. Just be sure not to liberalize the economy so much that you no longer have the “planned economy” status! We get an event telling us about the 1989 Bonn declaration. The Soviet Union and West Germany pledged in a unique East-West document to strive for disarmament, intensify their bilateral cooperation, and respect peoples' rights of self-determination with the overall aim of "overcoming the division of Europe. This event gives the player the chance to decide whether to pursue reforms and liberalize or to stick with communism and adopt an anti-reform position. Let's take the decision to stick with the status quo.  Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the Iranian Revolution and the first Supreme Leader and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran died. Iran's relationship with the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc up to 1989 was characterized by a mixture of cooperation and competition, with Iran seeking to balance its relationships with both the West and the East. While Iran maintained economic ties with the Eastern Bloc, it was also wary of the Soviet Union's influence in the region and sought to limit its presence in Iran. With enough agents and a low enough diplomatic reputation, we can visit Iran personally, establish relations, and (ka-ching!) set up more trade. Saddam Hussein is none too happy about this, but that’s a problem to be handled later…   In mid-1989 Erich Honecker was suddenly taken with biliary colic, and, after stabilization of his health, he underwent surgery to remove an inflamed gallbladder and part of his colon. Due to this operation, Honecker is out of action until late September 1989, leaving the party to consider whether to replace him. Take the decision to replace him with Erich Mielke, the Minister for State Security. He was one of the most powerful men in the country, responsible for maintaining the regime's grip on power through a pervasive system of surveillance and repression. He also gives some very nice agent bonuses.   Called the “Shield and Sword” of the ruling party, the Stasi was created in 1950 and has been a powerful force in East Germany ever since. Its primary goal is to maintain the stability of the communist regime by monitoring and suppressing dissent among the population. The agency's tactics included infiltration, wiretapping, and extortion, and by 1989 it had become it one of the most feared secret police services in the world. Before August is out, spend some money to expand building spaces in the north. Research into new and improved security tactics should also complete. Select industry as our next research focus. We are about to make a huge stride on that front! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awz25MD7WGE Communist regimes have long been interested in automation and the idea of a centrally planned economy that is completely automated and managed via cybernetics. The idea is that by removing human error and inefficiency, automation can increase production and ultimately create a more prosperous society. Proponents of this system argue that it eliminates the need for the exploitation of workers and allows for a more equitable distribution of resources. The microelectronics industry was a major focus of the East German economy, and the country became a leader in certain areas of computer science. We get two automation events. In the first, take the last option that strengthens the intelligence and security forces. This helps with Westalgia and makes sure that agent production remains steady. A little later, you should get another event asking you to change to automation, a market economy, or something in-between. Take first option for automation. This has the effect of moving our economy setting in Politics from planned economy to automation, but we do not get all the benefits yet. We must research more industrial science, but now the final project is building Cybersyn.    Project Cybersyn was a government-led initiative in Chile during the presidency of Salvador Allende in the early 1970s. The project aimed to use cybernetics and computer technology to manage the country's economy in a more efficient and democratic way. It included the creation of a sophisticated computer network that would allow real-time economic data to be collected and analyzed, enabling the government to make rapid decisions based on that data. However, the project was ultimately cut short by the 1973 military coup that overthrew Allende's government. But if you choose automation and go down the industrial research chain, you ultimately build your own version of Cybersyn!  Comrade Mielke decides to use his foreign agents in a bold way. In September (you can wait until October if you need to, but it needs to be before November) click on India and select the last diplomatic option: to provoke a war between India and Pakistan. The latter under Zia ul-Haq was already supporting the Khalistani militants in Punjab as well as an insurgency in Kashmir. At the same time, India’s Gandhi government added fuel to the fire by rigging the 1987 Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly election to ensure the Congress-approved candidate won. Since Gandhi is pro-Soviet and Pakistan is helping the mujahedeen in Afghanistan, we have a dog in this fight. Of course, like so many conflicts between these two countries, the “war” is indecisive. What does happen, though, is India declares martial law, echoing the period between 1975 and 1977 when Indira Gandhi (Rajiv’s mother) declared a state of emergency across the country. This means there will be no November elections in which the Congress Party loses power. In the event, take the option to help India as much as possible. India still gets blamed for being the aggressor, but the upside is that you get some of your agents back for future events.     Panama Red fucked around with this message at 15:54 on Apr 4, 2023 |
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Apr 3, 2023 16:55
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This looks like one of those games I would never want to play myself, but will happily observe as it rockets to whatever wacky conclusion it may be.
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Apr 3, 2023 23:25
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Jossar posted:This looks like one of those games I would never want to play myself, but will happily observe as it rockets to whatever wacky conclusion it may be. Ostalgie has a very janky interface. But the Crisis in the Kremlin remake? Dear god. It must be seen to be believed.
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Apr 4, 2023 02:50
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This game looks really cool but I'm increasingly skeptical of the speed and scale of the GDR's influence operations, seeing as we've seen them topple/convert multiple governments and arrange one war in a year. I mean you have the advantage of future knowledge but "Japan is now reformed socialism" was a little fast.
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Apr 4, 2023 03:30
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Morrow posted:This game looks really cool but I'm increasingly skeptical of the speed and scale of the GDR's influence operations, seeing as we've seen them topple/convert multiple governments and arrange one war in a year. Yeah the game is very good at modelling internal socialist camp politics but goes insane when you move outside of that. Possibly the craziest thing is assassinating deng xaoping to turn china communist again.
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Apr 4, 2023 05:04
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i'm just chortling heartily that there is a video game where you get to back the JVP and push for a communist Sri Lanka
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Apr 4, 2023 05:17
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Morrow posted:This game looks really cool but I'm increasingly skeptical of the speed and scale of the GDR's influence operations, seeing as we've seen them topple/convert multiple governments and arrange one war in a year. To be fair, is it any less realistic than reforming Byzantium or reestablishing a British absolute monarchy in Hearts of Iron 4? I feel like the devs did a good job moderating how much you can really make change. The Japanese communists don't actually come to power; they're just in a coalition with the ruling socialists, and you can't get them to join CMEA (the Soviet economic alliance) while the USSR is still part of it. All you really get if you provoke another Indo-Pakistani war is the Congress Party staying in power; Pakistan comes out looking the better from it. And so on. Plus, don't underestimate the capacity of relatively small actors to have huge impacts on international events. It wasn't the only reason for WWI, but a Bosnian Serb student killing an Austrian archduke helped change Europe entirely. Relatively small countries like Iran and Israel have sophisticated intelligence communities with global reach. It's not inconceivable that some Eastern European countries (with KGB assistance) could pull off some of the events featured in the game. That said, yeah, it is unrealistic that even East Germany could foment this much international change with their security services, and it only becomes more ridiculous when you play as the less advanced countries. Especially when the game only covers three years. But since you only have three years to save the socialist camp you basically have to remake the globe (well, most of it) to make that possible, particularly if you let the USSR collapse. You just have to suspend disbelief a bit and remember it's a game.
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Apr 4, 2023 16:14
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Panama Red posted:To be fair, is it any less realistic than reforming Byzantium or reestablishing a British absolute monarchy in Hearts of Iron 4? I feel like the devs did a good job moderating how much you can really make change. The Japanese communists don't actually come to power; they're just in a coalition with the ruling socialists, and you can't get them to join CMEA (the Soviet economic alliance) while the USSR is still part of it. All you really get if you provoke another Indo-Pakistani war is the Congress Party staying in power; Pakistan comes out looking the better from it. And so on. Fundamentally, I think especially with the rise of paradox, people want to play an East Germany game for the feeling of building something up, but want the strategic options of the USSR or USA in the Cold War. You can do that, player agency while also having the feeling of building, but the casualty is realism. I mean, it's just as much a problem in Victoria- the game massively overmodels the capabilities of poor states to actually enact independent policy in the interests of making a more fun game.
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Apr 4, 2023 16:53
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The successor to this game: Mao's Legacy is more realistic in general. At it's base this is because you are playing a nascent superpower over the course of a decade instead. That said it has it's own share of stupid-bonkers stuff.
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Apr 5, 2023 03:22
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NewMars posted:The successor to this game: Mao's Legacy is more realistic in general. At it's base this is because you are playing a nascent superpower over the course of a decade instead. That said it has it's own share of stupid-bonkers stuff. You doubt that China could have single-handedly created a joint Israeli-Arab single-state solution and reformed a socialist united arab republic if they had just pressed the communism button harder?
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Apr 6, 2023 11:17
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WhiskeyWhiskers posted:You doubt that China could have single-handedly created a joint Israeli-Arab single-state solution and reformed a socialist united arab republic if they had just pressed the communism button harder? Pressed the communism button harder and invaded egypt while mao was dying after having supported Nasser and his men.
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Apr 6, 2023 15:07
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E: nvm was thinking of Hong kong
WhiskeyWhiskers fucked around with this message at 21:51 on Apr 6, 2023 |
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Apr 6, 2023 21:49
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Saving for Success: October-December 1989 The main thing to do in this period is to refrain from spending much and saving for the “Adulthood” event that will fire in March 1990. This event represents the USSR cutting off its subsidies to the Eastern Bloc via its economic alliance, the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance. You have the options to do nothing, to pursue integration with the European Communities (liberalization), or to form a new CMEA with the other Eastern Bloc nations (plus a few others, if you play your cards right). This choice costs around 30 money (less if you extend credit to the USSR before March 1990) so you want to be able to afford this and have some cushion. This means sitting back and just letting the money pile up from December onward, if not November. Since there aren’t really any events in December, this should be not hard to do, and in January 1990, we will get an event that will allow us to net a tidy sum if we have enough agents. But for now…   What do you do if you find yourself slipping into negative money or need quick cash? You can privatize some of your buildings for various amounts (mandatory if you are in the red, optional if you do not have an automated or planned economy). You can also “stop work” at buildings that eliminate Westalgia or increase popular support (security service buildings and TV stations, typically) depending on the situation. If you try to follow this and find you are running out of money, try pausing these buildings for the GDR. This is usually a necessary step for low-income countries, but the GDR is the wealthiest of the playable countries, so it’s not really required (and might be gamey). Another neat trick is to sell weapons to North Korea (provided your diplomatic score is high enough), a one-time way to instantly score some money to offset a small debt.    In October take the last diplomatic option with Sri Lanka and flip the island red. Great! This doesn’t do anything for us in terms of trade or getting them to join the Warsaw Pact, but it does boost socialist camp stability (the more world socialism, the better!). Unfortunately, Sri Lanka (along with Laos) has diplomatic options that are only relevant if pursuing certain achievements (such as “Ghost,” which requires you to have a very high number of socialist countries by 1992) or to certain countries (you can get “close trade” with Laos through the options if playing as Albania). I flipped Sri Lanka in this playthrough for illustrative purposes and how extensive the diplomatic choices can be even with easily overlooked countries. Still, if you were playing a “real” game and you wanted to save money and agents, there are other countries to invest in…    If you allow socialist camp stability to drop too much, cracks start to show in the Eastern Bloc. Hungary will stay green (reformer socialist) due to the fact it had a more liberal communist government under Janos Kadar, leader of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party in 1956. Since economic liberalization and consumer goods are “baked in” into this special “goulash communism,” the only way you can get Hungary to join new military or economic alliances is to have a similar government and diplomatic score or develop nuclear weapons while the player’s country, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia are part of the new alliances. But to keep Hungary from abandoning socialism entirely, you need to send money and/or coordinate with their security services through the diplomatic menu. If you neglect this, eventually you will get a “Hungarian crisis” event where you can take the option to finance/coordinate with them to shore up socialism. That is on top of some normal events you get where you can influence your allies to make certain choices (in Hungary’s case, you can pressure them to discredit Imre Nagy, the hero of the 1956 Hungarian revolution against the Soviet-backed government).    Poland is another country where this is an issue. Once socialist camp stability drops low enough, it will change from red (conservative socialist) to green (reformer socialist) and eventually blue. If you do not help them out with money or agents before the end of 1989, you will probably get an event where you can’t stop the red-green transition, but you can help the government from collapsing further. Letting Poland go is fine if you plan to save the USSR (or liberalize yourself), but if you want to form a military and economic alliance on par with the previous Soviet-led ones, preventing Poland from liberalizing is easier than trying to do it with Hungary. If you keep Poland red, however, eventually you will get an event asking you to absorb Poland’s debt, which costs around 20 money. Following the fall of the Greek military dictatorship of 1967-74, the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK) was founded in 1974 as a democratic socialist party. Under the leadership of Andreas Papandreou, PASOK won the 1981 election, the first time an elected Greek government had a socialist agenda. By late 1988, however, the government’s popularity was in decline due to press reports of financial and corruption scandals. PASOK lost the June 1989 elections but changed the electoral law before the elections, making it harder for the leading party to form a majority government. With another election coming in November, the PASOK needs our help. Again, this all comes down to keeping the socialist camp stability high, and even though PASOK is not that militant, it’s always better to have socialist governments who are friendly to us.    As noted above, you are going to want to save money for 1990. If you can afford it in October or November, you can build a research institute or intelligence building in the north region, but if you cannot, it is better to wait and make sure you can handle the “Adulthood” event. By December in particular, just sit back and watch the money collect. In November, you can give another speech. What you use it on is situational. Westalgia was getting high after building so many factories, so I used the “internal cohesion” speech to lower it. The relationship with the Soviet Union was at zero so there was no point in speaking about Soviet friendship. If your diplomatic reputation and NATO threat are high, you can speak about peace in the world to lower it somewhat. Panama Red fucked around with this message at 23:06 on Apr 6, 2023 |
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Apr 6, 2023 23:01
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Coming of Age: January-March 1990 Thanks to our extensive intelligence services, we learn about a US plot against the ruler of Panama, Manuel Noriega. Noriega was a former ally of the US who had become a major drug trafficker and dictator. The operation was called "Operation Just Cause" and involved over 27,000 US troops. Take the option to offer Noriega our help. Doing so costs around five agents, but we also get around 8 money! This helps us prepare for the “Adulthood” event mentioned in the last post. In fact, you should be able to afford to build a factory in the north. If for some reason you are struggling to make money, try my tip related to stopping work at some buildings at the start of the game. But you should have enough trade deals to be earning enough income.    As the most illiberal of the Eastern Bloc countries, Romania has organized a cabal to oppose the reform efforts spearheaded by Gorbachev’s USSR. Since Comrade Mielke has no intention of pursuing democratization, we will join, and if we have provided aid to our allies prior to this point, most Eastern Bloc countries will join. This increases the stability of the socialist camp and supplies a mutual assistance agreement as a preemptive response to the Warsaw Pact’s dissolution.    Once research finishes on industrial science, begin research on genetics. In 1979 the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) overthrew the Somoza dictatorship in Nicaragua. The FSLN initially enjoyed strong support from the Nicaraguan people, but their socialist policies and close ties to the Soviet Union led to conflict with the United States. The US funded and trained the Contras, a rebel group opposed to the FSLN, leading to a bloody civil war for over a decade. By the late 1980s, the war had significantly affected the country's economy and political stability. In an effort to bring about peace and democracy, a regional peace plan was proposed, which called for free and fair elections in Nicaragua. The FSLN agreed to the plan, and in 1990, Nicaragua held its first democratic elections in over 50 years. Take the decision to help the Sandinistas and keep Daniel Ortega in the presidential chair.    There was a coup attempt led by a group of high-ranking members of the Bulgarian Communist Party who were dissatisfied with Todor Zhivkov's leadership and the slow pace of reforms in the country. The plotters included Minister of Interior Stanko Todorov and Minister of Defense Dobri Dzhurov, among others. The plotters intended to arrest Zhivkov and other senior officials and establish a more reform-minded government. However, the coup was short-lived. Zhivkov's loyalists, including the Minister of Defense, deployed army units to the capital, and loyalist troops quickly overwhelmed the plotters. The coup attempt failed within hours, and the plotters were arrested and charged with treason and conspiracy. Take the choice to praise Zhivkov and his actions against reformers. This will scare your own party over the possibility of purges, but it will boost social camp stability and slow the pace of liberalization.    We get an event about a company called Robotron and their proposal to make video games like those developed in the West. The plot of the game is set during World War II and revolves around killing Hitler. Choose the option to produce the game with the protagonist as a veteran of the Thälmann Battalion, a unit of German volunteers in the Spanish Civil War. The game created in the end turns out to be very popular within East Germany and the USSR but does not have much crossover appeal in the West.    In 1990 the Soviet Union amended Article 6 of the 1977 Soviet Constitution to end the “leading role” of the Communist Party. This special status had tied the party to the state and had therefore justified the repression of any opposition. Instead, perestroika has led to competitive elections with multiple candidates. Take the choice to keep the status quo by preserving our own “leading role” reserved for the Socialist Unity Party of Germany.    In Czechoslovakia, the leader Gustav Husak is planning to step down and appoint a leading reformer, Marian Calfa, as his successor. This move is in response to the so-called “Velvet Revolution” triggered by student protests sweeping the country. Since Calfa is known to have liberal sympathies and this could lead to the communists losing their grip on power, it is best to show Husak our compromising material on Calfa and persuade Husak to stay on. Another victory for the stability of the socialist camp!    You should get the “Adulthood” event around the same time as the Husak-Calfa event. Once that is done and you have chosen to create your own CMEA, start making the invitations. You should be able to invite Albania, Egypt, Iran, and Syria if you have restored trade relations with them. Greece and Japan won’t join until after the USSR has also quit the Warsaw Pact (presumably because these countries are more liberal). With our economic stability assured (or at least not at crisis point), we can start saving up for our next big expense… researching and developing nuclear weapons.
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Apr 10, 2023 16:21
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6. Chain Reaction: April-June 1990 In April, with your new trade income, save up enough money to improve the western region and then, once you have at least 10 money and a little cushion too, build a nuclear research facility. This building is a necessary but not sufficient part of developing nuclear weapons. We still need to purchase the blueprints. Since we formed the anti-reform group with Romania, we can only get the blueprints from Israel. (This is unrealistic given Germany’s history and the fact we are a communist country that has just improved relations with Syria and Iran, but whatever.) This should cost you around 25 money or so. Since you should still be researching genetics, you have some time.  In a speech noting the July 20, 1944, plot against Hitler, West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl called the officers involved “German patriots.” We get an event asking if we should do the same and add some new national heroes alongside Ernst Thälmann and Rosa Luxemburg. Doing so would raise our nationalism, but the decision is problematic because the officers of the July 20 plot were still zealous nationalists with right-wing politics, including strident anti-communism. Make the choice to continue the old line and not make the same error as West Germany of praising “the good Nazis.”    In 1962, North Yemen gained independence from the Ottoman Empire and established a republic, while South Yemen remained a British colony until 1967 when it became an independent Marxist state. However, in 1990, after years of negotiations and popular protests, North and South Yemen agreed to unify and form the Republic of Yemen. Take the decision to sabotage the process (we need agents to do this), which will turn South Yemen red. We now have the diplomatic option to develop petroleum extraction there if we invest in it twice (once in 1990 and once in 1991). You can get an achievement for it.     We get another event related to nationalism. Ernst Niekisch was a German political figure who played a significant role in the development of “national Bolshevism,” a political movement that emerged in Germany in the early 20th century. advocated for a revolutionary alliance between the German working class and the nationalist movement, as he saw the two groups as sharing a common interest in opposing the Versailles Treaty and defending Germany's sovereignty. We are asked if we want to revise our system and follow a new course. (We could also adopt Eurocommunism, a democratic and independent form of communism that rejects the Soviet model if we were more pro-reform.) Take the choice to stick with the original ideas of Marx and Lenin.    We get a unique event about a proposal from a party member to build a monument dedicated to Seventeen Moments of Spring, a popular Soviet TV series from the 1970s about a Soviet spy posing as a Nazi intelligence officer in Berlin. The monument would be placed outside one of Berlin’s oldest restaurants, “At the Last Instance,” where scenes were filmed. If we accept the proposal, the public regards it as a bad joke; but if we take it further and recreate the “Elefant” bar featured in the TV series along with a walking tour, we create a tourist sensation and make some money. Go with that choice.    In the background, perestroika is continuing in the USSR and there is growing pressure from Moscow on us to make similar reforms. In fact, KGB agents are active inside East Germany fomenting support for liberalization and democratization. We could ignore it or give in to the pressure but for the sake of stability, we want to remove the KGB. Take the choice to quietly round up and extradite the known KGB agents back to the Soviet Union. The USSR is upset by this (but our relationship with them is likely bottomed out by this point anyway) but they at least appreciate that we didn’t make a big deal of it.    By June, the research into genetics should be finished. Start researching nuclear weapons as your next scientific project. Soon, we will be a nuclear power! News from Romania tells us that President Nicolae Ceaușescu is preparing to name his son Nicu as his heir but with an interim presidency under ex-Prime Minister Manea Mănescu. Rather than let Romania drift further into hereditary dictatorship, we choose to intervene and launch a coup. We install Gheorghe Apostol, a rival to Ceaușescu who has been under house arrest since the 1989 “Letter of Six,” a left-wing critique of the regime from several notable Romanian politicians. Apostol disbands the personality cult that surrounded the Ceaușescu family and reorients Romania back to the Soviet Union.    Finally, we get a notice about the Soviet withdrawal of its forces from Afghanistan. The USSR has been fighting a grueling battle against the Afghan rebels since 1979. Without help, the communist government of Mohammad Najibullah will fall. We could send our own agents, but if we have kept the socialist camp strong and financed/coordinated with them, we should be able to ask for help from the other Warsaw Pact countries. If enough of them contribute, Afghanistan will not just be reformer socialist (the result if you send agents) but conservative socialist. This will also boost the socialist camp score.    From this point what you do economically is up to your discretion. Army bases are a great choice, while electronics factories can help increase research speed. But invest in farms! The end of the genetics research path gives us an event to upgrade some or all of our farms to genetically modified food, and the more farms we have prior to this, the bigger the return (but also the bigger the expense to upgrade). Whatever you decide to do, we are going to have to eventually start saving again for another special event.
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Apr 17, 2023 16:55
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I’d love an update if you’re still up to doing this.
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May 18, 2023 04:54
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