Custom Game Mode

Custom Game mode, or CGM, a feature introduced in TFH, allows you to customise your country of choice before you begin playing. Once you begin a CGM game you will be taken to the customisation screen, which consists of three phases. Ensure you are happy with your choices in each phase before moving onto the next one, as you are not able to return without starting a new game.

Custom Game mode is not available for the bookmarks The Tide has Turned and Götterdämmerung.

In each phase you have a certain number of points to spend, and you can normally gain more of these points by giving up resources you nation possesses in order to buy other things. The number of points given in either phase, either globally or for specific nations, can be customised via a simple text file, an example of which can be found in the CGM folder.

The first phase is Diplomacy, here you can modify your nation’s neutrality, align towards a faction, or join/leave factions. Faction leaders may not leave their factions.

The second stage is Research, here you can modify your technological level. If you want to remove everything and start with a clean slate, there is a “Clear all” button near the top of the screen, or if you want to make smaller changes you can gain points by removing already known techs to buy new ones instead. Be aware that more difficult or ahead of time techs cost more points, so if you want to focus on a particular area you may find yourself lacking in others.

If you do not have enough points to fully buy a tech you will have some progress towards it when you start the game. Any unspent techs are lost when you end this phase; there is no benefit to not using them all.

The third and final stage is Deployment, where you can buy and deploy units and buildings. You start with your nation’s default units for the scenario you have chosen, but you can delete most units and buildings to gain points, the exception being Infrastructure which cannot be removed. Anything you can build is accessed via the special build menu at the top of the screen, or buildings can also be built via the province menu. All units are built instantly in this phase, and they can be deployed in any province you control, even if they are overseas.

Not that if you disband experienced units, that experience is gone and rewards you no additional points. Officers are not bought during this phase; once you are done the game automatically adds enough to give you the same officer ratio as you would have had in a historical start.