Eras & scenarios
A scenario swaps in a whole set of country attributes and starting alliances from an external data file, letting you replay history from 12 dated start points (1953–2025) or dive into four fictional 'what-if' crises.
How it works
Each dated scenario (1953, 1962, 1972, 1979, 1985, 1989, 1995, 2000, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2025) is a data file that bulk-overrides GDP, population, military, leaders and — crucially — the historical bloc structure (alliances, vassals, power blocs) via its history field. When you load one, START_YEAR shifts to that year, so the endgame finale and every era-based calculation reframe around your chosen decade. Countries not explicitly listed in a scenario fall back to an era factor applied by region.
The four fictional scenarios reuse the 2025 country base but add a scripted setup that fires special events. Taiwan Strait Crisis triggers a PLA landing; the nuclear-war 'aftermath' path drops a nuclear-winter setup; Multipolar and New Cold War reshape the diplomatic alignment. Some special scenarios (nuclear-war and demo variants) are flagged debug-only and stay hidden from the normal scenario dropdown.
The demo build is deliberately narrow: it locks the selectable scenario to 2025 and cuts play short after a fixed number of in-game years. If you try to pick a locked era, the dropdown snaps back to 2025 with a toast — the other eras are shown only as teasers to advertise the full game.
Key numbers
How to play
- ▸Start with 2025 if you're learning — it's the best-supported base and the only scenario in the demo.
- ▸Pick a dated scenario to inherit its real Cold War / post-war bloc structure; your diplomacy begins inside those historical alliances.
- ▸Fictional scenarios like Taiwan and Aftermath script an opening crisis — expect the map to catch fire early, so plan your military before it fires.
- ▸The endgame finale reframes around your start year, so a 1962 game is judged against a 1962-era world, not today's.