Amidst preparations for the Paradox Interactive Convention 2010, the Paradox team today announced patch 1.4 for Hearts of Iron 3 and are glad to report that it is in the final stages of development.

”This patch focuses on some of the most requested updates for Hearts of Iron 3 and I look forward to seeing our fans enjoy their gameplay even more after this release,” said Johan Andersson, Head of Development for Paradox Interactive.

The updates in patch 1.4 include:

• Optimization: The patch optimizes game performance late in the game as well as during startup, reduction of interface lag and memory usage.

• Balance: Several balancing issues have been addressed including; submarines are now strengthened in convoy warfare, paratroopers are now weaker and cannot be abused as easily. The leadership and technology for most non-major European countries have been overhauled, to add new gameplay depth.

• AI: The AI will now perform better on the battlefield as well as the planning of fights.

• Bugfixes: Several bugs have been fixed including the supply network breaking apart, non-exact numbers in the budget sliders and corrupted national flags on some graphics cards.

The patch is currently being tested and the team plans to release it in public beta in February.