I don't know what all the development time went in to. … ExpandĪt the current moment it is not a good game. They listen to the constructive criticism on their forums and keep at it. Paradox doesn't just 'fire and forget' it's games - they continue working and improving and tweaking. It has the potential to be a 10 with some more work, and that work is coming.
Play as Finland and see if you can stand up to the Red Army! Again, I understand the game is not a finished product. Obviously the more common options would be the major players in the war - the Germans, Italians, Soviets, Japanese, British, French, or Americans, but don't feel limited to just those. You can play as the UK, grant Egypt it's independence, and then take over play as Egypt. Want to run through WW2 as Ecuador? Not sure why you'd want to do that, but you can. You can literally play as ANY nation that existed during that time period, and a few nations that did NOT exist (yet, or at all). But the work is being done, and the base game is worth the effort.
Yes, the naval combat system needs a lot of work. But the This is a great game and it will get better. This is a great game and it will get better.