USA Campaign

[Soty]

Hey guys. After having passed my last exam, I thought I might return to EE. As some of you might have seen, I have released the work-in-progress version of the Soviet campaign.
As I especially love map design, I thought about a few ideas on a new 8 scenario campaign project - The American (USA) Campaign
Do you have any ideas for a storyline. I.e. specific wishes for scenarios?

One idea I once discussed with Shieldy were America's "forgotten wars".

[Shieldwolf]

Definitely the Forgotten Wars. If you supply the maps, and an outline, I'd be glad to assist on trigger work and such. And since the US spanned the globe, maybe include other wars/ battles wherein the US is not victors or the good guys. Change of perspective maybe.

[Soty]

the problem is that most units won't fit the time period our "forgotten wars" would be in.. i.e. I lack units such as a US cavalry, teddy roosevelt, transport vessels, and especially latin american and arabian building sets.

[Shieldwolf]

But at least, you'll have units that you can pretend as American units? It's always the game play that matters, and I know that you can deliver a game play that is memorable. I think it's worth the shot, buddy.

[Soty]

Mhm.. you are right of course, but a lot of the atmoshpere of a scenario suffers when the looks are not as they are supposed to. I will give it a shot though. (As soon as my masters thesis is finished)

BTW: couldnt we use some of the CotN models/ textures to create Middle East/ Aztec syle buildings? I.e. by altering a couple of the textures.

[Shieldwolf]

Jul 5, 2014 6:04:38 GMT Soty said:

Mhm.. you are right of course, but a lot of the atmoshpere of a scenario suffers when the looks are not as they are supposed to. I will give it a shot though. (As soon as my masters thesis is finished)

BTW: couldnt we use some of the CotN models/ textures to create Middle East/ Aztec syle buildings? I.e. by altering a couple of the textures.

I agree. But only a few "points" so to speak. If the gameplay is quite good, in the end, the player won't really notice that much.

With hexing and stuff, and with JCGF willing to lend in a hand, I think we could even grab those models, assign them to useless buildings, and have them become totally new buildings in EE, right JCGF?

I already know hexing, and I can create/ link them myself. Just extremely busy, and a non-working EE on my windows 8 laptop precludes me trying this out.

[JCGF]

Send me the COTN models and ill see what i can do like i said in the royal in i want to train my hexing, i can make you costume units no problem

[Soty]

Thanks a lot JCGF! We will work out the storyline first. Then I can tell you how many buildings we would need. I guess no more than 5 will be necessary.

Does any of you have ideas for the storyline? Should we rather create 8 rather isolated scenarios? Or shall we rather follow a loose plot..

Some suggestions:
- No Indian wars. The Indian wars had better be covered in a standalone campaign. Plus, we wont be able to create sort of a Wild West feeling in EE.
- Cold war: Korean War, Vietnam, Berlin Airlift, Spy stuff?
- My favorite: Banana wars. US interventions in Mesoamerica.
-post more

[niektb]

How about Operation Market Garden? Or a scenario covering the Independence War? Invasion in the Bay of Pigs (part of the Cold War)?

What is BTW CotN?

[Shieldwolf]

Children of the Nile, Niek. Another game made under EE's Titan Engine.

Soty, I agree that the Bay of Pigs Invasion plus subsequent Cuban Missile Crisis would be a good candidate (I have by the way an unreleased map chronicling these events). Also, how about American Expansionism after their "victory" of World War II, or some hot points during the Cold War that could have triggered World War 3 and an all out Nuclear War.

[Soty]

I specifically want to EXCLUDE WWII, Western-European theatre as it is probably one of the most overdone storylines in gaming.

War of Independence is not my taste either - for wuite the same reason.

Bay of Pigs would be a nice idea, yes. (They lost though )
CotN is Children of the Nile. The game has the same model format (.cem) as EE does. I.e. we can use CotN models on EE.

Currently my ideas for the campaign are:
1)Banana Wars - Spanish American War (1898) - Cuban Theatre
2)Banana Wars - Spanish American War (1898) - Philipines
3)Banana Wars - Philippine American War (1899) - Philipines
4)Banana Wars - US Interventions in the Caribbean
5)Cold War - The Berlin Airlift 1948
6)Cold War - Of Spies and Missiles - Secret operations
7)Cold War - Forgotten Heroes Korea - Defense
8)Cold War - Forgotten Heroes Korea - Attack and Ceasefire

What I do not like with these suggestions is the scope of operations. I am somewhat against depicting a whole war in one scenario.

Other possibilities would be the Gulf Wars or the "Pax Americana" in General. I.e. US Interventions since 1990?

Better suggestions?

[niektb]

Jul 8, 2014 19:33:00 GMT Soty said:

CotN is Children of the Nile. The game has the same model format (.cem) as EE does. I.e. we can use CotN models on EE.

Interesting...
That means we would be able to re-use the models from Empires: Dawn of the Modern World also?

[Shieldwolf]

Well, you got me hooked since you included the Philippines there right away!

I think what you did with Manifest Destiny would fit nicely here - you can have 1 American family (historical or partly historical) interact as main characters in the scenario/s. That way, you can have depictions of partial theaters of war without letting the story seem partly finished.

[Shieldwolf]

Jul 9, 2014 10:17:05 GMT niektb said:

Jul 8, 2014 19:33:00 GMT Soty said:

CotN is Children of the Nile. The game has the same model format (.cem) as EE does. I.e. we can use CotN models on EE.

Interesting...
That means we would be able to re-use the models from Empires: Dawn of the Modern World also?

Not really, since Empires uses a really advanced Titan Engine. The buttons and textures we can use, but not the CEMs.

[tek]

I would enjoy a scenario on the Barbary Wars, fought between the United States and Ottoman pirates!

[Soty]

Yes, I had those on my mind already. Though I fear they are too far from the other scenarios of the timeline.

[tek]

Understandable. I would suggest interventionism has been a U.S. foreign policy since the Spanish American War, however the last twenty years have been notable.
You have the option of re-creating the Bosnian/Serbian conflict of the 1990s from an American point of view.

[Soty]

I also like this idea. My main problem is to find suitable characters for a decent storyline. It was already pretty hard for the Soviet campaign, but finally Zhukov is the golden thread through the first five or six scenarios.
I would like something like this for the Amercians as well - preferably an amiable character like Richthofen.

Shieldy and I already thought the Roosevelt family would be quite a decent match, but I fear the Roosevelts (apart from Teddy and the rough riders) were too far from the actual action...

[Shieldwolf]

Which made me think, Soty. Why not have a cousin, most probably a woman, who writes to his fiance or husband, who conveniently is under harm's way (and will ultimately die)? That way, they are still about the Roosevelts and their point of view of the wars and society they live in.

[Soty]

I you'll do the constant writing, I am in

[Shieldwolf]

Hahaha.. Yes, if that is what you want, I'm up for it.

Incidentally, I have resurrected my Cold War - Bay of Pigs, Cuban Missile crisis - hybrid scenario what not. I'm doing PT stuff on it and will post it here for further PT by you guys.

[Soty]

Ok then - great.

For the first part (US-Imperialism Banana Wars - Cuba => Caribbean)
My superficial research on the Banana wars yielded that the US marines played a crucial role during the banana wars. So we could base the entire campaign on the marines.. Yes, the Roosevelts would fall out of the campaign but I have a surrogate-family

The actual hero(ine) of our story could be some random marine corporal (later marine officer) who writes to his wife. Let's call them.. whatever.. Franklin and Ethel.
Franklin himself provides the letters for the introductory story - anticipating what the marines will be up to in the upcoming battle.
Ethel writes back during the battles and/or at the end of each scenario. (maybe critically commenting the events)

I think we could loosely base our storyline for the US Imperialism part on this guy: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smedley_Butler

Do you agree to put all the Banana Wars' interventions (apart from Cuba, Puerto Rico and Philippines) in one scenario?

If yes, I would start map design tonight..

[Shieldwolf]

Nice! You do know that my preference is for all out war in one big map!

Seriously, yes, you could bunch them in one scenario, and have other scenarios in the campaign deal with other wars (if you are still planning to do that). Smedley Butler by the way kicks ass!