Non-WH Alternate History Futuristic Military Combat
Ok, I was going to wait to post this until I finished the factions section on my website. But the faction descriptions are approaching 2 pages each 12pt Single-Spaced TNR. So really it'd be inconceivable to fit them in this thread anyway. Plus the concept art section is crappily constructed. But here’s the site link anyway. Stay tuned for in-depth faction info!
http://students.uww.edu/rodenja10/risen2012/
But anyway! This is just going to be a mod throwing out there idea thread. Seeing as how most people want Warhammer mods, doing something else would a risky venture unless I get some positive feedback.
Also since this is an idea thread, it does not take into account the realistic modding abilities of humans, nor the level of modifiability DOW has.
About Solstice of War
Risen 2012: Solstice of War is a total conversion mod for Dawn of War. So sadly it is not a Warhammer race add-on. It has the same basic gameplay as Dawn of War, but replaces the factions and setting with those from the Risen story. It will implement more realistic military elements into the gameplay while still keeping some of the sci-fi stuff.
Risen Story
The Risen story is an alternate history that takes place in the future, if there even is such a genre. It basically envisions the world 70 years after an assassination of Hitler (not by a time traveling Einstein). This results ultimately in Russia being preoccupied with Japan, a heavily defended European theater, an uneasy ceasefire, and western nations isolating themselves once again.
The persistent old world mentality, warped further with the population and technology of 2012, threatens to bring about the apocalypse many times over. With the advent of interplanetary travel, the choice ultimately presents itself to the various factions: stay and fight to the end, attempt to escape and start again on fresh new worlds, or destroy a cancerous race before it can spread any further.
Being slightly more fantasy-based than a strict alternate history story, Risen includes visual elements from time periods other than the near future, such as World War II, Industrial and Classical Ages, and some elements from the Biblical era.
Gameplay Elements
-Upped damage scaling. Those who get the first shot are more likely to get the kill. Thusly more emphasis is put on maneuvering and surprise than simply massing (unless you're the KPC).
-Larger maps to give your armies room to maneuver and to make transports actually worth something.
-Larger pop caps mean more fun! (sometimes) Though unit detail will have to be lowered to compensate.
-Squads that are farther away from friendly buildings will be slower to reinforce or upgrade weapons than those who are nearer. Some transport vehicles will be able to boost reinforcement and upgrade rate though.
-Units on higher terrain will have an offensive bonus.
-Heavy cover still improves defense but reduces range.
-Units won't fire through mountains
-The more professional armies will have multiple squad formations to choose from.
-Directional armor. Units will be less vulnerable when attacked from the front than from behind. This is especially true for a lot of Unigov units when they carry shields.
-Introduces and air units (though may be limited to hovering aircraft) and respectively anti-air units.
-New gametypes.
-Network. Think UT2004's Onslaught or Planetside. Each team starts with an impenetrable shield around their base. To bring down the opposite team's shield, you must establish a chain of captured strategic points from your base to his.
-Skirmish. Games start with a DMZ dividing the bases. Each team has a preset req. and pow. amount and a minute or so to field their armies, which will be easy because all build and research times are lowered then. After that, the buildings are destroyed and the DMZ lifted. The armies will then fight to the last man!
-Space Race. Collect enough Fuel resources and spacecraft parts scattered around the map. The first to launch off the planet wins!
Factions
For Sure Factions
Unigov
The United Governments was once a protective multinational organization that now aspires to unite the barbaric outsiders under one world government. Over the years it's Union Security Force has focused on central rule over its member nations until it absorbed their individual armies. Thusly, the Union Army resembles a large special police force more than a traditional military. In that respect they are distinguished by compact vehicles and weapons, body armor, and large riot shields. There are many stun weapons used, but they are well enough to disable the enemy until the lethal force arrives. The men in blue are well disciplined and perform best in orderly strikes, but too much chaos can have a degrading effect on the army as a whole. It's high technology vehicles and well-trained infantry are expensive so Unigov excels in the repairing ability of its engineers.
Hertfordshire
Britain dropped out of Unigov after several coups were carried out. A group from the county of Hertfordshire eventually won out. They rewrote the history books to legitimize their House of Hertfordshire as the ruling monarchy and bring back the imperial state of mind. The Hert units look deceptively retro, but behind elegant sequins are sophisticated high-powered weapons technology and mechanical augmentations. Projectiles are generally faster and more LOS based than the one's Unigov uses. An expanding empire needs high mobility units, so Hert is equipped with Garrison Posts, an Airbase for deep paradropping, jetpacks, hovercraft, and jump jets. In 2012 there are also many lords and family members competing for the White Crown, recruiting one will bring unique attributes to your entire army.
KPC
The Sino-Russian Alliance is the brute of the Risen world. It may not have the best-trained units, the repair ability, nor the high quality armor of the previous factions, but who needs that when you've got 2.5 billion people to throw at the enemy? The KPC can make lots of tanks and infantry units, quickly and cheaply. The high numbers philosophy is not only reflected in the units, but the weapons systems too, such as in chain guns and rapid fire rocket launchers. The basic conscript could make up your entire infantry (save for Commissars) until you tech up. Reflecting the duality theme the Party Headquarters is tiered with the Russian or Chinese upgrades which gives you specialty units flavored to their respective side of the coin. These two upgrades can be done in either order. Generally the Russian researches deliver more cold steel and the Chinese ones fiery.. uh, flame.
neoVisigoths
They may be gaunt, pale and dress in tattered black outfits, but not out of fashion sense. No, it's all from plague, disease, famine and starvation stemming from 50 years of attrition warfare with Germania's neighbors. Recently used as tools in Unigov's own war on the KPC and Hertfordshire, the neoVisigoths have organized by their common thirst for revenge. They lack conventional military numbers and accuracy, so they rely AOE weapons, such as flamethrowers, flak cannons, chemical weapons, corpse catapults, and cotangent bullets. They are also keen on commerce warfare, translated in game this means that attacking buildings will affect their ability to produce units quickly or at the normal cost.
Olive Green
When a 6 billion strong industrialized, urban-sprawling, resource-hogging race of walking apes is about to go to war with itself, who is going to sustain the biggest casualties? That's right, our earth. Olive Green, the militant fringe of normally peace-promoting environmentalist groups, seeks to end the problem of human civilization. Being Unigov civilians, the elusive OG has the ability to blend into the local populace until the precise moment they want to strike. This results in many stealth units in SoW. Frustratingly they can also brainwa.. I mean recruit enemy squads and hijack their vehicles. OG has an additional natural resource meter. Having a large standing army for too long will cause it to drop. If it goes into the red random OG's will suicide themselves until it balances out.
Factions That Didn’t Make It
These are the factions which add to the overall character of the Risen but are either underdeveloped, don’t fit into a soldier and tank game like Dawn of War well, or maybe because 5 is already an impossible number of factions to make.
Might of the Pariahs (temp name)
The outcasts on the San Jacinto Prison Island would normally not be on any civilized society’s mind, that is until they happened upon mineral key in making efficient rocket fuel (a must when the upper classes are trying to get off-planet). While it made a nice bargaining chip, others forces became keener to just wipe out the middlemen. The Might of the Pariah was pulled together to defend their assets. Making do with machinery from the local scrap yard, the band looks like something out of Mad Max with a Southwest/Native American influence.
Magnhild Industries
This gigantic conglomerate has practically formed it’s own city-state around the former Atlanta. While notorious for it’s “everything under one roof” Mall-mart, the company also controls large portions of the media, electronic communications, automotives, and arms manufacturing. Though no one can prove it, suspicions abound that Magnhild has orchestrated this latest war by playing all sides against each other and then profiting from it with arms sales and media coverage.
Transcendent Technologies
Once a mere pharmaceutical company, Transcendent Technologies has contributed to scientific knowledge and its projects are beginning to see application used both in the world’s civilian and military sects. Transcendent has put an almost a religious devotion into the development of experimental fields such as genetic alteration, cloning, cybernetic implants, cryogenics and neural mapping. It is also the first private company with a space program, and was also a major participant in the Skyring Space Station project. Still, not everyone is comfortable the secretive company’s research methods and ulterior intentions for the human race.
Various Concept Art and Renders
This part is to show that I'm not just an ideas man and that I can do stuff (albeit slowly)
Ok this one isn't from Risen
Okay, I think that's enough for now. On with the comments, questions, critiques, and suggestions!
There are resources.. pools of talent to be had.
