Combat Mission: Shock Force
The setting for CM:SF is 2007 Syria after a coup removes the current Assad government. I do not wish to go into the specifics of the backstory at this time, but the premise is that UN is called upon to remove the illegitimate regime. Support comes from all major nations and nearly all within the Middle East region. Leading this liberation is a coalition of mostly NATO states, with a strong contingent of Arab/Muslim states involved directly in the immediate and long term rebuilding of the nation. The player is in command of one of the more interesting missions - to slice through the center of the country and join up with other coalition forces around Damascus.
The primary force under the command of the player is a task force from a US Army Stryker Brigade. At times other forces, such as US Mech Infantry and US Armor, are involved and under player command, however the core organic units are from the Stryker based task force. Air support and off map artillery support are of course a part of the battle as well. The player commands these forces through an extensive, semi-dynamic campaign. The individual missions vary greatly from full up conventional fighting to small scale unconventional actions involving a few platoons. Terrain covers the full range from fairly open desert to dense modern urban, and everything in between. The new game engine was purposefully designed with urban warfare (MOUT warfare) and extremely rough terrain in mind.
The OPFOR (Opposing Forces) consist of regular Syrian Army troops, the well trained/armed Syrian Special Forces, hastily organized militias, and other non-conventional combat formations. This array of opposition allows for a host of possibilities and opportunities for vastly varied play from one scenario to another. The tactical challenges that these forces and terrain options, along with the new way we're constructing scenario parameters, present make CMx1's battles look mundane and repetitive by comparison. Rest assured that CM:SF is not an unchallenging "turkey shoot" for the US player. We'd not be making a modern game if we felt an unrealistic turkey shooter was the best we could do.
The campaign is single player only from the US side. Quick Battles and user made Scenarios (using the Editor) can be played from both sides. Additionally there is an option to play "Blue on Blue" where US forces face off against US forces.
We have no definite plans for follow up Modules, but it is highly likely that one of them will simulate US Marines. Personally I would like to see British, German, or other NATO forces simulated as well, but we'll just have to see how things work out.
Combat Mission set in WWII
We won't be talking much about this project until after CM:SF is released for the simple reason that we can not afford to be distracted by something we aren't actively working on yet. What I can tell you is that the setting for the main title will be WWII set in western ETO 1944-45 timeframe. Like CM:SF the player will be in command of a task force based around US forces. Follow up Modules will cover other Allied forces and settings within the same WWII western ETO setting.
Specifics of the WWII game are simply not going to be decided and/or discussed between now and the release of CM:SF. If you want input on how the game shapes up this is the time to do it since when we move to WWII the core game system will only be subjected to minor changes for WWII specific needs (which are not insignificant, mind you!). If you think modern warfare isn't your cup of tea we still encourage you to stick around and talk about game mechanics since the overlap with WWII is fairly significant. In any event we would suggest playing the demo when it is available. We fully expect that many of you will be surprised to find that you actually like it! [Wink] I can say this since I've been a WWII ETO bigot most of my adult life, and yet I have been extremely excited while working on this project for the last 2 years. If I can change after all of that, anybody can [Big Grin]
Well, that about wraps up letting the cat out of the bag. There will be a formal website set up in about a week and an exclusive article in Computer Gaming World in the next issue (late October for subscribers, early November for the rest). You'll see some of the very early artwork and UI that we have to show, but I've included two tidbits below to show you guys what to expect in terms of level of graphical detail. Note that these images are VERY early tests of the animation and graphics engine, not in any way shape or form a presentation of what the final product is going to look like (well, except for the level of detail of the soldiers and vehicle).
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Originally we had wanted to call it Stryker Brigade, but the DoD nixed that. They have a Trademark on it and that settles that. Then we got to thinking it wasn't a good idea anyway because the follow up Modules will *not* be Stryker based. Therefore, the title should not be centered around a single type of unit or a single actual unit. It confuses the message.
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Quick follow ups...
Snipers, be they solo or in teams, are accurately portrayed. No abstractions like in CMx1.
Red on Red should be possible, yes. Probably a lot of fun too.
Suicide bombers are possible. IEDs for sure. IED counter measures are also planned.
MOUT warfare is indeed a central part of CM:SF, though there will be plenty of non-MOUT type scenarios in the Campaign. Remember there is a lot of variation on the type of urban environments. They can range from a small, but dense, town to something like the modern section of a large city. Mission type and forces radically affect the nature of combat and therefore the tactical challenges. We'll probably cut off building heights to 6 stories. From a tactical simulation standpoint more than that seems to be unnecessary as well as uncommon.
