Unused World War 2 Settings

[Soviet Heavy]

Probably the biggest reason that people are sick of WW2 games is that they all use the same fucking settings. Omaha Beach, Stalingrad, Market Garden, Pacific, and then always the same nations, USA, Russia, UK.

Despite this, there are a ton of battles and campaigns that are almost never touched, despite their importance. How great would it be to see a Canadian campaign? We got a mini one in COD3, but apart from that and a couple of missions in Company of Heroes, the Canadians almost never appear.

Then there is the Second Sino-Japanese War, which could be an entire game by itself. Of course, considering the brutality and the long standing animosity brought about by it, it might be for the best if it isn't adapted.

Now, obviously these new ideas won't happen, since most World War 2 games are directed at Americans, and what American wants to play a game about Canadians? (note, I know this isn't true of everyone, but from a marketing standpoint it is)

So, what sort of World War 2 game that doesn't focus on the conventional aspects would you like to see?

 

[Valagetti]

Apparently the last calvery charge ever was by the Polish, towards a MG42 thats mowed them all down, in 1939. And alot or nasty shit happened in China as well. Hmm, what about the bombing of Dunkirk?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I have a better question. Why no World War 1 games?

Because we'd have the same problem as we do with World War 2 games. Everything would be about the Somme or Trench Warfare in general. They'd probably never go into detail about the evolution of tanks, or the Armenian Genocide.

 

[Sinclair Solutions]

I have a better question. Why no World War 1 games?

Because trench warfare is not exciting?

Also, Darkness 1 had some WW1 elements in it.

 

[Soviet Heavy]

Apparently the last calvery charge ever was by the Polish, towards a MG42 thats mowed them all down, in 1939. And alot or nasty shit happened in China as well. Hmm, what about the bombing of Dunkirk?

A game about the Polish would be pretty cool. Despite falling to Germany, they never officially surrendered, and they continued guerrilla warfare throughout the war.

And I like the Dunkirk idea. A game focused around the French and the English rearguard buying time for the evacuation. Didn't the Black Watch 1st Battalion fight to the last man or something?

 

[open trap]

How about Norway? The germans took controll of Norway and this was a bit of fighting for it, resulting in a loss for the allies. There is also the winter war which could actually make for a few very exciting missions if you add a little CoD exageration. What about a game that covers both fronts entirely from the German perspective? And doesnt end in Berlin! There are alot of possabilities.

 

[Littlee300]

Apparently the last calvery charge ever was by the Polish, towards a MG42 thats mowed them all down, in 1939. And alot or nasty shit happened in China as well. Hmm, what about the bombing of Dunkirk?

During the German Invasion of Poland in 1939, there is no evidence of Polish Cavalry mounting a brave but futile charge against German tanks using lances and sabres. This seems to have its origins in German propaganda efforts following the Charge at Krojanty in which a Polish cavalry brigade surprised German infantry in the open and charged with sabres until driven off by armoured cars. While Polish cavalry still carried the sabre for such opportunities, they were trained to fight as highly mobile, dismounted infantry and issued with light anti-tank weapons

 

[J-dog42]

I suppose you could try a bit more of North Africa, Italy and Poland. I know North Africa has been in one MoH or CoD game. Also I think Finland, Hong Kong and Singapore could be possible locations. As has already been mentioned, the Allied retreat from Dunkirk could also work.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

How about one told from the perspective of the Germans? It could make for a compelling story when done right. I mean, the average footsoldier was hardly evil, you didn't have much choice in joining the army if you were an able bodied young man.

 

[daft punk fan]

Well some Alaskan islands got taken over by the Japanese and Greece got taken over and I haven't seen any of those used in games.

 

[LobsterFeng]

How about back in the U.S. where the women were making weapons. It would be like Cooking Mama, only with tanks!

 

[Soviet Heavy]

I suppose you could try a bit more of North Africa, Italy and Poland. I know North Africa has been in one MoH or CoD game. Also I think Finland, Hong Kong and Singapore could be possible locations. As has already been mentioned, the Allied retreat from Dunkirk could also work.

The problem with Hong Kong and Singapore is that they were both massacres. The Canadians and English stationed in Hong Kong were outgunned and outnumbered, and they lasted only a few days before surrendering.

Singapore fell in two weeks, all by virtue of tactical incompetence and having all the heavy guns facing the opposite direction.

Though you raise an interesting idea. Most WW2 games show the battles that ended in victory. What about ones that ended in defeat, or at least phyrric victories?

 

[Soviet Heavy]

How about back in the U.S. where the women were making weapons. It would be like Cooking Mama, only with tanks!

Factory Mama 2. Bombs and Missiles!

 

[Thaluikhain]

What about protecting/attacking convoys in the Atlantic or Pacific? Lots of mucking about with submarines, and other things.

 

[Khravv]

I'd like to see more set in Italy. I also agree that the winter war would be cool, though I don't know a lot about it besides the White Death.
While I don't see WW1 games having much potential single player... it could make for an enjoyably simple straightforward multiplayer game. Leading charges would lend itself pretty well to the respawn mechanism in games these days. You could also take advantage of it to create a sort of TF2-ish (but more realistic) base vs base gameplay.

Though I'm not sure if this fits very on-topic, I personally like alternate ending WW2 games. I think a shooter set in a dieselpunk setting would be really fun, as well as refreshingly different from many of the games currently out there.

 

[gruggins]

Gallipoli...
Australias biggest loss of life in either of the world wars (i think).
and it was all winston churchills idea.

or perhaps something from the perspective of the japanese or italians?

 

[Khravv]

How about one told from the perspective of the Germans? It could make for a compelling story when done right. I mean, the average footsoldier was hardly evil, you didn't have much choice in joining the army if you were an able bodied young man.

Yes, I've always wished someone did this. However... it'd be so very hard, you would need to tread extremely careful.
But perhaps if you placed it in a CoD2 like format, where the player switches between American, British, Russian, and this time also a German character. This helps prevent people from getting too upset, since you'd be representing all sides. Well, to be fair, all sides would most likely also need to include Japanese and Italian characters.
There you go, I bet you could do one on an Italian soldier without too much bad press being stirred up.
If you did do a German campaign, I'd place it after the Allies had crossed the border into Germany, at which point the fight was more about protecting their homeland than it was conquering europe. In that setting you could portray things more positively in a patriotic "defend my home" sense.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

I have a better question. Why no World War 1 games?

Because WWI was less a war and more a set of organized massacres. Old tactics meeting new weapons, bloody mess ensues.

Well some Alaskan islands got taken over by the Japanese and Greece got taken over and I haven't seen any of those used in games.

The Aleutians, and I remember a few Crete missions in one of the early MOH's, but aside from that, there wasn't much on Greece.

 

[Azahul]

Apparently the last calvery charge ever was by the Polish, towards a MG42 thats mowed them all down, in 1939. And alot or nasty shit happened in China as well. Hmm, what about the bombing of Dunkirk?

To my knowledge, the last real successful cavalry charge was the charge of the Australian Light Horse at the battle of Beersheba in 1917. Could make for an interesting mission in a WWI game.

As far as WWII settings go, I'd be intrigued by a game about the Siege of Tobruk. 240 days of desert warfare and siege, the first time the Blitzkrieg was actually brought to a complete stop. The Australian 9th Division was ordered to hold the town for eight weeks, they held it for five months until the German forces were driven off by Allied reinforcements.