Idea for Cold War Module: Operation Unthinkable.

[FinStabilized]

I know many people are looking for expansion to the nations in the current years of CMCW or expanding into the later 80s. I think these are great ideas but I think we have a perfect storm brewing for a different kind of cold war era.

Operation Unthinkable.

Battlefront has just finished Fire and Rubble, which gives us all the Soviet units we need, and my understanding is that the next module on the horizon is an expansion to Final Blitzkrieg that will bring it to the end of the war (unless Im mistaken). This gives us all the units we need for a end of the war clash between the Allies (starting with the Americans) and the Soviets. I think this would be super cool since I dont know of it ever being done before, and it would provide an interesting what if where we can clash Pershings and Shermans vs T-34-85s and Is-2s.

I see several advantages to this option as the first CMCW module.

-It would piggyback on existing content, most likely making it easier and faster to develop, and therefore out to us faster.

-It would be ****ing cool to pit late war Soviets vs late war Americans.

-It wouldnt slow down the possibility of other CMCW modules much if at all, since any development work needed on assets could still go forward while whatever campaigns and scenarios are needed for Operation Unthinkable are created.

-It would not only have all the units and their costs and rarities in place, but could also use the maps from FBK, FnR, and RT, BfN etc.

 

[AttorneyAtWar]

I'd much rather see other countries in the time period that CMCW is about rather than backtracking all the way to WW2 again. It seems like a huge waste of potential doing that.

Edited May 6, 2021 by AttorneyAtWar

[Der Zeitgeist]

4 hours ago, AttorneyAtWar said:

I'd much rather see other countries in the time period that CMCW is about rather than backtracking all the way to WW2 again. It seems like a huge waste of potential doing that.

I agree. Something about "Operation Unthinkable" might be interesting to a few players, but I suspect it'll be rather niche for most people. Battlefront will have to think about the potential market for each title and potential DLC packages.

I expect CM:CW will sell very well once it hits Steam, because Cold War scenarios set in the 80s are exactly what a lot of the potential playerbase grew up with (also through books, older videogames and movies). Building on top of the base game with DLC set in the same time period might be a good strategy for Battlefront going forward.

[The_Capt]

10 hours ago, FinStabilized said:

I know many people are looking for expansion to the nations in the current years of CMCW or expanding into the later 80s. I think these are great ideas but I think we have a perfect storm brewing for a different kind of cold war era.

Operation Unthinkable.

I kinda like this idea but to be honest it would be more of a mash-up between Final Blitz and Red Thunder, as opposed to a CW module. If they were to go this way, it probably would be the RT team to pull it together into a DCL for those other titles.  If Unthinkable happened the Cold War would have started later (if at all), this is really an extension of WWII.

If/when we move out on a DLC it is gong to remain in the 70s/80s context, I can say that much.

[kevinkin]

If the next module takes the war in the west to its end, maybe BF could make Russian WW2 forces available for us to design our own scenarios. Not sure if that's a lot of additional work. But it might not be compared to entirely new product. 

[IICptMillerII]

My idea for an Operation Unthinkable would be to make a standalone module that is just the Allied and Russian TO&E from CMFB and CMRT, grab some QB maps from the same, and throw it all together. I would do a standalone module because to me it makes more sense to do it that way than to tack an Op Unthinkable onto either of the base games. 

It could have something like 4-6 standalone scenarios and maybe a campaign or a mini campaign or two. Basically, anything that could be thrown together quickly. No development overhead for BFC, so it would not cost them much or delay any other projects, and those interested could take it or leave it. 

As much as I would like an Op Unthinkable for the mashup, I think it would be mostly a gimmick. For the most part, I think it would be played a little and then moved on from. 

  

8 hours ago, AttorneyAtWar said:

I'd much rather see other countries in the time period that CMCW is about rather than backtracking all the way to WW2 again. It seems like a huge waste of potential doing that.

1000% agree.

Edited May 6, 2021 by IICptMillerII

[domfluff]

Before CM:CW was released, I was all about the idea of other timeframes, pushing this forwards and backwards. Seeing the introduction of ERA, or the first ATGMs, and the period when it was debatable whether HEAT or kinetic projectiles were the future of tank warfare, all that good stuff.

Having played around with it, I think I've gone off the idea - the start of this period is when the US is perhaps as behind technologically as it has ever been, and the end of the period is where they leap into dominance. Earlier and later won't change this dynamic all that much, and I suspect there's more to be gained from exploring alternative regions (Norway, Afghanistan, perhaps Iran or Korea) than by seeing that development.

[evilman222]

I personally love the idea of a 1945-1949ish timeframe, but I think it would be best suited if they could somehow establish a system where all CM releases are different modules of the same game, instead of as completely separate programs. That way, they could use assets from CMRT and CMFB and release Unthinkable as a relatively simple scenario pack, instead of having to do a whole new release. That said, I don't see them doing this.