Dear developers and fellow commanders,
the “Pacific Campaign: completion of the IJA/IJN with tear V” series are my first entries in the forum. As you can easily guess, the main topic is the completion of the Japanese side in the Pacific War. Given reason is the introduction of the USSR-paratroopers, the APC update and the lack of BR5 for Japan. This is part “A”, before the other parts, to introduce myself and discuss about the “squad preset” feature and the appearance of soldiers, in particular with references to the Pacific Campaign – the other threads will be uploaded in the near future.
A) Introduction
So why do I made these suggestions?
First of all, there are historical reasons for my interest: I find the Pacific War Theatre very interesting, especially the look of the landscape is something completely different from Europe. Nevertheless, this should not obscure the fact that it was a very bloody and brutal conflict that claimed over 6.5 million dead soldiers and an incredible 27 million civilian victims (around 26 million on the Allied side). Besides the R.O.C., the Allies were joined in the war by the U.S.A. and British India (as well as England, the Netherlands and finally the USSR). The main opponent was Japan, supported by a few vassals (for example Siam, Manchukou, Provisional Gouvernment of free India or the Wang-Jingwei Regime). In addition to its extraordinary brutality, the Pacific War is remarkable because it produced one of the most iconic images (Raising the flag on Iwo Jima), created the term “kamikaze” in Western translation and finally - as a Pandora’s box - ushered in the age of the atomic bomb, whereby mankind is now able to wipe itself out without much effort.
Next to that, of course, is my interest in the game. I’ve been playing Enlisted since the Normadie-campaign and actually really like the game. I won’t deny that the game has a few problems and doesn’t always live up to its own expectations. Nevertheless, all in all I find it better than BF-V or CoD-Vanguard, possibly because it reminds me of the classic Battlefront II from 2005 from time to time. Since BR-5 is still mssing for Japan and I think Enlisted has a unique chance to create a fully equipped Japanese side that isn’t just filled with completely fictional weapons (for example BF-V with “M1907 or MP 40 with telescopic sight” or CoD with “robot” or “modified unicorn” [in RL: “Becker shotgun” - btw a cool gold-card for Germany]) or suddenly a dozen Germans running around on Iwo Jima. Admittedly, the Pacific campaign disappointed some people, perhaps because it was compared to BF-V, in which the Pacific campaign was the most popular part of the game in the community. I myself had a losing streak of over 30 times in a row more than once (with Japan and U.S.) - it was really annoying and terribly upsetting.
In the meantime, many weapons have been introduced, even weapons in small series and prototypes (e.g. Type Hei/Type Otsu/Type 100 TERA/Type 2) or even without any combat use at all.
So it is not entirely historically accurate, but from a gamer’s point of view it should be understandable: in real life a war is never balanced or fair, one side always tries to win and if there are no big land gains, it turns into a slaughter of human lives (e.g. Verdun, Battle of the Somme or Battle of the Marne 1914 and 1918). It should also be noted that Enlisted was never 100% historically accurate before the merge. In this respect, I would ask that the argument “not real, only fiction” is not mentioned per se as the ultimate counter-argument. Because to mention it up front, the absolute main weapon of Japan was the Type 99 rifle and Type 38 rifle, followed by the Type 38 carbine, Type-30 rifle and the Type I rifle. There were less than 20,000 submachine guns (Type 100: 10,000; Type SU (S-100): 6,000) and the Type 99 (about 50,000) dominated the portable LMGs, followed by the Type 96 (about 40,000) with the Type 11 (just under 30,000), and finally the Type 97 (18,000). There were no semi-automatic rifles, only about 350-450 prototypes. As a result, the Allies had vehicle superiority with their light and medium tanks (there was never a Jumbo M4 deployed, as - unlike in Europe - there was no need for one) and clearly superior infantry weapons with their semi-automatic and fully automatic weapons with more powerful ammunition. If this situation were to be reproduced in the game, a random generator would have to make 50% of the grenades and ammunition unusable due to poor packaging, the Japanese would only have to fight with repeating rifles and a few machine pistols or MGs against semi-automatics and MGs, and the Ha-Go would make up the Japanese tank fleet alongside the Chi-Ha (57mm). With all due respect - anyone who really demands this has probably not played a game in the Pacific or has a very biased view, because that would definitely not be a fair game. Of course, you could set the “GORE” mode so that the corpses of the fallen remain lying permanently and make much stronger noises when they die, especially if it takes a long time - but then I think that would be a bit too much of a good thing even for hardcore gore fans.
I would therefore like to make suggestions to improve the gaming experience for the Japanese side, with sufficient reference to real-life situations so that it is not pure fiction. This concerns various aspects, especially maps and weapons as well as the Soviet-Japanese War 1945.
B). Preset and Skins
The topic of “Squad preset and Appearance” applies not only to the Pacific campaign, but in general.
- Squad Preset
After the merge, it is important to have a preset for level II, III and V. The troop layout that you save as a preset should also allow this. To my great disappointment, I discovered that this is not the case. By default, only the selected squads are saved, but not the soldiers and their weapons.
So if I equip the S.A.S.-squad and save it as “Level II”, then disarm it to give it to a “Level IV” squad and then switch to the pre-saved Level II setting, the S.A.S.-squad is loaded - but without any equipment …
As a result, I have to re-equip the troops every time, as the soldier preset is not really helpful either. It takes a lot of time and therefore reduces the enjoyment of a quick game, and the levels are changed less frequently.
In addition: if you only want to change one squad, you should also have the option of Lvl II, III and V for each squad so that you only have to change the BR to automatically adjust the squad.
- Appearance
This topic is not a Pacific exclusive, but it has a more urgent in the Pacific.
The ability to customize the appearance of soldiers was introduced with the Stalingrad update. The last update was for Tunisia. Even though the system isn’t perfect, in Stalingrad there were at least some options to choose between top and trousers as well as helmets - this wasn’t available in Berlin, Normandy, which I found very disappointing. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the Pacific campaign: it was even worse ^^
In the Pacific you could only choose a standardized suit, which was also quite expensive. But there is no significant difference to Normandy which would justify this. It makes absolutely no sense to me.
In general, there are a few points that annoy me and I would like to share with you.
a) It should be possible to acquire the faces of different nationalities and the hands should also be customized accordingly. In particular, African-American soldiers should finally be added. Despite high enlistment rates, African-Americans were not treated equally and apartheid was still a problem in civil society and the military for a long time. Nevertheless, 125.000 African-American soldiers served overseas during WWII and proved themselves equal to their superiors and comrades in all branches of service. This led to the elimination of racial segregation in the US military (Executive Order 9981 1948/Truman). I would like to name a few people as examples:
- Benjamin O. Davis, Sr.: first African-American Brigadier General in the U.S. Army (1940)
- Frederick C. Branch: first African-American officer in the U.S.M.C. (1945)
- Phyllis Mae Dailey: first African-American female soldier in the U.S.N. Nurse Corps (1945)
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Benjamin O. Davis, Jr.: Commander of the Tuskegee Airmen; first African-American general in the U.S.A.F. (1954/1998)
In keeping with the announced Battle of the Bulge, there is now an opportunity to integrate these neglected characters into the game, as Eisenhower used 2000 African-American soldiers in the Battle of the Bulge in 1944.
This also applies to other nationalities that are not yet present, but were present, for example India.
b) More customization options must be created. Of course, there are two conflicting interests: the players (more options; high historical accuracy) and the developers (profit with not too much effort) However, it should be noted that the current system is very player-unfriendly. I think an intensive overhaul of the cosmetic system would be beneficial for both players and developers. Even in BF-V you could unlock clothing items. The game would have a higher appeal, the purchase of cosmetics would also be worthwhile for the players, which should increase player numbers - especially if it is possible to create historically accurate characters, this should go down well on the market. In the end, it would be a profitable renewal for both sides.
Another game I play - SWToR - has, like some others, the possibility to choice between a varey of clothings and color equipment. You can buy equipment for your account and any character can use it, even if from the “enemy” side. This system could be transferred to Enlisted: an item of clothing that counts for every campaign in which it can be used. If an item can be used across all campaigns for one side, this increases the attractiveness for buyers and therefore also the profitability of the game for the developers.
Continuing the idea, it makes sense to create new categories:
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- Helmet (with detail - e.g. the Italien Tunesia-MG-squad) or perhaps the option of not wearing a helmet, as it was not bulletproof but primarily offered protection against shrapnel.
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- face: possibility to paint it with camouflage paint (e.g. premium normandy-paratroopers); masks (like Ofenrohr 43) or other camouflage options (e.g. Premium Gewehr 41 Snipersquad in Moscow)
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- shirt (with details: backpack/pouches and more)
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- trousers
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- boots
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- The weapon itself. There was once a special twitch-drop for K98k-sniper and Mosin-Nagant with cloth shreds. You can think about attaching scraps of cloth or splashes of dirt and blood to some weapons to make them look used. Maybe a different shade and grain of wood.
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- And emblems for the squad and/or rank - this could be based on the rank of the player or the rank of the squad or something else.
Finally, holsters for pistols should be displayed with the pistol in the holster when carried, or shovels/axes/swords. The display of equipped grenades and mine/TNT is also conceivable.
There are a lot of other conceivable possible.
- And emblems for the squad and/or rank - this could be based on the rank of the player or the rank of the squad or something else.
However, it should be noted that the current system outside Stalingrad not only offers few options, but is also very expensive (e.g. . 19-21 tickets = round abaout 4.00-6.00 €/Dollar for one soldier), especially if you want to change outfits on all campaigns. Therefore, it would also be necessary to adjust the prices, especially to increase the optic-commands or, if necessary, to allow a purchase with silver or to reduce the gold prices.
Furthermore, it should be possible to save presets for clothing combinations. This would make it much easier to change clothes and make the system more player-friendly.
Another point that affects the appearance is the soldier gold cards. At least these should wear a small award from the start to emphasize their courage and somehow distinguish them from the normal soldiers. e.g. the Iron Cross for Germany or the or the Rikugun Bukōkishō for the IJA.
The appearance of the Medics also needs an overhaul: The medic-class should wear the red cross-badge in other squads as well to mark them as medic. This is because members of the medical troops have to wear the badge on their left upper arm when on duty. This right must not be denied, nor can it be waived. That‘s the reason why, according to the Geneva Convention, you’re not allowed to shoot at medics. Of course this was not reality during WWII and sometimes the badge was taken off to hide from snipers. Non the less I would prefer the insignia.
c) Finally I want to mention two specific appaerance for the IJA/IJN:
aa). The IJN S.N.L.F. in Shanghai (1937)
Japan should recieve an event unit similar to the SAS/MP-40. I’ll explain it in depth in „Pacific Campaign: completion oft he IJA/IJN with tier V – E): new weapons fort he infantry“. And there is the perfect look.
bb). As will be shown in another thread, women also fought on the Japanese side, albeit primarily as medics for wounded IJA-soldiers. Therefore, a squad with women should be available, or it should be possible to create female characters for certain classes (They were rare, but they were there!)
- GERMANY: over 500.000 females served in the Wehrmacht and not just as medics but some of them at the battlefield as soldiers as well (so called „Blitzmädchen“)
- EMPIRE OF JAPAN: women were trained at the Home Island; female students took part in the Battle of Okinawa
- USSR: estimated 520.000 female soldiers, 300.000 and 500.000 in different branches of air defense, 300.000 as nurses and 500.000 as paramedics; e.g. Ljudmila Michailowna Pawlitschenko (USSR sniper; 309 counted kills – most sucessful femal sniper ever) – there were 2.000 female snipers, only 500 survived
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ENGLAND/AMERICA: Most women were only allowed in the supply area and attempts were made to actively prevent them from fighting. Many of the women were working in factories to produce importat stuff (“Rosie the Riveter”), but some of them also enlisted in significantly greater numbers in the military, approximately 350.000 and thousands were sent to the European and Pacific theaters – 534 of them died in war-related incidents. After the war, women were finally accepted into the U.S. armed forces in general (Women’s Armed Services Integration Act of 1948).
While I fully support the inclusion of female characters in the game and (finally) giving them the attention they had in the real wars and deserve. However, for the sake of historical accuracy, it shouldn’t be as “absurd-artificial” as in BF-V, even if this decision perpetuates the paternal injustice of the time. Therefore, it should be limited to a certain extent, perhaps primarily to the Medic class, as this has a connection to the role of medic, and as a sniper, there is easily historically verifiable evidence.
Well I guess these were my thoughts, so let me know what you think about it.
P.S.:
- After I wrote my comment, I saw that * @ErikaKalkbrenner * had already made a really very good suggestion and illustrated it with incredible pictures - as well as some in the replies. The way she presented the system is more or less how I would imagine it. In this respect, I would like to explicitly refer to her “Soldier’s Cosmetic Concept Idea (Enhance it by expanding it)” and if you haven’t already done so, take a look at her comment! Erika, wirklich geniale Vorschläge und es verwundert mich, dass dies nicht so (ähnlich) umgesetzt worden ist …
- I don’t know if anyone before me should have brought up these revisions for the Pacific campaign. However, 3 or 4 threads have now been opened about weapons and the Soviet-Japanese War. As I wrote in the announcement, I’m going to put all of this in posts and so far, apart from the aircraft, there hasn’t been anything that I haven’t already included in my lists. Apparently Pacific threads are also less viewed than others, but we all want a common goal: to strengthen Japan as a faction and maybe even a new campaign - so my suggestion, without wanting to make myself unnecessarily important: please wait for my comments and then discuss everything among them in case I have forgotten something or someone has a different opinion or wants to add something. For example, I haven’t added any pictures or created a diagram yet. This is all really cool and I think I will add pictures. By organizing everything under ONE comment, we can bundle all the - otherwise randomly scattered - likes and views, as well as the suggestions for improvement. And if necessary, you can always open a new thread and refer to it in the discussion group. This might enable us to achieve the “(very) high like to post ratio” and (hopefully) draw the attention of one or two developers.
Then I thank you for reading through it and look forward to suggestions/criticism (and maybe give it the like to concentrate them on a few threads). I’ll try to upload the remaining threads in the near future - but then all one after the other so that they don’t get torn apart by other comments.
With best regards and good game
IchBenzDichWeg
