While at work, I was reminiscing about good ole CoD:WaW zombies. And simultaneously the future of enlisted. The idea struck me like an artillery shell, what about a PvE oriented mode/event for each campaign? Highlighting important, or high stakes battles in each campaign and opening the game up to a larger audience. A particular battle sticks to mt cranium, the last stand at the reichstag. The potential for a player vs ai mode or event for the reichstag is enormous. Picture it now, you and a few other players( from a small squad to 25 players or what have you.) No AI squadmates, making a last stand against wave and wave of Russian A.I.'s through the crumbling remains of the capitol. Static weapons, decimated fortifications, and an ever draining store of ammo being your only companions in this hell. I recognize that the force that fought in the Reichstag were primarily french SS zealots, but for the sake of this game it can simply be volkssturm and grizzled wehrmacht holding the line. It would really embody the hopelessness of the battle for berlin. The A.I. could come in waves in tune with the (urah!) Or continuously. Scripted artillery bombardments, occasional reinforcements in the way of armor or what have you. It would allow DF to both have a safer testing ground for new weapons and vehicles, but also promote the violence and atrocities of war and how it was hell for all, without promoting nazi or communist ideology. It elts them tell a story, test and optimize their A.I., and weapons. I would assume the A.I. would initially be better combatants in this mode as they would have much clearer scripted pathfinding and such. It could really slice things up and there are so many opportunities even if it’s only as one off events. These kinds of game modes give the overall battles a bit more meaning and impact in the player’s mind. I know that’s what the armored train did for me in the berlin campaign.
Now, I understand there could be some issues with “splitting the player base” which we definitely don’t want. I have no solution to that, as the issue lay with the campaign system as a whole, I have no clear answer on how to fix that, and certainly the game’s optimization should be placed before new bells and whistles, but I think it’s at least worth considering as a path for further advancing the diversity of content the game offers in a history friendly and expansive way. I know that it would give myself and many of those I know something to shake up the pace and feel of the game every once in a while, as the battles can feel a bit grindy or samey after uncountable matches of the same few game modes in a campaign.
Anyways just a hair brained Idea from me! I’d love to hear opinions from the community on this! Feel free to pick it all apart to your hearts desire!