Update 1: Everybody Wants to Rule the World news

Taking place in the year of 198X, the world is divided between three global imperial ultrapowers formed in the aftermath of the Second Great War. These powers are the Allied Nations, Soviet Union, and Empire of the Rising Sun, whom have cemented their rule across our world. The powers see each other as mortal enemies, with horrific battles and proxy wars splattering blood from the plains of southern Africa to the jungles of India. Crimes against humanity are as normal as the sun rising, and no power is innocent.

The Allied Nations is an international organization of individual countries united under the guise of democracy and freedom. In reality, money lies at the core of their intentions and motivations. The most powerful nations in this alliance -- especially the United States -- virtually puppet the lesser nations as mere protectorates and client states. One consistent feature of these states is their obtuse lack of true governments, instead being controlled by conglomerates, megacorporations, and quasi-philanthropic NGOs with resources dwarfing any nation. A common practice of these megacorporations is to buy out large swaths of land and residential areas in order to transform them into “company towns”, where they have direct control of the area and the inhabitants living in it. The larger, more militarized megacorporations find themselves in privileged seats on the Council of Allied Nations as executive leaders alongside presidents and prime ministers. It is the penultimate stage of pure capitalism and globalism.

The Soviet Union can be easily defined by its secrecy and deadly meat grinders of war and labor. Between the Siberian gulags and central Asian proxy wars, the striking red hue of their flag wavered its socialist origins, taking on new meaning with the communist blood-fuel flowing and sloshing in the rusted pipes of the Soviet state. Cities like Arkhangelesk and Riga have been transformed into enormous industrial complexes with no breathable air, where the skies are blanketed by thick black smog. The ideal of the “New Soviet Citizen” is manifesting into reality, where concepts of culture, nationalism, religion, and other reactionary practices shall be eradicated, replaced by intellectualism and a devotion towards communism and the Union itself. What was originally a union of the proletariat against the bourgeoisie and royal classes has now become a shrewd, secretive state where the Politburo dictate almost every activity. The Communist International, or the Comintern, acts as their plausible deniability to make it look like member states aren't mere puppets of the Soviets.

The Empire of the Rising Sun, also known as the Empire of Japan, is ruled by its God-Emperor Yoshiro. Believing himself to be a literal god, he has declared that it is the divine destiny of the Japanese race to rule over the planet. The other races are to be their servants and slaves as they are considered barbaric and uncivilized. With legions of fanatical warriors ready to fight and die in his name, they follow his will to the letter, ruthlessly oppressing the non-Japanese races. Living conditions for them are abhorrent, as they are forced to live in downtrodden slums and ghettos, toiling away in the gears of the Imperial machine. Slavery is rampant across their domain. Those that fail to meet their standards are eliminated. Of course, one can become an honorary member by serving in their auxiliary armies for a period of time, on the rare chance that they and their family will have a decent standard of living, if they survive that is. This mentality has led them to ally with like minded states in their Global Pact. While Yoshiro has declared them as honorary races who have the divine spirit, it is really an alliance of convenience more than anything else.

Caught in the crossfire are multiple groups that want to stake their own claim in the chaos, either choosing to support one of the ultrapowers or go about it alone. The cause and reason may be different, but the operations are the same. Some of them are driven by profit and wealth,willing to work for the highest bidder. Others are disgusted by the state of the world, and want to return to the traditions and morals of the past, and will do so by force. And yet, there are others who have embraced the madness, and believe that humanity must do the same to survive this new, mad era. Whatever the cause may be, there is no shortage of desperate people wanting to escape from the maelstrom. Humanity's final chapter is drawing to a close, and from it, a New Dawn shall arise.

I've been on a hiatus with the mod for a while now. Bunch of things happening IRL combined with me wanting to redesign older assets led to me taking a break with things. I really disliked how the looked, and I wanted to polish them up now that I've improved my skills both in texturing and modelling. The first few blogposts will be about the state of the world, while also showcasing some of the features, effects and units added in.

With that out of the way, here's a few of the new units.

To assist in their doctrine of rapid, fast attacks, the Imperial Army needed a fast and responsive unit to hunt down enemy vehicles. The answer came in the form of Kawasaki Heavy Industries' product, the Type-77 Motorized Attack Vehicle, or Attack Bike as it is commonly referred to. Armed with a high powered plasma caster and a pair of anti-air energy bows, the Attack Bike excels in its task as a high speed aggressor. The vehicle can switch between these two weapons in a matter of a few seconds. Combat reports have noted them to be successful in routing enemy vehicle divisions, turning them into charred husks and have even drawn the ire of the Soviet Union's tank battalions.

Some of the more skilled drivers have been known to utilize “combat sliding”, where after the driver fires the plasma caster at the target, turns the bike to the left or right only to then slam on the brakes, causing the bike to skid and controlling it so it turns towards the target and allows them to fire a second shot before speeding away again. While it is very impressive, it has very little armor and would instantly be destroyed in a drawn out firefight, which is why these drivers are taught to constantly move while attacking. It is still a bike after all.

The Hades gunship is the premiere anti-vehicle and anti-infantry gunship for the allies. Being invisible on radar and armed with a 30mm gatling gun and a plethora of rockets, this helicopter can tear apart unsuspecting armored divisions. If it is in trouble or needs to reach a location quickly, it can activate a nitro boost that temporarily increases the speed of the helicopter.

Flamethrower infantry serve as the Soviet Union's way to clear out garrisons and demolish enemy structures. Originating from the excessive use of flamethrowers the Soviets had back in the Second Great War, the modern day Flamethrower is a vast improvement over its older counterpart. The napalm it originally used has been replaced with a new mixture of chemicals, much hotter than napalm while also sticking to the target. These flamethrowers can also be reconfigured to shoot out fireballs instead of the regular stream mode, having longer range at the cost of doing less damage.

You can view the flamethrower and its effects in action here.