“This We’ll Defend.”
——US Army Motto
Greetings, dear followers of the project! Great opponents make a great duel, and that is the case in Postmortem’s world as well! Although US had a strategic setback as it loses its pivotal point in Europe by the end of Zero Hour, US military is still formidable fighting force equipped with edge-cutting high-tech weaponry. It is with great pleasure that we brings you the first dev log of the Postmortem project with three refreshed US faction units, with more to come in the near future!
Except for extremely successful Lycoming AGT-1500 gas turbine engine and well-established M256 120mm gun, the new M11A1 Crusader Expedition Battle Tank rarely has anything in common with the widely-deployed vehicle which shared the same nickname during the GWOT. Although media controlled by the remnants of GLA keen on implicating the dark fate of the new US mainline armored combat vehicle with the bitter end of the Crusaders in history, this is nothing but a strange narcissism: Clearly, engaging improvised GLA tanks like the ridiculous Scorpions requires neither installation of brand new hydro-pneumatic suspension system and rubber tack, nor paranoid requirement of defense capability similar to 70-tonnage traditional western tanks on a 50-tonnage platform. As two combined arms battalion first receives the new generation of Crusader Tanks being deployed to Philippine, the world knows for sure that this time this new American Crusader is not heading eastward, but westward. (Special Thanks to: SWR Productions for Modelling & UV Reference from Rise of the Reds)
Despite catastrophic project management during the R&D procedure, Bradley IFV is no doubt still amongst the most technologically advanced and most capable vehicles of its kind. Unfortunately, for most of the time during the GWOT, instead of having a platoon of Bradley IFVs wiping out entire GLA company with advanced night vision and ATGMs, US Army need more often a dozen of fully-loaded Humvees rush lightspeed to reinforce some random remote sentry post in the wildness of Middle East or Central Asia. However, as US armed forces now pivots again to the New Colossus on the other side of the Pacific, the M2A5 Bradley upgraded with new generation Fire-and-Forget ATGMs and electro-optical sensors again becomes the focus of US Army purchasing: after all, this time Bradleys are not facing something improvised from tractors or excavators and armed with colonial-time 75mm gun, but literally a full stream of steel.
The US Army had a lot of hope in the Stryker families based on Canadian Piranha design at the beginning of the 21st Century. However, Strykers, as infantry fighting vehicles, are extremely unsuccessful during the GWOT: their advanced sensors and datalinks are of little help facing the ghostly GLA presence, whilst poor protection and firepower make them ideal targets for booby traps, RPGs even pick-ups with machinegun. Luckily, the Strykers soon find a job really suitable for them: as the LAV(FS) Combined Field Support Vehicle put into operation during the last six months of the GWOT, this oddly-looking vehicle with mine sweepers, explosive disposal equipment, decontamination devices and luxuriously-spatial medical cabin immediately becomes the ideal solution to counteract GLA IEDs, chemical contamination and “Wound Rather Than Kill” tactics. Yet unsurprisingly, the one-stop design philosophy of this new vehicle inevitably leads to a new round of endless bureaucracy amongst Medic, Chemical and Engineering branches of the US Army about its subordination.
Designer’s Notes
So, how do you like the first batch of US faction units? Undeniably, as a C&C game full of Punk style, the world of Generals and Zero Hour is by itself a mixture of reality, sci-fi and some stereotype. Hence, we also employed the idea of mixing real units, punk style and original concept from Generals game in addressing the US faction. On one hand, the US faction in Zero Hour is a typical Gulf War style hi-tech elite force; on the other hand, a number of units in EA concept art is actually closer to a near-future sci-fi style close to GDI in C&C Tiberian Dawn era.
The Original EA Concept Art for the Crusader is the Favorite of Our Primary Model Artist
Therefore, we also try to keep this sci-fi feelings while incorporating the element due to proceeding of the timeline and evolution of faction playstyle on the appearance of these US units, and also adding some trivial pepper of black humor (LoL)!
So that is all for today's update! Stay tuned, we hope to see you again soon!
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Field Support Vehicle dispenses fizzy drinks and this is canon