A total conversion for WiC. I'll outline what our goals are, and what the gameplay and units will be like.
The initial release of the game will be a skirmish and multiplayer mod between the British and the Germans forces, with each map representing battles between March 23 and April 29, 1918. it may at a later date be filled in to create a campaign storyline.
There will be a greater level of realism and simulation than seen in vanilla WiC, but it will still be done within the framework of what is possible with the WiC engine and what works best for fun gameplay.
Maps will take place over various types of trenchworks, as well as taking place in open field and towns. The entrenchment works will be preplaced, functional, and destructionable. There will be limited real time digging of things like foxholes, sandbag barriers, and barbed wire.
Most of the gameplay will be based around Assault and Tug of War game modes, although there will be some potential for Domination maps.
Rather than have the units all spawn in and move out in what effectively would be a "meeting engagement", which was not common aspect of the western front, battles will allow for prepositioning of units in defensive positions for set piece battles to take place.
We will also use a system whereby some important assets like machine gun posts, ammo caches, artilery, and HQs are capable of being placed dynamically before the battle starts so that scouting will be required to determine where they are; Otherwise it would be too easy for players to memorize their locations and hit them with artillery immediately at the start of each battle.
The roles will be divided into Infantry, Artillery and Support, and possibly Air. Air may also be included as a distinct role if we can find a way to script proper behavior of plane movement and combat. Unlike the WiC role system, where you have a more narrow range of capabilities and are often chained to other players to be effective, the mod roles will be full of options and represent the true extent to which these roles could support themselves.
British infantry are broken down into sections of Riflemen, Rifle Grenadiers, Light Machine Guns, Assault Troops, Trench Raiders, Snipers, Sappers, Officers, They support themselves with with light mortars and light "infantry guns" (relatively small caliber but man portable field guns).
German infantry also have flamethrower teams, Anti-Tank Rifle teams, Elite Stormtroopers, Specialized offensive and Heavy Machine Guns. They will also have heavier mortars to support their advance. This advantage in infantry is offset by the fact that the British have more vehicle and tank options in the support role.
Artillery/Support role brings together everything used to support the infantry but which was not under their direct control. This role can be played in several different ways according to the situation, and does not have a singluar narrow function. It will include supporting fire delivered from Medium and Heavy Trench Mortars, Heavy Machine Guns, Light artillery pieces, Anti-tank field guns, engineers, scout planes, anti-air artillery, observation balloons, transports, tanks, and expanded options for off-map artillery.
Tactical Aids will be based mainly around the different types of artillery barrages that were used, like creeping barrages, box barrages, point destruction, general area sustained barrage, trench line suppression, counter-battery fire, poison gas artillery, etc.
Also ncluded will be recon planes, anti-air fighters, tactical fighter-bombers, and heavy bomber strikes.
There will also be re-enforcements of 2nd line reserve troops which can be called up using TA to help plug the gaps in the line.
Tanks will also be available as re-enforcements for TA points, and in fact may be only available this way for the Germans.
The pace of gameplay will be more deliberate set piece battles, focused around using your units and artillery in coordination to break down the enemy's defensive system in a calculated manner.
The British are more methodical in their advance, preferring to advance uniformly while securing what they gain against counter-attack before moving on. The Germans favor more freewheeling and improvised infiltration tactics, supported by massed artillery, to rapidly break apart the foundation of a trench network and advance to sow chaos in the enemy rear areas.
