Note: This thread is just some random idea I thought up in a Skype convo. I won't be investing nearly as much effort into it as my other threads unless it turns out to be a viable idea.July 2nd, 2013 -
The nations of Kniria and Celnaria have always been at war.
This is a planet not unlike our own, its history vast and studded with both despair and joy. The frozen north and south poles still play host to arctic creatures, and along its equator, the hot weather is a vacation spot. But compared to ours, this unnamed planet seems somewhat empty. Only a few nations exist here, on one magnificent stretch of land where both desert, jungle, temperate forest and ice make up its face.
Today, though, even the secluded islands dotting the coast are hosts of war. The two great military and technological superpowers, Kniria and Celnaria have long dominated the western and eastern ends of the continent respectively. In the last 15 years since these two titans last clashed, peace settled over the land and dozens of tinier nations sandwiched in between the two expansive superpowers had emerged, each vying for independence from their former governments.
Kniria, its lands stretching across mountains to the northern lip of the continent, deserts to the south and a strip of green wedged down the center, still recovers from the great asteroid which impacted it so many decades ago, shattering its infrastructure and prompting it to war (under the pretense of their rival having orchestrated the continued downfall of the Knirian economy) its formerly peaceful and democratic neighbor, Celnaria, whose land is tropical, fertile and populated with both rainforests and high, icy mountains. While Celnaria repelled the invaders, dozens of proxy wars had been waged in recent decades and the repeated conflict led for outraged Celnarian's to elect a far more warlike government, locking both nations in a battle that nearly resulted in the nuclear annihilation of civilization 15 years ago.
That's history, but a new chapter in the saga of blood is about to be forged. The infamous Royal Knirian Air Force and renowned Celnarian Air Defense Force once again take off as a cruise missile strike killing the Knirian defense minister awakens the beast of war, again.
Gameplay -
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
There won't be any systems in play that shouldn't already be easily understood, as a foreword.
You play as a pilot in either the 119th Tactical Fighter Wing of the Royal Knirian Air Force (RKAF), the opposing 225th Air Defense Wing of the Celnarian Air Defense Force (CADF) or simply act as a mercenary for either vying for pride, glory and fame in the skies above the sprawling continent of Helred. You may start as either a pilot fresh out of flight school, a distinguished ace or somewhere in between, working up credits to purchase new planes and earn respect with your superiors as you fly on bombing, reconnaissance, assassination or missions of anything imaginable in war.
You will be able to select from only a small array of either attack helicopters (for those that prefer choppers) or fighter jets initially, but killing enemies and completing objectives will reward you with Credits that can be used to purchase new planes. As well, special weapons and other unique accessories for your craft may be purchased if you have the funds. Each plane has its own advantages and caveats, so it is important to select the correct plane for each mission. One cannot change planes during missions, but may exit the battlefield to refuel, make modest repairs and re-arm if needed.
It is important to mention that if you do not fly well or overburden yourself, it's likely you will be shot down. If this happens, you can eject. From there you must navigate your way back to safety or risk being captured. Assuming you make it back, you will have to pay to have your plane replaced.
You will have an unrealistic amount of generic-purpose missiles and cannon rounds on your plane, but it is possible to run out if you shoot too many. As well, your aircraft can be hit numerous times and not fall, but it will experience impeded performance until you land and make repairs. Landing and repairing won't fix all problems (your plane will be automatically repaired to full condition in between missions), but will help you from exploding randomly in battle.
Aces + Pilot Rankings -
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
Aces are the pillar of both the RKAF and the CADF. These distinguished pilots have been recognized in history and battle reports for their amazing flight skill and are treated as heroes by their respective Air Forces, often glorified by their government for propaganda purposes. Some of the world's most famous aces are left over from the last Great War 15 years ago and now fight as veterans for their countries or as private mercenary pilots. Distinguished Aces in the RKAF and CADF often receive permission to fly more valuable and lethal planes and fly on harder but more rewarding missions, as well as various perks like a custom paint scheme for their aircraft. For mercs, it is the same. They must prove they are good enough to purchase and fly aircraft sold to them and to get more rewarding tasks.
To grade their achievements, a simple ranking system was established. An Ace would be graded on various criteria and assigned a rank called an Order that would increase as one established their rep. Of course, even achieving the minimum Order (11th) requires one to down 5 enemy aircraft in one battle. There are 12 Orders (11th, 10th, 9th, 8th, 7th, 6th, 5th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st, Zero) but only one pilot in history has ever been accredited as a Zero Order pilot and only 3 as 1st Order pilots. Approximately 98% of the Aces holding Orders above Rank 6 are Great War veterans as well, but there have been many small scale wars in recent years that resulted in high ranking Aces.
If you choose to start as an Ace, you cannot start above 10th Order without my permission. The identity of the legendary Zero Order Ace has yet to be decided, as well. Killing many aircraft in one mission, though, will make you eligible for being ranked.
You do not need to be an Ace to access more aircraft and perks, but being ranked as an Ace will make you eligible for tougher and more complex missions.
Aircraft:
Spoiler (click to show/hide):
You can pick these aircraft from the beginning as your starter:
Jets:
F-4 Phantom II
F-14 Tomcat
F-15 Eagle
F-16 Fighting Falcon
F/A-18 Hornet
Su-25 Frogfoot
Su-27 Flanker
Mirage 2000-5
J35J Draken
Helicopters:
AH-64A Apache
Mi-24 Hind
More aircraft will be added later when they are discovered, with a price if applicable. If you have an aircraft in mind you want to buy, simply ask here and I'll tell you the price for it. Note that the more advanced the plane, the more expensive it will be.
For the sake of simplicity, we can assume that two-seat aircraft have been modified to be one-seaters. However, if you'd like to create a second char who is a co-pilot, that's fine.
Bio Template:
Name: (include rank if applicable)
Gender:
Age: (18 at minimum)
Appearance: (description or a pic)
Faction: (RKAF, Mercenary or CADF)
Ace: (Yes or No/If yes, select what Order)
Callsign:
Aircraft: (choose from the starter list)
Credits: (start with $10,000)
Delete all in brackets for the sake of neatness.
Character List -
Name - Age - Callsign - Ace - Faction - Credits
Greg Spade - 24 - Caliburn - 10th Order - CADF - $10,000
Reiko Himura - 21 - Dagger - 11th Order - CADF - $10,000
Talia Vermillion - 19 - Oracle - N/A - RKAF - $10,000
Artemis Styx - 20 - Angel - 11th Order - CADF - $10,000
Zane Hudson - 23 - Shadow - 11th Order - Merc - $10,000
Last edited by napsii on Sat Jun 23, 2012 2:29 am, edited 10 times in total.
