Hey there guys,
This is my first post on these forums, but I've been playing Forgotten Hope for more than six years now and I've been a member of Forgotten Honor since the very first campaign, so I know what I'm talking about here.
During all these years I have wished for a tournament that strives for simulation rather than being "just" a gaming community. I know we have F|H and BFE-WaW for those of us who like tactical gaming, but I'd like to see a more, let's say, radical implementation of military structures, tactics and communication. I'm not quite sure how to explain myself thoroughly, so I'll just write down my ideas, some are more profound, some less, but I hope you get an image of what I mean.
What I have in mind is a tournament with two companies, not divisions, because this military unit conforms the actual size of tournament "armies". According to this, the highest ranking officers are a Captain and his staff members. The individual units are platoons, led by Lieutenants. There are no seperate armoured units, but there are one or two tankers in every infantry platoon. This should improve infantry-armour cooperation dramatically. Only air force has its own unit.
What I find most important concerning ranks is that they should actually matter. Private should be the highest possible rank for anyone who doesn't want obligations. Every NCO or CO rank, be it Corporal or Captain, must be earned and requires commitment and taking over responsibility, including, for example, moderator status in the units forums. This automatically means respect for higher ranks, as promotions are hard to achieve. Also only very experienced members should be allowed into NCO and CO ranks. Talking inadequately to a superior on the forums or ingame is punished consistently.
To make sure only motivated players join the tournament, signups are opened and closed similar to the PR tournament. Inactive players or those who don't show enough commitment are REMOVED in order to make room for new recruits.
Another idea that would enhance the realistic experience in my opinion would be chosing real names instead of gamer aliases (for example: Pvt. Johnston). This is just cosmetics but I'd like this a lot on the forums and ingame.
New recruits must go through bootcamp, where basic techniques are teached. This doesn't need to involve real training methods, as obviously they don't apply to the game. But things that are useful ingame like shooting on targets moving horizontally, cover usage, shouting out enemy units, squad strategies for close quarters combat et cetera. There are standardized methods to test the members' skills and bootcamp is supervised by staff members. Tankers and pilots must go through special trainings and tests.
Battle intervals are two weeks or longer. This leaves more time for preparations and probably more players will be willing to sign up as not too many people want to spend a whole weekend's night in front of the computer. A general strategy is worked out by the staff and handed over to the platoon commanders. This also involves kit and vehicle assignments. The platoon staffs then develop the strategies for their individual objectives in detail, which means, for example, attack stages or individual defensive positions and kits. These strategies are tested under realistic conditions by other platoons taking over the enemy role during the trainings.
Communication is adjusted to military standards, as long as it increases effectiveness. No unnecessary talk on the radio.
I think this was all that was on my mind for now. Much of this has by now been realized by the Project Reality Tournament, so there is a place to go, but I like the WWII scenario a lot more than modern ones. I'd like to know if there's an interest for such a highly organized "role play" tournament and if there would be people willing to contribute to it.
