FUTURE KONFLICT: MALSTROM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN – 1.0 UPDATE!

The year is 2038, the up-and-coming but unproven in combat Greater Afro-Asian Coalition has been breathing down the neck of a stagnant NATO for the last several years, attempting to find a way into the European core of it’s sworn enemy.

NATO has not taken this lying down, and through expansion and remilitarization has made it clear that they will fight to the bitter end for every inch of European soil should the GAAC make a move.

Stuck in the middle is the nation of Aegeana, a phoenix rising from the ashes of what once was Greece. She now finds herself in the middle of a vicious struggle between the two great factions of the world, one side seeing her as a gap in it’s armor which must be mended by hook or by crook, while the other sees it as the soft underbelly into the European continent which it needs to bring into it’s sphere of influence.

In the end, everyone knew it was going to come down to these islands in the Mediterranean Sea.

FUTURE KONFLICT: MALSTROM IN THE MEDITERRANEAN (hereby referred to as FC) is a conversion of Armored Brigade into a simulator of combat in the near future age. FC allows you to participate in a battlefield that is far and wide both more lethal and more quick than the wildest dreams of cold war era planners.

– Fast pace: Modern technology allows forces to be commanded in near real time, order delays of 10 seconds or less are not uncommon.
– Responsive Fire Support: Thanks to increased connectivity of the battlefield, you can have CAS arrive within a minute, and thanks to modern artillery computers, you can have rounds down range within 30 seconds of starting to adjust your fires.
– Recon with bite: Players now have access to recon infantry which can hold their own, from regular recon squads armed with the same short-range anti-tank weapons normal troops carry to special forces teams loaded down with ATGM launchers, to even snipers armed with anti-material rifles, FC allows you a whole new arena of battle to experiment with. (due to the AI never using recon infantry in this capacity even when given these types of units, purchasing of these units is not allowed by the AI, in order to prevent them from pointlessly spending more than it needs per team)
– High Lethality: This isn’t your grandpa’s war! The battlefields of 2038 will be plastered left and right with advanced weapons systems. Death can come unexpectedly from nowhere with zero warning.
– Unique Factions: Each faction has it’s own quirks, from the modularity of Aegeana to the high-low tech split of the GAAC to the unusual weapons of NATOMEDCOM. Understanding how to play each faction is vital to success.
– Near Future Combat: Technology might forever march forward, but this ain’t a James Cameron movie! Lasers are not a one size fits all solution and are used for specialized purposes, no blaster rifles here! Railguns are cool and all but don’t expect them to be mounted on anything other than very specialized equipment.
– Revamped sounds: A full redo of most sounds present in the 2038 battlefield has been done to be more punchy and distinctive compared to the (in my view) utilitarian sounds present in vanilla AB

“High tech. High modularity. High lethality.”

The nation of Aegeana rose from the ashes of what once was Greece, and with a new start came a new view on how a military should be structured. Equipped with mostly surplus European equipment ranging from late Cold War to recently divested equipment from NATO’s 2045 plan, Aegeana proves to be a capable force due to two factors, it’s adoption of advanced technology and it’s modular design.

Unlike many armies, Mechanized Infantry is split into modular sections, with each section serving a specific role, allowing a commander to mix and match sections as the situation demands. Know you’re in for an urban brawl? Bring in some Mech Assault sections; With their thermobaric MPAW rockets, they can quickly clear occupied buildings. Fighting in the hills? Requisition some ATGM sections armed with Fire and Forget Thor ATGMs to make quick work of enemy armor.

“From land to sea, we will free the world from American hegemony.”

The new kid on the block, the Greater Afro-Asian Coalition is an alliance of many of the nations from the “global south.” Intent on playing with the big boys at the NATO table, the GAAC is unique in that it actually might have the muscle to back up its claims. Through liberal investment from it’s bigger and wealthier members, they have nurtured their less wealthy partners into rapidly modernizing states, providing the critical human and mineral capital required.

Their military is equipped with a wide range of equipment, with many of its 1st rate nations (China, Iran, Pakistan, South Africa, etc.) equipped with Chinese made aircraft and ships, while their ground forces use GAAC-licensed and built versions of Russian equipment, while their best top-of-the-line ground equipment comes from the Russian Federation herself, who, while not a member of the GAAC, is more than happy to sell her advanced arms for the right price.

2nd rate nations are a different story, often unable to afford the equipment that 1st rate nations are able to buy. In this rut, they find themselves equipped with whatever is at hand or can be bought, resulting in a mish-mash of eastern and western equipment, soldiers with Iranian made assault rifles operating alongside American M60 tanks as Russian made helicopters fly overhead covered by Chinese fighter jets.

“This old dog might have trouble learning new tricks, but she’s had more experience in this business than the rest of you combined.”

What once was an area that was considered secure has quickly become the flashpoint for a new world war. To serve as the first line of defense against an intrusion by GAAC forces, NATOMEDCOM was created as a quick-response joint task force of various nations with immediate access to the Mediterranean sea. However, NATOMEDCOM is also strained by its nature as a coalition of nations which vary wildly in equipment, training and even language.

The core of NATOMEDCOM is made up of Egyptian Mechanized and Armored formations, equipped with large numbers of US equipment, alongside existing and indigenous designs, and supported by close air support from the Egyptian Air Force. This force is augmented with Italian Bersaglieri formations, which by 2038 have become NATO’s premiere urban combat troops, alongside limited support from other Italian and French formations. Also present (but unseen due to technical limitations) is the Israeli Air Force, whose air superiority fighters criss-cross over the battlefield, unseen and uncaring to ground commanders.

CREDITS:
Camo patterns: See attached credits.txt file
Sounds: Half-life 2, L4D2
Sprites and unit info: Keltos01’s Modern Day mod, World War Improbable, my own awful kitbashing work