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A working copy of the back story to Project:Renegade

Back Story

In the year 2035, China has become the dominant superpower, whose economy far eclipses that of western countries. With this new seat at the head of the world’s economy, China becomes the object of fear and paranoia. From this, reconnaissance and intelligence missions regarding the Asian superpower are intensified. The CIA upon scrutinizing thousands of aerial images from spy drones discovers China’s nuclear capabilities. China realizes they have been exposed, and threaten retaliation for an invasion of UN mandated restricted airspace. Despite the blatant violations of the NPT, both sides begin to stockpile offensive means.
The fear of another world war drives the American populace to support the government’s defensive policies. An arms race ensues from the global situation; the US scrambling to build up defenses in another scenario of MAD. The US budget becomes bloated and lopsided to keep up with the Chinese. Locked in an arms race with China, the US aims to assert its dominance. However with China’s now far superior economy, the US has no clear chance of keeping up. This being because over ninety-five percent of all manufacturing and technologies are controlled by China by this time. Out of fascist/nationalist pride and general American spirit, America pushes into this Arms race at full force, pushing their manufacturing into overdrive. Factories and refineries are operating at beyond maximum capacities, loggers and miners cut down and mine wherever they can. Textile, weapons, and technologies producers are pushing their scientists and engineers at a rate higher than even the previous soviet arms race.
In a short time the US reaches the very end of the amount of natural resources they have allotted within the country for consumption and production. Though not to be outdone by the Chinese, the US government hastily and blindly gives up the vast majority of its protected wilderness areas to find as much available resources as they possibly can. The National debt soon skyrockets past the tens of trillions as the government burns money to fund and acquire new technologies, weapons, and research.
Before anyone realizes it, blinded by a hyper sense of nationalism, the US dollar experiences hyperinflation and the US economy sharply declines into a depression. Coupled with this, the US has exhausted the vast amount of its natural resources which in turn causes massive layoffs of not just mining, logging, and manufacturing jobs but consequently in Engineering, Technologies, and textiles. The US economy experiences a total halt and the country spirals into the worst and fastest depression it has ever experienced. People’s bleak predicaments and the shock that America was actually beat economically, the American people lose total faith in their government. This opens the door for groups which have never held much ground in the US, radicals.
Not radicals in the sense of Islamic terrorists, but people who skew or totally want to change America’s core ideals and values. One group in particular gains massive popularity among the downtrodden and downcast. They identify themselves as the Patriot Party. They seek to return America to its former glory and the need for the people to unite and show the world once again what America is truly capable of. They preach on the incompetence and inadequateness of the current government, both republicans and democrats. They preach on returning America to its former spot as the most prominent world superpower and starting with the people the current government ignored. This gains them considerable support across the nation in a short period. The founding party members of this movement are the entrepreneurial and powerful families of America’s glory days such as the Rockefellers, the Carnegies, the Kennedys, the Fords, and the Gates. They all come together and unite under this common banner seeing the opportunities they have in this time of America’s most vulnerable and desperate hours. They realize that collectively they could seize the ultimate power in America and run things the way they see fit.
Five years pass, and in 2042, the American public is ready for salvation. Congressional elections take place and help the patriot party start to realize their goal. Over half of the Senate and the House are now Patriot Party members and true believers. Over the next two years, they spend the time creating, approving and passing bills which aim to find resources, create jobs, and please the American people. At the same time the party increases the output of propaganda aimed at national unity and might and the destiny of America to become the single dominant power of the world. These measures ensure that their popularity and followers are not just constant but expanding to all corners of the United States. This gives them the ability to pursue their ultimate goal, the presidency. After initial polls close, it is clear that the Patriot Party now has control of the United States government.
Once the Patriot Party gains control of the government, it implements overarching policies that turn on the foundations of American government. The House and the senate pass an amendment to the United States Constitution which alters the way our military runs. It consolidates all the commands of the different services under the direct authority of the president and extends the President’s Commander in Chief powers to the ability to declare war and wage war. There are no more Joint Chiefs, no approval from congress, the president is calling all of the shots. The reason this sort of Amendment was able to pass with the approval of the general public is mainly due in part to the White House Press Secretary who, in coordination with more members of the patriot party, launches a propaganda storm which warns of instability within the current military hierarchy and the need to unite to gain tactical superiority over the Chinese.
Congress relinquishes power after enormous pressures from the Executive branch. Under the table deals and strong-arming runs rampant in the legal system. The Executive branch seizes power within the government and begins to rule the country with an iron fist.
The people, being desperate, ally with the new government and support its overseas resource acquisitions.
America declares total war on the Middle Eastern states in order to gain valuable resources. While doing so, America ruins the allies that it had gained in the past, as well as making new enemies from the countries that it invades. The funding countries of the invaded ally with the new American enemies. (Countries like USSR and China). America at first is hugely successful in gaining huge amounts of resources. Then, after the New World Coalition forms of over 20 countries, it decides it’s time to act and they make plans to assault American lands.
Within America, the National Guard is deployed in the acquisition of resources, so the defensive capabilities of America are at an all-time low. In response to this, the government decides to institute a draft and arms the able of America in a conscripted militia in order to create a population capable of defending itself. The country becomes a police state were liberties are locked away and actions are controlled by the government.
The New World Coalition invades the US in a horrific strike. Even with millions of defenders, America cannot withstand the onslaught and the government is wiped out after only a few months. Total chaos ensues as the NWC decides how to act with this beheaded nation. It is decided that a new combined government will be installed to rule over the conquered US. The nations involved in the invasion send high ranking officials to preside over the defeated.
The population after a time revolts against this instated power.

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Totally just posted my thoughts to this under the Chop Studio Back Story area. Not sure how to delete and just re submit my suggestions under this one :/

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This is what I am thinking:

The game defaults to Neutrality for the player right from the get-go, and will remain so unless certain events (whatever they may be) indicates that the player is aligning more with the NWC or the Rebel factions. These events will be inconsequential in the early stages of the game but there could be a "threshold" where eventually the player will have to consider not just the city or region of the map he/she is in, but on the continental scale and think about larger effects.

For instance: There are 5 CONTUS areas (NE, SE, CENT, NW, and SW), with the option of aligning more towards Rebel, NWC or remaining Neutral in each one. This does not mean that in one region you will be NWC and in the other you will be Rebel.

Say the player wants to remain neutral, there will be a balance of fighting, no one side (NWC or Rebel) will gain the upper hand. Some will gain territory, some will loose territory at random times, and the player might find themselves caught in the middle of an all out battle in one city, but wanting to still remain neutral. This will happen all over the map, but still keeping a balance.

And even still, initially, if the player wants to go NWC or Rebel, there will be little or no consequence in the long run. This "threshold" could be capturing one whole region for one side, or capturing just one base or just one city in a few different territories for one side... I would like to see additional criteria but am struggling to find.

Anywho, moving on, after this "threshold" there will be events on the national scale that may tip fighting in the favor of or against the player, there will no longer be a balance of power kept by the computer and the player may have to worry about losing whole territories to the enemy without a balance of friendly forces capturing other areas in kind. (I don’t know if this will be random selection by the computer or how yet to link to past actions by the player but am thinking)

The player, of course, can switch sides at any time, although this may not be easy depending on their stand with the other side. Or even elect to go back to neutrality. If this happens after this “threshold” however, there will still be fighting on the grander scale and, say if a player does go back to neutrality, maybe a whole side could ultimately win the CONTUS without any more help from the player. This, of course would eliminate the losing side which the player would not be able to ally with anymore, but the player could still fight the victor for as long as they want.

*Although, now I am thinking that if someone advanced far enough and had enough respect with one side, there would be no more middle ground, no more neutrality that the other side would be willing to give and no matter what, if the other side found where you were, they would still try to kill you. The player could break their ties with the side they had aligned themselves with, of course, and go off the grid but that would not earn the rep. with the other side, it would only damage their rep with that side they broke from. Perhaps after a certain amount of “lost rep.” with one side the computer will recognize your secession from that side so even if that side “lost the war”, it would not end the game for you.
However, if the player remains aligned with one side to the end (whether victory or defeat) that will be their fate.

Think about this:

NWC Side – Option to switch to other side or back to neutral before threshold, no/little consequence

     After threshold, can break ties but no total switch to other side (or maybe so, your call). Also, I think that after this “threshold” for one particular side you will be fully recognized into this group and your situation may become no longer a “survivalist” scenario but a “fight to victory”, at least unless you want to separate from that side.

Neutrality – Option to participate as a Merck, or as a “Gang” member, or remain a “true survivalist”

     I am still rolling with the “Gang” idea, it’s not imperative though.

     With these options, I don’t know what would constitute victory in the game. Perhaps it will be never ending?

Rebel Side – Option to switch to other side or back to neutral before threshold, little/no consequence.

     After threshold, can break ties, no total switch to other side (or maybe so, your call). Also, I think that after this “threshold” you will be fully recognized into this group and your situation may become no longer a “survivalist” scenario but a “fight to win”, at least unless you want to separate. ^Same as above for NWC