Game ideas- IED Disposal strategy game & WW2 POW Camp escape strategy game

[ckolonko]

Hi all,

I'm by no means a game developer but these ideas have been on my mind for a while as something that others may find interesting.

Firstly, I've always been fascinated with bomb disposal and strategies employed by armies across the globe to deal with and counter IEDs. I was particularly interested in the war against the IED in Iraq and Afghanistan, especially the work of Bluestone units within the British Army. After reading many books on the subject, including Bomb Hunters, I started to think about a strategy game, something along the lines of Door Kickers, where the aim is to clear an area of IEDs in either a fictional or real life theatre of war. My thoughts were along the lines of you control a Bluestone unit, comprising of the Operator, Counter Measures operator, and additional team members. Essentially you have to read the map, look for likely places that IEDs could be located and dispose of them using semi-realistic tactics, such as those outlined in published books and accounts. Essentially you would set up a cordon, ensure the countermeasures are deployed, search the area using metal detectors and other methods, and then start the process of disposing of the IEDs encountered. There would be a range of IED types, including pressure plates, command wire, command pull etc etc. You would have to coordinate the effort using orders similar to Door Kickers or other top-down strategy game. Once an IED has been located, this could lead to a mini-game where you use things like the flying scalpel to isolate the power unit of the IED and then safely dispose of the main charge, while potentially trying to gather evidence to identify the IED makers in theatre.

Maps could be procedurally generated, for example, and there could be a storyline element or campaign where you lead a team through a series of missions. There could also be scope for different units with different skill sets or approaches, such as the US counter IED teams, or even past counter IED operations such as those undertaken in Northern Ireland.

My second idea was for a POW Camp escape simulator or management sim where you are tasked with coordinating an escape from a POW camp during the Second World War. You have to coordinate escape plans, gather resources and ensure distractions to draw the guards away from your activities are coordinated effectively, all while trying to escape a series of POW camps. It would be similar to the Escapists but would focus more on resource management, identifying routines of the camps, and coordinating a number of escape committee members who would undertake different tasks to aid an escape, such as forging documents, bribing guards, digging tunnels, making uniforms, and sourcing materials from within the camp, all without being caught out by the guards.

Anyway, those are my broad ideas which I thought I'd throw out there if someone wants to pick them up.