We at the development team on East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game are now officially launching our “We Are The World”-campaign, a design idea to let you impact the content of chosen key elements in East vs. West while the game is still in development. Growing and progressing, we love interacting with gamers and we believe that the feedback provided by players enriches the development and the game.
As we have been virtually drenched in requests to include specific content, we set our ambition on taking this challenge on, and so we are boldly breaking ground, giving you the opportunity to impact the content of the game. Together with Paradox Development Studio we are evolving this idea, as it will let us elevate the fun aspects of game making while gathering awesome input and feedback from you.
Mold historical leaders by giving feedback on updates, share your input or perhaps you know someone who might be a better candidate for an ideology, support us! Suggest possible historical or ahistorical leaders, design and customize your own! You focus on your story and getting that awesome picture of you dressed like the unknown brother of Kim Jung Il to us, while our team will review, balance and implement a selected collection of your suggestions. Historical or fictional, we aim to reduce randomized game content and instead handcraft each individual Cold War avatar together with you. Together, We are the World.
National leaders – bringing them to life
As you probably know by now, national leaders are a key part of East vs. West politics, representing the ideological leadership of a country. Based on government structures as the determining factor in how the nation’s leaders are handled in the game and popularly refer to as ministers; we focus on two titles in each nation: the Head of Government (HoG) and the Head of State (HoS).
One minister may hold both titles in some countries, while other regimes divide these titles between two national leaders. Countries sometimes change government structure over time, which can complicate things but in general the national leaders are all about the titles and who serves in what position.
In democracies, common candidates are those who historically won elections but also those who participated as representatives for a political ideology but didn't win. Less democratic countries are more of a challenge on the ahistorical aspect as some nations don’t have any outspoken opposition leader representing a different ideology then the ruling party. So we let you design their story, write their past and mold the avatars bringing them to life may they be historical or fictional.
Determining the most appropriate trait for each individual minister, we have designed standardized traits that can be used for each person which will cause leaders to impact different aspects of the game. Generally, someone who fought and removed government corruption could be a reformer trait candidate, but if they also consolidated power and silenced political dissenters, then autocrat may be more appropriate than reformer. For ministers who never historically held high level offices, we work with what information we have on their accomplishments or how they acted within the positions they did hold to determine their most suitable trait. It this that results in each minister having a personal touch so that they may fill their particular role in the game as they did in history. Now to showcase an example of the craft-work.
Meet Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera
In 1968, Omar Torrijos takes control and becomes the de facto ruler in Panama and by de facto we mean not the one on paper but the real one actually making the decisions. Usually that task is reserved for the Head of State –the President of Panama. Omar, backed by the US quickly started to act as the unofficial leader of Panama. Would this warrant him the title HoS?
Unfortunately, it wasn’t that simple as he never actually claimed the title as Head of State and never became president. Instead, he took the title "Supreme Chief of Government” which would warrant him not a placement as Head of State but more appropriately as Head of Government. His ideology, a mix of autocracy and leftist principles, aligned closer to a paternal autocrat based on his historical actions. Omar's trait therefore is the autocratic type since his autocratic actions were his reign's most prominent features. All that remains now is setting his photograph and the ruling dates which are simple to find in his case.
How to participate in the “We are the world” campaign?
Every month we will be launching a selection of nations that will be in the spotlight and where players can contribute with leaders. After the period ends that set of nation threads are locked and cannot be posted into again as a new set will appear. Each 30 day launch is followed of course by an unveiling party and we celebrate the Top 5 contributions for the previous set. You simply post your contribution in each country specific thread, write your suggestion for that nation and make sure that all information is properly added! We take care of the rest!
If you wish to submit images: (not a demand)
For historical leaders, you need to make sure that the image is in the public domain and always include the source of the image. Therefore, you need to verify that images submitted are public domain as well as include a link to the source.
For ahistorical leaders, please submit a photo of yourself that is 234 x 234 pixels with your background story, your title (if appropriate, such as Sir, Col., etc.), and your party affiliation of the country you would like to administer. Provide a name, which can be your real name or an imaginary one that fits with the country you chose.
There is no limit to how many suggested leaders you can make as long as the images and the stories vary. Pick a desired trait (see the below), and the start and end dates of your possible reign between 1946 and 1991. Please format your dates in descending order like so YYYY.M.D Example: 1960.1.30.
To make it easier for everyone, copy and fill out the example format below:
Country:
Name:
Ideology:
Trait:
Start Date:
End Date:
Photo:
If you include a photo, please make sure the photo be 234 x 234 pixels in size.
Ideologies to pick from (pick only ONE per avatar):
fascist
paternal autocrat
social conservative
market liberal
social liberal
social democrat
left wing radical
maoist
communist
Traits to pick from (pick only ONE per avatar):
extremist
hardliner
bureaucrat
administrator
reformer
ambitious
lethargic
visionary
traditionalist
dictator
autocrat
democrat
zealous
religious
moral
parental
liberal
courageous
fortunate
honest
loyal
reputable
iron lady
controversial figure
courteous figure
supreme leader
... before you ask about trait bonuses, they are a closely guarded secret and revealing them at this point would be jumping the gun.
Forum: East vs. West - We are the World
Paradox Interactive Forum - We are the World
What's that Paradox Interactive? You need material for alternate history outcomes?
Here's the guy I invented:
Name: Heinrich Zieschang
Ideology: Maoist
Trait: Supreme Leader
Startdate: 1960.5.10
Enddate: 1999.5.10
Photo:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_183-1988-0704-410,_Heinz_Keßler.jpg
Bio: Heinrich Zieschang was born Hindrašk Zieschang to a improvised family of Lusatian Sorbs. Young Hindrašk found his calling in life in the FDJ, which offered him an escape from the ignorance and poverty of his early childhood. Hindrašk developed a passionate obsession with Marxist ideology and hero worshipped Stalin, both factors which allowed him to enter a high-ranking Communist university and later helped kick-start his military career. However, Destalinisation in the Soviet Union and the Sino-Soviet spilt caused Hindrašk, who had taken on the more Germanic name Heinrich at university, to question the leadership of the SED for the first time. Heinrich's fanatical commitment to orthodox Marxist-Leninism and adoration of Stalin naturally lead him to sympathise with the arguments of Hoxa and Mao Zedong, and he was furious at the leaders of the DDR for not joining Albania and China in the fight against Khrushchev's "revisionism." However, he was no fool either, and made no attempt to publicly oppose the SED's line. Instead Henrich organised clandestine network of East German hardliners, who he believed would be able to rest control away from the "revisionist" leadership at the right moment. Henrich maintains extensive contacts with the PRC and Albania.
When in power, Heinrich plans to model himself on Stalin in every aspect, even in his appearance. Like Stalin, he will take for himself the rank of "Marshall of the DDR", naming himself supreme commander of the armed forces as well as leader of the party. Heinrich like Mao will produce books of his own quotations, and like Stalin conceal his minority identity behind a facade of German Volkish Nationalism. Internally, Heinrich blames the regimes problems on it's toleration of "Social Fascist elements" within the SED and the National Front. He aims to "purify" the DDR of the influence of old German Social Democracy, and intends to restore the KPD as the sole authority, disbanding the National Front and rounding all non-Communist politicians for reeducation. Like Hoxa, Heinrich wishes to fully remove all "foreign" religious influences from German society. Heinrich is a political megalomaniac of the highest order, and only his patience and shrewd intelligence that has allowed him to avoid the attentions of the STASI thus far. Perhaps one day he will achieve his dream of overthrowing the SED and building a truly Marxist-Leininist DDR.