Hotmod1968

Hotmod 1968 is a mod that brings the Cold War to Gates of Hell. Unlike most games and media set in the later period of the Cold War, Hotmod will initially focus on the first half of the conflict-that-wasn't, specifically from 1950 to 1970.

This page will link to all resources for learning about the different aspects of Hotmod.

## A Brief History

At the end of the Second World War, as the victorious Allies celebrated and paraded the defeat of Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan, the stage was already being built for the next chapter in human conflict. Made unlikely allies by the war, two primary political camps found themselves re-writing the political landscape of the globe - the Western Allies, dominated by the Unites States, and the Eastern Bloc, led by the Soviet Union.

Even before the capitulation of Nazi Germany, both sides had begun to cement their political hegemony in the territories they were liberating, so that by 1945 Europe had been split into two spheres of influence. Germany itself was split in half by the occupation zones of western allied and Soviet forces, becoming the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic - also known as West Germany and East Germany. While relations remained cordial at first, elsewhere in the far-off region of Pacific Asia, the two sides fired the first salvos of a proxy conflict for political control over the planet. This first major confrontation would become known as the Korean War, as the Soviet - and newly formed People's Republic of China - backed North Korea's invasion against the US-backed South in 1950. After an initial surge of success that almost saw the US ousted completely from the Korean peninsula, the war eventually stabilized into a stalemate that lasted until 1953, when the armistice ending hostilities was signed.

The Korean War prompted the western allies to, in 1951, activate the military protocols of the North Atlantic Treaty, first signed in 1949. Then, in 1955, NATO agreed to allow West Germany join the alliance and re-arm. In response, the Soviet Union and its European allies established the Warsaw Treaty Organization, more commonly referred to by the city in which it was declared, the Warsaw Pact. East Germany likewise was allowed to re-arm and join.

And thus the stage was set for a new World War.

## Factions

*For the overview page about Factions, click here.*

While the Cold War ostensibly was a power struggle for global dominance between the United States and Soviet Union, it would eventually swallow up countless nations, popular movements and non-state organizations who were coerced, one way or another, into picking a side. There was however a group of nations that, at least on paper, pursued a policy of neutrality towards the US-Soviet conflict. Their attempts to organize politically resulted in what would become known as the "Non-Aligned Movement", though it was exclusively a political agreement and in no way signified alignment of national or military interests. It is included in Hotmod to give a home to these nations that sought - and were allowed - to avoid picking a side.

### North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO

* United States of America (USA)
* United Kingdom of Great Britain (GBR)
* French Fifth Republic (FRA)
* Federal Republic of Germany (FRG)

### Warsaw Treaty Organization - WARSAW PACT

* Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (SOV)
* Polish People's Republic (POL)
* German Democratic Republic (GDR)
* Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (CZE)

### Non-Aligned Movement

* People's Republic of China (PRC)
* Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (YUG)
* Kingdom of Sweden (SWE)
* United Arab Republic (UAR)
* Israel (ISR)
* India (IND)
* Pakistan (PAK)

## Mechanics

Though we've tried to maintain some semblence of commonality with vanilla Gates of Hell, Hotmod introduces or significantly changes a few core gameplay mechanics, such as:

* **Deployable Light Weapons**: Smaller crewed weapons, like heavy machineguns and light recoilless rifles, are now packed into backpacks, allowing better positioning and mobility for emplacements. This means players need to be more aware for sneaky attempts by others to set up lucrative ambushes in unexpected locations. Deployable weapons will spawn a two-man team, one of whom wears a backpack containing the weapon, which can be deployed via the Emplacement control panel menu (like sandbags and foxholes).
* **Anti-Tank Guided Missiles**: A major addition is that of guided AT weapons, the ENTAC and AT-2 "Malyutka". These late game missiles have a low profile, are infantry crewed weapons and pose a great threat to vehicles. They are best used in ambush positions at long range. Additionally, several vehicles and helicopters carry ATGMs, posing an even greater threat with extended range and manoeuvrability.
* **Composite Armour & ERA:** The 1950s and 1960s were an innovative time in tank destruction and protection, Explosive Reactive Armour provides a layer of protection against shaped-charged warheads found in most portable Anti Tank Weapons. Composite armour would later be designed, providing similar protection alongside generally improvements to kinetic protection as well, a true threat on the battlefield.
* **Doctrines**: After WW2, the mix of technological progress and more independent branches lead to wildly different doctrines seen in use. One example is the difference in tank development seen post war; Soviet heavy tanks against America's lighter designs. while both sides eventually settled on much better MBT designs, the 1960s remained a transitional period of strange and quirky armoured vehicles.
* **Helicopters:** since the first prototypes took flight in the 1940s, militaries around the world have sought to weaponize these new machines. Helicopters are versatile machines, capable of filling a wide variety of roles, often multiple at once with craft like the UH-1 Huey or later the Mi-24 Hind. While basic transports are available to all doctrines, the more advanced models require focusing on a specific doctrine: For example the "Maxwell" Huey locked to American USMC or the Mi-4AV Gunships locked to the Soviet VDV. However, Helicopters are big targets and do not possess great armour requiring you to be aware of enemy Anti-Air positions, as well as being expensive to field and take a long time to unlock.