Lemma Soft Forums

Just curious. Which one do you find cooler? WW2 or modern one (like the recent Iraq war)? No, not war is cool or anything like that. What I mean is the military gears and weapons like tanks, rifles, and alike.

I want to draw a military manga. I already have all the characters, story, setting, and all other things. I only need to decide which technology will be used in the manga. WW2 weaponry or modern (present day) one.

Judging by how many young guys I know positively gush over modern day grenade launchers, M249 SAW machine guns, infrared laser sights, night vision goggles, rocket launchers...

I'd say modern day, all the way.

I always loved/preferred WW2 settings over modern ones, but not sure if I'm a minority or what

Future weapons OP

If you ask the general public, I'm sure the Call of Duty game playing populace would prefer modern combat. But, I think that WW2 settings are far cooler and the vehicles have an iconic appeal to them that makes them more conducive to interesting storytelling. (no, not WW2 shooters, they are still boring.) Modern weapons don't have the same appeal, they are too familiar in the real world and I always associate them with pointless wars or criminals. I feel like there can be no levity or adventure in a story featuring modern weapons. Though, maybe the big military hardware like fighter jets are still iconic in their own way.

Future weapons... well, I only like them if they are the more zany kind, the sort that features in soft sci-fi like giant mechs and laser beams. Bald space marines are basically the same as modern weapons.

Storytelling-wise, WW2-era weaponry has the absolute advantages simply by being inferior; So much can go awry, and that's what you want to have as a storyteller.

It's also easier to make old weapons look weaker than they really are for the sake of storytelling. If you get shot at by machine gun wielding Nazis, it's easier to say the hero dodged their fire than if they are getting attacked by assault rifles. Though, the inverse applies to military vehicles since modern ones are usually made of better materials with stronger armor.

If you have a sora-no-woto-ish story, go for WWII weapons.
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it's manlier anyway, and will give easy opportunities for a heroic death.
;_; today's weapons are just so advanced it doesn't give suspense by itself.

Actually, it is possible to make suspense with modern weapons, but it's more of a "standoff" kind of suspense where both parties are waiting to make a move, or sniping at each other from afar or while someone is behind cover. Not so much "run heroically into the fray".

The story goes like this:
In the future, alien forced humanity to live deep under the earth, in impenetrable undergound bunker. But the alien keeps pushing in and determined to wipe each and every human off surface of Earth... or under it.

Well, that's all I can write for now. Anything more will be spoiler. Sound cliche isn't it? But of course there's more than meets the eye.

So humanity weapon technology doesn't really matters. If humans are still using WW2 weaponry, I'll just give the alien present day weapons (heat seeking missiles and alike). If humans uses modern day weaponry, I'll just give the alien future weapons (like laser and force field).

Humans won't fight against any human... or anything resemble humans. The protagonist (and friends) will fight drones and robots instead.

And since the fight will be most fight out in tight space and corridors (it's underground bunker after all), the fight will be most close quarter and intense fire fight (with lots of explosion that won't destroy any environment since they're all very sturdy). So there will be no jets or artillery support. Though in occasions, tanks will be used.

Oh, and there IS a reason why humans still uses WW2 weapons (if I choose so) while humans have advanced so much. A good reason that won't make this genre steampunk.

Different settings have their own... style. I mean, really, movies about WWII, modern day desert operations, or the future can all be enjoyed or seen as "cool" by some people. They all got boom and conflicts, right?

I can only hope that it isn't all boom and zero sense of... "research" or whatever you call it. Maybe not "research" but "making things make sense at least in their world".

LVUER wrote: Oh, and there IS a reason why humans still uses WW2 weapons (if I choose so) while humans have advanced so much. A good reason that won't make this genre steampunk.

So even if you pick WWII weapons, the story is still not going to be set in the present era?

I was going to say I like the idea of using older tech (older tech stories are just fun) but it takes a little bit of the fun out of it if you don't also give the characters the appropriate costumes...

But wasn't the fear of alien invasion pretty high back then? I mean, in the US there was the 1938 broadcast of the radio drama of War of the Worlds that sent a bunch of people into a panic because they didn't realize it was a drama. I can totally envision an alternate history story where WWII gets derailed by the arrival of this extra-terrestrial race and then everybody has to fight to beat them. Or... you could have the aliens pick a side to ally with

But then, I just enjoy alternate or revisionist history stories... even if it's not a historical setting, I think I would still vote for WWII weapons.

LVUER wrote:The story goes like this:
In the future, alien forced humanity to live deep under the earth, in impenetrable undergound bunker. But the alien keeps pushing in and determined to wipe each and every human off surface of Earth... or under it.

Well, that's all I can write for now. Anything more will be spoiler. Sound cliche isn't it? But of course there's more than meets the eye.

So humanity weapon technology doesn't really matters. If humans are still using WW2 weaponry, I'll just give the alien present day weapons (heat seeking missiles and alike). If humans uses modern day weaponry, I'll just give the alien future weapons (like laser and force field).

Humans won't fight against any human... or anything resemble humans. The protagonist (and friends) will fight drones and robots instead.

And since the fight will be most fight out in tight space and corridors (it's underground bunker after all), the fight will be most close quarter and intense fire fight (with lots of explosion that won't destroy any environment since they're all very sturdy). So there will be no jets or artillery support. Though in occasions, tanks will be used.

Oh, and there IS a reason why humans still uses WW2 weapons (if I choose so) while humans have advanced so much. A good reason that won't make this genre steampunk.

sounds like a story for the great AK-47, ease of production, ease of designs, ease of usage.

in CQB you can use sub-machine guns, and carbines. Full/Hi-powered rifles might be too overpowered in close quarters.

It can be your present day weapons, or your grandaddy's weapons. Anything that kills is fine. It doesn't matter which age is it from.

=.= I recommend using upgraded WWII/vintage weapons. Since humans live in bunkers now, their capability to produce advance weapons must be close to none.
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something like using vintage weapons from armories that were hidden, alongside these bunkers. :3

Sapphi wrote:
But wasn't the fear of alien invasion pretty high back then? I mean, in the US there was the 1938 broadcast of the radio drama of War of the Worlds that sent a bunch of people into a panic because they didn't realize it was a drama. I can totally envision an alternate history story where WWII gets derailed by the arrival of this extra-terrestrial race and then everybody has to fight to beat them. Or... you could have the aliens pick a side to ally with

But then, I just enjoy alternate or revisionist history stories... even if it's not a historical setting, I think I would still vote for WWII weapons.

I think you just went Strike Witches.

You don't need to worry about the story or setting. I have it all covered. I just want to know if people would prefer to see WW2 weapons or present days weapons?

M4 with M203 attachment and SAW sure is cool. Taking down enemy robot with LAW is always satisfying. But sometimes, it's also nostalgic (and cool) to see M1 or Bren. Ramming a Sherman into tight corridors to save allies (it's impossible to use bulky Abrams for that) or even frying the alien with flamethrower (we don't see it deployed nowadays since it violates Geneva laws, isn't it?)