Please re-direct if this post is in the wrong place.
If there will be an ANZAC campaign it would not only be a smart move, but historically accurate to include the haka, Ka Mate. Even if it is only placed into the background of a climatic battle.
At the last stage of the Gallipoli campaign, the Wellington Mounted Rifles took the highest peak of Chunuk Bair, the Maori soldiers of the Native Contingent using the haka, Ka Mate to distract the Turks. We were overwhelmed by an enormous counterattack led by Atatürk. The eight month campaign ended soon after.
THIS, is a perfect opportunity to bring something the worlds recognizes into historical context. It would add to immersion, it has the symbolic significance of being about triumph of life over death, and it would appeal to a HUGE chunk of the world. Much of the world knows NZ only for the haka, and this would be an eye opener to one of it’s origins.
Between Turkey, Australia, and NZ, we have a combined population of over 100 million. That’s a huge market. Plus, every rugby union fan around the world is familiar with Ka Mate.
Hi @Defaulter_Shun and welcome here. If DICE are supposed to be getting BF1 as historically accurate as possible this could be a great campaign to play out. Sorry my WW1 history isn’t my strong point but there’s quite a few here who know their stuff.
Of course. This is a FPS first and foremost. I was only providing historical examples.
From a gamers POV, could you imagine how great it would be to be to hear this during a battle? Whether you were playing as a Brit, Ottoman, Kiwi, Australian… it wouldn’t matter. The haka is designed to build adrenaline and it would work the same way in a game as it would in real life.
Imagine hearing this and being tasked as a Turk defending the highest peak, or being led by Atatürk in a massive counterattack. It would be the easiest way to inject adrenaline into the experience.
Ah yes, but what if your were to focus on a small period around the climax of the campaign? Check this out:
Perfect scenario. The only time where ANZACs saw their objective yet also the time where they were defeated by the Turkish hero, Atatürk. You could begin it with a stealth mission by dark, a massive counterattack with hand-to-hand fighting, British friendly-fire decimating both sides, and even implement the stealth withdrawal. I’m pretty sure that’s never been done in a game.
Victory for the Ottomans. Mission objective could be to just get out alive.
This was the haka done as the Native Contingent cleared trenches during the August offensive, the Grand Finale of the campaign. Even if kiwis aren’t to feature in the game, this would work. A Brit or an Ottoman waiting in your trench before dawn, ready for the final battle, tension built with silence, then in the distance, the sound of Ka Mate, followed by a heavy rate of fire and an enormous battle.
