Leon turned on his Xbox One, a relatively new console for him (he had only had it for a couple of months) and waited for it to start up.
Why does it feel that they based the main screen for this off of Windows 8 or 10? I feel like they tried to combine the PC with a console. Not to mention they actually have games like Kerbal Space Program and Xcom 2 on here as well, formerly PC only releases. Feels weird, even two months later. Not that I'm complaining or anything, I'm just not used to it...
Leon decided to check out his base in Battle Ages while he waited to get invited. When the game loaded, he checked his Medieval settlement out. He was ready to upgrade, more or less, to the Renaissance Era, though that would take a couple days; upgrades for buildings took longer and got more expensive as the game went on. At the least it was a well defended base, with walls protecting turrets, which protected other buildings that did not have walls but were placed in close proximity to the defenses.
Why would so many people not build walls? I know it might take a while and a lot of money to upgrade them, but it's worth it, because if a unit is wasting time attacking a wall, that's more time for defenses to kill them. And even if they get through, the survivors won't number as many as they would otherwise and they'll do less damage less quickly, and they'll be easy pickings for other defenses they come into range of later.
As he looked at his walls and wondered what improvements he could make to his village, the invite, from Luna, came in. he accepted.
"Greetings, Leon," Luna said when he'd joined.
"Hi," Leon replied. "You guys ready for this?"
"I think so. I hope the new console is working for you?"
"Eh, a few things I'm still not used to yet, and not every Xbox 360 game is compatible, so no more Civ Rev**** or Dynasty Warriors 8 - vanilla, that is, they do have an Empires version of it out - but overall, it's pretty decent."
"That was my impression to. A pity some of the older games aren't compatible with the Xbox One, at least not yet, but overall it seems alright."
"Hopefully the mods on this version of Roblox don't ban everyone in sight for the slightest of infractions, if any," Eddy said. "Also hope KSP works faster on here, like World of Tanks does."
"I am concerned by the fact that the games have to effectively download," Leon said. "I have to limit the number of games I can play just to have room on storage, instead of just being able to pop the disk in and not have to worry about storage much, if at all. Halo 5, Xcom 2, World of Tanks, Battlefield 1, and a couple others take up most of my storage space. I know I can just go out and buy some attachment that gives me more memory, but I'm not sure how well the storage spaces will link up or how the data will be stored."
"I'm sure you don't need to worry that badly, Leon," Luna reassured him. "Regardless of the possible problems, I think this experience will go quite well, if we keep our heads."
"Okay, I'll try to stop worrying," Leon said, attempting to do just that. He was mostly successful, but not entirely. "So, Iron Walls operation, or what?"
"Yes, I think that would be a good match up. 64 player game?"
"Yep. More people, more opportunity for kills."
"That applies to us as well, you know."
"Yeah, well... anyway, hopefully we end up on the Austro-Hungarian side; I'm hoping to get into one of the fortress guns."
"Assuming someone doesn't decide that if they can't have it, no one can and stands in front of the guns to make you blow yourself up."*
"Ugh," Eddy said, and Leon could almost feel him roll his eyes. "The entitlement mentality that makes people think they have a right to something even though someone else got to it first, fair and square. Makes me wish that teamkilling was possible. Those fort guns can survive more than one shot triggered from a 'friendly' player. One shot and they'd go flying down the mountainside."
"And you'd be the one being reported for unsporting play," Luna noted. "I detest such bad sportsponyship, but I don't see what we can do other than report the players responsible and then move on."
"I want to do more. I want these self-entitled guys banned."
"Edward, I understand and share your concerns and anger, but it's happened, and reporting and blocking them is the best we can hope for, aside from writing Xbox.com a detailed report of the incident, but I doubt it would accomplish much. In any case, we have a new game to play and a new experience. I ask that you focus on the here and now."
Eddy sighed. "Alright."
As the screen changed and the game began ticking off the "looking for a game" and "matching your skill" points, Luna went on, "I do have a question about the campaign. During the Gallipoli campaign, Bishop makes a reference to Kiwis in one cutscene. I'm not sure what that means."
"You mean where Bishop asks Foster, 'Not a Kiwi, are you'?" Leon asked.
"Yes, exactly."
"That's a slang term for a New Zealander. If i understand it right, it's not considered derogatory and is more or less an example of ribbing between Australia and their smaller brother off to the southeast."
"Ah, so it's just a joke without offensive intent."
"Yeah. It's kind of like how "Aussie" is used to refer to Australians. It's also not harmful. And even New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis."
"Speaking of which, where did the term originate, anyway?"
"Until I looked it up, I thought it was a fruit," Eddy said. "Turns out, it's some sort of flightless bird native to New Zealand."
"Well it does refer to a fruit," Leon replied. "Kiwifruit, to be exact. But I think the fruit can grow places other than New Zealand, so the bird would probably be more a New Zealand thing than the fruit."
"Oh, hold on," Luna said as the count down stopped. "Rarity is joining the party, along with one of my own Lunar Guard, Blazing Star... oh, and Rainbow Dash."
"Rarity? Really?" Leon said, surprised.
"I know. I was surprised as well. Apparently she has other interests than fabrics and mystery novels."
"And the Lunar Guard is a bat pony, I expect?" Eddy asked.
"We prefer the term thestrals," said a new voice. Leon checked real fast; a player called "Night's Glory" had joined the party.
"Greetings, Blazing Star," Luna said. "Welcome to tonight's session of Battlefield 1."
"Thank you, your Royal Highness. It is good to be here."
"I'm assuming you are using a modified controller for pony hooves?" Leon asked.
"He is," Luna confirmed, "as does every other pony, except those unicorns who feel their magic is ample enough to be able to wield human controllers with their magic. They're bigger than the standard controller, but usable without requiring any changes, magical or otherwise, to our bodies."
"Hopefully, they're more durable; pony hooves are as hard as rock."
"They are, don't worry about that."
"Hiya," Rainbow said as she joined. "Here to kick some tail!"
"Greetings, all," Rarity said, joining the party. "Sorry I'm late, had to finish an order for a customer."
"Understandable," Luna said politely. "Don't fear, we haven't been waiting long."
"Although some of us have been wondering why the fashionista who loves clothes and everything fashion suddenly has interest in a mud and blood first person shooter," Eddy injected.
"Even though I love the aforementioned things, I do have some measure of interest in other fields. While the show might not reveal it, some of the mystery novels I read do feature dark and sometimes violent themes. While our world might seem peaceful at an outside glance, we do have our tussles and political and military problems."
"Well, alright."
"Just so you know," the white unicorn went on, "I've played this for about a month, and have reached level five as a scout, and level three and four in other classes, so don't expect me to be surprised by much."
Okay, so this isn't just a drop in and see how things goes kind of deal, Leon thought. Okay...
"Anyway," Luna said, "we're playing operations on Iron Walls. I will set up a private squad for us when we get to the map. Is anyone going to make a dash for a vehicle?"
"I might go for a tank," Eddy said. "If not, I'll probably spawn in as an Assault class."
"Same here. I might make a run for the fortress gun if we spawn in as Austrians and we lose the San Rocco Church early on," Leon said.
"Just be ready in case a troll comes up and tries to make you destroy yourself with your own cannons," Luna warned. "We're going into a public match, and I won't have control of the server, so I won't be able to ban anyone."
"I might try for an airplane," Blazing Star said. "I like flying."
"Me too," Rainbow stated. "I want an attack plane; kills stuff in the air or on the ground."
"Just be careful; the planes in this game will crash and burn if they even brush against anything," Leon warned.
"Oh, believe me, I've learned that in this game... painfully learned," Blazing Star said.
"I'll probably pass," Rarity said. "Only the Light Tank might catch my eye, and I want my Martini-Henry."
As the game began to load, Leon asked, "So, Blazing-"
"Oh, please, call me Blaze, or Star."
"Ok, Blaze, what's it like being a, thestral? I heard from some of Luna's other Guards that you guys sleep all day."
"Well, most of us do. For us, the night is like the day. We can see very well at night, whereas it's harder for us to see in bright sunlight. But a few of us are kept active to keep Her Royal Highness safe, even during daylight hours. We stay in the shadows even so, keeping out of sight but still keeping her well defended."
"Yes, we are on the Austrian side!" Leon cheered.
"Shhh, I want to listen to the German speech," Luna said.
After the German voiceover for the map ceased, Eddy asked, "Do you understand German?"
"Yes. Also French and Italian, with some Spanish. Anyways, we have a minute before this all kicks off, so please continue to explain what thestral life is like, Blaze."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Do you guys eat anything other than veggies?" Eddy asked.
"Well... our diet is largely vegetarian."
"Does largely mean, 'yes', or..."
"A little."
"So a McDonald's Whopper or Wendy's burger wouldn't be out of the question for you?" Leon asked.
"Oh, please don't start," Blaze groaned. "You'll just start me salivating. I love those things. I mean, uhhh..."
"My Guards do not eat other species that are sentient, or sapient, as some might say," Luna put in. "They do have a mild taste for meat, but as Blaze said, thestrals are largely vegetarian; most of their diet is made of fruits and vegetables. In recent years, as such non-sentient meat has become available, they have increased their intake of meat products, and they are somewhat more commonly seen at fast food restaurants at night, particularly restaurants that originated on Earth, where they don't feel discriminated against by the store employees and managers. Sadly, thestrals suffer from myths told about them, such as being able to turn other ponies into them with their bites and eating other ponies, which further drives them away from many of their fellow Equestrians, the different waking hours not withstanding. Interestingly enough, they usually get along well with visiting humans, many of whom like staying up late at night and have not gone through a lifetime of lies told about thestrals. In fact, many of them consider thestrals to be cute, especially the foals."
"I had to stop one visitor from picking up and hugging my daughter," Blaze said. "Apparently, a human girl thought she was adorable, which is insulting to a people who have long been loyal and strong warriors of the night."
Leon sniggered. Eddy and Rainbow guffawed. Even Luna chuckled for a moment. Rarity giggled.
"What?"
"Never mind, Blaze," Luna answered. "And I think the game is starting, so let's focus on that."
Leon immediately joined Butter Squad, which Luna had created, and then choose the Assault class, armed with an M1918 Automatico Storm, AT Rocket Gun, Incendiary grenade, and Shovel, as well as a Howdah Pistol (which Leon had nicknamed "The Howdy Pistol", with a southern/western accent being part of the name) as a secondary firearm. He selected to spawn in the Church that was the initial sector objective. Rarity, Rainbow, and Blaze had joined Charlie Squad, which Rainbow had started.
"Right, so is there a plan?"
"Considering that we're in a random game where at least some people aren't interested in acting as a team, I'd say any plan between us would necessarily have limited effect on the battlefield," Leon murmured. "I'll try and hold the Church."
"I'll hold back and try to pick off the other team with my carbine," Rarity proposed.
"I managed to snag an Attack Plane; I can cover you guys from the air," Blaze responded.
"Me too," Rainbow said. "I'll watch your backs."
"Which leaves me and Edward," Luna said. "I think I'll spawn in as a Support class and cover the Church with my mortar. Please try to keep the enemy off me."
"And I'm with Leo," Eddy said. "Right, that's settled."
"Assuming we don't get overrun in minutes," Leon said, "we might be able to hold back the first battalion they send, but I think the airship they'd get as a result would kick us out."
"I've played this map before, the Church usually gets rushed and captured early on," Eddy said. "Hopefully, we can hold here for a while and knock out their number of spawns, but I'd recommend being ready to fall back by the time they're down to 200 lives in their first battalion."
The timer began to countdown. Leon went from an overhead view of the battlefield - and, presumably, so did everyone else - to a first person view.
4... 3... 2... 1...
The battle began.
-------------------------------------------
Rainbow turned her plane slightly to the left as the fighting began and her friends on the ground began making for San Rocco Church. "Okay guys, any options?"
"Yeah," Eddy said. "Interdict their reinforcements. Bomb the area west of the church, and the western wall; a bunch of them will probably be trying to hug the wall there."
"Copy. Making my run."
The attack plane flew in as low as Rainbow could make it do so without crashing into the church steeple. She unleashed her bombs just after the plane passed it. A very satisfying clunking noise, followed by hundreds of points and two kills, followed.
"Aw yeah, nice!"
"Fangs out!" Blaze said. A moment later, he added, "Yes, got two of them cowering in that trench just east of the church!"
"Heh heh!"
"Look out!"
Rainbow bit back a curse as an enemy attack plane dived in from the rear and poured a hail of fire in to her plane, doing 34 points of damage and disabling it. "Dang it; cover me while I repair, Blaze!"
"Got it. He's in my sights. Get out and repair while you can, Dash."
-------------------------------------------
Leon shot down two Italian soldiers trying to enter the church from the front with the Automatico. "Easy so far."
"Not for long it isn't," Eddy warned. "Artillery truck incoming."
"Uh oh. Anything else we should know about?"
"Yep; Landship coming with it."
"Drat. I'm coming out, assuming I don't get shot."
"I'll try and set a trap with good old TNT, maybe I can blow up or disable the landship, that's the priority."
"Got it."
"Hey, Dash, Blaze, that artillery truck is the AA variant; get out of here until we take it out!"
"Oh, crud!"
It was too late. The artillery truck fired, pelting Rainbow's plane with flak shells.
"Urgh, bailing out!"
"Sorry, Rainbow; didn't have time," Leon apologized.
"Just let me get my hooves on that truck! It's going down!"
"Oh yeah, c96 carbine and maybe repair tool vs. AA artillery truck that can kill infantry as well."
"Hey, it's me! you're talkin' to!"
"Just don't die too early. You're fortunate you were able to bail out over a section of land that's not off limits. And we're going to need everyone to help here, we're getting pushed."
It was true. Leon, even lying prone, was being shot at, and enemy soldiers were coming up toward the church in relatively large numbers.
"One... Two... Three," Rarity said, as three corresponding enemy players dropped. "The SMLE Carbine is doing wonders for me so far."
"Watch out for any vengeful players who decide to sneak up and backstab you," Luna cautioned. "Someone tends to try."
"Which is why I've set up a couple of incendiary traps, Princess. Even if they don't kill, by giving me points they'll warn me of hostile activity near my location."
"Well, if you are so determined..."
Leon took out the AT Rocket Gun, aimed at the artillery truck - which was now blasting the church - and fired. The miniature cannon proved it's worth, hitting the enemy vehicle and damaging it. The driver wasn't stupid, and backed behind a rock in order to repair.
"Urgh. He's hiding."
The enemy landship fired it's main guns; each targeted a different area of the church.
"The artillery truck can wait, the landship will tear the building apart."
"I'll do after it with dynamite, Leo, if you keep them off me while I do it."
"I'll cover you. Just go in and blow it up."
Leon pulled out his AT Rocket Gun and shot at the landship. While it failed to destroy the tank, it did damage, and meanwhile gave nearby enemies a flash and a powerful weapon to focus fire on, and hopefully draw their attention away from Ed.
The closest cannon on the landship turned toward him. By that time, Leon had picked himself up and was running. The explosion from the shot that followed did damage, but didn't succeed in killing him. He did have to put on his gas mask; the church was under constant bombardment from gas grenades.
There was a big explosion from outside, followed by a cheer from Eddy. "Got the sucker!"
"Good job!"
"Yep, and... aw, bloody... some guy with a shovel killed me."
"Happens. A lot. Especially in 64 player games. Just spawn back in. There's going to be more where they came from."
Suddenly, an airplane crashed into the church, blowing up as it struck. Fortunately it did no damage, but it did momentarily distract Leon, who was killed by an incendiary grenade.
"Argh."
"Don't mess with the guardians of the night," Blaze said. "Got that bomber that was flying around."
Leon chose not to mention the part that action had played in his recent demise. "Nice. Keep a watch for more agile planes."
"Already on it."
Leon spawned in again, this time as a Scout class with a Gewehr 95 Carbine, similar, indeed almost identical, in function to Rarity's SMLE. He caught to her, went prone, and began shooting. Two enemy soldiers went down quickly.
"Ah, good to have company," Rarity commented.
Leon blasted another Italian trooper. "Yeah, well, let's just keep them off the church if we can."
"I know, darling." Bang! "Got one."
Both continued sniping enemy players, trying to keep the enemy from entering the church and capturing the flag.
------------------------------
Blaze watched as another enemy bomber began to approach the church. The flags naturally drew players from both sides, so a bombing run against a flag could bring big results.
Not if I can help it. He approached the bomber, firing away with the attack plane's cannon.
This bomber, as it turned out, had a rear gunner, who shot back. Bullets began to hit, and the plane took damage. However, he hadn't found the range in time; the bomber pilot bailed out, leaving the plane without a guiding hand. Apparently, the gunner didn't notice, because when the bomber blew up and began to fall out of the sky, Blaze had picked up a kill on top of nailing the bomber.
Still, more infantry attacked, and they would be key to taking the flag. Blaze turned his plane around and shot up a couple of infantry making their way toward the church.
Some of the enemy infantry didn't take kindly to that. They didn't take kindly to it at all. Some of them began shooting at him. Blaze was inclined to scoff... until the plane's symbol suddenly turned red, and the vehicle became that much harder to control.
"Go n-ithe an tochas thú!"** Blaze snarled in Gaelic. Now he would have to pull out of combat in order to repair.
Unfortunately, an enemy pilot wasn't willing to give him that respite. A fighter came in from the rear - where else did attacking aircraft come from? - and began shooting at once. The plane took additional damage, and it all began to rack up fast.
"Blast it!" Blaze did the prudent thing and bailed out... moment's before the plane exploded. The enemy fighter tried to ram him while he was in his parachute, but failed, and Blaze made it safely to the ground.
"Right, so now just-"
He got no further. An enemy scout who had been rather quick for the matter had gotten a headshot on him, and his ccharacter dropped to the ground.
"Ugh, drat!"
"Well, that sucked," Rainbow commented.
"At least there's a tank available. I'm taking it. Anyone coming?"
"Yeah, hold on." Rainbow shot down an over eager enemy Assault. "Alright, let's go."
----------------------------
At this point, the flag counter began to run down from friendly blue, and it was doing so quickly.
"Oh, bother," Rarity remarked. "It appears some of the blackguards actually got past us."
"We're losing the flag," Eddy warned.
"I see it," Leon replied. "It's falling fast, and I don't think we'll be able to stop it, so I'm going for the fortress gun."
"Fine. Just make sure to hit their tanks if you can."
"It's not exactly like aiming and firing a Dreadnought's cannons or a mortar, but I'll try."
Leon was able to make it to the gun without being shot at, at least not to his knowledge. Unless his team lost the two flags in the valley below, the enemy wouldn't be able get inside the bunker, as it was, for the attacking team's infantry and for the moment, out of bounds. Anyone who tried to follow him, besides members of his own team, would be killed for "deserting."
Of course, there were still planes, tanks, and artillery trucks...
So I deal with them before they can deal with me.
Leon descended into the bunker and entered the fortress gun, just as one would enter a vehicle or mount a horse. As he'd said to Ed, it wasn't like operating the Dreadnought or a mortar at all; the minimap provided no help regarding where the shells would land, and given the shell drop, sometimes he'd have to raise his view above the target, such as a tank, in order for the guns to have a chance to hit it.
A group of infantry were closing in on the flag closest to the gun. Out of range of most retaliation - for the moment, anyway - he quickly aimed, guessed roughly where the shells would land, and pulled the trigger.
The twin guns roared, the shells flew... and blew up three enemy infantry who had had the misfortune to be running close together, plus doing damage to others who weren't killed, and getting a couple of kill assists a moment later.
"Chalk up three."
"Not bad," Luna said. "I'd advise everyone to stay somewhere near the flag closest to the mountains, which is a bit easier for Leon to defend."
"That's not difficult, I'm already there," Rarity answered.
"Currently rampaging around in an FT-17, be right there," Blaze replied. "I'm hoping I can get the sniper that killed me."
"Probably not going to happen," Luna deadpanned. "He's probably out of your reach. Sink your fangs, and shells, into people that are trying to capture our flags."
"Yes, Princess."
Leon saw an enemy landship moving on the flag. The metal monsters were tough, and could be manned by several players; as a result, the driver could repair the thing while the moving fortress continued to spit fire in every direction.
"Not this time," Leon muttered, putting two giant shells into the beast. That wasn't quite enough to put it out of action, but did succeed in disabling it, leaving it momentarily unable to move and killing someone who had gotten out a moment earlier. Two shells fired by players armed with At Rocket Guns finished the monster off.
"Boom!"
"Don't let it go to your head, Leon. Someone is going to get the idea to come after you eventually."
"Well, they can kiss my Wookie***... I mean, fortress guns. And then explode because of the shells."
"What about when they start bombing you?"
"I'll get them too. I've bagged airplanes in this thing before."
"Ever do it on purpose?"
"...Okay, maybe a few risks here and there."
"Hmm. Rainbow Dash, it's best if you get into another planes as early as possible."
"What do you think I want to do? I'm stuck trying to protect myself here and picking up kits just to survive right now."
"Well, if you die and find an aircraft available, use it. We're going to need the air cover."
"I'll try, but everyone wants a plane."
Leon fired again, this time missing and only getting seven points for damage. "Ugh, come on," he muttered. The next pair of shells succeeded in hitting an artillery truck and blowing it sky high; he wasn't quite sure that it was the same artillery truck that had shot down Rainbow and become a nuisance, but...
"Got an artillery truck. Hopefully that clears the airways a bit."
"Not terrible, I guess."
The next few minutes were sheer mayhem. Leon succeeded in killing an A7V, a second land ship, and another artillery truck, along with numerous infantry. It wasn't even fair; most of the enemy were busy trying to capture the flags, and with Austrian tanks and infantry - along with some planes as well - they had enough to think about as it was, and the big guns were blasting big holes in the landscape.
"Leon, dear, I appreciate the help, but you've destroyed both buildings with your shell fire," Rarity warned.
"At least they can't hide in them."
"No, but neither can we."
"They wouldn't have lasted long anyhow," Luna stated. "Grenades, tanks, and mortars would have turned them into firewood regardless."
"Got another attack plane, finally." Rainbow Dash said. "Gonna bomb everyone into oblivion!"
"There's only fifty of them left," Eddy stated. "Well, forty-nine, now. You'll have to hurry."
"Trust me, I'll get some of them before we're through with this wave."
Leon was momentarily distracted by an enemy bomber that unloaded nearby, missing the fortress gun, but still inflicting some damage. "Might want to get on that. They have a bomber roving around."
"I see him; he's mine!"
Leon continued firing, knocking over a few more infantry trying to capture the flag. "Keep the pressure up! They'll be desperate to take this sector before going down!"
"More tanks!" Eddy yelled.
More vehicles were indeed coming, along with a couple cavalrymen on horseback. Leon watched Luna shoot one of them out of the saddle, while leaving the horse more or less intact. "I probably should have spawned as an Assault, but I'll do what i can can with my mortar," the princess answered. "Leon, we'll need the covering fire."
"Already on it." Leon fired at an A7V, missed, muttered angrily as the guns reloaded, fired again, and this time hit his intended target, disabling it and killing someone in a turret that had been destroyed outright by the blast. Another shot smashed the tank like a sledgehammer, and killed almost everyone who had tried to escape the burning wreck.
It was all well and good, but someone must not have liked being shelled that much, because an artillery truck opened fire, quickly skirting behind the church to take cover. The shot hit the mountain below the turret, but the next struck the fortress gun directly, severely reducing it's health.
"Ungh! Freaking..."
"What's going on?"
"Artillery truck. Taking cover behind the church World of Tanks style and sniping me."
"An interesting choice of action," Luna noted quietly. "Not sure I can do much to take him out, though."
"I'll get him," Rainbow told them. "It's a regular artillery truck, right?"
"Yep," Leon said. "Uh oh-"
CLANG!
"Yeah, not going to be able to hold on here long..."
"I'm on it!"
Rainbow came in, her main guns blazing. The artillery truck would have been difficult to hit with the fortress gun, but for the plane, it was almost a sitting duck. It was disabled and blown up in short order.
"Just seven- no, sixteen left, now," Luna said. "This wave is almost through."
Leon fired yet again, this time only getting one enemy. "At least they didn't get more than the first objective. That makes the rest of the match a lot easier for us."
"It's not over yet, Leon. Even if they fail to capture a flag now, it doesn't mean they can't advance in the next round. Indeed, they can still win not only this map, but the operation as well."
"I know, but it means they have to work harder to achieve the same goal."
"Oh, they'll have to, or else attempt to blitz each objective, which they might do."
The rest of the enemy team's lives were used up pretty quickly. Before long they were at three, then two, then one...
"Got a headshot on that one," Rarity remarked as the camera lifted up and Austrian general began a short speech.
"Just be ready, they'll be coming again, and I don't think you'll be able to pull off the same trick with the fortress gun again, Leon."
"Why... Aw, nuts," Leon muttered as the game informed him that "The enemy is being reinforced with an airship."