Hey, guys
As a huge history and RTS enthusiast, I have always been a big fan of the Age of Empires franchise and I have always hoped to, one day, see a new installment of the series regarding WW2, as I believe many of you also have. I'm not a programmer, but I've been working for a while on idealizing a potential sequence for the game based on the most recent Age of Empires - our Contemporary Age - that strongly borrows some of the best features from Age of Empires II, Age of Empires III and Age of Mythology, while also bringing out new features of its own.
I have already outlined some key elements of this potential game, such as many mechanics, buildings, units, technologies, game modes and even RM maps. I would really like your help, if this idea interests you, to get Microsoft to consider eventually developing something over this concept!
One of the immediate questions that may pop up in your mind, as it did in mine, is: what types of resources would players have to collect in a game like this (which is one of the most fundamental features of this series)? My suggestion is that players need to collect food, money and fuel through a variety of old and innovative mechanisms that I do not intend to fully reveal or explain in this first draft.
Here follows the list of base-game civilisations I have "designed", containing their bonuses and unique technologies. I have nicknamed this project (Age of Empires:) Conquerors of Steel, to address the extensive usage of this key material in the military units and structures featured during our time.


**Americans (focus: late game):**

- Communication centres earn 30% more money

- Starts the game with +100 of each resource

- Aircrafts are trained in 25% less time and have +1 LOS

- TEAM BONUS: Technologies are researched: in 20% less time in 2nd age/ 40% less time in 3rd age/ 80% in Imperial Age

Unique technologies:

* Dogfighters: fighter aircrafts deal higher pierce damage and have higher armour
* Lend-Lease: Each member of the team receives +800 food and +800 fuel.

**British (focus: balanced):**

- Buildings cost 20% less (40% for docks)

- Civilians have +20% HP

- Ships have +15% HP

- Civilians train in 20% less time

- TEAM BONUS: ships move 20% faster

Unique technologies:

* Operation Dresden: improves the stats of bombers
* Turing’s Machine(or the Bomb): nullifies the effect of German’s Enigma
* North African Campaign: improves the combat stats of heavy infantry (Bazooka, .20 cal and Mortar), Infantry Tank and Cruiser Tank lines

**French (focus: infantry and defences):**

- Civilians collect food from hunts and herds 25% faster

- Canteen saves 5% more food in 2nd Age/ 10% in 3rd Age/ 20% in Imperial Age

- Infantry has 10% more HP in 2nd Age/ 20% in 3rd Age/ 30% in Imperial Age

- Buildings have 10% more HP in 1st Age/ 20% in 2nd Age/ 30% in 3rd Age/ 40% in Imperial Age

- TEAM BONUS:  Base centres deal more damage and have longer range

Unique technologies:

* Maginot Line: improves the stats of defensive buildings
* La Résistance: improves civilians’ combat stats

**Italians (focus: early game):**

- Advancing to the next age is 20% cheaper

- Starts the game with +1 civilian

- Civilians move 10% faster

- Infantry moves 15% faster and has +2 LOS

- Ships cost 15% less (25% for fishing boats)

- TEAM BONUS: Occupation posts generate more resources

Unique technologies:

* Corporative State: gives base centres a trickle of money (maximum of 6) but also raises the cost of civilians to 100 food and 35 money and the cost of food and oil
* Italia Imperiale: Base centres, occupation posts and defensive buildings are much cheaper and build much faster

**Germans (focus: balanced):**

- Advances to the next age in half the time

- Airstrips support +2 aircraft

- Civilians carry +5 resources

- Buildings are built in 30% less time

- Garages work in 25% less time

- TEAM BONUS: Combat Engineers and Secret Police are free

Unique technologies:

* Enigma: doubles the cost of most of enemies’ strategic technologies, such as Spies, Aerial Blockade and Aerial Sweep
* Vernichtungsschlacht: improves the stats of Medium Tank, Self-Propelled Gun, Assault Gun and Armoured Car lines

**Soviets (focus: late game):**

- Technologies cost 10% less in 2nd Age/ 20% less in 3rd Age/ 30% less in Imperial Age

- Rifleman line costs no money

- Land military units cost 10% less in 2nd Age / 16.67% in 3rd Age/ 25% in Imperial Age

- TEAM BONUS:  Civilians have +2 LOS

Unique technologies:

* Counter-offensive of Stalingrad: land vehicles are trained in 25% less time
* Politburo: military unit upgrades cost 20% less food

**Chinese (focus: infantry):**

- Civilians cost 20% less food

- Barracks work in 33% less time

- Can’t build supply drops but can build farms (generate food or fuel)

- Infantry upgrades cost no fuel

- Most buildings can garrison (garrisoned units can shoot)

- Defensive buildings and transports fit more units

- TEAM BONUS: Taxation of resources sent to other players is reduced to 10%. Buying and selling prices at the storage are more even

Unique technologies:

* Chinese Expeditionary Force: +30 population limit
* Kuomintang: improves various military units’ combat stats.

**Japanese (focus: aircraft and navy):**

- Docks work in 25% less time

- Fishing boats work 25% faster and have +3 LOS

- Can build airstrips starting in 2nd Age

- Civilian gather rate improvements and Heavy Coat are 50% cheaper

- Drop sites and cargo trucks cost 50% less

- TEAM BONUS: fishing boats, cargo ships and transport ships have higher armour

Unique technologies:

* Tokubetsu Kougekitai: Japanese aircraft earn the ability to kamikaze dive into enemy land and water units and buildings. When dying, pilots automatically seek to kamikaze dive into enemies.
* Kantai Kessen: improves the stats of Japanese combat ships.