Speaking of the engine, do you still need a PhD in action spot mechanics to get all your guys into cover that they would take in real life?
You don't need a PhD in economics to know that Russia just has to turn the valves on the energy flow to Europe and its game over. Perhaps the game will have "doo-dads", like a pipeline with a valve on top. And a small shirtless Putin character turning the valve. From the looks of the game, it appears to be Spring-time or early summer. Hmmmm....
I suppose the 'back-story'' is, at this point, dynamic and subject to rewrites. Daily. I would propose the following...The Dutch Intel has found out that the homophobic Putin ordered the airliner (full of AIDS conference attendees) shot down. They secretly infect Putin's chimpanzee unit (he keeps a shaved, cigar-smoking monkey platoon in spetsnaz cammies at his house to drink with) with ebola (And crabs), as retaliation. Things spiral out of control and a Polar Vortex is ordered by a bunch of people with PhDs at "Climate Scientists without Borders". The vortex is aimed at Putin's hairless monkey-platoon, but it falls short and hits Europe instead. Soon, everyone is cold and wants Dutch Hot Cocoa. But Putin has used the last of his Rubles to buy up all the world's chocolate reserves. A side benefit is that all the Euro-trash teens doing porn don't have as many pimples on their asses. This infuriates the sick drunken monkeys and they get stupified on Hot Cocoa, Vodka and Kahlua and press the big red 'ATTACK' button while Putin is passed out. The rest of the story just writes itself, doesn't it?
One good thing about futuristic weapon's modeling. They don't have to worry about mismodeling things like they have done in WWII games. I just worry about the trees stopping the 1800 meter per second 125mm APFSDS rounds. If I were a drunken monkey, I would avoid those trees...