The Next World War
A multi-episode animated YouTube video series that details a cautionary tale of a hypothetical third world war.
Told in a documentary style reminiscent of the acclaimed series The World at War, the Next World War is set in 2032 and follows the leaders, warfighters, and civilians caught in the front lines of a war where the lines no longer exist.
Watch the series on the YouTube Channel, FLAT CIRCLE HISTORY,
Watch the full-length movie of Season 1 Commercial Free
For a one-time $3.00 donation via Patreon, gain access to the full-length movie, without YouTube adding their commercials. It’s a more engaging watch, less distractions and it helps support the channel!
LATEST RELEASE!
Episode 21: DEFCON 2
“Hauntingly realistic.”
“Best series on YouTube!”
“Tom Clancy must be smiling.”
“Riveting and well told.”
Help keep this story going!
All of this takes time, money and resources… and I’m a one-man show! And as my father once told me, “if you do something well, you should be compensated.” Perhaps most importantly, I treat this endeavor as a business, because doing so gives it weight. It forces on me the discipline, persistence and the respect it deserves. It isn’t a hobby for me. So, how can you help?
https://www.patreon.com/FlatCircleHistory
From $3.00 per month, to $5.00 (get attribution in a video), to $20 (attribution at Joint Chiefs of Staff level).
As members, you can watch the videos commercial-free from YouTube.
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A bit of background about why I am doing this.
As a child of the cold war, I read the book, “The Third World War” by Sir John Hackett. Even though I was in my early teens and only understood a portion of it, the story and its non-fiction style felt terrifyingly real to me. This, from a kid at the time who was plotting blast radius circles on my father’s state road atlas, wondering if our house was in range of being incinerated. Point being, that which terrifies us, fascinates us. The thought of a third world war was both of those things to me. In the early 90’s, I thought that possibility was thankfully behind us. Not anymore. With events in Ukraine, the Middle East and tensions rising in the Indo-Pacific, In 2023 I created Flat Circle History, the name a nod to Nietzsche and his phrase, "Time is a flat circle", in the hopes of providing a cautionary tale and a proper peek into the future, so that maybe we won't repeat the past.
Getting the story right:
From locations worldwide, I have interviewed scores of current and former military personnel, defense industry and tech-specific professionals; from combat pilots to naval intelligence, cyberwarfare experts to defense equipment manufacturers, all to help refine the story and ensure its plausibility. With each episode release, I provide an exhaustive list of sources used, from RAND to Reuters, CSIS to CNAS, USNI, USNWC and countless more.
An eye for detail:
In many cases, the locations of scenes are real. From the location of the Marine MEU battle near Tapa, Estonia, to the NATO defense of Rezekne, Latvia, I scouted my locations through Google Maps, then Street View, rebuilding those locations as close as possible. Will the casual observer know that the radio tower near Ignašāni is where it is in real life? Or when the passenger jet crashes into the roadway at Tuscon International Airport, it’s the real-life East Valencia Road? Nope. Will a local? Very possibly (and some have contacted to tell me!). Mostly I do it for me, combining a love of cartography, storytelling and authenticity. Plus, it helps draw me into the world I’m creating.
How are these episodes created?
Partial listing of platforms used:
ARMA3: used for people and close-up shots using a TON of mods created by the ARMA3 community. Are the graphics dated? Yep. ARMA3 is over a decade old. But if I need a Lithuanian combat uniform, or a Russian Lancet-3 drone, I can find it there. In ARMA3 I build my sets and code the characters to fight, walk and talk… sometimes with bizarre effects. Lots of blooper reels via ARMA3.
DCS: used for aircraft, some ground and naval scenes. Provides some stunning aerial views.
Cold Waters: naval surface and sub warfare.
SeaPower: air and fleet operations
Command Modern Operations: scenario testing, research and graphic visuals.
Unreal Engine: character close-ups and complex scenes or settings
Microsoft Flight Simulator: civilian aviation and aerials
X-Plane: used for civilian aviation and when I need aerials of locations (White House, etc.)
Who does the voice-over narration?
ElevenLabs: the main narrator and characters are all created in ElevenLabs. I tried to do it myself in the first beta and yeah, I’m not cut out for that.
Is This All Done With AI?
No. Only the voice-over narration is produced using AI. The writing, scripts, animation, set building, etc. is all done by human beings. Here’s the process.
About John Forsberg
Three authors in my teens set me on this path: JRR Tolkien, Tom Clancy and Sir John Hackett. Tolkien for the world-building, Clancy for the detail, Hackett for the relevancy. Since then, I’ve always been writing. In 2014 I wrote a successful self-published sci-fi book that told of a near-future war in space. The amazing reader responses told me that maybe I had some writing chops to do more of this. Then, life happens and it wasn’t until 2023, after retiring from the tech industry, that I began writing a follow-up to the sci-fi book, but with Ukraine at war and watching the gut-wrenching news out of Bucha and Irpin… I felt compelled to write something closer to the now, and closer to my heart. So began Flat Circle History. In June of 2023 I released the first few episodes, crossed my fingers, and kept writing and creating. In November, it suddenly took off and opened doors to fans and contacts in the defense and national security realm that I would have dreamt possible. And here we are! And I’m having a ball.
