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$36 Million Virtual Reality Game to Train US Soldiers

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Adah
02/02/09

In reply to $36 Million Virtual Reality Game to Train US Soldiers
I hate these simulators, and find them absolutely worthless. First of all, for computer game challenged people like me, they're impossible to make work. I have never played shooter games, and I'm not used to having to deal with that sort of thing, so I'm constantly trying to remember what I press to switch weapons, to stand up, crawl, lie down, etc. I can barely get my character on and off the humvee whenever we do this kind of training. Our whole unit is in the room, trying to get it all together, and we've got some Captain (who doesn't have to play!) yelling at us for not doing it fast enough, when we've had the game for about twenty minutes. Then you have the administrator, who's had, like, 10 hours of training, standing over your shoulder trying to "help" you by insisting you change from first person to third person view, and not understanding anything military, so telling you to do completely the wrong thing for the situation. THEN you finally start on the mission, and you hear gunfire, but you can't return freaking fire because you have no idea where the gunfire came from because there's no directions indicated through the headphones! You can't tell if it's from the left or right, like you would in a field exercise. Oh wait, it's a sniper 600 yards away hidden behind a trashcan the size of a bedbug, why didn't you see it? Oh, is it because the people playing the opposition have much, much better controls than you? That's cool. Then, after all that, the next time your unit gets around to booking the training, the Army's come out with a completely different program, so you have to relearn all the controls. Oh, and you also inevitably perform much, much worse than you would have in a field environment if you'd just gotten some weapons and blanks, and gone out and actually gotten practice.

/rant
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Ghost_in_the_Machine
02/02/09

@Adah: I hear you. While the Army has some decent tank/Bradley and missile launcher simulators, there is no adequate substitute for getting your boots muddy with your weapon in your hand for small unit dismounted training.

The article is vague about what tasks the simulator is supposed to train but I'm not warm and fuzzy about it.
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Annalee Newitz
02/02/09

@Ghost_in_the_Machine: I was frustrated that the announcement from the Navy was so vague - it's probably because they haven't actually designed it yet. I suspect that, as another commenter said, it will be a combination of combat and emergency/rescue training in urban areas.
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Ghost_in_the_Machine
02/02/09

@Annalee Newitz: I did a little more research and found the earlier virtual program the Office of Naval Research has at Camp Pendleton ([www.onr.navy.mil]).

"Trainees use their regular tactical equipment, but weapons are modified to shoot special effects small arms marking system (SESAMS) rounds, which are similar in concept to paintball rounds. Trainees and role players use paintball masks for added protection. As the trainees move from room to room, they may encounter live role players or virtual characters. Occasionally, pyrotechnics are used to increase realism."

Read the article for more information.

If this is the basis they're working from, it might actually be pretty cool.
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Meirelle
02/02/09

@Adah: I kind of agree with you. I can't play FPS games because I get my character stuck in a corner because I can't see it! Of course, I don't get myself stuck in a corner in real life, so there has to be SOMETHING different about it. Hm...
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Annalee Newitz
02/03/09

@Ghost_in_the_Machine: Thanks!
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Meirelle
02/02/09

In reply to $36 Million Virtual Reality Game to Train US Soldiers
So why are the graphics so shitty?

U.S. Military: -20 points
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Mount_Prion
02/02/09

In reply to $36 Million Virtual Reality Game to Train US Soldiers
With the way things are heading, I think Fallout 3 would be a more appropriate training program.
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Meirelle
02/02/09

@Mount_Prion(allrightsreserved): ZING!
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CannibalDan
02/02/09

In reply to $36 Million Virtual Reality Game to Train US Soldiers
Unless whatever VR technology they are using beats the wonky crap you find in various malls and amusement parks across the U.S. this seems like a huge fail on the part of the Navy.
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Meirelle
02/02/09

@CannibalDan: I think-- unless they somehow get Metal Gear Solid style VR training-- this entire project will be a failure.
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The Curse of Millhaven
02/02/09

In reply to $36 Million Virtual Reality Game to Train US Soldiers
They could save a LOT of money by just making mods for Fallout 3.
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omgwtflolbbqbye
02/02/09

@The Curse of Millhaven:

"Wait terrorist scum don't shoot me yet! Stand right there like a statue so I can take out my nuclear missile launcher and aim it at your head first!"

"Oh my god my legs are paralyzed! I better go to sleep for an hr so they grow back."
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The Curse of Millhaven
02/02/09

@omgwtflolbbqbye: Look, these guys need to know how to deal with radscorpions.
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Meirelle
02/02/09

@The Curse of Millhaven: And they also need to learn how to raid a run-down Super Duper Mart.
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