Jeff White said:
Because they aren't the subject of this thread. Games that have been modified to be used as a training aid aren't readily available to the public.
VBS1 is used by militaries and is also available to the public (though it wasn't at first).
The U.S. Marines have used it. And seeing as how the subject of this thread is “tactical video games”, I don’t see how a computer game that was slightly modified and then used by militaries isn’t what this thread it about, even if the training version wasn’t now available to the public. People who've used both said the military version is a waste of money because it doesn't have a lot that the game doesn't have.
No one is saying that games designed or modified to be a training aid aren't capable of teaching something.
That's all I'm saying, and considering the capabilities of computers, I think Flashpoint (VBS1) gives you a good idea of running, stopping, taking aim, hiding, using cover, crawling, when to reload, suppressive fire, and working that into tactics. Of course computer-controlled players can be dumb, but the game is also multi-player capable, and that's mostly how its used for training, I believe. Though I saw something on TV about how the Marines were using it "single-player" to train artillery spotters.
How long were you an Infantryman and where did you serve? I asked in an earlier post for people to tell us what personal experience they had with the real thing so that we could judge how realistic they are. I was in the Army from 6 Dec 74 thru 31 Oct 03. I served in every duty position in an Infantry company from rifleman to First Sergeant.
Sorry, I'll never question your judgment again, since I've never been an infantryman. I say the game is good because it jives with all the first-hand accounts of combat I've read. But, as I said,
all the designers were in the infantry, so I'd say they know what it's like, too. I say it’s realistic because shooting a gun "feels" like the real thing, breathing hard from running makes it hard to hold a gun steady, things of that nature. Other games aren't like that. I'm not saying its virtual reality. But it is certainly much better than more arcade-like games, such as CounterStrike.
Regarding your laundry list. I could only modify accuracy, recoil, and damage (those bugged me, but I'm not saying they were terribly unrealistic to begin with), and I already said the game doesn't allow jams (hopefully the next version will have jams). No, the game doesn't have splinters. Falls, collisions, drowning, and being run over also cause casualties. Yes, there is a difference between cover and concealment. Yes, on the high terrain levels, there are little dips you can use to gain more cover. I already said firing positions are prone, kneeling, and off-hand standing. Yes, you can pass equipment between soldiers. No batteries to worry about for night vision goggles. LAWs/AT4/RPG etc. fired from kneeling only. No backblast. No wire-guided weapons, it's all fire and forget or unguided. Yes, soldiers get tired from running. Wounds to the legs will only allow them to crawl, and wounds to the hands make it difficult to hold a weapon steady. AI units will flee, but soldiers under your command won't (of course if you are playing multi-player, all bets are off). You didn’t ask this, but hand grenades explode on impact—they don’t have timed chemical fuses. So it does miss some things, but on the whole I’d say it’s pretty good.
One thing about the game that is particularly unrealistic is the flight model, and I'd know as I have multi-engine, instrument, and commercial airplane ratings. And armored vehicles aren’t that realistic--little attempt at replicating fire control (like wire-guided missiles are actually fire and forget), armor thickness is the same on all sides, etc. So that stuff isn’t so great, but it’s an infantry-oriented game anyway.