Tag: Modern & Near Future

07/16/13

Tuesday Screenshot – ARMA3 Beta

 screenshot0716213

 click to enlarge

ARMA3 Beta – Bohemia Interactive

Craig Handler, 16 July 2013

The Abyss

Almost seventy-five percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by her oceans.  At its deepest, the blue expanse is more than six miles below sea level.  These vast bodies of water serve as living space for the overwhelming majority of life on the globe.  It is a fact that most creatures that call the sea “home,” exist within its darkest depths.  To those who study its secrets, this deepest brine is known simply as the Abyss. Continue reading →

06/17/13

Origins 2013 – Wargames!

Hey, look – we’re Grogs, right?  Which means we’re looking for wargames, right?  Despite the whining and moaning on Consimworld that someone’s favorite game company wasn’t there, Origins has plenty of wargaming – if you bother to look for it.  We’ve already shown you Collins Epic Wargames, but here are some of the other wargaming found at Origins in 2013.

Academy Games

They’re not exclusively wargaming, but their wargames are attracting a ton of positive attention from grogs and general boardgamers alike.

Conflict of Heroes is still attracting a ton of walk-up interest at the Academy Games table
Conflict of Heroes is still attracting a ton of walk-up interest at the Academy Games table

 

Academy also has a new AWI game built on the same system as A Few Acres of Snow
Academy also has a new AWI game built on the same system as A Few Acres of Snow

Continue reading →

05/31/13

Mayviation Interview With Matthew Caffrey, AFRL

Brant Guillory, 31 May 2013

COL(R) Matt Caffrey works at the Air Force Research Labs wargaming office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio.  He is also the organizer behind the Connections conference that brings together military wargaming practitioners, academics, and industry professionals to advance the art, science, and application of wargaming.

Splash-PMWSome opening comments from Mr Caffrey:
Before I answer your specific questions I need to make two disclaimers:
First, the views expressed in these responses are those of the author (myself) and do not reflect the official policy or position of the United States Air Force, Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
Second, I am not so pretentious to believe I know of all US defense Wargaming.  Growing up in New York City I heard the expression, “only the dead know Brookline.”  That is, that borough was (and is) so big and so diverse that no living individual could know all of it.  No one living individual can know all of defense wargaming. The Joint Staff and each Service use wargaming for a host of applications.  Though I a student of wargaming and have worked in defense wargaming as a primary or additional duty since 1983 I would be surprised if some wargame somewhere is an exception to my below generalizations.  I do not know what I do not know.
Continue reading →

05/6/13

Flight Sims – Just How Realistic Are They?

Author: Commander Mike “Toonces” Loomis

Introduction

Rare would be the man who, as a child, saw a fighter jet fly overhead and didn’t think to himself, “I want to do that when I grow up!”  Unfortunately, most of us don’t become fighter pilots.  However, we have the opportunity through computer flight simulation to understand a bit of what goes on in that cockpit, flying 600 knots and pulling 6 Gs.

The enthusiast flies his first simulator, buys more and more hardware, controllers, accessories, and more computer power to run ever more complex software.  At some point the inevitable question surfaces- how realistic are home flight simulators, anyway?  This article seeks to address this question from an aviator’s perspective.

Continue reading →

04/25/13

SimCity AAR, Part 1

aar

Sean Drummy, 25 April 2013

Apparently… manning a nuclear power plant with people that do not have a high school education is dangerous. Also, somewhat related conclusion, SimCity does not allow you to build on radioactive ground.

Click images to enlarge

SimCity AAR – Part 1 – Drill baby drill!

AARs are like floral arrangements. You should put them together when everything is fresh otherwise things may become a mess. (Did I just work in a floral arrangement analogy? Do I know the Grogheads demographic or what?) Unfortunately in this case I did not take this advice and am recounting the trials and tribulations of my city long after they happened.

But, don’t fret! The fascinating part about SimCity, is that the mistakes I made many game-days ago still manifest themselves in conspicuously bad ways on my city today. I can’t remember precisely why I built this one structure here or why I neglected to plan for vital utility X – but I know that these shortcomings are snowballing into even more complex challenges as my city’s population steadily increases while the space I have to accommodate them seems as if it is getting smaller and smaller.

Continue reading →