Return to the Weaponier

Two Hundred Thirty First Post: Return to the Weaponier

I blogged about the weaponier in my last post. I looked up the basics of how light guns work on the Net. The old Duck Hunt, Nintendo games made the ducks on the screen flash white. The gun would register if it detected white to determine if the hit was made. I am unsure how the Super Nintendo weaponier worked, but it was able to tell exactly where each and every shoot was made on the screen. It even allowed for analysis of the shoots. Something to research though.

I also got a chance to train on a video game. It had 3 screens and up to 5 weapons. The simulation played like a movie and had a scenario. One contact was made the team would try to shoot the enemy. The enemy could duck behind cover. The simulator used actual weapons that used an air hose for recoil instead of a round. It ran on 5 Pentium computers. It was one of the best training you can get out of the field. My Commander commented on how you can learn to shoot still targets all day, but this simulator you are working as a team (with targets that move strategically).

I was not a combat MOS and simulators like these are probably the only time (other than combat) that someone such as a graphic illustrator is going to get this kind of training. So the Military using video games is nothing new. The Army has had simulators for years. They used to be mechanical. Now there are more realistic and more affordable because standard computers can be used in some cases. It is similar to using the Super Nintendo for rifle marksmanship. So until I find an 3DS Max training disk I misplaced... May the Creative Force be with You