Adapting Commercial Off-the-Shelf ABSTRACT Games for The interactive digital medium of computer games holds promise for application in the realm of military simulation. Military Simulation This paper presents the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) initiative to leverage commercial computer games for military applications, how several SAF schools have adopted modified commercial games to enhance classroom instruction, and our future plans to extend the use of games in the SAF. Gwenda Fong Adapting Commercial Off-the-Shelf ABSTRACT Games for The interactive digital medium of computer games holds promise for application in the realm of military simulation. Military Simulation This paper presents the Defence Science & Technology Agency (DSTA) and the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) initiative to leverage commercial computer games for military applications, how several SAF schools have adopted modified commercial games to enhance classroom instruction, and our future plans to extend the use of games in the SAF. Gwenda Fong Adapting Commercial Off-the-Shelf Games for 68 Military Simulation the extremely lucrative game industry that has While these games developed by the US Army National Servicemen (NSF) displayed great INTRODUCTION since produced numerous titles that begin to have since been introduced into the interest and aptitude as mod makers during rival military simulators in terms of the level mainstream gaming community, several COTS various formation trials conducted in early of detail and richness of experience. It is a common perception that computer games games such as Delta Force 2, Steel Beasts, and 2003 to identify suitable COTS games that may supplement the SAF’s existing training and military simulators are very different Falcon 4.0 have also been adapted by various curriculum. Under the direction of the officers- entities. Many games entertain by drawing GAMING IN THE MILITARY armed forces to enhance their relevance to in-charge, these NSFs embarked on projects to participants into a virtual world that calls for military training (Macedonia, 2002; Calvert, create new game content specific to their a suspension of the user’s disbelief; military Indeed, the potential of computer games as a 2003; Zyda and Sheehan, 1997). respective arms formations, thus enabling the cost-effective conduit to motivate and engage simulators, on the other hand, seek to attain formations to quickly move ahead and a game-savvy generation of soldiers in a high level of realism in order to derive LEVERAGING COTS incorporate these relevant mods in their repetitive tactical thinking “anytime, meaningful simulation results. In reality, they anywhere”, has not gone unnoticed among GAMES THROUGH MODS training curriculum. In addition, students from both share a common set of enabling various armed forces. Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic with skills in technologies, and it is beneficial to both the digital media design and information Adapting a game for military application game industry and military simulation In 1995, the US Marine Corps had the prescience technology were engaged to create localised typically involves engaging a game developer community to tap each other’s innovative to take advantage of the Doom shareware in game content for the SAF’s use across the to create customised game content under strict solutions (Zyda and Sheehan, 1997). This paper the development of Marine Doom, which was various arms (see Figure 2). licensing agreements. However, this may soon describes the DSTA-SAF initiative to exploit designed to hone the teamwork and be the exception rather than the rule. Game- coordination of four-soldier fire teams (Riddell, computer games for military applications, the development toolkits, once the tightly-guarded 1997). The advent of fully 3D games presented approach adopted in successfully modifying bastion of game developers, have been made new possibilities for military application. In the suitable commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) games increasingly available by developers, to the past few years, the US Army has spent millions to find relevance for training, and our delight of an emerging breed of gamers – the of dollars to work with developers to create future plans. mod makers (The Straits Times, 2003). With various games, including America’s Army, which access to the tools used to create games, these started out as a recruitment tool but has since technically-inclined gamers are able to create been used to train future officers at West Point CONVERGENCE OF new content – characters, weapons, vehicles, (Roth, 2003). Another such game is Full Spectrum SIMULATION AND GAMES maps, missions – collectively forming Warrior, which aims to train squad leaders in modifications (or mods, in gaming jargon) of real-life combat tactics of urban warfare the commercial game, which they then freely Military simulation systems evolved as Figure 2. Screenshots of the SAF mod (Reuters, 2003). share with other gaming enthusiasts over sophisticated applications that run on high- created by Nanyang Polytechnic students the Internet. powered computer workstations, while computer games were A good mod will invariably garner plaudits There are many benefits in leveraging COTS initially programmed by Training from the gaming community, and the status games to create mods for the SAF. First, there hobbyists to run on Value Emergence of is low risk and little cost involved. In developing dual-purpose and acknowledgement awarded its creator is machines like the games motivation enough for mod makers to spend a game for commercial release, the developers Commodore Amiga countless hours creating new content (Herz, would no doubt have allocated a significant 2002). The game developers also stand to budget towards the research and development (Herz, 2002). However, Traditional New breed Military benefit as mods become a source of new of a robust game engine with leading-edge the availability of faster of simulators Simulators technology. By creating mods of COTS games, processors, larger hard content that extends the shelf life of games (Smed and Hakonen, 2003). It is this symbiotic we are thus able to leverage the sophisticated disks, and graphic relationship between game developers and game technology already in place for a fraction accelerators to PC owners COTS games mod makers borne out of the unique social of the cost. enabled game developers Convergence of simulators and games based on similar enabling technologies: ecology of games that we wish to leverage in to leverage advances by • Real-time 3D graphics and animation the modification of COTS games for the SAF. Secondly, the game-development toolkits computer scientists in • Character and terrain modelling released by the game developers provide a • Artificial Intelligence areas such as real-time 3D layer of abstraction from the underlying code, • Networking Games graphics, artificial • Sound of the THE DSTA-SAF EXPERIENCE allowing experienced mod makers to create 69 intelligence and • User Interfaces past • Tools for creating synthetic environments game assets with a relatively short turn-around networking. The As a conscript armed force, the SAF has a large time. While the tools may take some time to increasing power of the Fun Figure 1. Convergence of Military Simulations pool of young national servicemen, many of master, there is a wealth of online resources PC heralded the rise of and COTS games whom are eager gamers. Several full-time Adapting Commercial Off-the-Shelf Games for 68 Military Simulation the extremely lucrative game industry that has While these games developed by the US Army National Servicemen (NSF) displayed great INTRODUCTION since produced numerous titles that begin to have since been introduced into the interest and aptitude as mod makers during rival military simulators in terms of the level mainstream gaming community, several COTS various formation trials conducted in early of detail and richness of experience. It is a common perception that computer games games such as Delta Force 2, Steel Beasts, and 2003 to identify suitable COTS games that may supplement the SAF’s existing training and military simulators are very different Falcon 4.0 have also been adapted by various curriculum. Under the direction of the officers- entities. Many games entertain by drawing GAMING IN THE MILITARY armed forces to enhance their relevance to in-charge, these NSFs embarked on projects to participants into a virtual world that calls for military training (Macedonia, 2002; Calvert, create new game content specific to their a suspension of the user’s disbelief; military Indeed, the potential of computer games as a 2003; Zyda and Sheehan, 1997). respective arms formations, thus enabling the cost-effective conduit to motivate and engage simulators, on the other hand, seek to attain formations to quickly move ahead and a game-savvy generation of soldiers in a high level of realism in order to derive LEVERAGING COTS incorporate these relevant mods in their repetitive tactical thinking “anytime, meaningful simulation results. In reality, they anywhere”, has not gone unnoticed among GAMES THROUGH MODS training curriculum. In addition, students from both share a common set of enabling various armed forces. Singapore’s Nanyang Polytechnic with skills in technologies, and it is beneficial to both the digital media design and information Adapting a game for military application game industry and military simulation In 1995, the US Marine Corps had the prescience technology were engaged to create localised typically involves engaging a game developer community to tap each other’s innovative to take advantage of the Doom shareware in game content for the SAF’s use across the to create customised game content under strict solutions (Zyda and Sheehan, 1997). This paper the development of Marine Doom, which was various arms (see Figure 2). licensing agreements. However, this may soon describes the DSTA-SAF initiative to exploit designed to hone the teamwork and be the exception rather than the rule. Game- coordination of four-soldier fire teams (Riddell, computer games for military applications, the development toolkits, once the tightly-guarded 1997).