What is a sim, what is not...

[gonk]

Arma2 is a sim....
DCSA10/blackshark is a sim...
ROF is a sim..

[Ailantd]

Originally Posted by gonk

Arma2 is a sim....
DCSA10/blackshark is a sim...
ROF is a sim..

Arma2 infantry could be considered a sim, more when you compare it with others fps, but Arma2 vehicles otherwise can not. I really would like Arma vehicles being full or realistically simulated even if no everybody could handle it.

[ChiefRedCloud]

Originally Posted by Ailantd

Arma2 infantry could be considered a sim, more when you compare it with others fps, but Arma2 vehicles otherwise can not. I really would like Arma vehicles being full or realistically simulated even if no everybody could handle it.

I'm with you there (realistic vehicles) and they exist. Just not in the commercial version of ArmA 2. It is in the FULL military sim that BIS sells to governments to train their troops. At a nice price tag extending into the thousands of dollars.

[Stefem]

Originally Posted by Ailantd

Arma2 infantry could be considered a sim, more when you compare it with others fps, but Arma2 vehicles otherwise can not. I really would like Arma vehicles being full or realistically simulated even if no everybody could handle it.

Yea, it seems that Arma 3 will resolve this lacuna with vehicles and objects handled by a real physics engine

[whoarmongar]

The problem with Arma2 isnt the physics engine its the fact that the vehicles in particular the choppers and fixed wing are far to easy to kill. This was done in the interests of "balance" and "gameplay" but this game would be so much better if the damage model was more realistic in my opinion.
Even with its faults its still a superb game and I love it.
Very soon I expect in the game world we will be able to fly in a CloD type flightsim game and when we bail out bail into a Arma2 type world, all with hundreds of people online.

[ElAurens]

Another problem with ArmA2 is that the maps are far too small for any real simulated modern air warfare. Any jet fighter would be across the entire map in seconds.

[ACE-OF-ACES]

One other thing to remember..

No simulation every 'was', 'is' or 'will be' truly realistic

Hence the name simulation

[Madfish]

Originally Posted by ACE-OF-ACES

One other thing to remember..

No simulation every 'was', 'is' or 'will be' truly realistic

Hence the name simulation

But then again - nothing is "realistic" by that definition as even human experiences are completely unique. For example if you go outside and run are you as good at it as others? Experience the same emotions? Thoughts?

It's hard to compare thus we have that many rules in competitions.

I believe that simulations have their "limits" but also have an additional level of freedom. For example the sandbox effect: you can't harm, be harmed or die.

This is a MAJOR difference. For example take the flight sim genre. WWII.
We now know the flaws and weaknesses of the planes. The pilots back in the days paid with their lives to discover them. We can also train and perfection our playstyle - could the pilots at the time?

Hence it's getting more and more difficult for a sim to be fair AND a simulation. That is why so much balancing is necessary. And that's also why I believe it would be great to have dogfight servers that aren't faction based and have co-op and other servers that could be faction based. Let people fight in the plane they want - that'd be the only way to be fair and a simulation.

[icarus]

Key word: Attempts.

Any software that attempts to simulate an experience is a sim. Some of course do a better job than others.


simulation definition
simulation, system
Attempting to predict aspects of the behaviour of some system by creating an approximate (mathematical) model of it. This can be done by physical modelling, by writing a special-purpose computer program or using a more general simulation package, probably still aimed at a particular kind of simulation (e.g. structural engineering, fluid flow). Typical examples are aircraft flight simlators or electronic circuit simulators. A great many simulation languages exist, e.g. Simula.
See also emulation, Markov chain.
Usenet newsgroup: news:comp.simulation.
(1995-02-23)

[Ailantd]

In fact the first question its what are we talking about. Are we talking about the meaning of the word "simulation" itself, so almost every program running in a computer could be considered as a simulation, or are we talking about the gaming genre called simulation as opposite to arcade?

If we are talking about the gaming genre we call simulation then I consider a simulation all that programs that try to recreate every aspect of reality the better it can be accomplished and where matching the reality its always the first consideration and even more important that gameplay or game balancing, so if that plane was a crap in reality, then it should be a crap in the simulation because it was that way, even if that decision makes the plane unplayable from a game balancing point of view. That´s the reason I doub if simulation genre should be considered really a game genre even if a lot of times it is used like one.

If a game or program left reality for gameplay then I don´t consider it a sim, but and arcade game.

So even if Call of Duty, Battlefield or Gears of War can be considered simulations from the word meaning I don´t consider them as simulations as game genre but arcade games because in all them gameplay it´s over simulation and reality depict.