Combined Arms Simulator
| Combined Arms Simulator | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Royal Institute for the Advancement of Universal Technology (RIAU), MalDef, MalTec |
| Publisher(s) | MalTec |
| Director(s) | Choe Su-Bin |
| Programmer(s) | Various |
| Composer(s) | Various |
| Platform(s) | PC, MalTec Allestia |
| Release | September 26, 2017 |
| Genre(s) | Action, Vehicular Combat Simulator, Combat Flight Simulator, Naval Combat Simulator |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Combined Arms Simulator (commonly referred to as Combined Arms) is an online combat simulator that was developed by the Royal Institute for the Advancement of Universial Technology (RIAU), MalDef and MalTec.
Originally developed for the military as a training aid, the popularity of the simulator led to a version being developed for the civilian market. In 2020 a version of the game was released for the MalTec Allestia, a popular video game console in Malgrave.
Development
In 2010, the Territorial Defence Force started to explore additional methods of maintaining the readiness of former active conscripts employed in the active reserve without incurring the extra costs associated with increased physical drills. After much deliberation, a decision was reached to build an accurate computer experience simulating the equipment deployed by the Territorial Defence Force.
Work on the project started in 2012, with accuracy and function at the core of the requirements researchers from the Royal Institute for the Advancement of Universial Technology were employed alongside technical consultants from MalDef. Interest in the project soon grew beyond the Territorial Defence Force, with the Malgravean_Air_Force and Malgravean Royal Navy joining the project in 2013.
In 2015, the product known then as Combined Arms Training and Readiness Simulator (CATRS) was rolled out within the armed forces, with copies quickly spread even beyond traditional military circles. With the popularity of the product noted, the decision was taken to hand over the development of the project to the internal game development studios of MalTec who quickly worked on several improvements to the game, including the development of two new game modes for those wishing for a more casual experience.
Gameplay
Combined Arms is based around extensive online battles fought on land, sea and air featuring vehicles, aircraft and naval vessels from across Mystria with several eras represented within the game. Pre-Exodus, (1910-1933), Post-Exodus (1933-1948), Civil War (1950-1980), Near Modern (1980-2000) and Modern (2000-Present).
Players unlock new vehicles by spending in-game research points given to players based on their performance in online battles and after completing certain in-game objectives, with bonus points given to players that showcase good conduct and kindness to their fellow players.
Combined Arms Simulator was originally designed with just one singular mode, however, the unintended popularity of the game meant that additional modes were developed by MalTec before the full civilian rollout in 2017. It presently has three modes of simulation.
Full Simulator
As implied full simulator intends to accurately simulate the experience of operating a military vehicle, with proper attention paid both to internal mechanics and surrounding physics. It is known to have a high barrier of entry for those who have not previously served in the military, as the control mechanisms can be quite complicated compared to similar games in the genre.
Players of this mode often play in full or semi-enclosed rigs to increase their immersion and improve performance, although, this has been highlighted as another barrier to entry due to the size and cost of these rigs.
Semi-Simulator
Semi-Simulator was the first additional mode for the game developed by MalTec. It intends to simulate some aspects of controlling the military assets included in the game, however, the controls are less complicated and easier for new players to learn.
It is recommended for those who want the simulator experience without the additional cost of building rigs or reading technical manuals and is quite popular for those who want a step up from the arcade experience of other military games.
Arcade
Arcade mode was the second mode developed for the game by MalTec. It lacks the simulator aspects of the game, as it was designed with casual and console players in mind, although, it still retains some physics the controls are less complicated and can be played with a simple controller.
It is highly popular with the younger demographic, especially, as this mode has fewer restrictions over customisation options for tracklayer and aviation nose art.
Promotions
In 2020, a promotional event was started to celebrate the airing of Maiden and Tracklayers. Specialised matches were available based on the animated show and book series, with art of the characters being available to decorate player vehicles.
In 2021 a special event was held to celebrate Sailor on Tour, with specialised historical naval battles being re-enacted. Special Choi Eun-young art was also available to players during this event.
In 2023 a special event was launched in conjunction with several foreign religious authorities which allowed players to certify sacrifices to receive blessing for their vehicles from the gods to be used during a temporary game mode. It was later revealed that ShagratLover419 had been able to obtain an level of boons that made them simply indestructible by combining blessings from different Imerian faiths and the ASG with powerful custom Shagrat and Puffin art work included in the event.
Controversy
Classified Document Leaks
In 2020 an argument on the Combined Arms internet forum about the turret speed of the K2001 IFV led to an anonymous user publishing classified technical documents of the vehicle. Within hours the thread containing the document was purged, with an investigation reportedly launched by the security services to track down the source of the leak, although, the increased turret speed was included in the next update.
In 2021 another argument on the Combined Arms forum around aviation combat in the game led to several documents relating to the Avro Sparrow being posted. Although these documents were not strictly classified it was reported that discussions around the potential export of these aircraft to Breheim led to the swift cancellation of the thread and the offender being arrested.
A lot of Federal documents has also been leaked, including the entire Sydvinlander, Vedian, and Blalander tracklayers roll of arms in a discussion in 2020 about if the Imerian heraldry displayed on the vehicles were accurate or not. In 2020 was a federal document about the nature of Imerian naval dronecarriers carrying capacity and the numbers of drones and types of drones carried by such ships released. In 2020 was a document about the entire planned upgrade package of the dagger class light tracklayer released which was firstly implemented in 2022, however the federation has implied that this was not the final draft nor an accurate representation of a modern dagger class, yet despite those claims would it be noted that the federation has yet to outright say that the design was changed which is generally in line with federal policy about not lying. in 2021 was documents released about the naval armaments of the haj class cruiser and it's self propelled shell (missile) complements.
2022 saw the releases of documents and blueprints of several royal aerocorps aeroplanes leaked and 2023 saw the release of the engine blueprints of the dirk class super light tracklayer and their full capacity on and off road. This finally resulted in discussion in court about the need to ban the game in the federation and according to unconfirmed reports has royal authorities started to look into if people are playing the game or not when considering hiring to more high ranking positions and jobs in the research and development programs run by several arms manufacturers. Most noteworthy of this is the Sandersja household that has banned the game entirely in the family by orders of the patriarch.
Reception
Combined Armed Simulator is highly popular in Malgrave, and used by troops in the active reserve to maintain their skills. During the Silverdalean crisis (also known as the winter war), an interview with a helicopter pilot revealed that they had first become interested in aviation after playing Combined Arms Simulator. In 2024 it was reported further that a conscript had successfully destroyed a hostile DS armoured vehicle using skills that she had picked up while playing the game, with the gunner recognising a weakness in the hull design that was successfully exploited.
The game has also seen some success in the Absolute Royal Federation, however a port was needed to get it in line with federally designed hard and software that tends to be running their own operating systems and have their own independently developed computer structures. While sales were not tremendous taking the huge federal population in mind were they still respectable considering how few Imerians tend to play computer games or even own a computer.