Combat Simulator

You found it! You found the rescue the pups mission! OK, OK, OK. In every single one of these, in every version, there's like a stock "rescue the pups from some foreign invader" mission. It's like our version of an Easter egg. If you find it you win like...bragging rights or something. So don't tell other Stenza where it is, alright?

— Ta'zhen to Erin, playing an older combat simulator

A combat simulator is a vast hangar in which is created a holographic environment, reflective as accurately as possible of some sector of space. The simulator is fed via a computer database storing information on the galaxy at large, so missions can take place in friendly, hostile, or neutral territory across a range of terrains, including a whole host of hazards and the actions of various in-sim hostiles (i.e. "NPCs"). The missions are designed to test the capabilities of new craft, as well as prepare individuals (most commonly Citizen-Recruits) for the use of those craft in a real situation.
It is not uncommon for individuals to "play" a combat simulator in a recreational capacity, in a whole host of ways. Many combat each other, while others seek to fight or "beat" the machine. Another common variant is to see who can stumble upon the stock mission, which is "Rescue a litter of pups from [insert foreign enemy/natural disaster/other happenstance here]." Every version of the simulator has one, including the earliest which were not fully holographic. This was originally intended to encourage the best cohesion out of groups of recruits, and while this does work to this day, it is also seen in itself as a sort of Easter egg. The individual or individuals who find this mission get bragging rights until it is found again, so long as they do not divulge its location or how to get there. Very often, the mission is at the end of a longer chain of missions comprising a sort of "story arc" for recruits to engage with and invest in. The rarity of the pup mission, as it is known, increases its value.

Item type

Electronic / Cybernetic

Manufacturer

The Nine Systems

Related Technologies

• Holograms
• Holographic Screens

Owning Organization

The Nine Systems