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US Military Builds MMO Earth Simulator

Posted by michael on from the one-is-not-enough dept.

transient writes "BBC reports that the US military is creating a second Earth with help from There. At the moment, only Kuwait City has been modeled, but the ultimate goal is to model the entire Earth using existing terrain data and a super-accurate physics model. While combat will be part of the game, 'the emphasis in the artificial Earth will be on human interaction rather than conflicts involving lots of military hardware.'"

6 of 525 comments (clear)

  1. Please use IE? by matth · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    UG.. Please use Internet Explorer? No thanks..

    http://www.there.com/help/browser.html

    We've noticed that you're currently using a non-supported browser.

    Please switch to Internet Explorer v. 5.0.1 or later to continue.

    You can get the latest version of IE free at
    http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.as p.

    no thanks.

  2. The Point? by Alan+Livingston · · Score: 2, Offtopic
    Perhaps I've become an old curmudgeon, but what exactly is the point of There? Clicking on their "What is There" buttons gives the following blurb:

    There is an online getaway where you can hang out with your friends and meet new ones--all in a lush 3D environment that's yours to explore! Check out the pictures below for just a glimpse of what you'll find in There. Then sign up for a free trial and see it all for yourself!
    Maybe it's just me but everyday I open up the door I enter a "lush 3D environment". (Ok, not so lush. I live on Long Island -- part of the New York metro area.) But it's immensely more satisfying than any online experience.
  3. Mr. Gehorsam by cyberm_acc · · Score: 1, Offtopic
    Mr Gehorsam said the world being created will not be a game but instead will be a "massively multi-user persistent environment" that will model real world physics as closely as possible.

    Gehorsam is German and means dutiful, obedient, submissive (taken from leo.org) So it's like calling the evil guy "Mr. Evil"

  4. Technology != success by dave420-2 · · Score: 0, Offtopic
    With all the technological advantages the US has over other countries, why are its troops still so awful? I don't think you'll find a higher rate of "friendly fire" in any other army anywhere in the world. Their lack of training becomes painfully apparent every time they're shown on TV, and in every interview.

    Give a redneck an M1 Abrams, and he's still a redneck. Why doesn't the US gov't realise that?

  5. Re:BBC huh by Troed · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Yeah I cannot understand why.

    But Pilger reminds us that the genocide did not begin at 'Year Zero' with the Khmer Rouge, but with the secret and illegal American bombing five years earlier, which killed 600,000 people and was the catalyst Pol Pot was waiting for.

    http://pilger.carlton.com/

    --
    it's in my head
  6. Re:Spending out of control by duguk · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    FNORD HAILERIS, eh? All your shift-keys are communicating with us...