Desktop Game Client

Delivering simulations/games to the desktops of every soldier in the Army poses a number of challenges, one of which is the ability of the soldier on the receiving end to install a new application on his G-6 provided computer. Most users receive locked-down machines that do not allow any additional installation. But a library of games would require that the user have some ability to do something like installing a module/application unique to his needs. This is similar to the delivery of Flash-based or Java applet content in a web browser. If the Flash player is installed in the browser, then all Flash content that follows can be loaded and run without system admin privileges. To deliver game content to a controlled user, we need a trusted client application playing a role similar to the browser, while all games are handled similar to Flash content. If every game-based training app was built on a single game engine (such as RealWorld), then the specific content could be delivered as data (like a new level in a game). However, physics additions to a game engine would still require the addition of new code (as in a dynamically linked library). It is unlikely that all applications will come from a single game engine.

Universal distribution of simulation software in the military is going to require either installation by the system admin or the creation of a new kind of game client manager that can handle game applications in a manner similar to a Flash file or a Java applet.