Camouflage



Camouflage is a set of methods of concealment that allows otherwise visible animals, military vehicles, or other objects to remain unnoticed by blending with their environment or by resembling something else. Examples include a leopard's spotted coat, the battledress of a modern soldier and a leaf-mimic butterfly.

Camouflage is a form of visual deception and can be achieved in what may seem opposite ways. Mimesis means being seen, but resembling something else, whereas crypsis means being hidden. But in both cases, camouflage is achieved by not being noticed. A third approach, dazzle, means confusing the predator or enemy by moving in a conspicuous pattern. The prey or target is visible but hard to hit.

Besides the camouflage on a soldier's battledress, facepaint is also utilized as a means of camouflage. As the name suggests, it's meant to be worn on the face so as to not give away someone's position when blending in with part of the environment.

Military camouflage usage
Military camouflage refers to any method used to render military forces less detectable to enemy forces. In practice, it is the application of colour and materials to battledress and military equipment to conceal them from visual observation.

The concept was first used in the 18th century. Although camouflage was growing more popular during the early 20th century, with the Eastern Bloc also discovering new ways to adopt camouflage for its forces. It was only during the 1960s that the United States Department of Defense started to consider adopting camouflage for certain units in its forces, as several members in the military viewed it as being too "passive" of a technique; Naked Snake, when learning of this from The Boss during the Virtuous Mission, viewed this belief as "moronic."

OSS
During World War II, agents of the OSS were rumored to have donned realistic cow suits to hide in plain sight amongst cow herds in order to spy on enemy troop patterns.

Wehrmacht
During World War II, the German Army at that time utilized uniforms that allowed themselves to blend in with trees. It was in large part because of this that the Treebark camouflage was later developed. In addition, the Wehrmacht also developed the raindrop camouflage during the war. The Germans also implemented the Splitter camo on various aircraft as a means to camouflage them during aerial combat.

German Defense Forces
The German Defense Forces developed a water patterned camouflage. Contrary to the name, however, the camouflage was not intended to actually camouflage its user when in water. Rather, it was named for it resembling water waves.

Bundeswehr
In the late 1970s, the Bundeswehr developed a brown and green camouflage known as the Flecktarn.

South Vietnamese Marine Corps
During the Vietnam War, the Marine Corps division of the South Vietnamese developed the Tiger Stripe camouflage, which was derived from the French's lizard stripe.

Eastern Bloc
During the Cold War, the Communist bloc implemented various forms of camouflage. After the Soviet bloc conquered East Germany, they procured and adopted the raindrop camouflage. Sometime after Operation Snake Eater, the Soviets also developed the KLMK camouflage as a means to prevent the West and its proxies from discovering their positions via night vision equipment.

Great Britain
The British military developed the DPM as a means to camouflage themselves during the 1940s as part of parachute jumping, although it didn't see widespread use until the 1960s, and even then, it was limited until the 1970s.

Australia
During the 1970s, the Australians developed a type of camouflage called the Disruptive Pattern Combat Uniform, better known as Auscam, and also sometimes referred to as Jellybean Camo due to the distinctive patterns on it that bore resemblance to jelly beans. A subtype to the Auscam was the Auscam Desert, which was utilized in desert warfare.

Singapore
At some point, the Singapore military developed a variant of the tigerstripe camo, known as the Desert Tiger, that was primarily utilized within deserts.

FOX
The FOX Unit made extensive use of camouflage uniforms and face paint while carrying out top-secret sneaking missions for the CIA. Camouflage uniforms included olive drab, tiger stripe, leaf, tree bark, squares, and black.

In addition to camouflaged battle fatigues, FOX agent Naked Snake utilized various forms of disguise to infiltrate urban settings in Tselinoyarsk, during 1964's Operation Snake Eater. He managed to procure a crocodile cap, which he later used to disguise himself as a crocodile to disguise himself from the enemy. His teammates congratulated him on coming up with the disguise, although he was disappointed, as he was hoping to shock them. A Soviet scientist uniform was provided to Snake by fellow spy EVA, with which to sneak into Graniny Gorki. He later stole a GRU officer's uniform after incapacitating its wearer, Ivan Raidenovitch Raikov, and used it along with a face mask to gain access to the West Wing of Groznyj Grad. The face mask itself was also originally intended for a cancelled CIA mission with a similar nature of infiltration.

FOX later adopted the use of Sneaking Suits for its elite members, after Snake procured a Soviet prototype in Tselinoyarsk. Along with providing additional damage protection, the Sneaking Suit gave its wearer good overall caomuflage in various environments.

Cobra Unit
The Fear utilized a form of stealth camouflage that ran on his bioelectricity. As a direct result, he can cloak himself at will, but it also came at the cost of his being famished, thus often requiring him to break his cover to hunt for food.

The End, likewise, wore a Ghillie Suit that allowed for him to blend in with nature. In addition, because of his photosynthetic nature and his becoming one with his environment, he can also block out heat, thus rendering him nearly completely invisible to thermal detection devices.

The Boss wore a white Sneaking Suit prototype shortly after defecting to the Soviet Union. She frequently used its white color during the final battle with Snake at Rokovoj Bereg to blend in with the Eastern Lilies prevalent in the area.

People's Liberation Army
During Operation Snake Eater, a female spy for the Chinese faction of the Philosophers disguised herself as a KGB officer by the name of Tatyana as part of an elaborate method to infiltrate Volgin's inner circle to retrieve the Philosophers' Legacy.

FOXHOUND

 * See FOXHOUND equipment

The rebel force that would eventually form the basis for FOXHOUND, was comprised of former Red Army and FOX personnel. Led by Naked Snake during the 1970 San Hieronymo Takeover, these personnel used their former uniforms as camouflage to help sneak by enemy forces, in their mission to stop the then-renegade FOX Unit.

After FOXHOUND was established as a U.S. Army Special Forces unit, field uniforms of various camouflage patterns were used for operations in different terrain and climates. In the 1990s, camouflage uniforms included field drab, forest green, dark green, sand, white, urban gray, dark gray, and black. A special type of camouflage known as the "Chameleon Suit" was also developed, which allowed the user to blend into the environment by changing colors, utilizing internal temperature and optical sensors, and reducing radar reflection.

During the 1995 Outer Heaven Uprising, agent Solid Snake disguised himself as an enemy officer, after following the advice of his commander Big Boss. Snake used the uniform to bypass a checkpoint into Building 2 of Outer Heaven, due to enemy personnel anticipating FOXHOUND's attempts to infiltrate the fortress. Snake also adopted the unorthodox tactic of hiding within a cardboard box to evade detection, which he again used during the 1999 Zanzibar Land Disturbance. Other than the cardboard box, he also disguised himself as a washbucket in order to stake out the lavatories of the Zanzibar Building's fourth floor, in order to seek out Gustava Heffner, who was disguised as a Zanzibar Land soldier at that time.

In 2005, FOXHOUND utilized a new type of Sneaking Suit, which ex-member Solid Snake would use in the urban environments of Shadow Moses Island. During said incident, FOXHOUND's master of disguise, Decoy Octopus, physically impersonated the DARPA Chief, Donald Anderson, even going so far as to take Anderson's blood into his own body. Octopus was able to fool Snake entirely, and succeeded in imparting disinformation to him. In addition, new recruit Meryl Silverburgh disguised herself in the uniform of a Genome Soldier, which she stole from Johnny Sasaki upon escaping imprisonment, though she later discarded it, claiming that it "smelled of blood."

The Shadow Moses Incident saw the debut of ArmsTech's stealth camouflage, which was used by several Genome Soldiers to ambush Snake in an elevator. Designed by Hal Emmerich, a.k.a. Otacon, stealth camo rendered the wearer invisible by bending light around them. Otacon himself used the camouflage to remain hidden on the Shadow Moses base, while assisting Snake in his mission.

Although FOXHOUND was officially disbanded following the unit's revolt on Shadow Moses, Raiden operated as a member in some capacity during the 2009 Big Shell Incident. In addition to utilizing the newly-developed Skull Suit, Raiden also ended up wearing the Battle Dress Uniform of the Gurlukovich Mercenaries, complete with balaclava and AKS-74u. He used the disguise to infiltrate the Shell 1 Core of the Big Shell, in order to locate Richard Ames of the Secret Service, although the uniform was very tight fitting.

Militaires Sans Frontières
The Militaires Sans Frontières primarily utilized jungle fatigues as camouflage. However, the fatigues also had variants that allowed for proper camouflage in a specific environment. During their operations in Costa Rica, during the 1974 Peace Walker Incident, the MSF procured various new uniforms such as Sneaking Suits, as well as camouflage technology like the stealth mat.

Zanzibar Land
The armed forces of Zanzibar Land utilized camouflaged fatigues during normal duties, such as guarding. The uniform was of a brown woodland pattern, suited for the highlands, marshes, deserts, and jungle areas of Zanzibar Land. During combat operation, they also wore camouflaged aramid helmets. In addition, soldiers made use of the man-sized Phantom 07 camouflage mat, which could be made compatible with any type of terrain.

During the Zanzibar Land Disturbance, the mercenary Black Ninja disguised himself as the kidnapped Dr. Kio Marv, in order to ambush Solid Snake. Fellow mercenary Jungle Evil made extensive use of jungle camouflage as an expert in guerilla combat, while Night Fright utilized a form of stealth camouflage, making him invisible to radar and the naked eye.

Both Holly White and Gustava Heffner, of the CIA and Czech Security Service, respectively, disguised themselves as Zanzibar Land soldiers during the 1999 Disturbance. Gustava stole a uniform in order to elude capture after Marv's plane was hijacked, while Holly procured one after previously being captured and then rescued by Snake.

Philanthropy


As a member of Philanthropy, Solid Snake utilized the FOXHOUND Sneaking Suit during the 2007 Tanker Incident, and the Big Shell Incident two years later. Snake initially used Otacon's Stealth Camo to board the tanker USS Discovery, though it ended up damaged during a landing impact. While on-board the Big Shell, Snake also disguised himself as a member of SEAL Team 10, Iroquois Pliskin, Leiutenant Junior Grade. He continued to maintain his disguise, even after revealing to Raiden his true identity, until after boarding Arsenal Gear beneath the Big Shell.

In 2014, Solid Snake made use of OctoCamo, a special Sneaking Suit developed by Otacon from DARPA designs. The suit could mimic patterns and textures, providing excellent camouflage. The suit's effectiveness was improved further, with the use of FaceCamo, which utilized the same technology. While infiltrating the Middle East, prior to Liquid Ocelot's Insurrection, Snake disguised himself as a militia instructor. In addition, he also decided to adopt an oil drum as a disguise, which also had the added benefit as a means for a quick getaway should he be discovered. In Eastern Europe, he adopted a civilian disguise to bypass a checkpoint at a train station, using a trench coat and FaceCamo, though his cover was eventually compromised.

Beauty and the Beast Unit
Laughing Octopus, a member of the four-woman squad known as the Beauty and the Beast Unit, utilized OctoCamo, as well as FaceCamo, in order to successfully ambush the enemy.

Liquid Ocelot's Outer Heaven
In 2014, the Outer Heaven Mother PMC led by Liquid Ocelot had a ship, Outer Heaven, that utilized OctoCamo.

Drebin 893
The gun launderer and Patriot agent Drebin utilized OctoCamo on his Stryker, which allowed him to hide from potential enemies.

Rat Patrol Team 01
Meryl's CID squad, Rat Patrol Team 01, utilized uniforms derived from the Sneaking Suits utilized by FOXHOUND. In addition, they also utilized the FOXHOUND logo as a means to disguise their identities.

Johnny Sasaki, known as Akiba, utilized a drum can as a means to do reconnaissance in the downtown area during their mission in the Middle East. However, he ended up being forced to blow his cover to a local militiaman on patrol after he was hit with a bout of diarrhea.

Behind the scenes
The use of camouflage appears throughout the Metal Gear series, where the player often has to disguise themself as an enemy soldier in order to bypass a particular checkpoint. As a story element, various characters have also disguised themselves, in order to aid or trick the game's protagonist. In Metal Gear Solid, Liquid Snake disguises his physical appearance as that of Master Miller in the Codec screen, though the lack of an in-universe video device makes this an element of fourth wall breaking.

Beginning in Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, a camouflage system is introduced in which the player must switch between different camouflage uniforms and face paints to blend in with the environment; for example, wearing a bark-patterned uniform while leaning against a tree, or wearing striped face paint while hiding in tall grass. The effectiveness of the camouflage that Snake is wearing is shown by the camo index, shown as a percentage in the top right corner of the screen. The higher it is, the less likely it is that an enemy will see Snake. The distance that an enemy can see, and the degree of camouflage needed to stay hidden from them, increases on higher difficulties.

During Metal Gear Solid 3 's development, as part of a promotion for the game, the development staff requested that fans across the world submit designs for camouflages that would be implemented into the final game. Called the "MGS3 CAMOUFLAGE CAMPAIGN", it ran from May 12 to July 1, 2004. The winning entries were the Animals camouflage, the Banana camouflage, the Fly camouflage, and the Mummy camouflage.

The camouflage system made a return in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots. Unlike in Metal Gear Solid 3, however, the player doesn't have to seek out camouflage kits, since, via the in-game OctoCamo, the player can simply press against a surface and obtain the necessary camouflage instantly.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker returned to the roots of Metal Gear Solid 3 regarding Camouflage, as the player has to procure camouflage kits located throughout the mission. Unlike Snake Eater, however, the camouflage has a grading system for its camo index, largely to allow the player to choose the right camouflage for the specific mission, as they can't change camos once in a mission. In addition, it does not contain facepaint or a similar device.

If the player obtains every type of camouflage and face paint in the Metal Gear Solid: HD Collection version of Metal Gear Solid 3, they'll be awarded with the trophies/achievements "Fashionista" and "Only Skin Deep", respectively.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear
 * Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake
 * Metal Gear Solid
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
 * Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater
 * Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops
 * Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
 * Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker