Virtual reality



"War as a video game -- what better way to raise the ultimate soldier?"

- Solid Snake to Raiden

VR Missions (a.k.a. VR Training) is a virtual-reality program designed by the U.S. Army Force XXI program to help train rookie operators and keep veterans sharp in the ways of combat, stealth, etc. The missions took place in a virtual reality (VR) environment, so not only did it guarantee safety, but the programs could be edited to produce almost any situation possible. As a result, the missions could range from simple combat training, to fighting a flying saucer, and more advanced combat simulations. Most commonly, the virtual environment appeared as a generic grid-like platform, but real-life environments could also be uploaded.

The missions are generally divided into three modes: sneaking mode, weapons mode and alternative mode. Sneaking mode consists of simple sneaking missions, where the user is forbidden to use weapons and as such had to sneak past any simulated guards. In weapons mode, as its name suggests, the user can use weapons, but gains bonus points for unused bullets or for not "killing" the enemies. Finally, alternative mode contains an array of missions with different objectives so that the user can practice specific skills, such as bomb disposal or minding. Approximately 800 unique missions were conducted in VR training sessions by the time of the Big Shell Incident.

Usage


Before the Shadow Moses Incident, most of the members of the Next-Generation Special Forces were trained using VR training, but had little or no actual field experience.

Raiden underwent extensive VR training before infiltrating the Big Shell, having completed three hundred missions, including some relating to the Shadow Moses Incident and the Tanker Incident.

VR Training was succeeded by the SOP system by 2014. As the system allowed soldiers to gain the skills and senses of battlefield hardened veterans, without any combat experience or training at all, this proved much more efficient and time-saving, factors obviously important to the commercial PMCs. Otacon, however, created the Virtual Range based on the same concept, to allow Snake to practice his skills and test weapons he had acquired.

Trivia
During the briefing for the Virtuous Mission, Jack mistakenly refers to the Virtuous Mission as the "Virtual Mission" before being corrected by Major Zero.

Appearances

 * Metal Gear Solid: Integral
 * Metal Gear Solid: VR Missions
 * Metal Gear: Ghost Babel
 * Metal Gear Solid 2: Substance