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Marines Help Develop First to Fight

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First to Fight hopes to be one of the most realistic military simulations to have entered the market it to date. The game began as a partnership between the creators of the Close Combat series, Atomic games, and Destineer, who built the 3D engine.

Over 40 active-duty Marines, many just recently returned from the frontlines in Iraq, have worked with Destineer over the last two years demonstrating combat and movement tactics, providing military doctrine, and taking the developers through Marinetraining camps.

The combat and movement tactics the Marines use today are recreated in the game. These tactics are called Ready-Team-Fire-Assist, and they govern how a fire team moves and provides constant 360-degree security for the team when crossing intersections, taking down rooms, and traversing staircases.

Because Marines are part of an integrated force, giving the player access to the Marine Air Ground Task Force, or MAGTF, was important. First to Fight gives you the ability to call support from assets like the Cobra gunships, mortar strikes, armored assault vehicles, as well as other Marines.

Destineer wanted an authentic game that went beyond accurate uniforms and weapons models. They needed something that would make the game stand out in the market. After speaking with the Marines, they learned that the underlying core in all warfare was the human will to fight the enemy. The human will had to be modeled in First to Fight to make it truly authentic. Destineer has done this by using a psychology model to represent morale and discipline for every friendly and enemy character in the game.

Marine Corps Vehicles:

HUMVEE: The HUMVEE replaced the famous Jeep as the multi-purpose 4x4 combat vehicle in 1985. Highly versatile, the HUMVEE is the most advanced vehicle of its type in the world and is used by over 30 nations. With a top speed of 70 mph and over 15 inches of ground clearance, there are few places the HUMVEE can’t go to deploy the wide array of weapon system that can be mounted on its chassis; from .50 caliber heavy machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers to the Avenger anti-aircraft missile system.

M1 Abrams: The most fearsome tank to ever roll into combat, the M1 Abrams is the king of the modern battlefield. With its sloped composite/uranium mesh armor, advanced targeting systems and a top speed of over 40 mph the Abrams is nearly unstoppable. Armed with a 120mm smoothbore main gun, the M1 is capable of quickly dispatching just about anything on the battlefield- be it enemy armor or renforced concrete bunkers.

LAV-25: The LAV-25 is an eight-wheeled armored combat vehicle that offers the Marine Corps the versatility to not only transport troops quickly in areas where the AMTRAC and M1 can’t go- but also give the Marine infantry deadly direct fire support.

AAV7A1 “AMTRAC”: The AMTRAC is unique to the Marine Corps and traces its lineage back to the amphibious landing craft of World War II. Larger than most armored personnel vehicles with a prominent upturned bow, the AMTRAC is fully amphibious- able to be launched off-shore, power through 10 foot swells (due to its twin waterjet propulsion system) and drive inland off the beach. Armed with .50 caliber heavy machine guns and 40mm automatic grenade launchers, the AMTRAC can transport up to 21 Marines into combat and offer excellent close range direct fire support for Marine infantry.

AH-1W Cobra Gunship: Along with the Harrier jump jet, the Marine Corps Sea Cobra attack helicopters are able to deliver a variety of weapons against the enemy for accurate, close-in aerial fire support. The sleek, nimble Sea Cobra orbits the battlefield like a dragonfly- quickly moving in to engage targets with its 20mm cannons or wide assortment of air-to-ground missiles.

Opfor Vehicles:

Techincal: Techincals are commercial light or medium duty pickup trucks converted to a weapons platform by insurgents and militias across the globe. Normally a technical has a medium or heavy machine gun mounted in the truck bed. A technical can transport as many people as can be crammed into the truck’s cab and bed.

BMP: The BMP is a Soviet-designed tracked armored personnel carrier that first appeared in the early 1960s and has gone through several upgrades since. Keeping with Soviet military vehicle design of that period, the BMP is small and rather fast for its class of vehicle with a low hull profile. Able to carry up to 8 soldiers in its cramped interior and armed with a medium machine gun and a small caliber anti-armor gun, the BMP is common throughout the globe- especially in the former client states of the Soviet Union.

BDRM: A common and versatile armored vehicle, the BDRM can be found in over 40 armies around the world due to its availability and low cost. Designed by the Soviets in the 1960s, the BDRM has a distinct “boat-like” appearance that indicates its fully amphibious capability and four belly wheels that can be retracted into the hull in rough terrain. Like the BMP, the BDRM is usually armed with a medium machine gun and a small caliber anti-armor gun.

Marine Corps Small Arms:

M-16A4: The M-16 has been the standard issue rifle of the American military since the Vietnam War. While the M-16 had “teething problems” when it was first issued, the M-16 today is an extremely reliable and adaptable weapon. Using a modular rail system, the M-16 can accomidate a variety of optics, laser/infrared illuminators and the M203 40mm grenade launcher system. The M-16 (in both the A4 and M-4 carbine models) fires a high-velocity 5.56mm round in either single shot or three-burst modes of fire. The standard issue magazine carries 30 rounds although 28 rounds are generally carried in the magazine to reduce stress on the magazine spring.

M-249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW): Adopted by the American military in the 1980s to replace the M-60 light machine gun, the M-249 is a reliable, rugged and battle-proven weapon. The M-249 fires the same 5.56mm round as the M-16 which allows for ammunition to be shared between riflemen and the M-249 gunner in a pinch. The M-249 currently sees service around the globe in nations that have adopted the 5.56mm round for their service rifles. The M-249 is a critical weapon in the four-man Marine where its high rate of fire can quickly suppress advancing Opfor and give cover to other members of the fireteam.

M-203 Grenade Launcher: Developed during the Vietnam War, the M203 is a single-shot 40mm grenade launcher that is mounted below the barrel of the M-16 rifle. The M203 gives a Marine Corps four-man fireteam additional “shock and awe” value as the 40mm grenade rounds can be accurately placed through windows and doors- almost acting as a rifle-mounted mortar. Currently, the Marine Corps fireteam leader carries the M203 into battle.

M1911A1 Semi-Automatic Pistol: While the rest of the American military has converted over to the M9 9mm pistol in the 1980s as the standard issue sidearm, the Marine Corps still finds a place in their inventory for the famous “.45 auto” that their forefathers used in World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. The M1911A1’s heavy .45 caliber APC round is regarded as a “man-stopper” for its ability to stop an enemy dead in his tracks.

M-40A3 Sniper System: The M-40 is the military version of the Winchester Model 700 bolt-action rifle that fires the military 7.62mm round. Mounting state-of-the-art optics and a composite stock, the M-40 system has been a reliable, proven weapon in the Marine Corps inventory since the Vietnam War. The M-40 currently produced by the Marine Corps’ own Rifle Team Equipment Shop at Quantico where it is being further refined for the 21^st century.

AN-M8 HC Smoke Grenade: The AN-M8 canister-style, burning smoke grenade that is standard issue for the American military. The AN-M8’s sheet-metal canister body holds the smoke mixture and supports the fuse assembly. The internal smoke mixture produces a dense cloud of smoke that dissipates slowly.

M-67 Fragmentation Hand Grenade: The M-67 is the standard issue fragmentation grenade of the American military. The grenade’s round “baseball-like” shape makes it easy to throw and more stable in flight. The M-67’s fuse is of the bouchon type with a safety lever, pull ring, and a safety clip.

OPFOR Small Arms:

AK-74: The AK-74 is essentially an AKM/AK-47 that is rechambered and rebored to fire a 5.45-mm cartridge. Externally, it has the same general appearance as the AKM/AK-47, but has a distinctive, two-port muzzle brake. Like all members of the AK-family, the AK-74 is a simple, rugged and very reliable weapon- characteristics that have made it popular with resistance groups, militias and terrorist around the globe.

RPK-74: The RPK-74 had been developed along with the AK-74 assault rifle as a sqaud level light support weapon for the new, small-caliber ammunition, 5.45mm. The RPK-74 internally is almost the same Ak-74 but has a heavier, longer and non-removable barrel, bipod, and redesigned buttstock. RPK-74 can be fed from 75 round drum magazines, 45 rounds box magazines or the standard AK-74 30 rounds box magazines. Like the AK-74, the RPK-74 is very rugged and reliable- the trademark of the AK-family of small arms.

Dragunov SVD Sniper System: Designed in the late 1950’s to operate under the most extreme climactic and combat situations, the SVD was the first Soviet military rifle designed from scratch specifically for military sniping. While it looks like a modified AKM/AK-47 or AK-74, the SVD’s bolt mechanism and gas recovery system are very different to those of the AK-family and it fires a different 7.62mm round. Because of these differences, parts and ammo are not interchangable with either the AKM/AK-47 or AK-74. The primary sight is the PSO-1 telescopic sight which offers 4x magnification.