Poll: Military Jargon in Games

[asgardmothership]

We're Oscar Mike! My goodness that was said alot in MW2, and this thread, it was cool the first time then it just got up your nose. Never used once in the first game, someone came across it on wikipidia or something and decided it was the best idea since beans on toast.

Though, I always did get a buzz when "Hunter 2-1, this is Overlord, advise switching to thermal optics over." I do believe the voice actor is the same guy who plays Aaron Pierce in 24, he has exactly the right voice for that job.

Also: Ace Combat fighter jargon,

"Tango on your 6" - You have a beverage on your sixaxis controller.
"Fox 1 Fox 1" - I count 1 fox, and then the same fox again.

Bayonetta Jargon:

"I've got a fever, and the cure is more dead angels" - Lets kill some angels.
"You want to touch me?" - Lets kill some angels
"I've had enough" - Lets kill some angels
...... You get the idea.

 

[quack35]

ALRIGHT, ESCAPISTS, GO LOUD

 

[Zedzero]

It's for immersion purposes.

Stay frosty.

 

[Dcy]

.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

It depends on how it's used.

If jargon is used in context and actually has some useful meaning, I'm all for it. Terms such as "bounding", "stack up on this door", "take point" and such all convey intent and communicate information succinctly. I don't think it's pretentious at all to use such terms if they're a useful and quick way of getting the message across.

On the other hand, if jargon is used in an attempt to "sound cool" and for no other reason, then I usually find it to be lame. Likewise if the jargon in question is just a pointless alternate way of describing something. "Oscar Mike" for instance seems stupid and superfluous to me. Why not just say "We're moving out", or "Let's go"? I guess unnecessarily replacing normal phrases with phonetics in that way (like "White trash" = Whiskey tango[footnote]see the miniseries "Generation Kill"[/footnote]) was an in-joke of sorts that's spread far beyond the military because of popular culture.

 

[Fr]anc[is]

.

Most epic thread necromancing ever

To avoid mod wrath and contribute: How the hell were normal people supposed to know wtf oscar mike meant?

 

[MattyDienhoff]

Oh wow I didn't even notice the dates on the posts.

 

[dWintermut3]

I find that it adds an enjoyable level of realism when they use military jargon.

"Opforce 12 klicks south of point bravo, requesting fire support" sounds a lot more realistic and cool than "uh there's some enemies about 5 miles south of the old factory, it'd be cool if you could shoot some rockets at them."

 

[Zeema]

My favorite usage is in Halo 3, personally. What is it? "Whiskey Tango Foxtrot!"

Dude i think it means the dude likes to drink Whiskey while having a Tango with a Fox

 

[octafish]

I loved in Rainbow Six: Rouge Spear that button you could use making the teams go "Charlie go, Delta go, Bravo go" I just thought that was always so cool

[small]Fut fut fut. Tango down.[/small]

I don't mind it but then again I haven't played many military FPSs since Raven Shield and Ghost Recon perfected them.

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

"Over and out" always bugs me. You can't be both over and out.

Yes you can. "Over" tells receiving stations that you are finished transmitting. "Out" tells receiving stations that you are finished with the conversation. Because of the implied redundancy, normally you end a radio call with "<call-sign> out". It can be interpreted to mean "I am done talking unless you have something else to say".

WE'RE OSCAR MIKE!

If I hear that one more time...

I don't care for Oscar Mike simply because the term it replaces (On Mission) takes exactly as long to say and is (generally) just as clear over a radio.

"Fox two, Fox two"
"Sierra Hotel!"

"Fox two" is a term used when launching an air-to-air missile. If I'm not mistaken it is generally used when a fighter launches one with IR guidance.

"Sierra Hotel" is slang for "shit hot". It can be used in either a complementary or derogatory way and very generally refers to a display of skill.

The one thing i dont like is Huaah-like responses...

In the US Army, the word "Hooah" is the universal word. It can literally be used to mean anything and everything except for no. As a rule, if the game depicts the US Army, if a soldier speaks more than a few sentences without uttering the word "Hooah", there was no effort made to ensure accuracy of dialog.

I dont think he out ranks them as much as he asks to do something and they dont say no, and is navy jargen alot diffrent from army?

There is some overlap but thanks to centuries of tradition they are strikingly different. In the simplest example, a bathroom in the Army is a "Latrine" whereas in the Navy it is a "Head".

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

That's actually not as crazy as it sounds. It's not uncommon for a less experienced officer to look towards experienced senior ranked NCOs for advice even if the decision ultimately is theirs.

Thus why a platoon is lead by a Lieutenant but has a senior NCO (in the US Army, generally a Staff Sergeant) and a company is lead by a Captain but has a First Sergeant. It isn't until the battalion level that the officer and the senior NCO have roughly equivalent time in service (and even then the Sergeant Major tends to have 20).

Assuming that future Navy in Halo maintains the same rank structure, the "Master Chief" is very nearly at the top of the structure. The only NCO who would outrank him, by default, is the (there is only one) Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy though others could easily outrank him by position even if they have the same pay grade. This is why Sergeant Major Johnson gives orders to the Chief even though they have the same pay grade (thus they are the same rank in spite of the fact they are in different branches of service). Presumably, Johnson is the senior NCO of the effort while "Master Chief" is just operationally attached to his unit (and thus falls into Johnson's chain of command).

 

[dWintermut3]

That's actually not as crazy as it sounds. It's not uncommon for a less experienced officer to look towards experienced senior ranked NCOs for advice even if the decision ultimately is theirs.

Thus why a platoon is lead by a Lieutenant but has a senior NCO (in the US Army, generally a Staff Sergeant) and a company is lead by a Captain but has a First Sergeant. It isn't until the battalion level that the officer and the senior NCO have roughly equivalent time in service (and even then the Sergeant Major tends to have 20).

Assuming that future Navy in Halo maintains the same rank structure, the "Master Chief" is very nearly at the top of the structure. The only NCO who would outrank him, by default, is the (there is only one) Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy though others could easily outrank him by position even if they have the same pay grade. This is why Sergeant Major Johnson gives orders to the Chief even though they have the same pay grade (thus they are the same rank in spite of the fact they are in different branches of service). Presumably, Johnson is the senior NCO of the effort while "Master Chief" is just operationally attached to his unit (and thus falls into Johnson's chain of command).

Now why, given the fact he is death incarnate, has survived unprotected atmospheric re-entry and killed more covenant than a particularly nasty strain of space-superflu they haven't given him a battlefield commission is a huge plot hole...

Are we really supposed to expect that the most deadly soldier in the corps, having done deeds that would earn him more than a dozen medals of honor is taking orders because what passes for the president never bothered to write him a letter of commission?

 

[Aur0ra145]

I love it, I understand it all (both ground and pilot talk) so it makes sense when done correctly. I'm a pilot in my non-gaming life so something like...

"Alliance tower, Cessna 52119 six miles northwest of the field, request transition at one point 8 to the southeast, Cessna 52119."

"Cessna 119, Alliance tower, radar contact five miles northwest of the field, transition approved, traffic is a 737 on a long final for 34 right, report traffic in sight, altimeter two-niner-niner-two."

"Twenty-nine ninety-two, we have traffic in sight, Cessna 119."

"United 8821, Alliance tower, traffic is a Cessna at eighteen hundred, southeast bound."

"8821, we have the Cessna in sight, such a cute little plane."

two mic clicks

"Cessna 119, Alliance tower, report mid field, frequency change approved with traffic in sight."

"Alliance tower, Cessna 119, report midfield, 119."

after crossing mid field

"Alliance tower, Cessna 119, over the top with the 737 in sight, frequency change approved, thanks for the help, you guys have a good evening, Cessna 119"

"Glad to help, have a good weekend, don't party to hard."

This is a bit of a deviation from "standard" but it works, everyone know where everyone is and we're all talking to each other. This sort of radio comms is what really gets me immersed into a game.

 

[dWintermut3]

I love it, I understand it all (both ground and pilot talk) so it makes sense when done correctly. I'm a pilot in my non-gaming life so something like...

"Alliance tower, Cessna 52119 six miles northwest of the field, request transition at one point 8 to the southeast, Cessna 52119."

"Cessna 119, Alliance tower, radar contact five miles northwest of the field, transition approved, traffic is a 737 on a long final for 34 right, report traffic in sight, altimeter two-niner-niner-two."

"Twenty-nine ninety-two, we have traffic in sight, Cessna 119."

"United 8821, Alliance tower, traffic is a Cessna at eighteen hundred, southeast bound."

"8821, we have the Cessna in sight, such a cute little plane."

two mic clicks

"Cessna 119, Alliance tower, report mid field, frequency change approved with traffic in sight."

"Alliance tower, Cessna 119, report midfield, 119."

after crossing mid field

"Alliance tower, Cessna 119, over the top with the 737 in sight, frequency change approved, thanks for the help, you guys have a good evening, Cessna 119"

"Glad to help, have a good weekend, don't party to hard."

This is a bit of a deviation from "standard" but it works, everyone know where everyone is and we're all talking to each other. This sort of radio comms is what really gets me immersed into a game.

I'm forever reminded by your aviation jargon of a humorous exchange my uncle, an ATC, witnessed while on duty at LAS (which is very near several airforce and navy bases, including the airforce base at Groom Lake, the legendary "Area 51" where many spy planes took off) The below conversation happened in the mid '80s, when Groom Lake AFB was still top secret but was beginning to be more open with the local area airports.

"This is Harpy 1 requesting FL 800" ((note, FL 800 is 80,000 feet, well beyond the range of any civilian jet, but low enough to be within the jurisdiction of air traffic control))

"Harpy-1 cleared for FL 800 if you think you can get that high!"

"Roger this is Harpy 1 DESCENDING to flight level 800, thank you tower"

 

[Eclectic Dreck]

Now why, given the fact he is death incarnate, has survived unprotected atmospheric re-entry and killed more covenant than a particularly nasty strain of space-superflu they haven't given him a battlefield commission is a huge plot hole...

Are we really supposed to expect that the most deadly soldier in the corps, having done deeds that would earn him more than a dozen medals of honor is taking orders because what passes for the president never bothered to write him a letter of commission?

Because in spite of all of that he is just a mobile weapon system. Someone needs to point him in the right direction. Someone needs to prioritize his usage.

 

[Sixties Spidey]

When it's good: Call of Duty - It actually helps you in gameplay a fair bit. In Spec-Ops, if enemies are using smoke-screen, there was always a voice telling you to use thermal weapons.

Battlefield: Again, gives you a clear indication of what you can, should, and are supposed to do when faced with a situation.

Halo: Gives you a clear indication of your objectives. In Reach, it's used to tell you "Defend this Herpy-Derpy" or "Support these two guys over there!"

When it's bad: When it's using it for the hell of it. Then it comes off as trying too hard, and frankly, fucking annoying. I lost count of how many times I actually muted the sound in a few cutscenes merely because of the military jargon.

However, I'll be the first to admit I often use it when I'm playing with friends.

 

[baddude1337]

I like it and understand most of it, but some games either use it excessively, at the wrong time, or both.

 

[Savagezion]

It's [usually] stupid.

Every once in a while someone makes it feel cool and its immersive. Most of the time, it sounds like 2 15 year olds trying to play soldier. CoD is usually pretty good with it, Ghost Recon was good with it, the early Splinter Cells were fun with it but perhaps not 'good'. Of the ones I have played those are about the only ones I can think of that I found good about it. But like Halo (Gears from what I have seen) just make me embarrassed for the voice actors.

 

[Tarrou]

If you've been in the military, you notice all the screwups. To take the popular one from MW2...

No one says "we're Oscar Mike". If you're on the radio, everyone KNOWS you're on a mission.

I thought *Oscar Mike* meant *On the Move* not *On Mission*

For the purposes of the game, that IS what it means. But in the US Army, which the game purports to represent, that is no thte case. The phrase "Oscar Mike" is the proper response to "Charlie Mike", Change of Mission, with instructions that follow.

Say you're out, say, escorting a convoy, and you see some suspicious activity in the houses nearby. You call it up to higher, and they come through with a change of mission (CM, or Charlie Mike) to go investigate. So higher says something like "Raptor-One-Six this is Papa-Six, Charlie Mike, investigate suspicious activity north of Route Tampa, how copy, over?" And you come back with "Papa-Six, this is Raptor-One-Six, we copy, Oscar Mike, out". That tells them that you understand the change, and are moving to comply, and are done talking ("out" versus "over", which requires a response).