Episode 1: Command what you cannot see.
from Making Contact: Building an Ops Room Game
The podcast behind Contact: Wait Out, an ops room command game. In episode 1 we go inside the game. Tom explains what an operations officer actually does, with a story from his own time running aviation operations, when the call was whether to hold a helicopter on the ground for thirty seconds. Then we walk through the first scenario as the ops officer: one section out on patrol, a sand table that is always out of date, a drone feed, helmet cameras, two radio nets and a chat log. Ryan talks about building a room he has only ever seen in photographs, and why the fidelity goes into the ops room rather than the battlefield. We get into the room as a character, pattern of life, combat effectiveness and keeping it fun, and finish with what worries us and where we'd take it with a magic wand. Chapters 00:00 Cold open 00:38 Picture this 01:43 Welcome back 02:50 Who we are, and why this game 04:49 A small team, a game with real depth 06:10 What an ops officer actually does 08:01 Your seat in the game 08:54 Tom's job: aviation operations 10:37 Hours of nothing, then everything 11:17 Hold the aircraft 14:02 Making pressure fun 14:35 The first scenario, as the ops officer 17:14 Devlogs and building in the open 18:07 The art: building a room from photographs 20:26 One step removed: where the fidelity goes 21:27 Replayability and what comes next 24:27 Co-op, and soldiers who carry on 26:41 The room is a character 28:26 Pattern of life and consequences 30:03 Combat effectiveness and duty of care 31:54 Never the same twice, and the after action review 33:29 The challenges 36:45 The magic wand 39:57 Get involved Get involved Watch the playtests and read the devlog: contactwaitout.com/devlog Sign up for news: contactwaitout.com Join the Discord: discord.gg/gVXbshznpb Did one of these jobs and willing to talk to us? [email protected] New episodes every fortnight. Contact: Wait Out is a work of fiction. The theatre, places, units, people and operations in the game are invented. Features discussed are in development and may change. Contact: Wait Out is an ops room command game. It is not made to glorify war. It is made to represent, with respect, the real challenges that everyday soldiers and officers faced.
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Chapters
- 0:00 Cold open
- 0:38 Picture this
- 1:43 Welcome back
- 2:50 Who we are, and why this game
- 4:49 A small team, a game with real depth
- 6:10 What an ops officer actually does
- 8:01 Your seat in the game
- 8:54 Tom's job: aviation operations
- 10:37 Hours of nothing, then everything
- 11:17 Hold the aircraft
- 14:02 Making pressure fun
- 14:35 The first scenario, as the ops officer
- 17:14 Devlogs and building in the open
- 18:07 The art: building a room from photographs
- 20:26 One step removed: where the fidelity goes
- 21:27 Replayability and what comes next
- 24:27 Co-op, and soldiers who carry on
- 26:41 The room is a character
- 28:26 Pattern of life and consequences
- 30:03 Combat effectiveness and duty of care
- 31:54 Never the same twice, and the after action review
- 33:29 The challenges
- 36:45 The magic wand
- 39:57 Get involved
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