NPSNET: dynamic terrain and cultured feature depiction.

Abstract

The terrain of a battlefield is in a constant state of change. There are new berms and emplacements being built, and bombs are falling leaving a crater marked terrain behind. There are bridges that must be crossed and bridges that may not be crossable. Dynamic terrain is currently not implemented in virtual battlefield simulators such as SIMNET and NPSNET, and as a result there is a lack of needed realism to the battlefield. This work adds the dynamic features: berms, craters and bridges into NPSNET and increases the realism of the simulator dramatically. Vehicles in the simulation realistically traverse the features, tilting and rolling as they should on bumpy terrain. This work was accomplished using C++ and object-oriented programming, adding tremendous flexibility and growth potential to the new terrain and its features, as well as easier maintenance for later users.