The opening to
Tekki perfectly captures the idea behind this article -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWO-U710jdI
The game begins with an invitation to "six months of vigorous training" with your instructor who points to the simulator room saying that you'll be spending at least 8 weeks in there before you'd be allowed anywhere near the cockpit of a real mech. But then a sudden enemy attack sends those plans right out the window. Your instructor's down. The base is burning. Scrambling for a response, you ask if the next generation VT in the hanger is operational. If so, you could pilot it and fend off the attack. The instructor's response is an authentic, "that's insane! You don't have the qualifications to pilot a VT! Let alone any experience with it."
"I think I can do it looking at the manual, Sir."
And you better believe that's the only way you'll manage, because if you ignore the manual here, you won't even be able to turn the machine on! Much less be able to do anything about the hostile VT outside blowing open the hanger doors. But sometimes necessity requires you to take the jump when you're not ready, and anyone who's played
Tekki the first time can tell you about how overwhelming that first battle feels. How woefully incompetent you are behind the controls for the first time. How you could hardly move the thing, and even managed to topple it a few times. And the victory, if it comes, feels awkward and undeserved, with the machine itself having done most of the heavy lifting. When it asks you if you want to view or save the replay, you go, "Are you kidding? Who'd want to watch that shameful display?"
But now it's on to the next mission. The game begins proper, and the stakes increase. It's only going to get tougher from here on in. And so you dive into the operation manual trying to understand your machine as well as possible before the next mission. You prepare. Understanding what the mission calls for, knowing the equipment well enough to arm yourself and your platoon appropriately, the cockpit closes, and you're back in.
Pure gaming excellence.
