It is said there are many levels of hell, and to these students the sim pods were certainly one of them.
After the first day, their eyes were bloodshot. After hours of careful piloting their breathing was ragged and their hands shaky.
The computer program which ran the sim was designed to base it’s pacing on the pilot’s physical condition. The speed rose and fell, adjusting to be only slightly less than their highest capability. The better a pilot was, the faster the program delivered commands. Naturally it also meant they could finish their task sooner.
Moving mecha suits wasn’t just shoving a joystick. It took more than a single button-press to perform an action. All of the commands had to be performed smoothly, harmoniously – because even the slightest error could mean your enemy’s victory.
Four hundred thousand movements, and this was just the first go ’round!