This might be where I get off the Terminator Salvation ARG. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still monitor it, but, let’s talk for a sec…

The above video says that someone is going to upload a Simulator, and if you go to the newly re-designed (or “actually designed” since the previous site was just a standard Wordpress template) ResistOrBeTerminated.com, one of the options on the menu bar is “Simulator.”BUT, what you want to do first is register for the site, so click “Join The Resistance.” This will give you an introduction to the story, then give you the option to register. In registration, you get to “pick your side” which doesn’t make any sense because they aren’t so clear as to what “The Simulator” is.Thankfully, there is a Game Guide Wiki, though it mostly blasts you over the head with complexity:

Welcome to the Tactical Simulator, a battleground set in the ruined landscape after Judgment Day. Players may choose to command either Resistance or Skynet forces to accurately predict potential strategies and counter strategies in the coming war for the survival of the human race.

In the tactical simulator, you will command a sector, overseeing land exploration, resource management and technological progression, all geared towards swiftly amassing a fighting force ready to face the enemy.

You will not be able to enter military engagements until you reach a technology level of 45 (or attack another sector that has not reached a technology level of 45), giving you time to first build up your sector’s population (living or synthetic), resource gathering, and defenses. This is accomplished by investing in exploration for usable land, infrastructure, and scientific progression. Balancing these operations will ultimately allow you to create a larger, deadlier force once you are ready to begin military operations.

The future is not set, but war is looming. Do you have what it takes to become a great military leader?

Essentially, this is like a Real Time Strategy game mixed with old school paper Dungeons and Dragons. The basics are these. You are assigned some virtual land in the future. It’s called your “Sector” and if you’re Skynet like me, your Sector Page looks something like this:

Slowly, you are supposed to increase your radius and build more structures that will eventually help you get to the army stage. Managing your land, much like in a RTS game, gives you access to more resources.

Your resources are the lifeblood of your sector and, if this is going where I think it is, the fuel for your military units. The resources are oil, food/energy, concrete and steel. Every 6 hours you will be able to collect and distribute these resources. Resources can be traded or “vaulted” for easier management. The only reason the “vault” makes sense is if other teams can steal your resources, but you’re not a level 45 yet, so let’s not worry about combat. (Though I think the faster this game gets to combat, the better).

The next interactive node of management is Technology Level/Processing Capacity. This is your “leveling up” for you RPG fans, though increased Technology or Capacity will not affect your resource collection, but will slowly give you more advancements in weaponry or something called “Auxiliary Bombardment” ability. I’m guessing..um…mortars?

THIS is the thing you need to be a level 45 at before you can engage in battle.

Now all this leveling/management stuff is based on internal timers and clicking buttons. For instance, if I want to increase the radius of my Sector or build more on it, I submit the commands and the game comes back with a workflow that tells you when you can give it another command. Right now, I’m increasing my sector by 10, which takes 30 minutes before I can do anything else.

So, I go to my Processing Capacity screen, where I’ve been allotted 1 processing point I can assign at a time. That looks like this:

Instead of setting a time limit, this is the ULTRA annoying part, where the RED numbers tell me what I need to level up, but I can only assign my 1 processing speed per-click. That means, in the above screenshot, I need to put “1″ in the “Invest” box under “Oil” and click “Develop Processor” 87 more times.

When I level up, I expect to get a processing point (so I’ll go to 2) and I’ll maybe only have to press “Develop Processor” and re-load the page something like 44 times for more “Oil” knowledge. Get it?

At some point, you will be assigned military units and those units can also partner with other players, who you can speak to in the forums…AHHH!

Not that I’m investing in this whole thing long enough to get to Level 45, but the Combat thing does sound interesting if there are enough players:

Once you’ve proven you can survive in a post Judgment Day world, it will be time to attack the enemy. Go to the Military section of your Nav Bar and click on Engagements. At the bottom of the page click on “Search For Sectors To Attack”. Enter a minimum and maximum Technology/Processor Capacity level and the search parameters for your potential enemy. Remember, you cannot attack sectors that are part of your own faction.

Based on Technology Level/Processor Capacity and amount of Land, choose an opponent to wage war on by clicking their User Name. Then, under “Sector Interaction”, click “Engage In Combat”. This will bring up a comparison of your sectors, and a chance to tell the opponent your reason for the engagement. Click “Engage In Combat with [Username]” to begin fighting. The Tactical Simulator will then confirm your request and provide you with a link back to the Engagements page by clicking the “Go To Military Overview” button.

Now that your back to Engagements (under Headquarters) you can begin to manage your war. Under Active Engagements, click on the I.D. number to the right of the engagement you want to manage. This will bring you to the Engagement Overview page. Here you will be able to see the status of your own and your enemy’s attacks and defenses. Click “Attack This User” to begin fighting. Using the boxes and drop-down menus provided, distribute your troops and explosives. A Defensive attack will keep the majority or your troops at home. A Normal attack will split offensive and defensive measures evenly. Once you’re ready to fight, hit the “Submit Attack” button.

Eventually, results of your attack will be updated on the Engagement Overview page. If you win, you will be given the option to occupy the defeated sector and collect resources from them.

My question would be: “What happens to the loser?” Am I going to be terminated and forced to click the damn Oil Processing Capacity button another 1,000 times to get back into the game? Because that would suck.

Let me know via the Send Tips button at the top of the page if you’re getting really into this, because I’m not sure I have the time too. But it does seem cool and geeky, which are two words I use to describe myself, though probably only the latter is accurate.