<s>
The	O
Mini	B-Application
TSFO	I-Application
(	O
Training	O
Set	O
,	O
Fire	O
Observation	O
)	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
artillery	B-Application
call-for-fire	O
simulation	O
designed	O
for	O
the	O
personal	B-Device
computer	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
started	O
in	O
1985	O
as	O
an	O
outgrowth	O
of	O
a	O
Field	O
Artillery	B-Application
Officer	O
Advanced	O
Course	O
battlefield	O
research	O
project	O
at	O
the	O
U.S.	O
Army	O
Field	O
Artillery	B-Application
School	O
(	O
USAFAS	O
)	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
concept	O
for	O
incorporating	O
PCs	B-Device
into	O
artillery	B-Application
training	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
completed	O
in	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
replaced	O
summer	O
artillery	B-Application
live	O
fire	O
training	O
for	O
cadets	O
at	O
West	O
Point	O
in	O
1986	O
and	O
1987	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
MINITSFO	B-Application
-	O
Original	O
version	O
using	O
a	O
Digital	O
Message	O
Device	O
(	O
DMD	O
)	O
,	O
virtual	O
map	O
,	O
and	O
CGA	B-Device
graphics	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
NGFTSFO	O
-	O
Naval	O
Gunfire	O
version	O
using	O
EGA	B-Device
graphics	I-Device
,	O
actual	O
scenes	O
from	O
San	O
Clemente	O
Island	O
training	O
area	O
,	O
and	O
incorporating	O
effects	O
of	O
dispersion	O
between	O
rounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
originally	O
envisioned	O
,	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
would	O
be	O
a	O
complete	O
system	O
that	O
required	O
only	O
a	O
computer	O
to	O
play	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
was	O
originally	O
coded	O
in	O
BASICA	O
,	O
an	O
interpreted	B-Application
version	O
of	O
BASIC	O
available	O
on	O
IBM	O
PCs	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
the	O
design	O
of	O
the	O
program	O
was	O
pushing	O
the	O
limits	O
of	O
BASICA	O
,	O
Microsoft	O
introduced	O
the	O
QuickBASIC	B-Language
compiler	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
allowed	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
to	O
grow	O
beyond	O
the	O
memory	O
limits	O
of	O
BASICA	O
and	O
structured	O
programming	O
allowed	O
additional	O
complexity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
its	O
initial	O
design	O
,	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
drew	O
all	O
screens	O
from	O
program	O
code	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
n't	O
long	O
before	O
the	O
limitations	O
of	O
this	O
approach	O
became	O
obvious	O
and	O
so	O
the	O
screens	O
completed	O
to	O
date	O
were	O
captured	O
and	O
imported	O
into	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
to	O
be	O
edited	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
allow	O
the	O
target	O
screens	O
to	O
be	O
easily	O
changed	O
to	O
provide	O
additional	O
challenges	O
,	O
the	O
target	O
locations	O
and	O
descriptions	O
were	O
read	O
in	O
from	O
an	O
initialization	O
file	O
when	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
was	O
started	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
used	O
a	O
virtual	O
DMD	O
to	O
control	O
fire	O
missions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Messages	O
back	O
and	O
forth	O
between	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
the	O
fire	O
direction	O
center	O
(	O
shot	O
and	O
splash	O
)	O
would	O
precede	O
the	O
depiction	O
of	O
an	O
artillery	B-Application
round	O
bursting	O
where	O
the	O
user	O
had	O
described	O
the	O
target	O
location	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
best	O
available	O
graphic	O
card	O
for	O
a	O
PC	B-Device
at	O
that	O
time	O
was	O
the	O
CGA	B-Device
which	O
allowed	O
for	O
320x200	O
resolution	O
in	O
only	O
four	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
meant	O
that	O
the	O
graphics	O
for	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
,	O
while	O
state-of-the-art	O
for	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
considered	O
very	O
crude	O
by	O
today	O
's	O
standards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
NCOs	O
training	O
cadets	O
at	O
West	O
Point	O
decided	O
that	O
teaching	O
them	O
to	O
use	O
a	O
DMD	O
was	O
too	O
time-consuming	O
,	O
and	O
wanted	O
them	O
to	O
just	O
call	O
the	O
fire	O
mission	O
information	O
to	O
the	O
NCO	O
in	O
charge	O
,	O
who	O
would	O
then	O
enter	O
it	O
into	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
group	O
was	O
familiar	O
with	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
and	O
suggested	O
that	O
it	O
be	O
modified	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Additionally	O
,	O
since	O
the	O
original	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
supported	O
the	O
Army	O
call	O
for	O
fire	O
process	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
deemed	O
appropriate	O
to	O
have	O
the	O
new	O
version	O
support	O
the	O
Naval	O
Gunfire	O
(	O
NGF	O
)	O
process	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
this	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
Extended	O
Graphics	O
Adapter	O
(	O
EGA	B-Device
)	O
was	O
commonly	O
available	O
for	O
the	O
PC	B-Device
offering	O
640/350	O
resolution	O
and	O
a	O
palette	O
of	O
16	O
colors	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Photographs	O
of	O
the	O
San	O
Clemente	O
Island	O
impact	O
area	O
were	O
scanned	O
in	O
,	O
incorporated	O
into	O
PC	B-Application
Paintbrush	I-Application
for	O
cleanup	O
,	O
and	O
realistic	O
targets	O
added	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Development	O
of	O
expansion	O
cards	O
for	O
PCs	B-Device
which	O
allowed	O
communication	O
with	O
the	O
TACFIRE	B-Device
system	O
raised	O
the	O
possibility	O
of	O
using	O
an	O
actual	O
DMD	O
to	O
replace	O
the	O
virtual	O
DMD	O
in	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
and	O
also	O
of	O
using	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
's	O
virtual	O
DMD	O
to	O
communicate	O
with	O
a	O
real	O
TACFIRE	B-Device
system	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
several	O
years	O
,	O
the	O
Field	O
Artillery	B-Application
School	O
used	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
as	O
an	O
example	O
of	O
the	O
school	O
's	O
leadership	O
in	O
adopting	O
computer	O
technology	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
overview	O
of	O
the	O
MiniTSFO	B-Application
was	O
briefed	O
to	O
all	O
pre-command	O
classes	O
for	O
Field	O
Artillery	B-Application
battalion	O
and	O
brigade	B-Application
commanders	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
visiting	O
dignitaries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
artillerymen	O
used	O
it	O
to	O
keep	O
their	O
skills	O
up	O
(	O
the	O
director	O
of	O
the	O
USAFAS	O
Gunnery	O
Department	O
used	O
it	O
before	O
meeting	O
with	O
lieutenants	O
in	O
basic	O
artillery	B-Application
training	O
so	O
that	O
he	O
could	O
impress	O
them	O
with	O
his	O
skills	O
with	O
a	O
DMD	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
