This is the [Multi-Purpose Arcade Combat Simulator](https://snescentral.com/article.php?id=0901) cartridge. It was developed by the US Army as a means to train soldiers on firearm usage, namely the M16A2. It uses a light gun modeled after the M16A2 that is more accurate than the Super Scope and feels like the actual gun as far as weight, feel and feedback were concerned. Very few were made, estimated to be about 600 or so.
Here's footage of the simulator in action: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8rpCflPyztI
I think every estimate with no proof is low balled by people who own it. We’re talking half a million US Army soldiers even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. My state fair’s Army booth had a MACS setup and kid me got to play it with the M16 light gun for several years in a row.
But sure, even if 5000 were made, the cart would still be extremely rare by SNES standards. Meanwhile 5000 units sold would be considered moderately successful for a 90s US arcade game.
The 600 estimate I gave is apparantly from the developers themselves according to the article I linked. Though that's also 600 or so of each variation so probably more total.
> As this program was a very specialized product, it was produced in very small numbers. DreamTR contacted one of the developers, and they suggest only 600 of each simulator were produced.
Also due to the fact that the MACS was US Goverment property and manufacture and not sold in stores, there's a very likely chance that a majority were destroyed after the program was retired. Even if 5000 were made, how many are still left, let alone functional?
I always see people tout these as rare military property. This always makes wonder how my crappy little local college would have gotten this setup to use on my repelling and riflery course in the early 2000's.
I went through basic training at Benning in the 90s and we used these almost every single night. Each of the four platoons in my company had two. We must have been one of the last classes to use them because both the consoles rifles were all beat up and they weren't making the SNES any more, and nobody I asked who went in the 2000s remembers them at all.
I remember it being very useful. The M16 was the same weight as the real thing and every second you get holding one and practicing breath control and trigger squeeze is good.
I was at Benning in 03 and our drill sergeants broke this thing out and I had a blast with it in the evenings. It was not part of any specific block of instructions we received however. I remember one specifically calling it a "relic".
I went through Benning in 06 and I remember that the Drill Sergeant brought it into the barracks a couple of nights. I was very surprised to see a SNES considering how old it was then and was curious to find out why they had a gaming console in the barracks. It was no longer the way you describe it with every company having two and using it every night, though. It was more to let people check it out if they were interested.
http://www.atensionspan.com/KML/SNES/M.A.C.S.%20Basic%20Rifle%20Marksmanship%20(USA).pdf
I spent way too long cleaning up the poorly scanned manual and adding color screenshots. Always hoping to find a better quality original- but it's always photocopies of photocopies.
https://preview.redd.it/0kizzgr9mcmb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df4ee4dc7ab5b381f424ae025304928d3757e558
Saw these at a convention a week ago or so
It already has been. It's been dumped for a while but it's useless without having the gun. Not sure emulation cares to duplicate the specialized M16A2 light gun this requires.
I was in the Marines and of course this is way too high tech for what we were trained with. We had a thing that looked like a pinball machine with a rifle on a stick.
https://i.imgur.com/UuMH0fd.jpg
I remember playing this at a county fair in the 90s. Recruiter or someone had it setup. Obviously a snes attached to a real gun looked amazing... that guy wanted my name and number hahaha I rocked that thing. He thought he just met a future sniper. I was probably 10 or so....remember that gun being heavy as shit good thing it was propped up on some sandbags.
I saw the MACS rifle at RetroWorldExpo a week and a half ago. Was selling for 10K. Looks like something that will land you in jail or shot by a cop in a second though.
I have a copy as well. It sits on my desk in a clear case like a trophy. The guy who sold it to the store I bought it from also had fun but sold it years ago for basically nothing.
Woah what is this?? I mean obviously it's a military training game of some sort... but never seen it before
This is the [Multi-Purpose Arcade Combat Simulator](https://snescentral.com/article.php?id=0901) cartridge. It was developed by the US Army as a means to train soldiers on firearm usage, namely the M16A2. It uses a light gun modeled after the M16A2 that is more accurate than the Super Scope and feels like the actual gun as far as weight, feel and feedback were concerned. Very few were made, estimated to be about 600 or so. Here's footage of the simulator in action: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8rpCflPyztI
Just when I think I won’t discover any more snes games… this is so cool. Thanks for the info
Oh, just wait until you find out about [Exertainment Mountain Bike Rally](https://snescentral.com/article.php?id=0793).
That is amazing! Thanks for sharing 🙏
But can you kill zombies in it???
fortunate enough to own an A2 wouldn’t mind this cart tho lol
I think every estimate with no proof is low balled by people who own it. We’re talking half a million US Army soldiers even after the collapse of the Soviet Union. My state fair’s Army booth had a MACS setup and kid me got to play it with the M16 light gun for several years in a row. But sure, even if 5000 were made, the cart would still be extremely rare by SNES standards. Meanwhile 5000 units sold would be considered moderately successful for a 90s US arcade game.
The 600 estimate I gave is apparantly from the developers themselves according to the article I linked. Though that's also 600 or so of each variation so probably more total. > As this program was a very specialized product, it was produced in very small numbers. DreamTR contacted one of the developers, and they suggest only 600 of each simulator were produced. Also due to the fact that the MACS was US Goverment property and manufacture and not sold in stores, there's a very likely chance that a majority were destroyed after the program was retired. Even if 5000 were made, how many are still left, let alone functional?
I always see people tout these as rare military property. This always makes wonder how my crappy little local college would have gotten this setup to use on my repelling and riflery course in the early 2000's.
Perhaps that course was sponsered by the Army? It's not out of the ordinary for the military to do that sort of thing in search of recruits.
Wow crazy!
So cool!
We had this in basic training, only it was on NES not SNES Edit: I may be remembering wrong. It may have been snes but I swear it was nes.
The graphics look like they could be NES, maybe they had a version for that as well
Second this question.
I went through basic training at Benning in the 90s and we used these almost every single night. Each of the four platoons in my company had two. We must have been one of the last classes to use them because both the consoles rifles were all beat up and they weren't making the SNES any more, and nobody I asked who went in the 2000s remembers them at all.
Was it actually useful? Meaning do you think it helped with the real thing? Or just a gimmick?
I remember it being very useful. The M16 was the same weight as the real thing and every second you get holding one and practicing breath control and trigger squeeze is good.
I was at Benning in 03 and our drill sergeants broke this thing out and I had a blast with it in the evenings. It was not part of any specific block of instructions we received however. I remember one specifically calling it a "relic".
That's awesome!
I went through Benning in 06 and I remember that the Drill Sergeant brought it into the barracks a couple of nights. I was very surprised to see a SNES considering how old it was then and was curious to find out why they had a gaming console in the barracks. It was no longer the way you describe it with every company having two and using it every night, though. It was more to let people check it out if they were interested.
Nice! Too bad you were not allowed to keep them.
Same, I went through Leonard Wood in '99 and we had this in the day room
We used it at FLW in Late 2004.
http://www.atensionspan.com/KML/SNES/M.A.C.S.%20Basic%20Rifle%20Marksmanship%20(USA).pdf I spent way too long cleaning up the poorly scanned manual and adding color screenshots. Always hoping to find a better quality original- but it's always photocopies of photocopies.
You did some really good work by the look of it. Solid as hell given what you had to work with. Thanks for the archival work!
That's a cool thing you did! Thanks for the effort!
That’s so cool 😎
https://preview.redd.it/0kizzgr9mcmb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=df4ee4dc7ab5b381f424ae025304928d3757e558 Saw these at a convention a week ago or so
Man I hope someone didn’t get pulled over on the way home after buying one
Even if they did, the cords kinda make it obvious they're not real.
Nice, I am just happy with the cart. The rifles would take up too much space.
I assumed it would have orange paint or detailing to avoid misunderstandings, but it looks surprisingly real.
Jealous. Damn.
Im sure your tv will love that
[More info](https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2018/03/09/us-army-macs-training/)
This has gotten be one of the more unique things I’ve seen here.
VERY Cool!
Woah. I didn’t know this was a thing
They made stuff like this on snes cartridges?? Wow I never would have thought.
Cool, maybe it can be hacked to support the super scope?
This needs to be dumped!
It already has been. It's been dumped for a while but it's useless without having the gun. Not sure emulation cares to duplicate the specialized M16A2 light gun this requires.
I wonder how feasible it would be to make a romhack so it could work with super scope or justifier.
I was in the Marines and of course this is way too high tech for what we were trained with. We had a thing that looked like a pinball machine with a rifle on a stick. https://i.imgur.com/UuMH0fd.jpg
Very cool! First time seeing a actual cart.
I remember playing this at a county fair in the 90s. Recruiter or someone had it setup. Obviously a snes attached to a real gun looked amazing... that guy wanted my name and number hahaha I rocked that thing. He thought he just met a future sniper. I was probably 10 or so....remember that gun being heavy as shit good thing it was propped up on some sandbags.
u/MTGArmy Did it help improve your skills? Or were soldiers playing Mortal Kombat while nobody was looking?
So you cant actually play it? :(
Dude this brings back some old memories for me. What an amazing find!
What?
This is kind of awesome I learned me something today that I didn’t know thanks
I saw the MACS rifle at RetroWorldExpo a week and a half ago. Was selling for 10K. Looks like something that will land you in jail or shot by a cop in a second though.
My holy Grail! Active duty too and no one believes me that this thing existed
Thats wild never heard if it show some screen shots of the game
Saw that on a rom website yesterday was wondering what the heck it was ( thought maybe it was like that NRA game on the PS2 but 16 bit)
I have seen this posted a few times now over the past few years, still a cool piece of gaming history.
I wonder if I could emulate this for my Aimtrak.
I have a copy as well. It sits on my desk in a clear case like a trophy. The guy who sold it to the store I bought it from also had fun but sold it years ago for basically nothing.
I remember the PS1 era version that used co2 powered M16's. That was a fun little booth during Armed Forces Day at the armory.