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[Aria Jenneth]

War is hell, even when you survive it.

Granted. However ... well, first of all, dropsuit durability seems to limit the amount of body horror in play. Then there's this: war may be hell even if you survive it, but what if there was never a substantial chance you wouldn't?

What if there was no substantial chance anybody wouldn't? Even the enemy?

What if you faced death half a dozen times in fifteen minutes, and each time received some variation of: an impact, some pain but not a huge amount (nerves burned by plasma, plus wound shock), nonfunctionality-- and a new, uninjured "you" waking up as if from a dark dream?

Surely, some minds would crumble. But....

It does seem different, doesn't it?

[Samira Kernher]

Despite game mechanics, I highly doubt that DUSTies would be only facing other DUSTies. Every now and then they're going to have to face regular, baseline soldiers, and/or fight with regular, baseline soldiers.

Also, facing death a dozen times in fifteen minutes, would lead to PTSD I think. Or similar. Your mind will acclimate to it, sure, but that acclimation itself usually is the mental issue. I don't think it'd be something people would just 'get over'.

[Esna Pitoojee]

It is worth noting that even drone operators who never leave their home base in the US are still experiencing PTSD. They are not being hurled aside by shockwaves, staunching the bloodflow from a wounded comrade, having to be constantly on edge even as they walk from the barracks to the bathroom, or experiencing any of the other kinds of infinite hells being directly on the battlefield offers.

The stress still gets to them. Detachment does not equal invulnerability from war's mental effects.

[Aria Jenneth]

Despite game mechanics, I highly doubt that DUSTies would be only facing other DUSTies. Every now and then they're going to have to face regular, baseline soldiers, and/or fight with regular, baseline soldiers.

Also, facing death a dozen times in fifteen minutes, would lead to PTSD I think. Or similar. Your mind will acclimate to it, sure, but that acclimation itself usually is the mental issue. I don't think it'd be something people would just 'get over'.

To the first: historically, perhaps (PF hints at it), but apparently not at the moment. One side hires DUST mercs, so the other has to do the same.

To the second: it's the "or similar" that I'm looking at with such interest. I'm not saying DUST mercs are going to end up sane; I'm just not sure that "extreme PTSD" is quite the right diagnosis. The acclimation itself does strike me as a problem.

After all, it's acclimation to space that seems to be responsible for capsuleer dementia. I want to be able to sketch the DUST equivalent (oh, we wants it, precious).

It is worth noting that even drone operators who never leave their home base in the US are still experiencing PTSD. They are not being hurled aside by shockwaves, staunching the bloodflow from a wounded comrade, having to be constantly on edge even as they walk from the barracks to the bathroom, or experiencing any of the other kinds of infinite hells being directly on the battlefield offers.

The stress still gets to them. Detachment does not equal invulnerability from war's mental effects.

Ooo ... point. Very interesting point.

Even more of a point if DUST soldiers' doings cause collateral damage. I imagine inadvertently detonating a Taliban operative's kid sister would be the sort of thing to cause PTSD, even without any personal threat to life and limb.

[lallara zhuul]

DUSTies are probably so hopped up on combat drugs all the time, so they can never return to real life without serious rehab.

[Iwan Terpalen]

The many men, so beautiful!
And they all dead did lie:
And a thousand thousand slimy things
Lived on; and so did I.

[Ulphus]

It is worth noting that even drone operators who never leave their home base in the US are still experiencing PTSD. They are not being hurled aside by shockwaves, staunching the bloodflow from a wounded comrade, having to be constantly on edge even as they walk from the barracks to the bathroom, or experiencing any of the other kinds of infinite hells being directly on the battlefield offers.

The stress still gets to them. Detachment does not equal invulnerability from war's mental effects.

Ooo ... point. Very interesting point.

Even more of a point if DUST soldiers' doings cause collateral damage. I imagine inadvertently detonating a Taliban operative's kid sister would be the sort of thing to cause PTSD, even without any personal threat to life and limb.

Reading about this, it seems that the drone operator is in a position of making decisions, or being relied on, where screwing up can cause friendlies to die due to lack of support, or neutrals to die due to mis-identified target, and it's all there on TV to be played back later. The article talked about drone pilots having nightmares as if watching the film over and over without being able to change anything, which might hearken back to your "helplessness" criteria earlier.

[Samira Kernher]

From the new chronicle (Falling Skies):

"Tunen was mesmerized for a few seconds more as he looked into his own eyes. It was the first time he’d ever seen himself dead. His vacant, dust-covered features were visible through his shattered visor, identical but lifeless eyes staring back at him. "

There's one potential reason for PTSD.

“Do not underestimate our hostiles. Reports indicate we’re up against a sizable force of these prototype soldiers that have been in the news. You’ve all had the briefing; you know what they’re capable of.”

...

“Hey Tsu, you hear that? We’re up against those cloned freaks. We gotta keep the squad close-cut, good spacing, hit 'em hard and fast and be prepped to knock out their CRU if they keep coming.”

For those people who think that clone soldiers only fight other clone soldiers, here's an example of them fighting baseliners. So not everyone a DUSTie kills is going to be immortal. They're going to be killing mortals, too, and that's probably going to cause issues.

[Aria Jenneth]

For those people who think that clone soldiers only fight other clone soldiers, here's an example of them fighting baseliners. So not everyone a DUSTie kills is going to be immortal. They're going to be killing mortals, too, and that's probably going to cause issues.

I think the general line has been that "we" clone soldiers (operatives) are currently fighting only our fellows.

It was obvious enough that there was other stuff going on elsewhere on Caldari Prime, but I can promise you that not a single PC merc ever saw action against regular military that day-- if only because CCP hasn't implemented any form of PvE yet.

SOON (TM) - but I'm not prepared to pretend that my character is already doing stuff she isn't doing, that none of us are doing. Fair enough if somebody is doing it, but the regular DUST mercenaries did not have this experience at all-- and our experiences are themselves canon, if "Eve is Real."

Edit:

What was there was pretty damn cool, mind you.

Further edit:

When we do get around to killing mere mortals, I'll be interested to see how it plays out in practice. One of the fun things about "studying" infomorphs as Aria has been attempting to interpret player actions in a game in a way that makes sense in the world.

[Ché Biko]

"Tunen was mesmerized for a few seconds more as he looked into his own eyes. It was the first time he’d ever seen himself dead. His vacant, dust-covered features were visible through his shattered visor, identical but lifeless eyes staring back at him. "

There's one potential reason for PTSD.

Could be.
Its not exactly the same thing, but someone in my town once nearly choked to death on some food. He does not really have any issues with the experience, but one aspect of it causes him to daily wake up to nightmares: during the experience, he looked in a mirror and saw his own face filled with mortal dread. It is the image of that face that wakes him up at night.

[Creep]

"Tunen was mesmerized for a few seconds more as he looked into his own eyes. It was the first time he’d ever seen himself dead. His vacant, dust-covered features were visible through his shattered visor, identical but lifeless eyes staring back at him. "

There's one potential reason for PTSD.

Could be.
Its not exactly the same thing, but someone in my town once nearly choked to death on some food. He does not really have any issues with the experience, but one aspect of it causes him to daily wake up to nightmares: during the experience, he looked in a mirror and saw his own face filled with mortal dread. It is the image of that face that wakes him up at night.

...

TIL never to look in the mirror if I'm close to death.
That last line reads like something out of a Chronicle. "He looked in a mirror and saw his own face filled with mortal dread. It is the image of that face that wakes him up at night."