Although it has been a few years since I last played, there was a time when I was, unashamedly, a Dark Souls nerd. For those unfamiliar Dark Souls, it is an open-world fantasy role playing video game series renowned for its reputation as one of the most challenging and punishing franchises ever created…which is putting it mildly. There is no handholding in Dark Souls; these games lack explicit tutorials and provide little, if any, information on how you should proceed. You will fail. Over. And over. And over again. I am quite certain this series is responsible for more rage-induced broken gamepads than any other.
And yet, for those who brave the grind, who continue to push forward in the face of seemingly endless failures, a rarely matched sense of gaming accomplishment ultimately awaits. For as sadistic as these games seem, they are remarkably fair. The enemies and obstacles are reliably consistent – if you put in the time to learn the patterns and improve your skillset, you can and will be successful. When you beat a Dark Souls game, it is extremely rewarding because victory is undoubtedly earned!
So, as Fidelis journeys into the world of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), I thought we would have some fun by visiting this topic, Dark Souls style. It only makes sense:
- Chaos is prevalent in many forms in Dark Souls and is a predominant issue MBSE can help eliminate.
- Dassault Systemes is our solutions provider: Dassault Systemes (D.S.) – Dark Souls (D.S.)…coincidence?
- Dassault’s MBSE software portfolio is called CATIA Magic – it looks like we are going with a sorcery build for our character, for which Intelligence levels impact magic spell power.
Creating Our Character
The first task in any Dark Souls game is creating your character. For this playthrough, we will become a mage who has studied Model-Based Systems Engineering. The elder wizards passing down the art of MBSE focus on creating and using models systematically throughout spell development lifecycles.
These models serve as the primary means of communication between members, enabling them to capture and analyze requirements, design specifications, and other critical information in a structured, consistent manner when creating sorceries.
At its core, MBSE aims to enhance collaboration, improve clarity, and mitigate risks by leveraging the power of modeling to manage complex spell-system information. MBSE mages rely on teamwork to streamline processes, reduce errors, and ensure that all members of their faction have a clear understanding of the systems being developed to fight Chaos.
Key components of an MBSE build include:
- System Modeling: Creating models that represent the various aspects of a spell-system, including structure, behavior, requirements, and interfaces. These models serve as a blueprint for the system under development and help members visualize and understand key characteristics.
- Model-Based Requirement Engineering: Capturing and managing spell-system requirements using models, which allows for more precise specification, analysis, and validation of requirements throughout the development lifecycle.
- Model-Based Design: Using models to explore and refine the design of the spell-system, including its architecture, components, and interactions. This enables teams to iterate on designs more quickly and efficiently, leading to better, more powerful overall sorcery performance.
- Model-Based Verification & Validation: Using models to verify that the spell-system meets its requirements and validate its behavior against expectations. This involves simulating and analyzing the spell’s behavior to identify and address potential issues early in the development process.
The most powerful set of spell-systems under the MBSE discipline are found in the CATIA Magic scrolls, offering a plethora of benefits to those who wield their power.
- Unmatched Versatility: Like a master magician with a seemingly endless repertoire of tricks, CATIA Magic offers a diverse array of tools and functionalities to suit every mage team’s needs.
- Seamless Integration: Works effectively with other software solutions, allowing for frictionless collaboration across teams and disciplines.
- Effortless Innovation: Innovation is the lifeblood of progress, and CATIA Magic is its faithful steward. With advanced modeling and simulation capabilities, intuitive design workflows, and real-time visualization tools, the software empowers pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for a magic caster.
- Precision & Accuracy: Unrivaled accuracy and precision, eliminating frustration caused by errant spells disappearing into the void, far from their intended target.
- Time & Cost Savings: Streamlined design and engineering processes, allowing teams to work faster, smarter, and more efficiently, thus retaining important Focus Points (Dark Souls’ magic fuel) for key battles.
With our character built, we can now jump into the action.
Our MBSE Journey Begins
We are thrown into the mysterious, shadowy world known as Engineering. The aura of despair is evident, as complexity reigns and daunting challenges loom around every corner of the environment.
Fortunately, we are armed with an MBSE Catalyst attuned with a set of CATIA Magic spells, allowing us to be OverPowered early compared to the noobs equipped with only a broken sword and wooden shield. We have effectively turned what would be an arduous mission into a mere formality.
We breeze through the early stages, vanquishing weak enemies with ease, all the while becoming increasingly skilled with our sorcery. However, the true tests of our worthiness in becoming the ruler over Engineering’s Chaos have yet to come.
Defeating Chaos, One Boss Battle at a Time
Standing in the way of eliminating Chaos and restoring order to the land of Engineering are three final bosses: the Beast of Miscommunication, the Complexity Sorcerer, and the Dark Dragon of Risk. Each of these adversaries pose a formidable threat to our pursuit.
We begin by meeting the Beast of Miscommunication, a giant, demon-like creature capable of engulfing the entire realm in Chaos. Although it two-hands an enormous battle axe of destruction, Miscommunication is no match for our onslaught of CATIA Magic spells. We slay the beast, bringing clarity to the land, enabling teams to communicate effectively and collaborate freely.
Our victory celebration is short-lived, as the Complexity Sorcerer appears out of thin air, having warped from the Enchanted Woods, a location on the outskirts of Engineering. Complexity utilizes dark magic to ensnare unwary Engineers in a web of confusion and uncertainty. However, with intuitive design workflows and advanced simulation tools, our CATIA Magic spell portfolio allows us to unravel the sorcerer’s illusions and simplify the most intricate of this foe’s dark spell designs. Empowered by the ability to overcome Complexity’s offering, we are quickly victorious.
The final, greatest challenge awaits as we make the trek to the ends of Engineering. Upon reaching the heart of the Abyss, the fearsome, fire-breathing Dragon of Risk swoops down from its lair to meet us head-on. Its shadowy wings block what little light the Abyss offers, casting a seemingly endless cloak of doubt over its perceived enemies. With unparalleled modeling and analysis capabilities, our CATIA Magic spells stop the dragon in its tracks, allowing time to identify Risk’s threats and devise strategies to mitigate them before they can wreak havoc on us and the rest of the Engineers. The fight ends as we suspected, our hero striking the final blow to Chaos by handily defeating Risk.
With courage, intelligence, and unwavering determination, our humble mage has conquered Chaos and brought light to the realm of Engineering for now. Backed by a unified team unlocking the full potential of spell-system development, we were enabled to triumph in the face of adversity. With CATIA Magic spells at the ready, we can continue our noble quest (in New Game+ and beyond) to pave the way for a brighter future for Engineers who dare to dream of a world free of Chaos.
Roll the Credits
Fantasy storytelling aside, Model-Based Systems Engineering is quickly becoming a trendy topic due to the increasing complexity of product development considerations. Companies are using MBSE software to gain competitive advantages by breaking down the silos between domains and connecting engineering teams and other stakeholders throughout the whole product lifecycle.
Fortunately, Dassault has us covered with their CATIA Magic portfolio. If you are interested in opening a dialogue around MBSE and how the software can improve your processes, please reach out to us – we’ll be sure to refrain from Dark Souls references!
