Friday 20 January 2023

ChatGPT meets Wargaming and the PhD

Had to be done, here's ChatGPT's evaluation of urban warfare.


What are the main challenges for an army fight in an urban environment?

There are several main challenges for an army fighting in an urban environment, including:

  • Limited visibility and cover: Buildings and other structures in urban areas can block soldiers' line of sight, making it difficult to spot and engage the enemy.
  • Close-quarters combat: Urban areas are often densely populated, which means that fighting will take place at close range, making it difficult to use heavy weapons such as tanks and artillery.
  • Collateral damage: Urban areas are often densely populated, which means that there is a risk of causing significant civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure if heavy weapons are used.
  • Guerrilla tactics: Insurgents or enemy forces may use guerrilla tactics, such as hit-and-run attacks and booby traps, making it difficult for an army to maintain control of an area.
  • Lack of intelligence: It can be harder to gather accurate intelligence in an urban environment, as the enemy may be able to blend in with the civilian population, making it difficult to identify and locate them.
  • Logistics: Urban areas are often densely packed and have limited road networks, making it difficult to move supplies and reinforcements in and out of the area.


And here's its thoughts on my PhD topic.

What are the main challenges in developing a wargame of urban conflict?

(thought a lot longer, but may just be load)

There are several main challenges in developing a wargame of urban conflict, including:

  • Modeling the complexity of urban terrain: Urban areas are complex and dynamic environments, with a wide variety of structures, buildings, and infrastructure that can affect the movement and visibility of troops.
  • Representing the impact of collateral damage: Urban areas are densely populated, which means that the use of heavy weapons can cause significant civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure. This needs to be accurately represented in the wargame to reflect the real-world consequences of military actions.
  • Incorporating the human dimension: Urban areas are often home to diverse and complex human populations, which can affect the conduct of operations. This includes understanding the population dynamics, cultural, and political factors that affect the behavior of the civilian population, and the military-population relationship.
  • Balancing realism and playability: Urban warfare is a complex and challenging environment, and accurately representing all the elements of urban combat in a wargame can make it less accessible and less engaging for players. Finding a balance between realism and playability is crucial to creating an engaging and meaningful wargame experience.
  • Incorporating the new technology: Urban warfare often involve the use of a variety of technology, such as UAVs, Robotics, AI, and cyber warfare, which can be tricky to simulate in a wargame.
  • Representing the legal and ethical considerations: Urban warfare often raises legal and ethical issues, such as the protection of civilians, the use of weapons in populated areas, and the occupation of territory. These considerations need to be incorporated into the wargame to provide players with a realistic and nuanced understanding of the complexities of urban warfare.


Prepping Vertical Dropzone Commander

 For Wargame Development's VCOW virtual conference at the start of February I'm planning to do a "vertical" wargame, where players (Pl Comds) get a table-level web-cam view of what is going on as they try and fight through the city. Played through DZC a few times and done some 1985 stats for it. And here's a couple of images from the technical testing. Will test with some remote players next week.

Chieftain on the prowl - pity I haven't got the Berlin Brigade urban cam

The two platoon cams, plus an overview cam

Onside report after the event.