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The Quality of Computer Wargames.

Wargaming (conflict simulation, consim gaming) is a hobby in which one or more players simulate battles or entire wars.

Wargaming can also refer to the full-scale rehearsal of military maneuvers as practice for warfare. In this case, the two sides in the simulated battle are typically called "blue" and "orange", to avoid naming a particular adversary.

Computerized wargaming!

Computerized wargames have several distinct advantages over paper and pencil wargames:

no need to roll dice over and over again
no recordkeeping (the computer handles all the 'paperwork')
ability to start, stop and save the game at any time (if there is no need to coordinate with a human opponent; note that this is also possible with board games, as long as no children or animals have access to the game area)
easy to find opponents on the Internet

Disadvantages of computerized wargames:

computer may not be as competent as a human opponent (this problem can generally be avoided if there is a multiplayer mode)
lack of human interaction (of course the computer won't tip over the board if it is losing)
computer arbitration allows more complex rules, which can be more difficult to understand and analyze; especially since these rules may be "hidden" from the player(s) in the software code
ability to view only a part of the battlefield in detail at a time
player(s) can't easily modify the rules or adapt them to similar situations

Traditional wargaming differs from so-called real-time strategy computer games in that traditional wargames are generally turn-based (an obvious exception being 'in-the-field' wargaming by military organizations). Traditional wargames focus on the ability to analyze in-depth, plan to achieve a goal, and adjust plans to changing circumstances. Real-time strategy games (which might better be called vastly-speeded-up-time strategy games) focus more on reflexes, coordination, and the ability to make snap decisions with limited information. Also, real-time strategy games require less sophisticated artificial intelligence on the part of computer players.

Computer wargames are often played against human opponents via e-mail (by exchanging save-game files) to provide the human interaction and a more interesting opponent than that of the program. This has the disadvantage of taking much longer to finish the game, depending upon how often the players check their e-mail. It is still much quicker (and easier) than the older method of playing board wargames by postal mail. A faster alternative (not available with all games) is playing over a direct connection, either LAN, modem or Internet.

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The Quality of Computer Wargames.

Computerized wargaming!

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