Nuclear War Simulator news & patch notes

The Meyer update is out now for Nuclear War Simulator. Last week we revealed the major features in Dev Log #6 The Meyer Update. With this major update a Campaign mode has been added. These missions introduce new mechanics that increase in complexity – making them a great tutorial for new players. This update also features a wizard that will help create your own new scenarios. Updates to the fallout model and improvements to long-term casualty modeling improve the accuracy and realism of the simulation. We have also improved the presentation of Nuclear War Simulator with new music and better visuals to your attack plans and missile trajectories. With the new tutorials included in this update, its never been easier to wage atomic warfare. Changelog Build 409 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fixed: error when loading non-campaign scenarios Build 408 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fixed: country selection is not saved with the scenario - much larger area can now be viewed in the high-resolution map mode Build 407 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fixed: unit selection panel being closed when setting targets - fixed: GPU compatibility warning appearing when nuking areas without any population - corrected description of MIRV: Single warhead scenario to "75% of all military bases" - fixed: countries under control not updated when loading a core or user-made scenario - fixed: alliances not updated on loading a new scenario - fixed: gravity bombs won't detonate if the max. range value is too small - The next scenario is selected upon completion Build 406 Bug fixes and minor improvements: - switched the mouse button to drag the campaign scenario tree to the right mouse button - reduced the objective for the "Trident II (D5)" scenario from 5% to 4% - reduced the objective for the "Minuteman III with MIRVs" scenario from 3% to 2% - unit selection panel now stays open after clocking the "Target" button - fixed bug with scenario description going over the right screen edge - corrected tooltip of the "Save New Scenario Settings" checkbox - fixed bug leading to warhead placement when hitting LeftCtrl Build 405 New features and changes: - campaign mode added to the Load Scenario menu - added a wizard for new scenario creation - fatalities from long-term radiation exposure added - unified exposure duration settings for HYSPLIT and WSEG-10 models - visualization of trajectories during targeting - improved visualization of attack plans - added new background music - swapped left and right mouse buttons for object selection and map manipulation to be more familiar to strategy games Bug fixes and minor improvements: - fallout no longer leaves the atmosphere for big detonations - fixed wrong color rendering of population and fatalities density on Vulkan - fixed bug leading to drag selection during map manipulation - fixed bugs in automated way-point creation for aircraft - trajectory line width now constant with camera zoom - added a button to select all units of a country Build 400 Bug fixes: - loading and processing HYSPLIT cdump files larges than 2 GB is now possible

Dev Diary: The Meyer Update The upcoming Meyer update represents a significant milestone for the Nuclear War Simulator, introducing a range of enhancements designed to deepen its educational impact while delivering a more refined and intuitive user experience. This update introduces a Scenario Tree system featuring a series of new scenarios designed to challenge players with objectives that require a deep understanding of nuclear weapons, their delivery systems, and their effects. For creators, we've added powerful Scenario Creation Tools that streamline the process of building custom missions. The Fallout Model now calculates the long-term effects of radiation exposure, including cancer fatalities, adding a sobering layer of realism. Finally, we've refined the UI for a smoother experience, with improved mouse controls consistent with strategy games and real-time feedback on targeting trajectories. These updates aim to make the simulator more engaging, intuitive, and impactful for learners and enthusiasts alike. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/7c47aa1c421ad6d9bf4c2e17481ba15d46c2496d.png Scenario Tree The Meyer update introduces a Scenario Tree system, adding several new scenarios designed to challenge players and deepen their understanding of nuclear weapons. Each scenario is built around specific objectives that require players to grapple with the mechanics of nuclear weapons, their effects and delivery systems. Scenarios range from explaining basic simulation functions to exploring the devastating effects of nuclear weapons, providing players with a comprehensive understanding of these complex systems. Each scenario is carefully crafted to provide historical or real-world context, turning the simulation into a platform for both education and exploration. Some scenarios delve into the technical aspects of nuclear weaponry, while others spotlight fascinating historical facts or showcase unique delivery systems. To make the experience accessible for newcomers, tutorial features are integrated into the scenarios, offering step-by-step guidance on essential UI elements. This ensures that players of all experience levels can engage with the content and progress through the challenges. Organized into a branching progression tree, the scenarios unlock sequentially, requiring players to complete earlier missions to access more advanced ones or open new branches. This format strikes a balance between engagement and flexibility, allowing for in-depth exploration of nuclear topics in manageable, isolated challenges. Whether you’re learning about the fundamentals of nuclear arms or uncovering a significant historical event, the Scenario Tree makes the journey both educational and compelling. Scenario Creation Tools The update introduces new tools, giving players the power to quickly design their own custom missions. These tools are designed for ease of use, allowing creators to seamlessly integrate multiple countries on opposing sides of a conflict. Weapons and systems can be rapidly selected from existing databases, streamlining the setup process and ensuring scenarios remain authentic and well-balanced. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/c33b014dcc504bdd76f76f3fadf5265f74bab2dc.png Creators have the flexibility to define objectives and limitations tailored to their scenarios. These objectives can range from setting minimum or maximum fatality thresholds in specific countries to targeting the destruction of key military objects or civilian infrastructure. Limitations, such as restricting the countries a player can control, the units visible on the map, or even disabling certain effects of nuclear weapons, provide further opportunities to fine-tune scenarios to create unique challenges. With these tools, anyone can design engaging missions similar to those found in the Scenario Tree. Whether the goal is to simulate historical events, test creative strategies, or explore hypothetical conflicts, these creation features make it easy to bring ideas to life. Long-Term Effects of Fallout The update introduces a new feature that calculates cancer fatalities resulting from long-term exposure to nuclear fallout. This model provides a deeper understanding of the devastating and lasting impact of nuclear weapons, emphasizing the human cost beyond immediate destruction. By simulating the gradual effects of radioactive fallout on populations, the feature adds a crucial layer of realism to the Nuclear War Simulator, encouraging players to consider the far-reaching consequences of nuclear conflict. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/a1d3e715befe940b93f7eb27a143959dec69006d.png To support this enhanced realism, the update also includes unified exposure duration settings for the HYSPLIT and WSEG-10 fallout models. These settings allow users to define short-term exposure durations—accounting for the critical time before populations are evacuated—as well as long-term exposure over weeks, months, or even years. This integration ensures a seamless and consistent simulation of fallout's effects, making it easier to study the interplay between immediate action and lingering radiation risks. UI Improvements The Meyer update brings several enhancements to the user interface, making the Nuclear War Simulator more intuitive and engaging for players. Mouse controls have been refined to align with conventions found in popular strategy games, ensuring a more familiar and seamless experience. Additionally, targeting now features real-time trajectory visualization, giving players immediate feedback on their actions and improving their understanding of weapon delivery paths and outcomes. These changes make interactions more precise and satisfying, especially during complex scenarios. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/4c1f00a40ae4bad663e740a31cbe0b3367396b36.png The visualization of attack plans has also been significantly improved. Players can now comfortably review existing attack plans while creating new ones, allowing for better strategy development and coordination. To complement these functional upgrades, the update introduces a selection of new background music tracks, adding depth and atmosphere to the simulation. These additions create a more immersive experience, combining improved usability with enhanced engagement. The Meyer update is now in the open beta stage and will be officially released soon. We are thrilled to share these new features with you, from the engaging scenarios and intuitive creation tools to the enhanced realism and improved interface. We hope you enjoy exploring the new scenarios and learning more about nuclear weapons. We can’t wait to see the creative and thought-provoking challenges you’ll design using the new scenario creation tools. Your feedback during this beta phase is invaluable, and we look forward to bringing you the full release soon!

Nuclear War Simulator has a Beta live for our next update. The Meyer update will see a Campaign mode with missions and objectives added to the game, along with a scenario creation wizard, improvements to the radiation model, and bug fixes. Footage from HoW 2024 showing off a short scenario and nuclear strike in the new update. Joining the Beta is simple. On Steam, right-click the Nuclear War Simulator icon from your library and select "Properties". From there head on over to the Betas section and opt into the Open Beta. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/ca9e927d79df86954268407a4b0cc79b5eaa9a32.jpg By signing up for the Beta you can get access to Meyers early, and help us stomp some irradiated bugs before the full release. Join the Nuclear War Simulator Discord Server and gain access to the report-bugs channel. New features and changes with the Meyers Beta: - Campaign mode added to the Load Scenario menu - Added a wizard for new scenario creation - Fatalities from long-term radiation exposure added - Unified exposure duration settings for HYSPLIT and WSEG-10 models - Visualization of trajectories during targeting - Improved visualization of attack plans - Added new background music - Swapped left and right mouse buttons for object selection and map manipulation to be more familiar to strategy games Bug fixes and minor improvements: - Fallout no longer leaves the atmosphere for big detonations - Fixed wrong color rendering of population and fatalities density on Vulkan - Fixed bug leading to drag selection during map manipulation - Fixed bugs in automated way-point creation for aircraft - Trajectory line width now constant with camera zoom - Added a button to select all units of a country

We are proud to announce our new Home of Wargamers live event, which will take place on September 26th at 5 pm UK time. Join us on our Twitch channel to know more about our biggest franchises. You can set a reminder here. We will talk about a lot of important updates for some of our Matrix Games best sellers and coming soon games, such as:

• Modern Naval Warfare
• Armored Brigade 2
• Nuclear War Simulator
• Command Modern Operations
• Flashpoint Campaigns
• Rule the Waves 3

And much more. Stay tuned!

Hello Nuclear War Simulator fans. Episode 4/6 of our video series is out now. This episode explores the damage nuclear weapons do indirectly. While the explosion, blast, and fireball have the capacity to destroy cities, fallout can destroy whole ecosystems. When an atomic weapon explodes, the ash and dust sucked up into the atmosphere rains back down on vast swathes of countryside, contaminating everything it touches with radioactive material. This episode is all about how this phenomenon functions, studies about fallout, and what you can do to avoid it.

Nuclear War Simulator's fallout model has been used in a scientific study commissioned by Princeton University. The Missiles on Our Land Project has utilized the NWS fallout model to track the different ways seasonal winds could effect the spread of radioactive ash and dust. This project specifically focused on modeling strikes on silo's in Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, Colorado, and Wyoming. Here's a look at the interactive map using the NWS model. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/5d2f305f8d2200ca474e6cab340fa697e05b47d9.png An example of the fallout map made using data from Nuclear War Simulator We are incredibly proud to see Nuclear War Simulator featured in studies like this. The ability to model a nuclear war and fallout accurately was previously only available using proprietary software. With this game commercially available, it is now possible for anyone to authentically model the devastating impact of nuclear weapons from the blast and firestorm, to the resulting fallout that could poison whole continents. This shows the potential of games as tools to model the world, and serve as teaching tools. We are excited to see how games like this are used in the future to model scientific and social phenomenon.

Our third episode of the Nuclear War Simulator video series is now out. This time we cover the actual effects of nuclear weapons as they detonate. From the shock-wave to the thermal radiation, we go over the apocalyptic implications of a detonation in a major urban center.

We are proud to announce our new Home of Wargamers live event, which will take place on September 12th at 5 pm UK time. Join us on our Twitch channel to know more about our biggest franchises. You can set a reminder here. We will talk about a lot of important updates for some of our Matrix Games best sellers and coming soon games, such as:

• Modern Naval Warfare
• Nuclear War Simulator
• Command Modern Operations
• Flashpoint Campaigns
• Rule the Waves 3
• Strategic Command
• Combat Mission
• Valor & Victory

A new update is available for Nuclear War Simulator. Along with bugfixes, new features include a data layer for average building heights, which will improve the accuracy of modeling damage to an urban environment. Build 399 New features and changes: -Visualization of single physical effects can now be disabled in the dropdown menus -New data layer added: average building height. The building height layer is used to realistically estimate the distribution of protection factors -Added support for higher resolution GFS weather data for HYSPLIT -Added an option to set the folder where weather data for HYSPLIT is saved. This is useful if large weather files are filling the SSD Bug fixes: -Fire no longer displayed on water -Ballistic missile defense no longer fires after being destroyed -Early warning radar no longer fires after being destroyed -Fixed not all silos firing in the scenario World arsenals and Black Sea escalation -Fixed SS-26 Stone having too many missiles -Smoke from cities is no longer interrupted when changing tithe me speed -Time speed now rounded to the nearest integer when changing speed -South America map tiles are no longer missing -Updated multiple US aircraft not having dial-a-yield options on some gravity bombs -Fixed fallout and fires visualization -Fixed vertical offset of the unit selection visualization

Hi everyone, a new update has just been released. Many many fixes and improvements! Build 394 New features and changes: - new buttons with text in the main UI overlay - added a name field to units - default blueprints and blueprints from mods are now protected from editing, deleting and renaming - added an option to cancel the calculation of fatalities. Fatalities calculation is automatically canceled when opening a new scenario - overwriting existing object groups requires confirmation - yield limitation is removed. A warning will be shown that the simulation will not be delivering reliable results for yields above 100 Mt - added text to show the progress of the fatalities calculation - when the Human Individuals panel is open only human individuals can be selected on the map making selection easier - distribution of protection factors is updated to a more realistic one - text on loading screens is now at the bottom and has a translucent background - units added: Agni V (India), Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 (Israel) Bug fixes: - fixed early warning notification scale at different resolutions - added confirmation to overwriting existing scenarios - increased time threshold between mouse down and up for easier unit selection - fixed overly strong flash flare animation at high yields - "calculation stuck" warning is now appearing only if the progress was not updated for at least 2 minutes - fixed some US submarines shown as belonging to the Russian Navy - destroyed units can no longer be selected - fixed the wrong format displayed for HYSPLIT in-cloud wet deposition - fix most situations where submarines were traveling over land - fixed a bug preventing the placing of individuals when the list is empty - when selecting a missile the MIRV footprint visualization is updated - fixed AI-generated plan not working for some weapon types - fixed an issue with the mods downloader staying invisible in the background when pressing Escape - visualizations of attack plans are now disabled when a plan is deleted - list of user-created scenarios is now updated when a new scenario is saved - missile defense no longer shoots down missiles launched by countries from the same alliance - missile defense interceptors are now scaling with camera distance - CEP is now shown during targeting - corrected HYSPLIT rain-out parameters - removed Catlettsburg Refinery previously marked as Canadian and leading to the refinery being attacked on US territory - visualizations in the attack planer are now turned off when opening another panel - fixed some countries not having colors for their units - deleting old weather data will now reset to default weather data on 2021.08.01 instead of breaking the weather model - fixed an issue where reading weather data war blocked by UnauthorizedAccessException and prevented loading some scenarios - fixed a number of NullReferenceException errors - some settings will reset to default if significant changes are made to the structure of the files to ensure compatibility - fixed an issue where targeting in AI-generated plans was limited to only half of the globe - fixed casualties not being calculated in parts of New Zeland - fixed early warning radar not working outside of demo scenarios

Hi everyone, a new update has just been released. Build 391 New features: - blueprints of any country can be used by any other country in the placement panel, surface objects. This will make it much easier to give nuclear weapons to countries that don't have any nuclear weapons yet Bug fixes: - fixed incompatibility with Intel Laptop and some other GPUs - attack plans generated in the escalation generator are now visible in the attack planer - fixed total survival probability not being displayed in the chart window on the single detonation panel

Today we are going to release a new update Here is the changelog: New features: - attack planer: in the counter-force targeting tool, when adding selected units, all added units will be selected by default, making the targeting easier Bug fixes: - alliances are now updated every time a country is added and does not require the name to be not empty. Previously, alliances were only working when a name was given - icons now have the correct scale when an empty scenario is opened - added a suggestion to run NWS as administrator if the fatalities calculation is stuck - fixed green graphics glitch when too many weapons are detonated at the same location - HYSPLIT installation folder now read from GUI - removed overwriting of deprecated settings on NWS start - fallout visualization is now updated at the end of the computation - blueprint display is updated after pasting the values

Hi everyone, the first update since the release is live! This update will solve a number of issues, especially for everyone who has problems calculating fatalities. Build 389 New features: - added an option to define a custom grid span for HYSPLIT - added an option to decouple effects visualization from the cursor: hold Left Shift by default - added version number to main menu Bug fixes: - fixed misspelled building collapse - fixed not saving changes to permanent individuals - scenario: Individuals - people in a large city fixed shelter radiation protection factor - fixed new individuals not experiencing fallout from past detonations - fixed country and world information tabs not appearing - fixed GPU incompatibility issues - effects circles visualization was not appearing when the single detonation panel button is not on the globe - human individuals: image selection button is now working - attack planer: clicking the execute all plans button no longer crashes the simulation - graphics setting: some screen resolutions were missing from the dropdown list - removed minimum yield check for effects calculation - fixed wild rotation around the globes. The camera will stop movement when getting over 80 degrees latitude - effects from detonations of low yields are no longer disabled - updated DF-41 range - main menu key binding settings: fixed wrong width at lower resolutions - reduced the scrollable OSM area to reduce the heavy load on the map server - fixed misspelled CSTO - added a notification that the destruction of civilian infrastructure is disabled by default - added a button to open the application folder from the GPU error notification

Nuclear War Simulator Out Now Nuclear war simulator is a detailed realistic simulation and visualization of large-scale nuclear conflicts with a focus on humanitarian consequences. It lets you design conflict scenarios and estimate the consequences using a population density map and realistic weapons effects. This software should help you answer the question: what will happen if Russia and the United States or India and Pakistan use their arsenals? You can design warheads, missiles and carries, place them on the map and execute attack plans to tell a credible story about how nuclear conflicts play out and what are the consequences. Using a high-resolution population density map and realistic weapons effects like blast, heat and radiation you can make an estimate of how many people will die in a conflict. Using an intuitive UI you can design warheads, place them on missiles and into silos, on aircraft, TELs and submarines.You can then place the forces onto the map simply clicking on it or importing real-world locations from KMZ files. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/cba740a8c35dabf6c10f562a66e8b58478bcb2b9.jpg Features:

• Detailed effects of nuclear weapons, accurate reports on affects/results (including but not limited to radiation zones, casualties and fires)
• Realistic delivery systems, up-to-date full known arsenal of main world powers.
• Sandbox to design weapon systems and build conflict scenarios.
• Individual civilians moving on the map and taking shelter.
• 22+ predefined editable scenarios.
• In-game mod upload and download.
• Adjustable AI.
• Integrated early warning and Missile Defense systems.

Nuclear War Simulator Out Now https://store.steampowered.com/app/1603940/Nuclear_War_Simulator/ Keep in touch with the community of NWS, use the forum to discuss your discoveries with other users, check out the site for FaQ and any information, and join the Discord server where the Dev regularly updates the users about the development progress and discusses requests and changes.

Nuclear War Simulator - Dev Log #5 {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/7cefba5910b3b23ebaa66d649487c145f7ef9378.jpg Individual humans Simulating the effects of nuclear weapons on individual humans The nuclear war simulator can be used to simulate the effects of nuclear weapons not only on the population density but also on individual humans. You can place individuals on the map, move them on foot or in a vehicle and let them take different kinds of shelter. Each individual will record the physical effects of nuclear weapons and estimate the injuries leading to incapacitation and death. This feature can be used to explain and evaluate different survival strategies during a nuclear attack, like shelter-in-place or self-evacuation. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/669ec7092f0fd9b84b841625df025be6ff142168.png The injuries received by an individual are displayed as small icons and as detailed text describing the injuries. Depending on the injuries the individual will be incapacitated and die. Incapacitation from radiation can be delayed by hours or days depending on the dose received. The total received dose to the body is displayed together with the dose rate received in the shelter and in the open. The effects of nuclear weapons experienced by an individual are logged with a time stamp. As can be seen in the example below, the time of the blast received is delayed by multiple seconds because the blast wave is traveling much slower than light. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/8ba6a3361654d8bf76146f1c568c12d4f14b7ae7.png An individual can be selected on the map or from the list. There is an option to save and load individuals with a scenario or to save them permanently so they are loaded with each scenario. The last option is ideal if you want to place yourself, your family, and your friends into the simulation. Fallout The time-resolved radiation dose rate from fallout is recorded and can be displayed. In the example below, you can see how radiation from 3 different clouds arrives at the position of the selected individual and then decays. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/cdc994c4aaff86da09325a62ab0fe0f2891041d6.png Shelter The individuals can take shelter and have some protection from the different effects of nuclear weapons. If the person is in a vehicle or in a building there is some protection from the effects like overpressure, thermal radiation, and fallout. Different types of shelters offer different protection factors from radiation (the large number displayed on the shelter). If the person is outside or if there are windows, the person has a chance to be exposed to thermal radiation or to injuries from flying glass and debris. Buildings have a chance to collapse from overpressure. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/f3d99a52e05d56bee10f9c71186a973e70a6124f.png Movement Individuals can move on foot or in a vehicle. The waypoints can be queued to create a path following the roads. There is a setting to define the movement speed and the radiation protection factor offered by a vehicle. When moving, the radiation from the fallout will be recorded in a time-resolved fashion. This allows the explanation and analysis of different survival strategies. The typical recommendation is to hide in a shelter for multiple hours or days and then evacuate. Trying to self-evacuate right away may expose the individual to lethal doses of radiation. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/94f915a74ef844b3bbb36d3c35bf22fadd2d0444.png Keep in touch with the community of NWS, use the Forum https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11942&sid=8079af8aa4c54113726880a21a9871ad to discuss your discoveries with other users and join the Discord server https://discord.gg/kfhFxNp6uF where the Dev regularly updates the users about the development progress and discusses requests and changes.

Nuclear War Simulator - #4 Dev Log {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/3b72fc79e1cde871ac6f525fd78b76d1972bc25b.jpg Delivery systems The Nuclear War Simulator includes a number of modern nuclear weapons delivery systems. It simulates the most important characteristics of these delivery systems like the range and timing of the impacts. In NWS you can mount ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and gravity bombs on submarines, TELs, silos and on aircraft enabling the simulation of the most relevant modern delivery systems. Ballistic missiles Ballistic missiles are one of the most widely used nuclear weapons delivery systems. After launch, they accelerate leaving the atmosphere and then move through space on a ballistic trajectory. Intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) often carry not one but multiple warheads that can be targeted independently (MIRVs). The acceleration phase and the movement on a ballistical trajectory are reproduced in NWS making realistic time-of-impact and radar detection estimations possible. Individual MIRVs can be distributed inside of an elliptical area on the ground approximating the targeting limitations of real systems. https://i.imgur.com/gBl67E3.png ICBMs are often stored and launched from fixed silos underground. In the United States, the Minuteman III missiles are operating in squadrons of 50 missiles and 5 launch control centers. If the missiles receive the launch command from two control centers they will launch instantly. However, if only one control center survived the missiles will launch with a delay (a safety measure). This behavior is reproduced in NWS and can be adjusted. https://i.imgur.com/UaGTEvg.png Silo-based ICBMs are often hardened but remain vulnerable because their position is known and they can be destroyed by blast or they can be buried by crater ejecta. Transporter erector launchers (TELs) In order to improve survivability, many countries resort to mounting the missiles on mobile transporter-erector-launchers (TELs). The TELs can be parked at their base, they can patrol an area and they can be dispersed in crisis. This behavior is reproduced in NWS. https://i.imgur.com/TcAvQmv.png Submarines Another option is to transport the missiles on a submarine. Similar to TELs, the submarines can patrol an area and be dispersed in crisis. They usually carry multiple ballistic missiles with multiple warheads each. https://i.imgur.com/SuXAPY3.png Air-launched ballistic missiles (ALBMs) Some ballistic missiles can be delivered by air to extend their range. One such missile is the Kinzhal recently deployed by Russia. The missile is carried by aircraft through the atmosphere (blue line) and then follows a ballistic trajectory after release (white line). https://i.imgur.com/sCE0Ggt.png Air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs) Russian and US strategic bombers can carry a number of air-launched cruise missiles. The missiles are transported by the aircraft (blue line) and then released before entering hostile air space and then travel autonomously through the atmosphere (yellow lines). https://i.imgur.com/67ip6mf.png Gravity bombs Tactical nuclear weapons can be delivered as gravity bombs and dropped from aircraft. Because the gravity bombs have no propulsion themself, they must be carried to each target by aircraft (blue line). https://i.imgur.com/NLPxRNz.png Keep in touch with the community of NWS, use the forum to discuss your discoveries with other users, check out the site for FaQ and any information, and join the Discord server where the Dev regularly updates the users about the development progress and discusses requests and changes.

Nuclear War Simulator - #3 Dev Log {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/576cab588e6804522a3538495f85854df804099b.jpg AI The Nuclear War Simulator can be controlled entirely by the user and also includes an AI that can control a country to launch nuclear weapons as a response to your actions. Each country has a political leadership figure with an AI that can be enabled and adjusted to respond to detonations on its territory and to missiles detected by early-warning radar and satellites. If several countries are controlled by the AI it will lead to an escalating series of counterattacks that will most likely end in an all-out nuclear war. This can be used to create unpredictable scenarios triggered by minimal input from the user. Response to attack The most basic AI response is retaliation to being attacked and to detonations that were detected on its territory. The AI counts the detonations and registers which countries were attacking it. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/37c3f31449b784e45ef433d27a9c8637d1ea79f3.png The AI then launches a proportional counter-attack. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/fc518775748b20b314e3bed03b7b0bccb7a007d9.png It is also possible to set the balance of military to civilian targets for these attacks and to define a threshold for a disproportional all-out response. Launch on warning The AI can launch a response triggered by early-warning satellites or radar, even before the warheads land on its territory to avoid a disarming attack. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/4ee38098b79263eb22f78ca63dff047c11dfe779.png You can adjust the performance of the early-warning systems (reaction time, reliability, etc) and the proportionality of the response. It is possible to set a threshold on the initial attack for a launch-on-warning response. This way, the AI may decide to ride out a small attack and wait for confirmed detonations on the ground. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/7a665540088303454293f43c0285191dc9c26ded.png The early-warning response AI can be used to demonstrate some of the modern and historical nuclear response policies. There is a scenario provided with the simulation where a false alarm is simulated triggering an accidental nuclear war. Keep in touch with the community of NWS, use the Forum  https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/viewforum.php?f=11942&sid=b0975a121f1ec69f6884e963b22c4c63 to discuss your discoveries with other users, and join the Discord server https://discord.gg/f9yc7c6bJs where the Dev regularly updates the users about the development progress and discusses requests and changes.

Nuclear War Simulator - #2 Dev Log Objects database Database of weapons and delivery systems The Nuclear War Simulator allows you to create detailed scenarios with full control over every detail of the objects deployed on the map. You can design warheads place them on missiles and mount them on delivery systems like aircraft or submarines. However, you can also skip all these steps and create a scenario quickly by using predefined objects. NWS includes a database of almost all currently deployed nuclear weapons and delivery systems known to the public. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/8e43c336bca36f89fca4743db3923b1488adb842.jpg Some interesting historical or experimental weapons are also included. You can, for example, take the Tsar Bomba in its original 100 MT configuration and mount 10 of them on an ICBM. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/32a8d34e65bfe8df0a4b167f68ff2d3e3ea3d490.jpg Warheads can be placed on ballistic missiles, cruise missiles or gravity bombs. These missiles are then part of various static or moving objects like missile silos or submarines. Every warhead, missile, nuclear-capable aircraft, TEL and submarine that can be found in modern nuclear weapons arsenals can be instantly used in NWS. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/992d42fff60b193715fc5569b5e7b0f3bb2c2a97.jpg The list of historical weapons will be growing in the future and if you can’t find something you can easily design it yourself. Unconventional delivery systems like hypersonic weapons and torpedoes will probably be added in the future. Database of object locations Doing the research on nuclear weapons arsenals and then placing each individual object on the map can take a lot of time. In order to make scenario creation easier NWS already includes a large number of object groups in their correct locations. For example, it is possible to place the complete US nuclear weapons arsenal with just two clicks. Placing subsets of the arsenal, like a specific missile silo field or all tactical nuclear weapons in Europe, is also possible. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/8cddfd8b8e0ab92469b14b4fcae0962ba45d3f79.png Locations of military bases are also provided. They do not play an active role in a conflict but serve as targets for nuclear weapons in order to create a realistic distribution of detonation locations. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/46be741b0840882c611056ffe59bd18ff3fb2cbf.png Such groups of nuclear weapons and military bases are predefined for all nuclear weapons states and for some European countries. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/38c34609e68db10c736efe8efe1b5c747bedc9dd.png You can always place the objects yourself and create such object groups if something is not available yet. There are multiple ways to do it in the Nuclear War Simulator: – clicking on the map – entering the latitude and longitude coordinates – entering a Wikipedia link (coordinates will be automatically extracted from the internet) – importing objects from kmz files – using map images as an overlay to place objects {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/086acbaa1920767d485920d997793864a5410843.png The level of detail of this database is not equal for all countries and weapon types. While there is a lot of information on the strategic arsenals of Russia and the United States due to arms control treaties, there is much less information on the exact numbers and characteristics of tactical nuclear weapons and arsenals of other countries. Keep in touch with the community of NWS, use the forum to discuss your discoveries with other users, check out the site for FaQ and any information, and join the Discord server where the Dev regularly updates the users about the development progress and discusses requests and changes.

Nuclear War Simulator - #1 Dev Log - Scenarios and Mods {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/6da7dd684c3d52640bcecdb128574d9bb5e951f2.jpg Scenarios The Nuclear War Simulator includes a number of scenarios that are very easy to use. If you are new to NWS these scenarios will help you to get started quickly and get an overview of different functions and possibilities. If you are experienced with NWS, you can use these as a basis to create your own scenarios. Some scenarios are tightly scripted, while others are meant to be used for experimentation. Most scenarios can be used as a sandbox. For example, one scenario contains nuclear forces of the US and Russia in addition to the military bases of several European nations. One initial attack plan is defined and, if executed, will trigger an uncontrolled escalation by the AI. You are however free to trigger the escalation by creating your own attack plans or using the single detonation tool. You can also disable the AI and simply use the objects to create your own scenario. Some scenarios have no AI and instead include a tightly scripted series of attack plans that can be executed one by one or in a timed sequence to tell a story. https://i.imgur.com/kFiDygt.png Other scenarios are not realistic but are designed to explain different aspects of nuclear weapons technology and strategies. Such aspects include – Mutually assured destruction – Early warning satellites and radar – Launch on warning – False alarms – Missile defense – Different types of delivery systems – etc. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/9c4b651bdf16de07e13ff824c0b4bdf5da4ba1a8.png There are other scenarios where the user has no control over the events but instead replays a prerecorded sequence of launches and detonations. Such a scenario can be used to tell a very specific story or to share the results of the detailed HYSPLIT fallout calculation. HYSPLIT can take multiple hours of calculation on large scenarios so this is a convenient way to save and share the results. Currently, NWS includes the results of all 12 scenarios of the OPEN RISOP database by David Teter (https://github.com/davidteter/OPEN-RISOP). {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/2783943d5644ea726ac5fed9f2e7eb931818ae97.png Mod types A mods browser is integrated into NWS and allows easy download of different kinds of mods. Currently, there are 5 types of mods: – Scenarios – Blueprints (predefined warheads, missiles and objects) – Object icons – Loading screens – Background music Other types of mods, like predefined object groups, will probably be added in the future. A tool to upload user-made scenarios is also integrated into the simulation. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/91aaa049be82e54708c4c7693a5643b49ac72d71.png Keep in touch with the community of NWS, use the forum to discuss your discoveries with other users, check out the site for FaQ and any information, and join the Discord server where the Dev regularly updates the users about the development progress and discusses requests and changes.

Attack plan trajectories visualization

It is now possible to visualize the trajectories for a selected attack plan (in the attack planer menu) {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/817d952e25a03f5c2fa8904af16f1f7e0f9e5e8d.png - white: ballistic missile trajectories - yellow: cruise missile trajectories - blue: aircraft paths This new feature can be used to quickly visualize an attack plan, to create illustrations and to look for intersections with the early-warning radar search fences: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/1c25ce478d1654beb2c43ef02566b9526712ddbd.png

UI improvements

Plan execution is now possible from the scenario editor giving a better overview of available attack plans and making a fast execution more comfortable: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/eee80a5776ee99752e1c76e3a08b471716d22308.png It is now possible to set the desired resolution, choose between windowed and full-screen mode, limit frame rate. The audio settings now follow the standard allowing to control main, music and effects volumes independently. A button is there to select another random track if you don't like what is playing in the moment. Some new background music is added.

Complete list of new features and bug-fixes:

Build 272 - New Feature: visualization of plans by showing trajectories - New Feature: removed auto-calculate settings. They will probably return once casualties calculation is optimized - Bug fix: entering the name of a scenario to be saved was not possible - Bug fix: wrong calculation of weapons range in automatic plan generation fixed - Optimization: effects on humans are optimized Build 262 - New Feature: graphics settings menu: resolution, windowed mode, fps limiter - New Feature: audio settings: main, music and effects volume settings. Option to play another random track if you don't like what is running at the moment. - New Feature: button added to return to the main menu - New Feature: new background music added - New Feature: Player.log is now sent to the Trello board when reporting a bug or requesting a feature through the bug-tracker - New Feature: improved the scenario editor. Plans can now be executed from the list for easier scenario coordination.

Moving human individuals, time-resolved fallout

Human individuals can now move on the map and radiation dose from fallout is calculated and displayed in a time-resolved fashion. Civil defense situations and other aspects of survival after a nuclear war can now be simulated. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/ec5f2fdd3b2da1a49c606d6a11b3ffb2e84cfc5c.png There is a new UI for intuitive selection of shelter. Humans can move on foot or in a vehicle (if available). The speed and protection factor of the vehicle can be set in the UI. The route can be chosen by clicking multiple times on the map. The fallout dose is now calculated time-step by time-step. The dose rate curve shows how each mushroom cloud arrives at the individual and then the radiation decays. When people take shelter it can be seen on the curve. These new features can be used to simulate taking shelter from fallout and evacuation.

Improved single explosion UI

{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/791d7baa837edc4cb745c6573a81d8b389ac8617.png A drop down menu is added to select one of the available warheads (for the selected country). There is also an option to select the next warhead randomly. CEP is displayed (dashed circle) and can be changed to simulate the CEP of a delivery system. Multiple detonations can be done with one click. The combination of a very large CEP and multiple detonations can be used to quickly create a random warhead placement.

Complete list of new features and bug-fixes:

- New Feature: human individuals can now move on the map, change shelter and fallout is measured in a time-resolved fashion. This enables the simulation of evacuation vs shelter-in-place strategies, civil defense scenarios and survival situation. - New Feature: human individuals can move on foot or in a vehicle. Movement speeds and protection factor of the vehicle can be set and saved. - New Feature: new, intuitive UI for shelter selection - New Feature: curves showing time-resolved radiation dose rate from fallout. The curves can show when fallout is arriving at the individual, how it decays and how changing shelter affects the exposure - New Feature: a button is added to save the parameters of one or all individuals. Parameters are not saved automatically when changed. - New Feature: "Single explosion" panel: it is possible to select one of available warheads as preset. Toggle box can be used to select a random warhead. - New Feature: "Single explosion" panel: CEP can be set - New Feature: "Single explosion" panel: it is possible to detonate multiple warheads with one click. It is possible to distribute a large number of detonations by selecting a large CEP and a large number of detonations on one click. - Bug fix: plan addition (creating a new plan with the name of an available plan) was not working with silos

- Bug fix: increased the country index map resolution to match the resolution of the population density map. This should eliminate some of the fatalities counting inconsistencies in small countries - Bug fix: fixed two errors in the calculation of the biological effects terms. The calculated dose is now lower than before the fix - Bug fix: changed all bearing angles to the widely accepted convention: clockwise angle with zero direction North

Escalation scenarios generation tool

The old scenario generation tool was greatly extended to quickly create scenarios with multiple escalation steps. The UI has options to set the escalation dynamics: - number of escalation steps - time between escalation steps - initial intensity - escalation speed - prioritization of military and civilian targets {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/2846ce715a8b97186bd652dc89461b2cb08ad49e.png Objects of civilian infrastructure are now also targeted automatically. The targeting priority of infrastructure types can be adjusted individually. Adjusting the priority of different target types and conflict timing can be used to create a new distribution of warheads every time you run the simulation. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/786ec1f8e9818d8b55796b7adb69047660a48f04.jpg

Improved UI to manage individual people

The UI to manage your family and friends was greatly improved. You now see a list with portraits, indicators of survival probability and the probable causes of death. Survival probability is also indicated as color on the map. It is also easier to find or select specific individuals on the map. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/b9b868cb23875115d65efeb4730db78c6d2ac920.png

Complete list of new features and bug-fixes:

- New Feature: escalation scenario generation tool added. Scenarios can be created with multiple escalation steps and tunable intensity. Warheads are now also distributed on objects of civilian infrastructure. - New Feature: totally reworked the UI to manage human individuals. The UI now includes a list with portraits and indicators for survival probability and probable causes of death. - New Feature: human individuals can now be selected by right-clicking on the map - New Feature: human individual icon changed to better point the location of the object - New Feature: added an option to make objects immune to crater ejecta, useful mainly for underground objects like control centers - New Feature: WSEG10 model is now calculating the cumulative dose instead of the equivalent residual dose (ERD) - Bug fix: text misalignment fixed on "Individuals" panel - Bug fix: ballistic missile traces fade out more gradually on slower time speeds - Bug fix: show/hide icons is now enforced when loading a new game states

This update includes a number of new core features and numerous minor improvements.

HYSPLIT-based fallout model

HYSPLIT is a detailed particle transport model that can be used for fallout deposition simulation. A HYSPLIT-based fallout model is now available as an alternative to the old WSEG-10 simulation. The model explicitly calculates how fallout particles of different sizes are moving through different layers of the atmosphere and where they are deposited due to gravitation or rain-out. This allows a very detailed, much more realistic simulation and much more complex fallout patterns: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/a2a10b3efada6cd7fa60980c25be87178862a2fc.png This model is using very detailed weather data and can calculate fallout transport in complex weather conditions, for example in a hurricane: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/2040a290c3693c39c4193d819a1fa3d2d834251c.png Please remember that the new model requires a lot of CPU time, so start with small scenarios, and make sure to install HYSPLIT before you try to use it.

New fires model

A new model for fires in cities is replacing the old Binninger model. The model is based on data collected in Hiroshima and describes the percentage of burnt-out buildings. The model does a much better job describing how fires from multiple detonations would merge with each-other: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/4910be9df55472402d6cbc2f3cf6f6d8d5316a0f.png The visualization is also improved: fallout and fire data now has bilinear interpolation for cleaner, less pixelated visualization.

Early-warning systems

The early-warning system consists of radar stations and satellites in GEO or HEO orbits. {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/712d544b7f54b6935204291f45eb822ac3bc1988.png The missiles will be first detected by the satellites, then by the radar stations and the signals are channeled through command centers. If the command centers are destroyed, the warning signals will never be registered. Scenarios with an early-warning system can be used to analyse the timing of launch and detection and to demonstrate how little time a leader has to react to a warning.

Curves for effects-analysis

Overpressure, thermal radiation, prompt radiation and their fatality rates con now be visualized: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/b04d0290c4b71a3095c8d82209e0ac103ca6859a.png The curves can be used to better understand different physical effects and to make sure the selected fatality rate curves make sense.

AI-assisted creation of large conflict scenarios

A new tool is added to quickly create large-scale conflicts involving multiple countries: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/8c92a0372add3b0912bd6d72721122aad7813166.png With a few clicks it is possible to allocate all available warheads of all countries and quickly estimate the potential fatalities: {STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/40703454/6ae63dae1bb3ba34f35114382b9e0eb872c97fa7.png The new tool is a great starting point for new users and will be further developed in the future.

Your files are now in Documents/My Games

The scenarios, blueprints and Individuals you create will now be saved in the folder "C:\Users\\Documents\My Games\Nuclear War Simulator" You will probably find that your old created objects can no longer be found. Please move all files from the folder "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\NWS" to "C:\Users\\Documents\My Games\Nuclear War Simulator"

Complete list of new features and bug-fixes:

- New Feature: HYSPLIT fallout model is added as a detailed alternative to the fast WSEG-10 model - New Feature: a function added to record and replay a scenario and all physical effects. This enables replaying the exact sequence of events and a fast replay of prerecorded HYSPLIT results - New Feature: early warning IR satellites and radar are added to the simulation - New Feature: the Binninger fire model is replaced by a continuous model describing how many buildings are burnt out based on Hiroshima data - New Feature: fallout and fires visualization are using bilinear interpolation to create cleaner contours - New Feature: it is possible to set the scenario start time using a UI - New Feature: it is possible to display physical effects and fatality rate vs distance as charts - New Feature: it is possible to select units, quickly give them targets and execute the plan or save it - New Feature: it is possible to select the country of selected units - New Feature: clearing the scenario resets everything, including effects on population. No need to restart the simulation anymore. - New Feature: files created by user (scenarios, blueprints, human individuals, settings and authentication token for mods.io) are saved to C:\Users\\Documents\My Games\Nuclear War Simulator and are persistent between installations - New Feature: GDAS weather files are imported into NWS and are used by the WSEG-10 fallout model and by the visualization - New Feature: New menu to generate large conflict scenarios quickly. Countries can be added to one two sides of a conflict and plans will be automatically generated. - New Feature: added country flag images to various items - Bug fix: time resets to zero on scenario restart - Bug fix: lists of blueprints could not be scrolled, now fixed. - Bug fix: when saving a CSV file and the folder is not existing, one will be created - Bug fix: two plans created with same name are now combined to one - Bug fix: WSEG-10 wind direction was wrong under certain conditions - Bug fix: civilian objects are updated on clear scenario - Optimisation: GPU calculation is accelerated by precalculating effects curves - Optimisation: calculation of overpressure on objects is accelerated