Signals Before the Fire
Overview
Signals Before the Fire is an interactive game exploring how war is transformed into systems of prediction, simulation and emotional participation.
Connecting Cold War military simulation, contemporary game culture, artificial intelligence and divination, the project follows a cyclical structure:
war simulation → games → AI → war prediction
Players enter a speculative black-box system as oracle interpreters, gradually discovering that their apparent choices operate within rules they cannot fully access or control.
Research — From War Simulation to War Prediction
The project traces a cycle in which military simulation influenced game systems, games became environments for training artificial intelligence, and AI-based prediction technologies returned to military contexts.
Rather than treating games as separate from warfare, the project considers simulation, play and prediction as interconnected systems through which conflict can be modelled, interpreted and anticipated.
Game System / Interaction Design
The core interaction follows a repeated structure:
choice → probability → outcome
The player makes selections, receives probabilistic feedback and interprets symbolic outcomes. While the interface creates a sense of participation and agency, the rules generating those outcomes remain hidden within the black-box system.
Testing & Iteration
Testing focused on how clearly players understood the interaction system, how they responded to uncertainty and probabilistic feedback, and where the relationship between choice and outcome required further clarification.
Final Outcome
Exhibition
