fog of war
Combat's clouded vision
Fog of war is the uncertainty and confusion inherent in military operations—the incomplete information, miscommunication, and chaos that prevent commanders from knowing exactly what's happening on the battlefield.
The term extends to any complex situation where participants lack full knowledge: In the fog of war, friendly fire incidents are tragically common.
Video games use the term for mechanics that hide unexplored areas from players.
Openness to multiple interpretations
- doubtLack of firm belief
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- obscurityState of being unknown
- vaguenessAbsence of precision
indeterminacy · mystery · unknown · imprecision · incomplete information · misinformation · blind spots · speculation
Empire-building strategy game
- StarCraftBlizzard's interstellar strategy franchise
- Age of EmpiresHistorical real-time strategy series
- RTSPauseless tactical gaming genre
- strategy gamesGames requiring deliberate planning
shroud · exploration · scouting · minimap · stealth · concealment · line of sight · unexplored
Mental disorientation or bewilderment
- disarrayLack of order
- disorientationLoss of spatial awareness
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
- mayhemViolent disorder and destruction
muddle · disorder · miscommunication · friction · blunder · friendly fire · collateral damage · unintended consequences
ambiguity
Openness to multiple interpretations
- doubtLack of firm belief
- unpredictabilityState resisting forecasts
- obscurityState of being unknown
vagueness · indeterminacy · mystery · unknown · imprecision · incomplete information · misinformation · blind spots · speculation · guesswork
Civilization
Empire-building strategy game
- StarCraftBlizzard's interstellar strategy franchise
- Age of EmpiresHistorical real-time strategy series
- RTSPauseless tactical gaming genre
strategy games · shroud · exploration · scouting · minimap · stealth · concealment · line of sight · unexplored · Warcraft
confusion
Mental disorientation or bewilderment
- disarrayLack of order
- disorientationLoss of spatial awareness
- pandemoniumState of utter confusion
mayhem · muddle · disorder · miscommunication · friction · blunder · friendly fire · collateral damage · unintended consequences · split-second decisions
- game mechanicslevels, rules, cooldown, points, health points
- gameplaypower-up, level cap, save point, game over, tutorial level
- battle mapscampaign map, grid squares, hexes, terrain, choke points
- dungeon crawlersdungeon, loot, treasure chest, monster, trap
- RTS GamesStarCraft, Warcraft, Command and Conquer, Age of Empires, Red Alert
- wargamingminiatures, terrain, dice roll, rulebook, tactics
fog of waromniscience
Unlimited knowledge state
clear picture · full transparency · panopticon · open book · signals intelligence
war, fog, foggy, warrior, warfare, wars, fogs, warring, warlike