How WorldSim Works
From historical documents to interactive simulations - understand the technology that powers immersive historical learning experiences.
1. Document Sources & RAG System
Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) is a technology that combines document retrieval with AI generation. Instead of relying solely on pre-trained knowledge, our system retrieves relevant passages from your uploaded documents to inform every scenario.
How it works:
- Documents are split into semantic chunks
- Each chunk is converted to a vector embedding
- Embeddings are stored in a vector database
- Relevant chunks are retrieved based on similarity
- Retrieved context informs AI generation
American Yawp
A massively collaborative open U.S. history textbook, providing comprehensive coverage of American history with scholarly accuracy.
Your Documents
Upload your own PDFs, textbooks, primary sources, or lecture notes to create custom scenarios based on your curriculum.
Web Resources
Link to online historical archives, museum collections, and educational resources to expand your source material.
2. AI Scenario Generation
Historical Context
The AI analyzes retrieved documents to understand the historical period, key events, major players, and underlying tensions that shaped the era.
Faction Creation
Based on historical analysis, the system identifies major factions - nations, political parties, social movements - each with distinct goals, resources, and constraints.
Turn Structure
Scenarios are divided into turns representing key decision points. Each turn presents historically-grounded choices across multiple spheres of action.
Generated Scenario Components:
3. Turn-by-Turn Gameplay
Diplomatic
Treaties, alliances, negotiations, and international relations
Economic
Trade policies, tariffs, industrialization, and resource management
Political
Domestic policies, reforms, elections, and governance
Military
Defense strategies, deployments, and armed conflicts
Review Historical Context
Read the turn summary describing the current situation and pressures
See Historical Actions
Learn what your faction actually did historically in each sphere
Make Your Decision
Choose to follow history or take a different path - explain your reasoning
See Consequences
Watch how your choices combine with other factions to shape events
4. Turn Evaluation & Historical Trajectories
How Turns Are Evaluated
After all students submit their decisions, the AI evaluates the combined impact of all faction choices to generate a new historical trajectory.
Actual History
The benchmark preserves what actually happened - the decisions leaders made and their real consequences. This serves as the reference point for comparison.
"What If" Analysis
When students deviate from history, the system traces those changes forward, showing how different choices might have led to different outcomes - illuminating historical contingency.
The Learning Insight
By exploring "what might have happened," students gain deeper understanding of why things happened the way they did. They see that history wasn't inevitable - it was shaped by specific decisions made by real people facing difficult choices with incomplete information.