ChristianRouffaer

Hi GranQ, I guess you know the answer to your first question. I’m sorry if your mission wasn’t selected at the end but I hope you agree with the judges. I must say I was impressed by all the little bits and pieces of IHL, Human Rights and Geneva Conventions stuff I discovered in the entries I tested. I think gamers should have the choice to fight by the rules or not and what I experienced seems to prove it’s not detrimental to the gameplay. I would really like to see a MP mod that would include all the very innovative way to integrate IHL concepts I saw in different entries. But who know, this might happen one day! Thank you again for your support. Cheers, Christian ---------- Post added at 04:51 ---------- Previous post was at 04:34 ---------- Hi Kydoimos, Thank you very much for the soundtrack (great stuff) and congratulations on winning the SP mission contest (I really enjoyed playing/testing them). Cheers Christian

Good afternoon Rye, If you have questions about the "Health Care in Danger" section of the contest, please let me know as I might be the right person to give you answers and, hopefully, clarify the situation. Have a good day! Christian

At your service! I’m glad my explanations were clear (somehow). Regarding the ICRC position on armed drones and automated weapons, we publisher several articles I can share the links with you: http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/interview/2013/05-10-drone-weapons-ihl.htm this page is about IHL and new technologies: http://www.icrc.org/eng/war-and-law/contemporary-challenges-for-ihl/ihl-new-technologies/index.jsp I don’t think new technologies will radically affect the way we interpret the spirit of the law. The principles of distinction or proportionality will still apply even if giant robots are deployed on future battlefields. It’s trickier with new methods of warfare like cyber-warfare. But as long as your targeting is right, it won’t be an issue. If you have precise questions, I can always send them to my colleagues in Geneva who are dealing with that kind of issues on daily basis. I’m just the video game guy… :D Cheers

I’m sorry Kydoimos, my answer about that topic was in another treads. http://forums.bistudio.com/showthread.php?179016-ICRC-authorization For the emblems, the lawmakers were careful not to define too precisely the shapes and colors of the emblems. This was done to prevent legal arguments around an emblem that would look 99% similar (different tone of red, different shape of the Cristal/Cross/Crescent). So anything that looks roughly like a Red Cross/Cristal/Crescent on a white background is considered protective emblems themselves protected by international laws. So if your “geometric form†is similar to a red cristal on a white background, it’s an emblem :) It’s not a problem to combine your Red Cristal with the ICRC acronym as we have to right to use it. Armed forces have to the right to use it as well as the national Red Cross/Red Crescent societies like the Australian Red cross or the Iranian Red Crescent. You can take an unarmed APC, declare it’s an ambulance a place a Red Cristal on it, it’s legal! But it would be illegal for any other organizations to use the emblems. We had this discussion with Bohemia Interactive. We agreed that as long as the emblems are used on MEDEVAC vehicles or medical facilities, it is ok. It’s more complicated with the “combat medicsâ€. If the sole purpose of that “combat medic†is to provide health care to wounded, he can use an emblem. If that “combat medic†is just the “first-aid†expert of a platoon with other combat functions, then he should not us an emblem. This is why Bohemia Interactive do not use Red Crystals on the uniforms of the “combat life-saver†available for each factions. I understand that it might sound complicated as the emblems are not regulated by the same laws than commercial brands. This is why we are taking great care of them so they remain universals symbols of protection and heath care. Please let me know if you have more questions and, once again, a big thank you for your initiative. Christian

Excellent job! This poster is great! Anti-personnel land mines are not making any distinctions between legitimate targets and civilians/humanitarian workers/health care personnel who might step on them. They are a threat to anyone trying to provide health care services in conflict zones. Like in the real world, ARMA3 gives you the possibility to use anti-personnel land mines. It’s your choice as it was decided (rightly) not to artificially ban such weapons from the game. Like real commanders, you need to choose your means and methods of warfare depending of your objectives and rules of engagements. Just one remark regarding the use of the Red Cristal emblem on the poster. The emblem is not a problem, the ICRD acronym, yes. I checked the meaning of ICRD and this is a sample of the answer I got: ICRD - International Center for Religion and Diplomacy ICRD - Institute for Child Rights and Development (University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) ICRD -Institute for Community Resource Development (Chicago, Illinois) ICRD - Iredell County Recreation Department (North Carolina) ICRD - Integrated Cassava Research and Development (Colombia) ICRD - Information Centre for Rare Diseases ICRD - Information and Community Relations Department (Makati, Philippines) Well… ICRC would love to see all these organizations fighting against anti-personnel landmines but they cannot use the Red Cross/Cristal/Crescent together with their names or acronyms. As I said, it’s not a “branding†issue but we need to defend the protective nature of the emblems so they cannot be confused with anything else on the battlefields. This is also the whole point of the Health Care in Danger campaign. The emblems bearers should not be subject to attacks because they are doctors, nurses, ambulances/MEDEVAC crews or members of the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. This poster is a great initiative but I would kindly suggest changing the ICRD to ICRC or the Altis Red Cristal Society! Cheers

Good morning Darkhorse, To start from the end of your message, I cannot agree more when you are saying that nothing is black or white. Most of the time it’s 15 shades of grey… ;-) About the ICRC logo. Just to clarify what we are talking about. This is the ICRC logo: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ICRC_Logo.png This is a good exemple from the field: http://www.icrc.org/fre/resources/documents/photo-gallery/photos-emblem-271005.htm Armed forces are authorized to use any of the 3 protective emblems (Red Crescent, Red Cross or Red crystal) before or during an armed conflict (but not on Chinese medicine clinics in peace time…). In the first chapter of the ICRC doctrine, it’s specified that wounded, sick our “out of combat†soldiers are our priority. The Red Cross “emerged†from a battlefield (Solferino 1859) so it’s naturally where it belongs. Medical personnel and their vehicles must be clearly identified with one of the 3 protective emblems. The army medical personnel can carry a weapon to protect themselves and their patients (hand weapons, assault rifles but no sniper rifles or rocket launchers!). The vehicles can be armored and of any types (Ships, APC, helicopters, etc). If you saw the ICRC logo used on an army vehicle, this was very wrong and against all rules I know. I went to several conflict zones since 2001 and I never faced this kind of issue. Most of the time our emblem is slightly modified my NGOs who would like to show they are providing medical services. The simple fact most peoples around the world link the Red Cross and medical services is already an achievement. Now we need to make sure they won’t shoot at it! I agree with you that “sugarcoating†games is not a good idea. Since the beginning of the ICRC project on video games, we asked video games publishers to add more authenticity to their products. We strongly oppose the idea that civilians should be removed from games. Most of the fighting are taking place in urban settings and the destruction of civilian’s buildings seems to be one of the most popular activities offered to the fans of those games. Some game editors said: we removed civilians because gamers will shoot them. Well… this is “sugarcoating†to me! Bring the civilians back in and explain to the gamers they cannot shoot at everything that move in front of them! Same for ambulances, hospitals and army medical doctors who tend to be mostly good at using grenade launchers and shocking enemies with their defibrillators… Best regards, Christian ---------- Post added at 02:33 ---------- Previous post was at 02:12 ---------- Hi IndeedPete, The creation of a new “futuristic†emblem or international humanitarian organization for ARMA3 is, of course, possible. The fact the conflict in ARMA3 is happening in 2035 is not really an issue as the ICRC’s birthday is 1859… I thing we will still exist in 2035! If you decide to create your own protective emblem, please make it very different than the original Red Cross emblem… Blue crosses, pink crosses, yellow crosses are everywhere and it’s confusing! Once you have your new emblem, for example the “green meatballâ€, you will have to inform gamers about it. Warning gamers, shooting at vehicles painted with the “green meatball†emblem will be considered a crime… This is why most people prefer to use one of the emblems or create (and this is wrong) something slightly different but still recognizable as something similar to the Red Cross/Crescent/Crystal. Everywhere you are in the world, when you are looking for the infirmary in an airport, even if you don’t speak a word of the local language. What “symbol†are you looking for? I guess not the “green meatballâ€! So my piece of advice, stick to the stuff 99% of the people knows and help ICRC making sure it’s respected. Best regards, Christian

Good morning IndeedPete, I would agree with you in the case the Red Cross would just be a commercial brand or logo. Fortunately, it’s not the case and copyright is not the issue here. Hereunder 2 extracts from that book I mentioned in one of my previous messages. As you will see, unlike the Red Cross/Crescent/Cristal emblems, no soda or car brands are specifically protected by an international law Quote The emblem The red cross emblem used by the ICRC is obviously the emblem per se, i.e., a red cross on a white background, in its original form and without alteration or addition. The red cross emblem was recognized under the 1864 Geneva Convention and has been confirmed by subsequent Conventions. The Commentary on GC I declares that “[t]he protective sign, consisting of a red cross on a white ground, as prescribed by the Geneva Convention, should always be displayed in its original form, without alteration or addition.†“The Proceedings of the Diplomatic Conference of 1906 are, moreover, explicit: the Conference deliberately refrained from defining the form of the cross, since definition might have led to dangerous abuses. The reasons are clear. If the form of the cross had been rigidly defined, attempts might have been made to justify attacks on installations protected by the Convention, on the pretext that the emblems displayed were not of the prescribed dimensions. Similarly, unscrupulous persons could have taken advantage of a rigid definition to use a slightly larger or slightly smaller red cross for commercial purposes. For the same reasons, the Convention does not specify the shape of the white ground or the exact shade of red in the cross, as Switzerland has done for its flag.†Unquote So even if the cross is not nicely done and the background is more grey than white (I can tell you that our flag in Bangkok is very grey due to the atmospheric pollution…), it's still an emblem and not just geometry. Best regards, Christian

Hello Anthariel, As a general rule the ICRC is not against the use of the emblems (Red Cross, Red Crescent or Red Cristal) in video games as long as they are used properly. I’ll quote one of our top experts on this topic who wrote to me recently about that that. Quote …the emblems may of course be represented in virtual representation of a conflict zone, provided the emblem’s representations conform at all time with the uses defined and permitted under IHL and are not detrimental to the prestige and respect of the emblem and its protective function. Unquote Like MistyRonin said, you can use the Red Cristal like in the original ARMA 3 version. You can also give different emblems to different factions but, please, do not mix emblems in the same faction (prohibited). I would advise you not to use the ICRC logo as it cannot be deployed by any other organization (on hospitals, medical vehicles, etc.) in conflict zone (for example: the use of the Red Cross/Crescent/Cristal emblems on hospital during peacetime is prohibited, only your national Red Cross/Crescent national society and your armed forces are allowed to use them during peacetime). Real armed forces would never ever use the ICRC logo. Please have a look at this document: http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p4057.htm It’s a very long document but, in fact, it’s just a kind of Q&A. You will find in this document all the rules attached to the use of the emblems. You can also post your questions on this forum (maybe in a new thread in the “health care in danger†section) and I would try providing answers as quickly as possible. Cheers

This « zombie autopsies » book sounds fun (I’m a Si-Fi fan)! If there is a dilemma regarding medical ethics, I can probably read it during my working hours… Now my turn pointing the finger to some ICRC publications that might be helpful for all contestants. This one is very heavy but this is our latest version of an IHL manual for members of the armed forces: http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p0431.htm We also created something very short for operational commanders. It’s a kind of check list with everything a commander should take into consideration when planning a military operation (the main contributor to this publication is a former UK Royal Marine with tons of combat experience) http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p4120.htm For the people interested by the work of medics dealing with war wounded, this is the reference (it’s a very gruesome book, please be aware of that): http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p4105.htm Or on first aid http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/documents/publication/p0870.htm You can download the PDF versions for free. I let you explore the database, you might discover something interesting. Regarding your question on the use of other addons or mods, I don’t really know what to answer! I will check with Bohemia Interactive what could be done about that. The other option is to team-up with somebody else who can create what you need. In the rules, it’s mentioned that we would take up to 2 people for that trip (+ someone from Bohemia Interactive). Cheers

Ok, good story but I see some crucial elements missing… 1. Where is Henry Dunant! 2. Where are the brave, courageous, heroic (but still modest) ICRC delegates? 3. We need a lawyer to clarify the legal statue of Zombies with regards to the use of force, against them, in a non-international armed conflict. Hmmm, no, it’s not working… And it’s not an international armed conflict… damn! Ok, we need more lawyers… LEAVE THE ZOMBIES ASIDE PLEASE or the world will face a lawyers invasion! :D

Great idea! You wake up in a hospital with your patient robe and you realize that while you were asleep, hordes of zombies destroyed the world! You are desperate until you notice a good looking pile of books next to your bed… An original copy of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, all 4 volumes + the ADDITIONAL PROTOCOLS!!! Youhou! You feel like the luckiest man in the world! Then a zombie enters you room and eat your brain while you are trying to understand the difference between an international armed conflict and a non-international armed conflict… I see potential here. ;-)

Hi super-truite Well... I cannot really talk about that right now... but will soon release a LOAC (law of armed conflicts) e-learning training video for members of non-state armed groups. This is our latest attempt to reach combatants we cannot have access to directly. We always prefer to train people where they are with one of our 35 armed forces experts but, unfortunately, some regions are currently off limit for security reasons. I think this new training tool will be a brilliant example how Bohemia Interactive supports ICRC in the field of training. I’m sorry; I cannot be more explicit for the moment.

Hello Rydygier, Thank you for the question(s). I see many different points that deserve further explanations. First of all, I’m not going to tell you fairytales about how dangerous could be our life as ICRC delegate in some contexts. Just a few hours ago, one of my colleagues died in Libya. He was shot by a group of unknown gunmen. So yes, going to such places is restricted to people who are ready and fully aware of the risks. This is one of the reasons why the ICRC is only working with trained professionals. Having said this, to the question: are you planning to send the winner to Syria, Libya, Afghanistan or Ukraine? The answer is no. The main reason is because we are not offering a “sightseeing†tour to take nice pictures of people who lost everything. The winner will be offered the possibility to participate to the ICRC activities as much as possible. Of course, we would ask the winner his/her opinion before! We have “humanity†as one of our core principles… In the case the winner is not willing to go to a conflict area (we can understand that); we still have dozens of other possible locations as our activities stretch from food assistance to the teaching of the International Humanitarian Law to armed forces. What about joining one of our armed forces delegate during a training session? Depending of what the winner created, he might be offered the possibility to work with me in Bangkok on some new training tools we are currently developing with ARMA 3. I can tell you, even after the military coup, tourists are still flooding the place! Regarding the language skills, I’m afraid basic English or French (the 2 ICRC official languages) are required to join us in the field. But honestly, if someone throws hundreds of hours into the contest to create something awesome, we would look for a solution! After all, we are a very multicultural organization with people from every corner of the world. I don’t know if I answered all your questions but the participants to the contest should not be worried, we are going to “customize†that price to make it a unique and useful experience for everybody, the people we are trying to help included as they are the reason behind everything we do. Take care

Hi, it’s Christian, the guy (talking too much) on the ICRC video… Sorry if I haven’t posted a message earlier but I was in Australia. I just would like to say that starting from today; I’ll be checking the forum every day to answer all your questions regarding the “Health Care in Danger†section of the ARMA 3 contest. I’ll only post my answers on public forums as I don’t want to favor any competitor in particular. The “Health Care in Danger†campaign is very important for the ICRC but also for all these anonymous men and women who risk their lives to save others every day. This campaign is not about charity, fundraising or lobbying. This campaign is about respect. Take care and “fire at will†your questions. Christian Rouffaer ICRC Bangkok