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DEFCON is a real-time strategy game created by independent British game developer Introversion Software. The gameplay is reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war in the films Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, and WarGames. The game is for the most part digitally distributed. The two most common sellers are Introversion's webstore and Steam. A boxed version is available exclusively from Introversion's webstore. This includes a manual and, like the retail release of Half-Life 2, requires online authentication in order to unlock all features.
Overview In DEFCON, players are given a dehumanised 1980s vector graphics computer-themed world map, a varied arsenal of nuclear weapons, and one objective: to kill as many foreign citizens as possible. A typical game will have innocent casualties numbering in hundreds of megadeaths while players try their hand at annihilating their opponents. Attacking is a very risky strategy that leaves oneself wide open to attack. In most games, all sides take heavy losses, but the player with the highest score wins. Players' scores are determined by awarding points for hostile population killed and docking points for friendly deaths. Gameplay time can be varied by configuring the speed at which events progress from real-time to 20× real-time. Most games last 30 to 40 minutes while real-time gameplay can last more than 8 hours. Pacing and DEFCON levels DEFCON is a streamlined RTS, with no unit production, resource collection, or research. Players choose and position their forces at the beginning of the game. A countdown system prevents games from disintegrating prematurely. Gameplay begins at alert level DEFCON 5 and counts down to DEFCON 1 (the highest alert level). Each upgrade in alert level brings more possibilities, ensuring that issuing orders fastest will provide as little advantage as possible. Once DEFCON 1 is reached, the game proceeds until a certain percentage (80% by default) of the total number of nuclear missiles available to all players have been launched or destroyed. Once this occurs, a victory countdown begins (45 game "minutes" by default) and the final score is announced when this countdown runs out. Multiplayer and alliances A DEFCON game can host up to six human or AI players. Alliances can be formed, broken, or renegotiated at will with human players. Alliances with CPU controled players can only be set at the start of the game. Allied players share radar coverage and line of sight, but there is no allied victory and there is only one winner. This means that almost all alliances are broken by the end of the game. Lead designer Chris Delay explains: The chat is based on the IRC model, with public and private channels to alliance members and other players. Diplomacy mode In a game with the Diplomacy option, all players start as members of a single alliance, and attempt to stay on top as the alliance disintegrates. Score is determined by survivors at the end of the game. Office mode In Office mode, the game runs in real time and cannot be sped up. The game can be quickly forced to the background making the computer available for another use, or simply to make it appear the gamer is actually working. While the game continues to run in the background, a system tray icon will notify the gamer of certain events as they occur. The office mode hotkey, sometimes referred to as the boss key, is activated by striking the escape key twice in rapid succession. A game in office mode lasts no more than six hours. In fact, the boss key is available in all game modes, but it is designed for this mode in particular. Units DEFCON uses a real-time line of sight system common to traditional RTS games, where only enemy units within radar coverage may be seen. However, a nuclear missile launch is automatically detected by all players (though the missile itself is not, and must be detected by radar), which reveals the location of the unit launching the missile. Most units have several operating modes for different functions, and require several minutes to switch modes. For instance, ordering a missile silo to switch from offensive launches to missile defense will leave it inoperative while it switches. Ground units Ground installations are immobile, and can only be destroyed by nuclear attack. Ships Naval units are organized into fleets of up to six ships which move and fight together. Fleets must be placed in territorial waters at the beginning of a game. Ships may move through the ocean, albeit slowly. Aircraft Aircraft are launched from other ground and sea units. Typically they operate autonomously after launch, but bombers and fighters can also be controlled while airborne. Reception Reviews of DEFCON have been positive: Official Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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