DEFCON (video game)
| DEFCON | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Introversion Software |
| Designer(s) | Chris Delay Gary Chambers |
| Platform(s) | Windows Mac OS X Linux |
| Release | September 29, 2006 (Steam) June 15, 2007 (UK Retail) |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
DEFCON is a real-time strategy game created by independent British game developer Introversion Software, developers of Darwinia. The gameplay is reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war in the films Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe, and especially WarGames.
The game has been available by download since September, 2006 through Introversion's webstore and Steam. In the UK it was released for the high street shops on June 15 2007 and for a limited period includes the developer's first game Uplink. On April 5, 2007, U.S. publisher Encore announced they will be publishing the game in the United States, and have ordered an initial 50,000 copies of the game for retail. It will sell for $29.99.[2]
Gameplay
Overview
In DEFCON, players are given a dehumanised 1980s vector graphics computer-themed world map, a varied arsenal of nuclear weapons, and a primary objective: destroy as much of the enemy's population as possible. A typical game will see "innocent" casualties numbering in the millions (megadeaths) while players try their hand at annihilating their opponents. Attacking is a very risky strategy that leaves oneself wide open to counterattack.
In most games, all sides take heavy losses, but the player with the highest score wins. Players' scores are determined according to one of three schemes: Default (gain 2 points for 1 megadeath caused, lose 1 point for 1 megadeath suffered), Survivor (gain 1 point per million survivors in your territory) or Genocide (gain 1 point for each megadeath caused); though functionally identical in a one-on-one conflict, each scoring scheme suggests large differences in strategy in larger multiplayer conflicts.
The Default scoring scheme is an average game where players can freely choose their own strategies and where the largest amount of variability could possibly be seen. It is a friendly balance of defense and offense, and is generally the most widely played mode online. The Survivor scoring system tends to have players be more defensive and tactful in their exploits, as there is no points for kills, and sometimes drawing out games to many hours. Nuclear weapons are typically employed as last resorts, as it is possible to win the match using only the initial naval units. The Genocide scoring system is most akin to a "sudden death" match. All players tend to launch nukes very early on in the round, causing fast games with high death counts, and very limited strategies.
Gameplay time can be varied by configuring the speed at which events progress from real-time to 20 times real-time. Most games last 30 to 40 minutes while real-time gameplay can last more than eight hours.
The game offers six territories that may be selected by a player or assigned to an AI opponent. These include:
- North America: Includes all of the contiguous United States, Canada, and Alaska.
- South America: Includes Mexico, Central America, and all of South America.
- Europe: Includes all of Europe except Russia and Turkey.
- Africa: Includes all of Africa.
- USSR: Includes all of contiguous Russia.
- Asia: Includes all Asian countries except for Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Russia and the southeast Asian islands.
Pacing and DEFCON levels
DEFCON is a streamlined Real-time strategy game, with no unit production, resource collection, or technology tree upgrades. 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.
| DEFCON level |
Status | Reached |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | No hostile action. Players may place units and fleets and units can move into international waters. | Game start |
| 4 | No hostile action. Radar coverage will provide information on units within range. Players may continue to place units and fleets and move units into international waters. | 6 min. |
| 3 | Conventional naval and airborne combat is authorized. Units and fleets can no longer be placed. | 12 min. |
| 2 |
No effective change from DEFCON 3. This is the final stage before nuclear weapons are available. |
20 min. |
| 1 | The use of nuclear weapons is authorized. ICBMs, submarine MRBMs, and bomber SRBMs are available. | 30 min. |
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 controlled 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:
We've seen alliance members shooting overhead friendly planes down because they believed the planes were scouting the area for targets in preparation for a strike. This results in arguments in the chat channels, followed by skirmishes at sea, followed by retaliation, before finally the whole alliance collapses and everyone starts nuking the hell out of each other. It's awesome.
The chat system features a public channel, in which all players may communicate, as well as channels private to specific alliances, and direct player-to-player private messaging.
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 not by enemy population killed, but by which territory has the highest percentage of 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 from a silo or submarine 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. A nuclear missile launch from a bomber, however, does not reveal the location of the bomber.
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 be destroyed by nuclear attack.
- Radar dishes provide broad radar coverage (though most units have some radar capability), but they are destroyed by a single nuke. Often they are among the first targets, because they enhance other defense installations; for instance, a missile silo's firing range far outstrips its radar range. A radar dish can be destroyed if a fighter or bomber runs out of fuel or is shot down directly over it, even before DEFCON 1.
- Missile silos have two modes: launching nuclear attacks or shooting down incoming missiles and planes. In the attack mode, a silo has ten ICBMs that may be fired at any target in the world, though doing so alerts all players and reveals the silo's position. On defense, a silo automatically fires anti-air missiles effective against enemy planes and missiles – however, the limited rate of fire means the silos may be overwhelmed by many incoming missiles. Unlike most units, silos are hardened against nuclear strikes, taking three hits to destroy, although each strike eliminates half (rounded down) of the silo's nuke stockpile.
- Airbases house bombers and fighters (starting with five of each) plus a complement of five spare SRBMs to reload bombers that have launched their missile. They launch planes and provide a landing point for orphaned aircraft, and also build new fighters automatically throughout the game. Airbases take two hits to destroy; on the first hit, half of the airbase's currently landed aircraft and missiles are destroyed.
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.
- Carriers act as mobile airfields, scrambling fighters and nuke-equipped bombers. They are also the most powerful anti-submarine warfare escorts, armed with sonar and depth charges that quickly sink nearby subs. With no surface guns, they are helpless without their complement of planes.
- Battleships are tough and carry powerful guns effective against surface fleets and aircraft. They are vulnerable to sub and bomber attacks, so are safer with carrier escorts.
- Submarines carry torpedoes and an arsenal of five nukes. Sub attacks are dangerous against enemy ships, though subs are easily killed by carriers. Subs are invisible to radar but carry no radar of their own; they may use active sonar to pursue other naval units, at the risk of exposing their position. Their real power comes from their missiles, which can devastate coastal cities, or quickly hit defenses before a full-scale strike. Subs must surface to fire nukes, leaving them open to counterattack before they can fire all their missiles; the launch also alerts all players to the sub's location.
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.
- Fighters are light and fast, making them good at reconnaissance and interception. They are most effective against other aircraft, though they can attack ships as well. Also, if an incoming missile is detected on radar, they can be launched to attack it (they will, however, be unable to kill it). They have a fairly short range, forcing them to return to a base or crash for lack of fuel.
- Bombers carry a single SRBM missile that may be fired at a nearby target. Bombers have a long range to deliver this payload, but are vulnerable during the trip. Unlike silo- and submarine-based nukes, firing the missile does not alert everyone to the launch, making it a stealthier option. They also have a conventional attack that does heavy damage to ships.
Missiles
- Missiles deliver a devastating payload. A direct hit on a city will kill half of the current living civilians. Between one and three hits are required on the hardened buildings that players place to destroy them. Missiles can only be shot down by enemy silos in defense mode — several hits will cause them to crash, causing minor casualties if a city is directly beneath the crash site. Once launched from a silo (ICBM), submarine (called MRBM, although technically an SLBM), or bomber (called SRBM, although technically an ALBM), missiles cannot be retargeted, though they can be disarmed in mid-flight. Missiles can also target sea-based units and will destroy any aircraft caught in their blast radius.
Reception
Reviews of DEFCON have been mostly positive with a Game Rankings average score score of 85%,[3] and a Metacritic average score of 84.[4]
- IGN gives it a score of 8.5. User reviews average out to 8.6.[5]
- IGN UK gives it a score of 8.8.[6]
- GameSpot gives it a score of 8.1.[7]
Common complaints
One thing that DEFCON players and reviewers alike have complained about is the lack of a single-player game and how the AI bots found in-game aren't scalable, which tends to make for a very routine game anytime bots are used. Bots are typically notable for their immediate usage of nukes. During online play, if a player leaves during a game, a "CPU" player will take their place. This usually results in the computer launching all of its remaining nukes as soon as possible, foregoing any conventional strategy. [8]
See also
References
- ^ http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/downloads/patch.html
- ^ "Defcon Bombing US Retail". Next Generation. 5 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-8.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ DEFCON at Game Rankings
- ^ DEFCON at Metacritic
- ^ DEFCON review at IGN
- ^ DEFCON review at IGN UK
- ^ DEFCON review at GameSpot
- ^ Most desired patch upgrade?