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Defcon (computer game)
Encyclopedia
DEFCON is a real-time strategy
game created by independent British
game developer Introversion Software
, developers of Darwinia
, Multiwinia
, and Uplink
. The gameplay is reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war
in films such as Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe
, and 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 included the developer's first game Uplink
. On April 5, 2007, U.S. publisher Encore announced they would be publishing the game in the United States, and had ordered an initial 50,000 copies of the game for retail.
computer-themed world map, a varied arsenal of nuclear and conventional weaponry, and a primary objective: destroy as much of the enemy's population as possible while having as little of one's own population destroyed as possible. A typical game will see civilian 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 are 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 (1 second in-game:1 second out-of-game) to 20* real-time. Most games last 30 to 40 minutes while real-time gameplay can last more than eight hours, depending on the mode of scoring. There is also an "Office" mode of play in which the game is permanently real-timed and can be minimised to run in the background of other computer activities, allowing the player to check in only when important events take place, and only for so long as it is necessary to modify the standing orders of each of the player's assets.
The game offers six territories that may be selected by a player or assigned to an AI opponent. These include:
All territories have by default a population of 100 million.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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 other 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. The boss key is available in all game modes, but it is designed for this mode in particular.
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.
average score of 83.3%, and a Metacritic
average score of 84/100.
1UP.com
said of Defcon, "this just may be the finest piece of 'budgetware' ever produced, with every bit as much to offer strategywise as RTS games three times its cost," praising the "elementary" interface and calling the strategic depth "enormous." 1UP also praised the visuals, calling it "one of the best-looking PC games all year." Edge
said Defcon was "worth it for the presentation alone". Eurogamer
commented that it was "the least ambitious of Introversion's games in terms of design", and "its limitations are ones of the game's basic scope," while praising Defcon as "as pure and direct a game as its inspiration."
Another is the AI's inability to vote on Alliances. If the game starts with AI players, any alliances with them must be broken by the Human player leaving. If there are two CPUs in an alliance, there is no way to separate them.
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
game created by independent British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
game developer Introversion Software
Introversion Software
-History:The company was founded in 2001 by three friends, Chris Delay; Mark Morris; and Thomas Arundel, who met when they were undergraduates at Imperial College London...
, developers of Darwinia
Darwinia (computer game)
Darwinia is the second game by Introversion Software.-Plot:Darwinia was created as a digital theme world for artificially intelligent polygons by Dr. Sepulveda. Housed in a massive network of surplus Protologic 68000 machines from the 1980s, Darwinia is a world where the single-poly Darwinians,...
, Multiwinia
Multiwinia
Multiwinia is the fourth video game made by Introversion Software, the creators of Uplink, Darwinia and Defcon. It is a real-time strategy game. It is included with the Darwinia+.-Plot:...
, and Uplink
Uplink (computer game)
Uplink is a video game released in 2001 by the British software company Introversion Software. On 23 August 2006, it was made available for purchase on Valve's Steam service and on 24 March 2011 it was made available for purchase from the Ubuntu Software Center...
. The gameplay is reminiscent of the "big boards" that visually represented thermonuclear war
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
in films such as Dr. Strangelove, Fail-Safe
Fail-Safe (1964 film)
Fail-Safe is a 1964 film directed by Sidney Lumet, based on the 1962 novel of the same name by Eugene Burdick and Harvey Wheeler. It tells the story of a fictional Cold War nuclear crisis...
, and WarGames
WarGames
WarGames is a 1983 American Cold War suspense/science-fiction film written by Lawrence Lasker and Walter F. Parkes and directed by John Badham. The film stars Matthew Broderick and Ally Sheedy....
.
The game has been available by download since September, 2006 through Introversion's webstore
Webstore
A webstore is a website that sells products or services and typically has an online shopping cart associated with it. With the popularity of the Internet rapidly increasing, online shopping became advantageous for retail store owners, and many traditional “brick and mortar” stores saw value in...
and Steam. In the UK it was released for the high street shops on June 15, 2007 and for a limited period included the developer's first game Uplink
Uplink (computer game)
Uplink is a video game released in 2001 by the British software company Introversion Software. On 23 August 2006, it was made available for purchase on Valve's Steam service and on 24 March 2011 it was made available for purchase from the Ubuntu Software Center...
. On April 5, 2007, U.S. publisher Encore announced they would be publishing the game in the United States, and had ordered an initial 50,000 copies of the game for retail.
Overview
In DEFCON, players are given a 1980s vector graphicsVector graphics
Vector graphics is the use of geometrical primitives such as points, lines, curves, and shapes or polygon, which are all based on mathematical expressions, to represent images in computer graphics...
computer-themed world map, a varied arsenal of nuclear and conventional weaponry, and a primary objective: destroy as much of the enemy's population as possible while having as little of one's own population destroyed as possible. A typical game will see civilian 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
Counterattack
A counterattack is a tactic used in response against an attack. The term originates in military strategy. The general objective is to negate or thwart the advantage gained by the enemy in attack and the specific objectives are usually to regain lost ground or to destroy attacking enemy units.It is...
.
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 are 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 (1 second in-game:1 second out-of-game) to 20* real-time. Most games last 30 to 40 minutes while real-time gameplay can last more than eight hours, depending on the mode of scoring. There is also an "Office" mode of play in which the game is permanently real-timed and can be minimised to run in the background of other computer activities, allowing the player to check in only when important events take place, and only for so long as it is necessary to modify the standing orders of each of the player's assets.
The game offers six territories that may be selected by a player or assigned to an AI opponent. These include:
- North AmericaNorth AmericaNorth America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
: Includes all of the contiguous United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, and AlaskaAlaskaAlaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
except HawaiiHawaiiHawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
. - Latin AmericaLatin AmericaLatin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
: Includes MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central AmericaCentral AmericaCentral America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and all of South AmericaSouth AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
. - EuropeEuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
: Includes all of Europe except RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
: Includes all of Africa. - RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
: Includes all of contiguous RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. - AsiaAsiaAsia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
: Includes all Asian countries except for KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, MongoliaMongoliaMongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, RussiaRussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the southeast Asian islands.
All territories have by default a population of 100 million.
Pacing and DEFCON levels
DEFCON is a streamlined real-time strategyReal-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
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
DEFCON
A defense readiness condition is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness for the U.S...
5 and counts down to DEFCON 1 (the highest alert level). Each upgrade in alert level brings more possibilities.
| 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. According to the manual, combat becomes more aggressive. |
20 min. |
| 1 | The use of nuclear weapons is authorized. Intercontinental ballistic missile Intercontinental ballistic missile An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery... s, submarine medium-range ballistic missile Medium-range ballistic missile A medium-range ballistic missile , is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km1... s, and bomber short-range ballistic missile Short-range ballistic missile A short-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,000 km or less. They are usually capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In potential regional conflicts, these missiles would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low cost... s 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 AIArtificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
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:
The chat system
Chat room
The term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
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
Diplomacy
Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states...
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 other use, or simply to make it appear the gamer is actually working. While the game continues to run in the background, a system tray
Taskbar
In computing, a taskbar is a bar displayed on a full edge of a GUI desktop that is used to launch and monitor running applications. Microsoft incorporated a taskbar in Windows 95 and it has been a defining aspect of Microsoft Windows's graphical user interface ever since. Some desktop environments,...
icon will notify the gamer of certain events as they occur. The office mode hotkey
Keyboard shortcut
In computing, a keyboard shortcut is a finite set of one or more keys that invoke a software or operating system operation when triggered by the user. A meaning of term "keyboard shortcut" can vary depending on software manufacturer...
, sometimes referred to as the boss key
Boss key
A boss key or boss button is a special keyboard shortcut used in computer games or other programs to quickly hide the program and possibly display a special screen that appears to be a normal productivity program...
, is activated by striking the escape key twice in rapid succession. A game in office mode lasts no more than six hours. 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 sightLine of sight (gaming)
Line of sight, sometimes written line-of-sight or abbreviated to LoS, is a term used in wargames and some role-playing games . It refers to visibility on the playing field. Many abilities can only be used against an enemy within line of sight.In some games, miniature figures are used to determine...
system common to traditional RTS
Real-time strategy
Real-time strategy is a sub-genre of strategy video game which does not progress incrementally in turns. Brett Sperry is credited with coining the term to market Dune II....
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.- RadarRadarRadar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
dishes provide broad radar coverage (though most units have some radar capability), but can be destroyed by a single nuke. 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 missiles 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 surface-to-air missiles effective against enemy planes and missiles—however, the limited rate of fire means the silos can 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.
- AirbaseAirbaseAn airbase is a military airfield that provides basing and support of military aircraft....
s house bombers and fighters plus a complement of five spare SRBMsShort-range ballistic missileA short-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,000 km or less. They are usually capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In potential regional conflicts, these missiles would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low cost...
to reload bombers that have launched their missiles. 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.- CarriersAircraft carrierAn aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
act as mobile airfields, scrambling fighters and nuke-equipped bombers. They are also the most powerful anti-submarine warfareAnti-submarine warfareAnti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
escorts, armed with sonarSonarSonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
and depth charges that quickly sink nearby subs. With no surface guns, they are helpless without their complement of planes. - BattleshipBattleshipA battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s are tough and carry powerful gunsNaval artilleryNaval artillery, or naval riflery, is artillery mounted on a warship for use in naval warfare. Naval artillery has historically been used to engage either other ships, or targets on land; in the latter role it is currently termed naval gunfire fire support...
effective against surface fleets and aircraft. They are vulnerable to sub and bomber attacks, so are safer with carrier escorts. - SubmarineSubmarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s 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 missilesMedium-range ballistic missileA medium-range ballistic missile , is a type of ballistic missile with medium range, this last classification depending on the standards of certain organizations. Within the U.S. Department of Defense, a medium range missile is defined by having a maximum range of between 1,000 and 3,000 km1...
, 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.- FightersFighter aircraftA fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
are light and fast, making them good at reconnaissanceSurveillance aircraftA surveillance aircraft is an aircraft used for surveillance — collecting information over time. They are operated by military forces and other government agencies in roles such as intelligence gathering, battlefield surveillance, airspace surveillance, observation , border patrol and fishery...
and interceptionInterceptor aircraftAn interceptor aircraft is a type of fighter aircraft designed specifically to prevent missions of enemy aircraft, particularly bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. Interceptors generally rely on high speed and powerful armament in order to complete their mission as quickly as possible and set up...
. They are most effective against other aircraft, though they can attack ships as well. They have a fairly short range, forcing them to return to a base or crash for lack of fuel. - BomberBomberA bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
s carry a single SRBMShort-range ballistic missileA short-range ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a range of about 1,000 km or less. They are usually capable of carrying nuclear weapons. In potential regional conflicts, these missiles would be used because of the short distances between some countries and their relative low cost...
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
- MissilesBallistic missileA ballistic missile is a missile that follows a sub-orbital ballistic flightpath with the objective of delivering one or more warheads to a predetermined target. The missile is only guided during the relatively brief initial powered phase of flight and its course is subsequently governed by the...
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 be shot down by enemy fighters or silos in defense mode, which have a small random chance of hitting the missile with any given shot—a hit will cause a limited detonation in the missile, yielding minor casualties if a city is directly beneath, or damaging or destroying a facility if one is below. 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 RankingsGame Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
average score of 83.3%, and a Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
average score of 84/100.
1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
said of Defcon, "this just may be the finest piece of 'budgetware' ever produced, with every bit as much to offer strategywise as RTS games three times its cost," praising the "elementary" interface and calling the strategic depth "enormous." 1UP also praised the visuals, calling it "one of the best-looking PC games all year." Edge
Edge (magazine)
Edge is a multi-format computer and video game magazine published by Future Publishing in the United Kingdom. It is known for its industry contacts, editorial stance, distinctive anonymous third-person writing style, yearly awards and longevity....
said Defcon was "worth it for the presentation alone". Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
commented that it was "the least ambitious of Introversion's games in terms of design", and "its limitations are ones of the game's basic scope," while praising Defcon as "as pure and direct a game as its inspiration."
Common complaints
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. In newer versions of the game, bots utilize a different strategy and will not launch until the game has been in DEFCON 1 for a fair amount of time, or more commonly when another player launches. Bots also started using more strategy in which weapons they use, SLBMs from submarines and SRBMs from bombers are often used before a silo-based ICBM is used, to avoid compromising the position of the silo. Bots are still not capable of some strategies commonly used by human players, such as using nuclear weapons to destroy the enemy's navy.Another is the AI's inability to vote on Alliances. If the game starts with AI players, any alliances with them must be broken by the Human player leaving. If there are two CPUs in an alliance, there is no way to separate them.
External links
- Product home page
- "Everybody Dies in DEFCON", (The EscapistThe Escapist (magazine)The Escapist is an online magazine covering video games, gamers, the gaming industry, and gaming culture. Published by the Themis Group, it was edited by Julianne Greer up to June 30, 2009, then by Russ Pitts through September 2011, and is currently edited by Steve Butts. The Escapist was first...
review/interview) - Interview with Chris Delay, programmer of DEFCON