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Review of DEFCON by Introversion Software
Introversion have done it again
By holdmykidney
"Joshua called me"Kudos to Introversion software.The independent game producer that brought us Uplink and Darwinia prove once again that there is a highly competitive place for small coding groups. While they appear to have built upon their original team size of 3 to involve others, the sentiment is still there. I, for one, am glad that their games are now so hotly anticipated that the web site (http://www.everybody-dies.com) was down for most of the opening night, forcing the IV boys to sent emails to those like myself with preorders with a list of possible mirrors. The success of this group shows and I applaud them. The game was something of an unknown that you just had to get your hands on to truly understand. It's a simple enough concept to explain: Remember the Global Thermonuclear War simulator screens from the end of the classic movie Wargames? (a profound influence on Uplink as well) It's that as a game.But how to you play a game which, on the face of it, could be assumed to be a trigger reaction finale where both sides launch their first strike/retaliatory strike and both sides of the world are wiped clean in a nuclear holocaust?"How about a nice game of chess?"The answer is that the game play breaks down into a series of strategic sections, each essential for making essential strikes against your opponents cities. Every game counts down through Defcon (Military abbreviation for Defence Condition) levels 5 to 1, with 1 representing all-out nuclear war. At level 5 there is little action - only units can be placed on your selected territory. These units range from missile silos, radars and aircraft bases to three types of sea-based units. At Defcon 4, the aim is to manoeuvre your units into strategic positions unavailable during Defcon 5. At Defcons 3 and 2, it is possible to launch offensive actions against enemy naval units and aircraft. When Defcon 1 hits it allows full deployment of the nukes under your command.The strategic positioning of units is essential, with submarines providing an essential low-warning first strike against enemy radar and silo positions, and the layout of radars and silos determining how your nuclear stockpile will survive an incoming attack. Each unit is strong against certain other units but weak against others, leading to a familiar arrangement of rock-paper-scissors game play. On top on that there is no research or construction of new units. You have a stockpile of units and weapons, of which you must make best use. Game speed is variable, from real time to ultra-speed and the pace of multiplayer games is very diplomatic, moving at the slowest requested speed. Generally play will speed up as game play changes from the micro-management of fleet battles to the slow interplay of nuke launches, as the players see fit.It's quite an economical strategy game from the perspective of gamers with limited time. A typical match on default settings lasts about an hour.
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