Introversion T - 4 Months Till Nuclear Capability

[Liquidize105]

Introversion, the developers behind the British-born Darwinia and Uplink are back with Defcon (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62477), which is quite literally the last game you'll ever need.

Kudos to Eurogamer (http://www.eurogamer.net/index.php) for the standoff.


Eurogamer: Let's start at the highest level here. What's Defcon all about?

Chris Delay: The game simulates Global Thermonuclear War.

Eurogamer: And, in an ideal world, we should end the interview just there, but I think we'd probably better elaborate a bit. How does the game work? What sort of vibe have you gone for?

Chris Delay: Points are scored by successfully nuking the enemy civilian population into oblivion. This is an extremely difficult task because launching an attack on the enemy makes you very vulnerable - Ground Silos and Subs and Bombers all give away their positions the moment they launch nuclear weapons.

We're playing this game every day and people keep coming up with new strategies - but the bottom line is it's very difficult to win convincingly. Games often end with both sides obliterated. It's a fascinating and nervous game to play.

We've gone for a very minimal atmosphere, with some wonderful ambient music playing (written by Alistair Lindsay and Michael Maidment - the same guys that did the awesome Darwinia audio). There's very little in-game sound except deep rumbles when nukes hit. It's like you're ten miles underground in a bunker, bringing the world to an end one city at a time, completely detached from the millions of deaths you are causing.
This game should be rated M for adult subject matter, simply because there has never been, and will never be a better indication of self-mutilation than an indiscriminate Global Thermonuclear War.


http://www.eurogamer.net/assets/articles/a62477/a_med_1.jpg (http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=62477)

[Abdiel]

I really want to play this game

[agentgray]

Wow. I remember the first time I saw War Games and it was pretty intense. I don't know. This could really take dehumanization to a whole new level. Of course, I don't see a kid playing this, but an adult...wow. I just don't know.

Every kid should see Fail-Safe (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058083/), the Fonda version not the Cloony. However, good luck explaining it all.

I wonder if they put scenarios like Fail-Safe into the game?

[LilEvilFish]

ooo pretty, look at all the geometric shapes when they get dead!

I should really get hold of darwinia

[Librum]

Hey, I'm all for it. My favorite part of the Civ games was getting the weapons of mass destruction and raining righteous fire down upon all those who opposed me, and then having an army of Settlers scrub my empire clean every turn.

Also reminds me of a (I think) Amiga or Apple game from about 15-18 years ago where you were some sort of UN monitor that was tasked with avoiding nuclear war among the super powers, so you had to help manage various crises. If you did a poor job, the nukes would fly, and you'd eventually get voted out of office.

This might be what I had hoped the Superpower games would be like - those were pretty bad.

[dartt]

I am really excited about this game.

I've been a fan of Introversion since playing the Uplink demo all those years ago; as this will be their first multiplayer effort, I'm pretty pumped.

This could hit just in time for my 20th birthday (now you know what to get me).

[F3nyx]

Maybe I just don't "get" their design philosophy, but this looks overwhelmingly dull. Yes, it's a strategy game, but it's a terribly abstract one. I bet it won't be nearly as fun as Missile Command.

[Salamande]

Personally, I wonder why it took someone this long to make this game. I'm looking forward to seeing what these folks push out.

[bone_matrix]

I really enjoyed Uplink (up until I needed a microphone). I'll be looking forward to this one.

[DingBat]

I love the way people who'd normally not give a second thought to playing Grand Theft Auto get all squirmy at the thought of this game.

[Klade]

Would you like to play a game?

[Worldcrafter]

I love the way people who'd normally not give a second thought to playing Grand Theft Auto get all squirmy at the thought of this game.

Well, with one you're thinning the herd. With the other, you're pock marking the earth's surface. Kind of a different concept, even without the graphics.

[Deadend]

This looks to be my kind of RTS.

[bKangy]

Mmm, can't wait for this. Sure, it's pretty... mature subject matter, but in a good way. It engages the mind in interesting ways :)

[nonchalance]

Sounds a lot like Nuclear War (http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/), perhaps without so much black humour.

It feels kinda weird to be asking for change out of 25 million people.

[mister_slim]

Shows you can have pretty and clever in the same package. Anyway, back to the singles ads.

[dartt]

I really enjoyed Uplink (up until I needed a microphone). I'll be looking forward to this one.

At what point in Uplink do you need a microphone?

Do you mean the in game voice analysis software?

If so, you don't need a real life microphone, it's just part of the game.

[MaiXu]

Console version(s) ... please?

[Apex]

Coooool

Anyone remember playing Nuclear War on the Amiga 500? hehe

Maybe I just don't "get" their design philosophy, but this looks overwhelmingly dull. Yes, it's a strategy game, but it's a terribly abstract one. I bet it won't be nearly as fun as Missile Command.

You cant of played any of their games? Uplink was a great game, can play it over and over again.

[nonchalance]

Console version(s) ... please?

XBL Arcade would be an awesome place for this game, in my dreamworld where everyone on XBL is a really cool person.

[Neosho]

This game looks awesome.

[Kagger]

How about a nice game of chess instead?

[Deadend]

How about a nice game of chess instead?

But.... Chess lacks Nuclear Capabilites. :(

Come on, Kagger....

Lets Play A Game.

[Zanzibar]

Maybe they'll follow Sega's lead with Full Auto and have an 'UnNuke' feature.

[GrinR]

Sounds awesome... for some reason Diplomacy keeps coming to mind.

[fitbabits]

Cool, this looks like fun. Can you say that about a global thermonuclear war simulation?

[midrael]

I really enjoyed Uplink and I'm really looking forward to this game. This sounds like it's right up my alley. I can't wait to battle my friends to the utter global thermonuclear destruction!

[Spigot]

I'll have to join in the chorus of thousands (well, 27, thus far) to say, "I can't wait!"

I love Uplink (stupid copy protection aside), Darwinia is delightful and now this. They have staked their turf in the 'pseudo-computer simulation simulation' genre and will likely continue to do so with this.

[Busted_Astromech]

Cool, this looks like fun. Can you say that about a global thermonuclear war simulation?

That's the interesting thing about this concept: you, as a person of the 21st century, are fully aware of how terrible the consequences of victory are. The developers realize this and are exploiting it: the game is presented as a perfect copy of a tactical map like we see in movies; this lends it greater authenticity as opposed to a closer depiction which would be obviously fake (polygon people). The developers are introducing cognitive dissonance to get you to think.

It's a great concept and I hope it turns out.

[gnomicide]

I thought the whole point of an initial nuclear strike was to destroy the enemy's nuclear strike capabilities. Anything less condemns your own population to annihilation.

[bone_matrix]

At what point in Uplink do you need a microphone?

Do you mean the in game voice analysis software?

If so, you don't need a real life microphone, it's just part of the game.


Really? I couldn't figure out anyway past it, so i figured I needed a real microphone. Granted, I haven't played in a while, so I don't really remember what I needed to do...

[jwbxx]

Would you like to play a game?I want a modem like the one dude had in war games, it was so blazing fast.

You just need a giant telephone and some sort of whack receiver.

Oh and the scene where he changes his grades. The first time i saw that, and every other kid in america saw that i was like "oh shit i need to get myself a computer."

[Zeal]

This is now my most wanted game.

[genocidalrobot]

I am pumped for this. Almost as much as Chris Taylor's next RTS.

[Noiz]

I thought the whole point of an initial nuclear strike was to destroy the enemy's nuclear strike capabilities. Anything less condemns your own population to annihilation.
It's called mutually assured destruction (MAD) and it's a large part of why we're still actually alive.

Really? I couldn't figure out anyway past it, so i figured I needed a real microphone. Granted, I haven't played in a while, so I don't really remember what I needed to do...
If I remember rightly you had to find out the contact details for the server's admin, then phone him/her up. If you had the right software it would record their "Hello? Hello?" and then be able to shape it into the right phrase to get access.

You just need a giant telephone and some sort of whack receiver.
An accoustic coupler!



The thing that intruiges me about this game is how, just like in the film, most matches end in a lose/lose situation in the form of complete, global destruction. I think it'll make for some very interesting games as well as making us all realise how close to extinction we are at any given moment.

[Varsity]

My favourite quote: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.That's what I call tension.

[Liquidize105]

I thought the whole point of an initial nuclear strike was to destroy the enemy's nuclear strike capabilities. Anything less condemns your own population to annihilation.
See, ever since submarines started carrying nuclear SLBMs that just doesn't work anymore.

[Machiavelli]

anyone else besides me reminded by the 'Se7en Days' episode were the guy invents a game were you have to fly a missile through obsticles to its destination. Only to find out he hacked into the governments anti missile... missiles and the missiles all the kids were flying around hitting there targets were infact real missiles... in real life... hitting real targets...

kinda reminded me of that.

hides under bed.

:P

[Taco]

This sounds really really cool.

[TacRod]

Possibly the last video game I will ever need. I've been waiting for something like this for years.

[agentgray]

anyone else besides me reminded by the 'Se7en Days' episode were the guy invents a game were you have to fly a missile through obsticles to its destination. Only to find out he hacked into the governments anti missile... missiles and the missiles all the kids were flying around hitting there targets were infact real missiles... in real life... hitting real targets...

kinda reminded me of that.

hides under bed.

:P
Spoiler! Spoiler!





Yes. Those of us in the know call that Ender's Game.

[NeuroMan42]

Greetings, Professor Falken.

Shall we play a game?

[YoungAlCapone]

Morally reprehensible or not, I want to play this game, badly. After reading that interview I am positive that I will pick it up at my first opportunity to do so. Damn this game sounds hot.

I can only imagine the strategies involved, trying to completely destroy the enemy without getting completely destroyed yourself. Forming alliances only to be betrayed because your allies were suspicious of your activities. Oh, and office mode sounds incredible, too bad I don't work with anybody cool enough to play it with.

Sounds wicked cool to me, and I never, I mean Never, use the term "wicked cool."

[Oblivion]

XBL arcade sounds like the perfect place for this game! They released Darwinia over Steam, so they are probably familiar with alternative distribution models like Live Arcade.

[Zeal]

Nukem...

Nuke the bastards.

[Adewade]

Spoiler! Spoiler!


Yes. Those of us in the know call that Ender's Game.

'Toys', with Robin Williams, had something tangentially similar too. Good movie. Colourful and funny.