A Nuclear Take About Defcon

A look back at the classic 2000s strategy game DEFCON
0:00 NUCLEAR WAR
4:05 CORE MECHANICS
17:36 BETRAYAL
25:40 WINNING
28:50 CONCLUSION

[IVSoftware]

Fantastic video. I haven't thought about DEFCON in depth for many years and this brought back a lot of memories - of making the game, and imagining how people might behave once they understood the rules. Even during development when it was just us testing the game, we weren't sure of the most optimal strategies in each game mode. The kind of high level sociological strategies you describe in the video are what we dreamed the game would one day be like among the most serious players. So don't feel bad, it was designed to be that way!
Chris

[matchc]

It struck me like a ICBM-loaded truck upon realizing that DEFCON is basically Among us with nukes.

[gug]

I really hope this game picks up again to any extent. I only started playing in mid-2020 and AI is fine but aside from a few matches with my friends I've never played with any humans and fear if I do I'll instantly get sniped by some gigachad who's been training for the past decade and a half

[SuperWeapons]

Playing this as a kid really made me feel like I was in a 90s chat room playing with NORADS computers

[TwelveBaud]

Introversion also put out an intern project that's a VR spectator mode. Virtual war room with multiple statistical displays, each player's view, and a 3D hologram of the true (i.e. unfogged) Earth. Certainly not as fun as being able to play yourself, but great for visuals.

[danielmcgillis]

I may have played a game with you back in the day. My favorite is the music. The woman coughing, a woman crying, the sound of boots walking down a hallway, the low hum of electronics. The nerve-wracking RONK! of the DEFCON timer ticking down. The multiple ROCK of the launch detection. The low rumble of the nukes hit. In the end a simple score. The number of millions dead. This game changed my outlook on nuclear war. I live in a major strategic city. I don't want to survive.

[SaarkinCho]

A game of Diplomacy but played with nukes, I kinda wish I had seen the multiplayer as a kid now.

As a developer, I feel very differently about your last thought. Someone that participated as deeply as you did in the game's social and mechanical systems is no detriment to the community; far from it, since an expert player that's active in the scene fuels others to compete with them, possibly create new metas and rulesets as you noted with the time budgets of certain servers. Without people earnestly playing, trying to basically make poetry out of the designer's rules, a game community dries up and expires sooner rather than later.

If you were toxic to other players I could understand having regret, but otherwise? There's no greater tribute to a contest than giving it your all.

[PLWhisky]

i am a musician (a much too big of a word to describe my art so far) and i just wanted to confirm that yes - you are correct. the music does lower its pitch over the course of a game as you're being hit more and more. i dont remember exactly, its been a while since i fired up defcon, but i think it also slows down aswell. im 100% sure about the pitch thing though, thats the first thing i've noticed the first time i played the game a few years back

[crazylemon]

Yeah, I stopped playing Defcon after I straight up lost 2 long time friends as a result of all the gaslighting, backstabbing and betrayals. That and the existential dread brought about by total global nuclear annihilation. Its fun enough tho, decent game.

[abebuenodemesquita]

its kind of funny how similar to the board game diplomacy the diplomacy gamemode is. the "I'm just passing through" excuse is a classic way to backstab an ally in diplomacy.

[ctrouble]

It breaks my heart i didn't know about this game sooner. Manipulating members of the gaming group into war with each is my specialty. I know what I'm buying everyone for Christmas this year

[based]

People shouldn't sleep on this channel, you're great, I'll see you at a 100k.

[thenateshow]

"the flag maybe different, but the methods are always the same"

[pillgrimm]

Heavily underrated video. I enjoyed this a lot.

[WD_D-]

Diplomacy mode is basically just Shepard from MW2 simulator

[gmodplayerxd]

You launch a nuclear bomb.
And now, you've sent 1, 000, 000, 000, 000 people to heaven.

[SuperpowerBroadcasting]

Started streaming this game on Twitch recently. I love it.

[OpticTeadrop]

Introversion are amazing! Uplink might be my favourite game ever and it was only their first!
Great video btw

[supertacticalbacon]

I played this game with you I feel special now

[Reboobed]

It's a tragedy this video doesn't have way more views. So much horrible shite content gets boosted into the stratosphere by the algorithm, while gems like this don't get the attention they deserve. Love the video, DEFCON is one of my favourite shorter games that's very pointed in its message. I'll def be sharing this w/ everyone I can, and I hope to see more <3