Defcon

Another one of the computer game demos I played that was among the cream of the crop was Defcon, a quirky little game where you re-enact the 1980's movie, Wargames. In the game you must take control your world superpowers strategic nuclear weapons in an escalating struggle to annihilate as much of the opposing superpowers' population as you can while defending your own precious civilians. The game progresses in a series of stages ranging from the peaceful Defcon 5, wherein you merely deploy your units and jockey for alliances, to the chaotic Defcon 1, in which LRBMs, Long-Range-Ballistic-Missiles, can finally be fired from your missile silos to attack any spot on the map.

Strategic forces at your command include the aforementioned missile silos, airbases where you from which you can launch nuke-carrying bombers or scout/patrol/intercept fighters, radar facilities for easily locating units attacking your territory, and naval fleets which in themselves contain a mixed bag of battleships (ship/air attack/defense), missile subs (Medium-Range-Ballistic-Missile Launchers), and aircraft carriers (mobile, water-born airbases which also have sub-hunting capabilities).

The elements of this game are simple and easy to learn, but the dynamics of play, even against an AI opponent, are incredible to watch unfold. I am sorely tempted to buy the full version so that I can play against up to six opponents (North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Soviet Union, Middle-East/East Asia) in a game of worldwide nuclear conflict.

This game obviously is walking a fine line in between being a strategic masterpiece and depicting a human tragedy on a level unseen in the annals of history in a manner just a little too realistically for some people. I am of the opinion that it is a gem of a game, but I understand the validity of the other side's argument. Fortunately, nothing like this has happened in the past, and hopefully nothing ever will in the future.

The icing on the cake is an advertised mode called Office mode, in which the game plays out over an extremely slow time scale. Unlike the regular 45 minutes to an hour and a half, the game takes place over the span of eight to nine hours and allows you to make key strategic decisions by only checking for a minute every fifteen to thirty minutes. The realistic time frame and long thinking times make this mode a hardcore strategist's wet dream. I only wish I could be in an environment where I could play a game properly in that mode.