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DEFCON Released Today

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the open-the-silos dept.

VVrath writes "Independent developers (and bedroom programmers), Introversion are releasing their third game, DEFCON at 6pm GMT today. As the successor to the sleeper hit Uplink and the IGF award winning Darwinia, this is one of the most eagerly awaited indy games of this year. Based on the game of thermonuclear war played in the film WarGames, DEFCON gives you the opportunity to nuke the hell out of your friends (and enemies), with the player who loses the least crowned victorious. With this being Introversion's first game for sale by download only (it's available on Steam as well as through their own website), does this mark the end of indy games being sold in shops?"

84 comments

  1. I know this by Eightyford · · Score: 3, Funny

    This is about a criminal with bad hearing right?

    --
    Religion for nerds. Stuff that really matters
    1. Re:I know this by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 2, Informative

      No, it's about a bunch of hackers getting drunk in the desert.

      --
      Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    2. Re:I know this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Boo, not funny!

  2. Not download only by Nuskrad · · Score: 4, Informative

    You can buy it by mail order from the Introversion site aswell, and there is a possibility it'll be in shops at a later date (Darwinia's US retail release was a lng time after game release)

    1. Re:Not download only by vertinox · · Score: 1

      And hopefully not just download only via steam.

      I bought Darwinia for OS X via download through their site and seeing that there is not Steam on OS X...

      I'm just hoping they are supporting an OS X native again because I can't dual boot with my PPC macs. But these guys have a fairly good track record for supporting Linux and OS X.

      --
      "I am the king of the Romans, and am superior to rules of grammar!"
      -Sigismund, Holy Roman Emperor (1368-1437)
    2. Re:Not download only by the+phantom · · Score: 1

      They have repeatedly stated that Mac and Linux will be supported. The Mac port will probably (once again) be published by Ambrosia Software. According to the roadmap, the Mac and Linux versions will be done in "November" (which could, realistically, mean anytime from October to January).

      xander

      --
      Rhapsody in Numbers
  3. 23 years. by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Interesting
    > Is it a game, or is it real?
    What's the difference?

    23 years since Stanislav Petrov decided not to play.

    And 23 years since I saw the movie WarGames.

    Thanks, Stanislav. Because you chose not to play, we all get to play!

    1. Re:23 years. by Control+Group · · Score: 3, Funny

      Drat. Beaten to the WarGames punch by 2 minutes.

      How about a game of chess?

      --

      Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
    2. Re:23 years. by Tackhead · · Score: 1
      > Drat. Beaten to the WarGames punch by 2 minutes.
      >
      >How about a game of chess?

      Later. Right now lets play Global Thermonuclear War.

    3. Re:23 years. by Control+Group · · Score: 1

      Perfect!

      Thank you, Tackhead, you've just made my /. day.

      --

      Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
    4. Re:23 years. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Oh great. Now we're going to have easily-influenced world leaders who are allowed to play the game due to their irresponsible legislative bodies. Then they'll go out and nuke people for real because they've been desensitized to it.

      I demand a lawsuit against Introversion for the safety of the world! Where's Jack Thompson when you need him?

    5. Re:23 years. by chroot_james · · Score: 1

      Speak for yourself! I would've survived.

      --
      Reality is nothing but a collective hunch.
  4. Mac Linux versions. by Lave · · Score: 1

    Are they on the DVD version? I know they said they were making them. I emailed introversion and got no reply.

    --
    http://skeptobot.blogspot.com/ - A site for the Renaissance man and woman
    1. Re:Mac Linux versions. by Nuskrad · · Score: 2, Informative

      The Linux beta testing should start in the next couple of months, and the Mac version at some point in the future. Unfortunatly, this is the first IV game that's Windows only on release. See the roadmap for more details.

    2. Re:Mac Linux versions. by HAKdragon · · Score: 1

      If Introversion handles Defcon like they did Uplink and Darwinia, the Mac version will be released by Ambrosia at a later date. I'm not sure about the Linux version. There's a chance that might ship on the same disk, but there's not a mention of any version other than the Windows version on the games site.

      --
      "Our opponent is an alien starship packed with atomic bombs. We have a protractor."
    3. Re:Mac Linux versions. by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      No, it has been confirmed that there will be no Linux version on the shipping date.

      There was hope that it would be available for download soon, though. (I believe they even named the programmer that was working on it.)

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    4. Re:Mac Linux versions. by the+phantom · · Score: 2, Informative

      That would be John Knottenbelt. He is in charge of porting IV's games to other platforms (Linux, Mac, XBox Live Arcade).

      xander

      --
      Rhapsody in Numbers
    5. Re:Mac Linux versions. by Aladrin · · Score: 1

      XBLA... Hmm... I bought Uplink and Darwinia already... Uplink gets pretty boring, though. I wonder if they'll release Darwinia free to those who have already paid? Or reduced price, since I'm sure MS wouldn't let them do it for free. Still, I may buy it for the 360 if/when it's released for that... Darwinia was a pretty neat game.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
  5. Don't buy it!! by Control+Group · · Score: 5, Funny

    The only way to win is not to play!

    --

    Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
    1. Re:Don't buy it!! by Lave · · Score: 1

      Ooooh, someones beem playing a lot of tic-tac-toe.

      --
      http://skeptobot.blogspot.com/ - A site for the Renaissance man and woman
    2. Re:Don't buy it!! by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 1

      The only way to win is not to play!

      So, are you saying that only losers will play DEFCON? :-p

      --
      This guy's the limit!
    3. Re:Don't buy it!! by revlayle · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but playing is more fun.

    4. Re:Don't buy it!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Go back under your rock troll. This looks to be an OK game at least. Don't encourage people not to buy it because we need to support independant game developers. Maybe some day we will get something innovative instead of the crap pumped out at the sweatshops.

      So STOP trolling! Moderators please mod parent down!

    5. Re:Don't buy it!! by Control+Group · · Score: 1

      If I'm a troll, you're guilty of feeding me.

      And if you're going to do that, I'll take a WOPR and fries.

      Thanks!

      --

      Reality has a conservative bias: it conserves mass, energy, momentum...
    6. Re:Don't buy it!! by laxcat · · Score: 1

      Here, let me help you.

    7. Re:Don't buy it!! by silvermorph · · Score: 1

      The only way to win is to convince everyone else not to play!

  6. haha! :) by gknoy · · Score: 1

    haha =D

    Someone please mod the parent up :D

  7. Unfair Advantage by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 2, Informative

    The manual is available on the Steam website - usefully, it also contains information on building your very own fallout shelter, survival kit and fallout suit, and on surviving a nuclear blast if caught out in the open.

    Duck and cover, everyone!

    Now, to stock up on Jammie Dodgers. Do Jaffa Cakes count as a viable alternative?

    --
    Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    1. Re:Unfair Advantage by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do Jaffa Cakes count as a viable alternative?

      Indeed.

  8. Quick quick by lllama · · Score: 0

    You've got 20 minutes to buy it at its prelaunch price! (£10, $17.50, 14)

    Buy now! http://store.introversion.co.uk/

    1. Re:Quick quick by oggiejnr · · Score: 1

      Or if you don't mind not having a hard copy its available on steam for $10 pre-launch

    2. Re:Quick quick by ciw42 · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately, everyone must have been rushing to try and get a physical copy at the pre-order price, and the webshop's been closed due to the heavy traffic.

  9. Now if there is a nuclear war... by Facekhan · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now if there is a nuclear war Jack Thompson has someone to sue for 600 million dollars.

    1. Re:Now if there is a nuclear war... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, we all know that it's the vermin who survive fallout. Jack T should fit right in with the roaches :-)

    2. Re:Now if there is a nuclear war... by cheese-cube · · Score: 1

      WW2 cost, collectively, more than 2 trillion USD's. I think Jack would be suing for a lot more than 600 million.

  10. Demo? by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1, Redundant

    I wish steam would allow you to demo games before purchase. I would assume that since it's supplied by steam, it would be pretty easy manage. It's actually been getting harder to find demos for the last couple of years.

    1. Re:Demo? by Hiigara · · Score: 1

      There will be a demo released on steam. ;P

    2. Re:Demo? by WNivek · · Score: 1

      There will be a demo available at some point after release.

    3. Re:Demo? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      We are almost ready to release the demo version, Paul is working it as we speak. It will be out most likely by the end of October, and the Linux version will follow about a month or so after that. However, we are so sure you are going to like DEFCON that we offer it with a money back guarentee!

    4. Re:Demo? by someguy · · Score: 1

      There will be a demo available at www.everybody-dies.com soon. It just hasn't been created by the developers yet.

      --
      A planet where apes evolved from men? Long live the apes.
    5. Re:Demo? by ShadowsHawk · · Score: 1

      Wow.. I really have to give you guys credit then. To be honest, that kind of customer orientation makes me want to purchase even without a demo. I will definitely check it out tonight.

    6. Re:Demo? by NinjaFarmer · · Score: 1

      What I really want to know is if we are getting multiplayer code for Darwinia.

    7. Re:Demo? by A+beautiful+mind · · Score: 1

      No need for a demo. I downloaded a version from a handy ftp server. I liked the game, I like to support small developers and I liked the message they've written (politely asking yarrr pirates to buy the game) when checking online servers within the game. So I'll buy the game asap/donate the amount to the developers and continue to use the "pirated" version, without the "steaming" crap.

      --
      It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
      Be yourself no matter what they say
    8. Re:Demo? by antdude · · Score: 1

      Yep, like Darwinia. Just wait. I would like a demo early too, but I doubt that will happen.

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
    9. Re:Demo? by lejerdemayn · · Score: 1

      http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/downloads/ind ex.html

    10. Re:Demo? by Ford+Prefect · · Score: 1

      Demo version? End of October?

      How about now?

      I suspect the demo version is simply the retail version without a key - the emergency-download-mirrors email I was sent by Introversion a few minutes ago has FileFront as one of the mirrors. Download from there if you like - I guess the other mirrors are equally public...

      --
      Tedious Bloggy Stuff - hooray?
    11. Re:Demo? by VVrath · · Score: 2, Informative

      The anonymous coward is lying! The demo was released at the same time as the full release (just type in your authorization key and it upgrades the demo to the full version). Also, the Introversion web site does not mention any staff member named Paul, nor any details of a money back guarantee...

    12. Re:Demo? by Nuskrad · · Score: 1

      Darwinia already has multiplayer code in it, and the basis for the Defcon multiplayer was cannibilised from Darwinia. Developer Chris Delay has stated in an interview that the problem with multiplayer in Darwinia isn't technical, it's purely a gameplay issue - they're working on trying to make Darwinia fun to play multiplayer.

  11. Yes, but... by hcdejong · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does it run on the WOPR?

  12. Store is already slashdotted :-( by gknoy · · Score: 1

    Damn! I was about to order, and now the store is slashdotted (10 AM PST).

    You can still buy it through Steam, but I'm sad that I missed my chance for a boxed version.

  13. Bah! by Aim+Here · · Score: 1

    Mighty inconsiderate of you guys to help slashdot introversion's servers into a smoking wreck, at exactly the same time everyone who pre-ordered is trying to download their damn game...

    1. Re:Bah! by MeanderingMind · · Score: 1

      Hah! Thanks to Steam's preload button, I already bought and downloaded the game last night!

      Couldn't play it though because it wasn't released at that point.

      --
      Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
    2. Re:Bah! by revlayle · · Score: 1

      Hey, we do what we can!

    3. Re:Bah! by Winterblink · · Score: 1

      Anyone who preordered should have pre-loaded it as well from Steam. I did that days ago, can just hop in and play now. ;)

      --
      "I'm a leaf on the wind. Watch how I soar."
      -Hoban Washburn
    4. Re:Bah! by GammaKitsune · · Score: 1

      There's an alliance mode in DEFCON, where everyone starts on the same team at first, and the team gradually falls apart as players attack each. Near the end of the game, strong, stable allies tend to launch nukes at allies that they consider weaker, destroying them utterly. I just thought that would be relevant for this particualar thread.

      --
      Gamertag: WyleType
  14. Mac? by Tom · · Score: 1

    I own their other two titles, but the site is down and I can't check - does anyone know if there's an OSX version? Or a Linux? Who'd want to have their armageddon interrupted by a blue screen? :)

    --
    Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
    1. Re:Mac? by the+phantom · · Score: 1

      There will be Mac and Linux versions of the game. They are both expected in "November." Normally, I would direct you to IV's roadmap, but the servers seem to be smoking wrecks.

      --
      Rhapsody in Numbers
    2. Re:Mac? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Mac and linux version are coming later, they hope.

    3. Re:Mac? by Aim+Here · · Score: 1

      The Linux and OSX versions will come later. Their site mentioned that a random guess would be November or so for both. Owners of the Windows version can use a downloadable Linux binary...

  15. For the love of Xenu! by Carbon+Copied · · Score: 0

    Take down the links to introversion and defcon. These guys are not prepared for massive amounts of traffic and you're only going to put off people from actually getting the game.

  16. I Think I've Played This Before by vjmurphy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    On the Amiga: http://amigareviews.classicgaming.gamespy.com/nucl earw.htm

    and on the tabletop (for you youngsters, we used to play games using playing surfaces made from compressed paper products that involved actually having people in the same room):

    http://www.flyingbuffalo.com/nucwar.htm

    --
    Vincent J. Murphy
    Spandex Justice
    1. Re:I Think I've Played This Before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ah, if you want to nuke stuff you've got to go real old-school with the ASCII games (pre-WarGames stuff), we didn't have any of this fancy-schmancy "graphics" in those days (unless you count a 40x48 set of blocks):

      Nukewar - Avalon Hill Games, 1980
      or
      B1 Bomber - Avalon Hill Games, 1980

      (WARNING! - Both links require an ActiveX control to be installed, may not work in anything but IE...)

      I can fondly remember playing these two for hours on my Apple ][+ (Rev. 7 w/64K! of RAM - that's with the 5-pound 16K expansion board of course...) -- nothing like turning the enemies territory into an eight-by-eight grid of asterisks!

    2. Re:I Think I've Played This Before by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 1

      Oh my. I played that B1 Bomber game, I think. Totally text based, you go after a primary or secondary target?

    3. Re:I Think I've Played This Before by LordVader717 · · Score: 1

      This is a game I played quite a few years ago on the playstation: http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/globaldominati on/index.html

      I think it was only released on the PC in America.

    4. Re:I Think I've Played This Before by petro_K · · Score: 1

      Thank god... I thought I was going nuts, but I couldn't remember for the life of me the name. Nothing new under the sun... just better graphics

  17. download only is probably my fault by silvermorph · · Score: 1

    Sorry about that download only thing, I bought Uplink a few weeks ago and said "I don't really want the CD, so don't send it unless it'd be a big deal not to." And they never sent it.
    I imagine that sparked a huge internal debate with one side finally saying "If they don't want the CDs we work so damn hard for, then FINE! They can't HAVE the CDs!"

  18. So, Where is it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Bought and paid for long ago - now gone 7 with no download link, but available on steam.
    Hope i don't have to wait for the physical copy :(

  19. Fire up the quotes! by fak3r · · Score: 1

    Some good one liners from this movie, even though watching it now is pretty comical, here's a fun one:

    Mr. Liggett: All right, Lightman. Maybe you can tell us who first suggested the idea of reproduction without sex.
    David Lightman: Um, your wife?

    Nice

    fak3r

    --
    fak3r.com
  20. Non Steam Version? by RexRhino · · Score: 0

    Is there a non-steam, non-DRM version? The site is slashdotted, so I cannot find out from the site. I would love to purchase this game, but I refuse to install Steam!

    1. Re:Non Steam Version? by Zerth · · Score: 1

      Yes, there is a downloadable non-steam version, as well as a cd version.

      And if you bastards weren't /.ing the server, I'd be downloading it right now.

    2. Re:Non Steam Version? by Joe+The+Dragon · · Score: 1

      there is but you need the back door password to get to the system there the files are.

    3. Re:Non Steam Version? by Fongboy · · Score: 1

      If you can bring yourself to tolerate steam you can get it cheaper right now... I just took a look and steam has a prelaunch price of $9.95. ... hmmm... save money... or anti-steam sentiments... tough choice! =)

    4. Re:Non Steam Version? by RexRhino · · Score: 1

      It isn't a tough choice. I don't have the luxury of having a seperate "gaming PC", which means that the rare occasions I install a game on my laptop, I take copy protection somewhat seriously. If the game requires any sort of installation that may compromise the functionality or security of my computer, I cannot install the game, for any price! I have a PC first and foremost for non-gaming, and so if a company wants to sell a product to casual gamers such as myself, they must forgoe any sort of copy protection or DRM that messes with the primary functions of my computer.

      I have heard all sorts of horror stories about Steam, and other game protection systems, and I am not going to take a risk for a $5 savings. Either I have 100% control over my computer, or they don't have a sale.

    5. Re:Non Steam Version? by TrickFred · · Score: 1

      I'm a beta tester. There is no DRM, just an authentication key. Plug it in to the demo, and it becomes the full game. All authentication is done through Introversion's metaserver.

    6. Re:Non Steam Version? by Tofof · · Score: 1
      There is no DRM, just an authentication key. Plug it in to the demo, and it becomes the full game. All authentication is done through Introversion's metaserver.
      Yes - and the minute the game launched, the metaserver melted and is currently still a pile of slag. As a result, everyone who purchased the full version is currently forced down into demo mode, Steam and direct Introversion purchases alike.

      Defcon seems to reauthenticate on each load and when trying to create a new game - I have gotten successfully authenticated three times now, but I go to get a game started, it rechecks, times out, and deauthenticates me. Demo users can't play multiplayer with other demo users - so right now, that means no multiplayer at all. You're also limited to creating 2-player games, which kinda takes the 'global' out of 'global thermonuclear war'.

      Wait on this one until the authentication issues get fixed.
    7. Re:Non Steam Version? by tlhIngan · · Score: 1
      It isn't a tough choice. I don't have the luxury of having a seperate "gaming PC", which means that the rare occasions I install a game on my laptop, I take copy protection somewhat seriously. If the game requires any sort of installation that may compromise the functionality or security of my computer, I cannot install the game, for any price! I have a PC first and foremost for non-gaming, and so if a company wants to sell a product to casual gamers such as myself, they must forgoe any sort of copy protection or DRM that messes with the primary functions of my computer.

      I have heard all sorts of horror stories about Steam, and other game protection systems, and I am not going to take a risk for a $5 savings. Either I have 100% control over my computer, or they don't have a sale.


      Hence, Steam.

      Did you know, you can install the Steam client on another PC? Just download it. Then log into your account, and magically, all your purchases are still there! So on your new PC, you'd download the Steam client, and if you lost all the CDs to your Valve games, you'd just download that, log in, go to "My Games", and click "download" on all the games. Voila, your games are back. (Yes, that includes multi-gigabyte games like Half-Life 2.) The backup option is for those who don't want to download all over again.

      Of course, the copy protection is that you must be logged into your steam account to play *OR* disconnect your network cable and play offline mode (both supported options, the latter is for when you're mobile and not connected to the 'net). Naturally, only one person can stay logged into your steam account at any one time, and sharing accounts can lead to trouble. I suppose if you use ZoneAlarm or other egress firewall, you can have Steam in offline mode 99% of the time except for the time you want to grab an update.

      In fact, I don't believe Steam installs any sort of crapware - all the games want to link against the Steam DLL, which does the authentication. Granted, the early versions of steam sucked (a quick Google revealed threads from 2004 and 2005 saying such), but no incidences of spyware (that I could see). But it seems to have been resolved now. I haven't opened any ports on my firewall, that's for certain (not that it proves anything), nor has Windows Firewall bugged me about it wanting to open ports. So all traffic is steam-initiated.

      I think this Steam as a copy protection system comes from the fact that early versions required you to be connected to play Half-Life 2, and they were completely unreliable, crashed often, were CPU hogs, and so forth. Less nasty than Unbox, since you don't have to run the Steam client when you don't want to. About the worse it does is log into your account, and possible tell Valve you're playing some game.
    8. Re:Non Steam Version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      > Defcon seems to reauthenticate on each load and when trying to create a new game

      Ah, so as soon as IV goes out of business, we can no longer play. WTF? I pre-ordered the non-Steam version so I didn't have to worry about long-term Steamlike failure modes.

    9. Re:Non Steam Version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      J
      O
      S
      H
      U
      A

      bummer didnt work....

    10. Re:Non Steam Version? by irc.goatse.cx+troll · · Score: 1
      but no incidences of spyware (that I could see). But it seems to have been resolved now. I haven't opened any ports on my firewall, that's for certain (not that it proves anything), nor has Windows Firewall bugged me about it wanting to open ports. So all traffic is steam-initiated.


      Just to clear up potential confusion, There has been incidents of spyware/badness, but they were unfounded.
      Some silly people were digging around some of steams files and found LOTS of their personal data in them. Ended up just being a filesystem issue -- Steam allocated the disk space but didn't zero it, so parts of the file were showing up as deleted data on the disk leading people to find old playlists, text documents, logs, and other scaryness.

      This is potentially what the OP was referring to, so hopefully this clears that up.

      Steam has it's downsides, but its really exactly what I used to ask for back in the days where we'd all just trade around HL cdkeys from the platinum pack (came with 5 valid cdkeys, one for each game even though it only took one for all 5). It was a lot more convenient to just grab an iso and a friends key than bother with a disk install, I remember wishing valve would let you just do an online transaction to get a cheap cdkey without wasting anything on packaging and other stuff you don't need.

      They can't gouge their prices due to their current agreements, but this is the perfect framework for what I wanted. Most threads you'll find of people complaining about steam are usually just people complaining about HalfLife updates. Admittedly, the HL->steam integration is pretty poor and they messed up some stuff in the process. Steam itself is fine, though.
      --
      Pain lasts, kid. Its how you know you're alive. Sometimes I think this growing up thing is just pain management-TheMaxx
  21. This is a troll, idiot. by Irish_Samurai · · Score: 1

    You're a fucking moron.

    1. Re:This is a troll, idiot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you, sir, are an idiot.

  22. Works on WINE by kamikazejay · · Score: 1
    Ive found this works perfectly well (minus slightly annoying sound pops) on the latest version of wine http://winehq.org/

    That should get me over until I can get a linux version :)

  23. Is it me, or is this game creapy? by WarlockD · · Score: 1

    I mean, I have played all the Silent Hill games, and this has NOTHING on them...

    Is it the music choice?

  24. THE FULL VERSION IS THE DEMO!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Download the full version (it's freely distributed on defcons website).
    http://www.everybody-dies.com/

    When it asks you for a CD-Key hit cancel. The game then starts in the playable demo mode.