random idea, but defcon related

[TheToyMaker]

since i just read the "you know youre obsessed with defcon when" thread, i was thinking about the uplink dev cd and had an unrealistic, but sorta cool idea: what if you somehow worked a defcon-type thing into uplink and actually hacked into SAC and did what david did? in other words, hacking exactly like in wargames, but with software provided exclusively by IV.

[Montyphy]

Hacking exactly like in Wargames? As in, phone up the operator find out the area code of the company you plan to hack based on its address? Then set up your autodialer to phone all the numbers one by one listening for modem tones? Then having compiled a list of modems in the area, connect to each one by one before finding the one you want and being presented with a command prompt that lets you list programs and execute some of them without having logged in? Somehow I don't think it's gonna happen.

A more interesting idea would be to merge Darwinia and Defcon into Uplink so that they can be started by hacking into servers i.e. the Protovision server would host Defcon allowing you to play Wargames style.

[TheToyMaker]

Hacking exactly like in Wargames? As in, phone up the operator find out the area code of the company you plan to hack based on its address? Then set up your autodialer to phone all the numbers one by one listening for modem tones? Then having compiled a list of modems in the area, connect to each one by one before finding the one you want and being presented with a command prompt that lets you list programs and execute some of them without having logged in? Somehow I don't think it's gonna happen.

A more interesting idea would be to merge Darwinia and Defcon into Uplink so that they can be started by hacking into servers i.e. the Protovision server would host Defcon allowing you to play Wargames style.

ok exactly like wargames was an exaggeration. what youre suggesting is what i was basically trying to get across there

[Montyphy]

ok exactly like wargames was an exaggeration. what youre suggesting is what i was basically trying to get across there

Who knows, may be the devs already thought about it and thats why they went back to patching Uplink

[UsF]

That would be neat, if you could hack into other nuclearsilos and maybe redefine their destination target (when a nuclear launch takes e.g. 1 minute to launch and during that, both sides have to hack to either reselect a destination or prevent others from doing that).
Also there would be abilities to fake radar-scans of enemy (or friendly for the panic increasing effect in an alliance) unit movement.
Of course all things should be "rehackable" or preventable due to good security measures and hacker knowledge.
Also maybe a route can be traced down and the other guy hacked more easily if it comes to that, so you have to be careful and work quickly.

Ah the possibilities.

[Montyphy]

The suggestion was to allow Uplink to start up Defcon or Darwinia via hacking an Uplink server. It wasn't a suggestion to allow hacking in Defcon. It wouldn't really be viable since not only would it distract from the main gameplay but there would be no fair way of preventing hacks.

[UsF]

Well. It was a thought of mine. And preventing hacks can be implemented by having to place buildings AND set strategic defenses against hacks on those, for example you can cover 50% or more or less with those things. When someone hacks one of those facilities, you get a note and can take means necessary, otherwise you'd have to check them manually by maybe clicking on them and reviewing their status.
MAYBE you'd have enough time for such things on non-multiplied gameplay. *shrugs* Just a thought of mine.

There could be added more stuff from Uplink, like the existance of cooperations and such. And they are fighting a war, which you could manipulate, using nukes.

x_x I need a coca-cola.

[Montyphy]

Well. It was a thought of mine. And preventing hacks can be implemented by having to place buildings AND set strategic defenses against hacks on those, for example you can cover 50% or more or less with those things. When someone hacks one of those facilities, you get a note and can take means necessary, otherwise you'd have to check them manually by maybe clicking on them and reviewing their status.

Too unrealistic, too complex and too much of a distraction from the main theme, idea and gameplay.

MAYBE you'd have enough time for such things on non-multiplied gameplay. *shrugs* Just a thought of mine.

Defcon is being designed to be multiplayer with a single player option. There's no point spending so much time in order to just implement the idea for single player games.

]There could be added more stuff from Uplink, like the existance of cooperations and such. And they are fighting a war, which you could manipulate, using nukes.

Once again, too unrealistic. Last time I checked, MacDonalds and Starbucks didn't own any nuclear weapons. I also doubt they would end up killing off most of their customers by starting an all out nuclear war, however, selling them highly addictive food laced with fat, salt and sugar causing them to become morbidly obese is another matter.

[UsF]

Too unrealistic, too complex and too much of a distraction from the main theme, idea and gameplay.

It is the idea of another game, nothing that should be implemented into Defcon.

Defcon is being designed to be multiplayer with a single player option. There's no point spending so much time in order to just implement the idea for single player games.

I meant "multiplied" as in the time set to standard, an 6 hour game or longer, where you have lots of time.

[quote="Montyphy"]Once again, too unrealistic. Last time I checked, MacDonalds and Starbucks didn't own any nuclear weapons. I also doubt they would end up killing off most of their customers by starting an all out nuclear war, however, selling them highly addictive food laced with fat, salt and sugar causing them to become morbidly obese is another matter./quote]

Well it wouldn't be necessary to set it into our current time, but maybe as in Uplink, into the near/far future. Unrealistic isn't really a reason to cancel a game idea. It's just that I think that hacking for/against cooperations, while knowing that there could be a nuclear holocaust started by you, gives some new/extended atmosphere or game experience. In Uplink, you destroyed companies mainframes with hacking, maybe it could also be done with a nuke.

[Montyphy]

Well it wouldn't be necessary to set it into our current time, but maybe as in Uplink, into the near/far future.

Even in the future I doubt cooperations will own nukes and armies.

Unrealistic isn't really a reason to cancel a game idea.

There's a time and a place for being unrealisic.

It's just that I think that hacking for/against cooperations, while knowing that there could be a nuclear holocaust started by you, gives some new/extended atmosphere or game experience. In Uplink, you destroyed companies mainframes with hacking, maybe it could also be done with a nuke.

Well, this idea would be kinda nice. However, it would better suited for Uplink than Defcon since Uplink already has most of the groundwork for it to work.

[xander]

Defcon is being designed to be multiplayer with a single player option. There's no point spending so much time in order to just implement the idea for single player games.

I meant "multiplied" as in the time set to standard, an 6 hour game or longer, where you have lots of time.

I assume he meant development time, not game time. It would take Chris too long to implement such a feature, just for a single player varient of a multiplayer game.

xander

[UsF]

I assume he meant development time, not game time. It would take Chris too long to implement such a feature, just for a single player varient of a multiplayer game.
xander

I don't want it implemented, but consider it as an idea for a mod or a new game, which combines defcon and uplink, or lets say pieces of it. Lets just consider it a mod-idea.

[TheToyMaker]

Even in the future I doubt cooperations will own nukes and armies.

i don't know about nukes, but read Jennifer Government by max barry

[NeoThermic]

Even in the future I doubt cooperation’s will own nukes and armies.

I feel that you're slightly wrong. What owns America right now? The oil companies. Why? They managed to get the government to stop their research into electric cars as it would put them out of business. What happened? They were all scrapped.

It would not surprise me if in 10 or 20 years some big corporations in the US manage to obtain nukes. Why? Because if they do, and the government asks why, the companies will just tell them to leave them alone, else they will withdraw funding to the government. Nothing speaks well like money.

It would probably be confounded by the idea that anyone in the public questioning as to why they have nukes could be labelled anti-government and might well "disappear", so to speak.

This might sound like a fringe conspiracy theory, but I do believe it can happen, and, what is most fighting, unless things change, there's nothing to stop it from happening.


Either that or I'm playing too much Defcon

NeoThermic

[Hairy]

I feel that you're slightly wrong. What owns America right now? The oil companies.

You should have said the elite upper classes. Of which, yes, oil company owners and bosses are a part.

It would not surprise me if in 10 or 20 years some big corporations in the US manage to obtain nukes.

Psh. I think its likely that some president or PM with an itchy trigger finger will have vapourised us all before then.