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On Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:50:30 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLJVLwB51LA is all I need to say from
this rad movie. I enjoyed both. I remember seeing it in the theatre with
my colony, but I cared not. I saw it again a few decades ago when I was >>older. I loved it.
It really captured the zeitgeist of the era. The existential fear of
nuclear annihilation. The banality of suburban life. The belief that >technology would better the world. The hope in the younger generation >overcoming the sins of their elders. The conflict between America's
desire to do right (heck, still believing America wanted to 'do
right!) versus its inclination towards stupidity and evil.
Also, Ally Sheedy jogging in legwarmers.
Truly, a more accurate depiction of the early 80s has never been
filmed. ;-)
I haven't seen its sequel, but its ratings aren't good.
It wasn't. I don't remember much about the movie (wasn't it
direct-to-video?) but I do remember being extremely disappointed.
On Thu, 2 Jan 2025 19:11:52 +0000, in comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action, JAB wrote:[interesting game prologue snipped]
Well something popped up on my feed about this recently and I thought
yeh it's horrific. So the basic game, almost twenty years old now, is
all out nuclear war but what takes it above that, at least for me, is
the way it's presented. It is a strategy game but everything is quite >>abstract and minimalist from its Wargames (the film) graphics, to its >>haunting sounds and basic units of fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, >>destroyers, battleships, radar units, SAM sites, airfields and of course >>ICBM silos which can also serve to shot down incoming nukes. No
research, no resource gathering just you all get the same units to
deploy as you wish.
You start at Defcon five and as the timer ticks down that level is
raised meaning you get to place more units and eventually start actual >>conventional combat. Once it reaches Defcon one all hell breaks lose and >>it's a question of who is going to launch nukes first with an
accompanying siren noise. See a city hit and all that's shown is a white >>flash and in big letters the death toll in millions. This happens over
and over again until the world is filled with the glow of nuclear
strikes and the timer reaches zero. The winner is then announced based
on casualties for and against.
The part I found really horrific is that it's only after you've played >>several games that it dawns on you that you're detached from what you're >>doing (you cannot die) and are taking enjoyment in counting the death
toll you're causing while not overly caring of the death toll in your >>continent. The finally part is when the results are shown as raw
figures.
As the game says everybody dies. You don't win, instead you just don't
do as badly as everyone else.
At the risk of being conceited, and long-winded, this is the preamble to
a game I wrote in the early 90s called "Friendly Fire." It was a game of bluffing, double-bluffing, strategy, and dumb luck.
Welcome to 2624 A.D.
For some reason, your story about Defcon reminded me of it.
For some reason, your story about Defcon reminded me of it.Both also remind me of_Plague Inc.: Evolved_, which my Steam
library says I played in March of 2015.
I "won" the game, which was to wipe out humanity with a plague.
Very bleak when you actually do it, and I tell myself "it's only
a game. It's only a game..."
The feeling of doom as the human population counts down to
zero is profound.
It looks like they released a DLC called "The Cure" in 2021,
where you save the world. I might have to give that a try.
And the game is an absolute blast to play with friends. At least in
short bursts. As mentioned, it's not really a game you can win and the
real joy comes when you start launching the nukes willy-nilly in a
spasm of amageddic fire. Usually (at least in my experience) there's
very little actual strategy; most people just go right to the nukes as
soon as they can. I guess because everybody just wants to see the
world burn?
On Fri, 03 Jan 2025 20:50:30 +0000, ant@zimage.comANT (Ant) wrote:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CLJVLwB51LA is all I need to say from
this rad movie. I enjoyed both. I remember seeing it in the theatre with
my colony, but I cared not. I saw it again a few decades ago when I was >older. I loved it.
It really captured the zeitgeist of the era. The existential fear of
nuclear annihilation. The banality of suburban life. The belief that technology would better the world. The hope in the younger generation overcoming the sins of their elders. The conflict between America's
desire to do right (heck, still believing America wanted to 'do
right!) versus its inclination towards stupidity and evil.
Also, Ally Sheedy jogging in legwarmers.
Truly, a more accurate depiction of the early 80s has never been
filmed. ;-)
I haven't seen its sequel, but its ratings aren't good.
It wasn't. I don't remember much about the movie (wasn't it
direct-to-video?) but I do remember being extremely disappointed.
I haven't seen its sequel, but its ratings aren't good.
It wasn't. I don't remember much about the movie (wasn't it >direct-to-video?) but I do remember being extremely disappointed.
Wargames:The Dead Code, moronically stupid movie.
A gambling website featuring terrorism acts, to root out wannabe
terrorists, but the "AI" is framing people, so kid who makes bet is
suddenly being chased by the Feds for terrorism that of course never
actually happened.
Not a patch on the original.
How stupid is The Dead Code? It makes Hackers look like Oscar material.
Xocyll <Xocyll@gmx.com> wrote:
...
I haven't seen its sequel, but its ratings aren't good.
It wasn't. I don't remember much about the movie (wasn't it
direct-to-video?) but I do remember being extremely disappointed.
Wargames:The Dead Code, moronically stupid movie.
A gambling website featuring terrorism acts, to root out wannabe
terrorists, but the "AI" is framing people, so kid who makes bet is
suddenly being chased by the Feds for terrorism that of course never
actually happened.
Not a patch on the original.
Sad. It's a good thing I didn't bother!
How stupid is The Dead Code? It makes Hackers look like Oscar material.
"HACK THE PLANET!!!!!!!!!!!" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3CKgkyc7Qo
I enjoyed that movie even though it was silly. ;) If you want a really
good hacker series, then watch Mr. Robot TV show! It's even accurate!
Well something popped up on my feed about this recently and I thought
yeh it's horrific. So the basic game, almost twenty years old now, is
all out nuclear war but what takes it above that, at least for me, is
the way it's presented. It is a strategy game but everything is quite >abstract and minimalist from its Wargames (the film) graphics, to its >haunting sounds and basic units of fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, >destroyers, battleships, radar units, SAM sites, airfields and of course
ICBM silos which can also serve to shot down incoming nukes. No
research, no resource gathering just you all get the same units to
deploy as you wish.
You start at Defcon five and as the timer ticks down that level is
raised meaning you get to place more units and eventually start actual >conventional combat. Once it reaches Defcon one all hell breaks lose and
it's a question of who is going to launch nukes first with an
accompanying siren noise. See a city hit and all that's shown is a white >flash and in big letters the death toll in millions. This happens over
and over again until the world is filled with the glow of nuclear
strikes and the timer reaches zero. The winner is then announced based
on casualties for and against.
The part I found really horrific is that it's only after you've played >several games that it dawns on you that you're detached from what you're >doing (you cannot die) and are taking enjoyment in counting the death
toll you're causing while not overly caring of the death toll in your >continent. The finally part is when the results are shown as raw figures.
As the game says everybody dies. You don't win, instead you just don't
do as badly as everyone else.
Welcome to 2624 A.D. We understand that Timelift disorientation may have >scrambled your brains a little, so I'll try and make this brief. Then you
can see the lab boys in memory reconstitution so that you can remember who >you are.
Our planet is still torn by war. As you may have guessed, methods of
killing have progressed phenomenally, but this has presented our armies
with a major problem.
In the 27th century, our methods of destruction are quite rapid and >effective; perhaps, too rapid. We have been working on the perfection of >Artificial Intelligence WAr Computers (AIWACs) with little success.
They do not work properly. Of course, our politicians, who wouldn't come >within a hundred miles of a combat zone, believe that they are working
just fine. They continue to fund bigger and better weapons instead of
the much needed AIWACplus project. You have been called to the future to >serve the planet and assume the identity of these computers. Hopefully,
no one will notice the difference. Our own soldiers are inadequate for
the job because most of them couldn't care less who lives or dies any more.
Let me explain that last statement... Our soldiers' despondent attitudes come >from the fact that no one can determine who the enemy forces are fast enough >to kill them before those who simply fire away have shot everything dead as
a doornail. Therefore, "Shoot first, shoot last, dammit, shoot, shoot, shoot, >and ask questions after the fallout clears" has been the policy that has >dominated modern warfare for the past century. The AIWACs, which were installed
about ten years ago, were supposed to be able to identify enemies fast enough >to remedy this problem. However, they have now concurred that the hundred year >old "Preemptive Annihilation" technique is the only logical strategy. The >leadership of the Armed Forces believes that perhaps it is the lack of good >family values that has permeated our culture, and subsequently been programmed >into the computers, that is responsible for this dead-end in warfare.
From our Army Corp of Historians archive files, we have determined that people >of your time have the maximum in compassion for human life while possessing >the minimum in technological skill to understand our warfare. Therefore, you >are the ideal choice for replacement of the AIWAC system. We know that it is >possible to identify the enemy quickly enough to fire at only the enemy, but >it is impossible to make the AIWACs understand the difference between >"friendly" troops and enemy troops. They continue to calculate the minimum >number of human deaths to achieve victory in a given battle, often winning, >but also often killing more "friendlies" than enemies. Your job is to win >battles, but to make sure that more enemy troops die than "friendlies" and >that as few "friendlies" die as is possible. If you fail to achieve this >mission, you will be shot and replaced. We must guarantee the lives of good >men over those of the enemy.
Here is what you will face. All troops are accounted for and identified by the >Master War Computer (MAWARC). All AIWACs are granted equal and complete access >by the terms of the Universal Disclosure Agreement (UDA), established at the >Geneva convention of 2623. Because of the UDA, it is impossible to keep >transponder codes a secret (these codes are used to identify troops), for they >are all stored in MAWARC. Due to this, AIWACs have designed a technique known >as "lying." What this means is that at any given time, 20 - 50% of what MAWARC >tells you are your own troops are actually enemies with a forged transponder >code. This creates what is known as the "friendly fire" problem. It is up to >you to solve it. You have vast weaponry at your fingertips. You have the >compassion and the values to determine the good from the bad. Solve our problem.
If you do not, you will be promptly executed. Good luck, and enjoy the
return of your memories.
On Thu, 2 Jan 2025 19:11:52 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
Well something popped up on my feed about this recently and I thought
yeh it's horrific. So the basic game, almost twenty years old now, is
all out nuclear war but what takes it above that, at least for me, is
the way it's presented. It is a strategy game but everything is quite >>abstract and minimalist from its Wargames (the film) graphics, to its >>haunting sounds and basic units of fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, >>destroyers, battleships, radar units, SAM sites, airfields and of course >>ICBM silos which can also serve to shot down incoming nukes. No
research, no resource gathering just you all get the same units to
deploy as you wish.
There have actually been a number of games called DEFCON over the
years (most sporting similar concepts), but I'm guessing you mean the
classic from Introversion Software.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520/DEFCON/ >https://www.gog.com/en/game/defcon
I can't say I was as enthralled with the gameplay or concept as you,
but I /loved/ the presentation; it's almost neon-colored display
representing Hollywood's interpretation of the 'big board' maps used
by strategic air command. It's gorgeous in its stark simplicity.
And the game is an absolute blast to play with friends. At least in
short bursts. As mentioned, it's not really a game you can win and the
real joy comes when you start launching the nukes willy-nilly in a
spasm of amageddic fire. Usually (at least in my experience) there's
very little actual strategy; most people just go right to the nukes as
soon as they can. I guess because everybody just wants to see the
world burn?
It doesn't make for long-term play sessions, but it's one of those
rare 'party games' I actually think is worth playing.
On Thu, 2 Jan 2025 19:11:52 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
Well something popped up on my feed about this recently and I thought
yeh it's horrific. So the basic game, almost twenty years old now, is
all out nuclear war but what takes it above that, at least for me, is
the way it's presented. It is a strategy game but everything is quite >abstract and minimalist from its Wargames (the film) graphics, to its >haunting sounds and basic units of fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, >destroyers, battleships, radar units, SAM sites, airfields and of course >ICBM silos which can also serve to shot down incoming nukes. No
research, no resource gathering just you all get the same units to
deploy as you wish.
There have actually been a number of games called DEFCON over the
years (most sporting similar concepts), but I'm guessing you mean the
classic from Introversion Software.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520/DEFCON/ https://www.gog.com/en/game/defcon
I can't say I was as enthralled with the gameplay or concept as you,
but I /loved/ the presentation; it's almost neon-colored display
representing Hollywood's interpretation of the 'big board' maps used
by strategic air command. It's gorgeous in its stark simplicity.
And the game is an absolute blast to play with friends. At least in
short bursts. As mentioned, it's not really a game you can win and the
real joy comes when you start launching the nukes willy-nilly in a
spasm of amageddic fire. Usually (at least in my experience) there's
very little actual strategy; most people just go right to the nukes as
soon as they can. I guess because everybody just wants to see the
world burn?
It doesn't make for long-term play sessions, but it's one of those
rare 'party games' I actually think is worth playing.
Well something popped up on my feed about this recently and I thought
yeh it's horrific. So the basic game, almost twenty years old now, is
all out nuclear war but what takes it above that, at least for me, is
the way it's presented. It is a strategy game but everything is quite abstract and minimalist from its Wargames (the film) graphics, to its haunting sounds and basic units of fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, destroyers, battleships, radar units, SAM sites, airfields and of course
ICBM silos which can also serve to shot down incoming nukes. No
research, no resource gathering just you all get the same units to
deploy as you wish.
You start at Defcon five and as the timer ticks down that level is
raised meaning you get to place more units and eventually start actual conventional combat. Once it reaches Defcon one all hell breaks lose and
it's a question of who is going to launch nukes first with an
accompanying siren noise. See a city hit and all that's shown is a white flash and in big letters the death toll in millions. This happens over
and over again until the world is filled with the glow of nuclear
strikes and the timer reaches zero. The winner is then announced based
on casualties for and against.
The part I found really horrific is that it's only after you've played several games that it dawns on you that you're detached from what you're doing (you cannot die) and are taking enjoyment in counting the death
toll you're causing while not overly caring of the death toll in your continent. The finally part is when the results are shown as raw figures.
As the game says everybody dies. You don't win, instead you just don't
do as badly as everyone else.
Spalls Hurgenson <spallshurgenson@gmail.com> looked up from reading the entrails of the porn spammer to utter "The Augury is good, the signs
say:
On Thu, 2 Jan 2025 19:11:52 +0000, JAB <noway@nochance.com> wrote:
Well something popped up on my feed about this recently and I thought
yeh it's horrific. So the basic game, almost twenty years old now, is
all out nuclear war but what takes it above that, at least for me, is
the way it's presented. It is a strategy game but everything is quite >>abstract and minimalist from its Wargames (the film) graphics, to its >>haunting sounds and basic units of fighters, bombers, aircraft carriers, >>destroyers, battleships, radar units, SAM sites, airfields and of course >>ICBM silos which can also serve to shot down incoming nukes. No
research, no resource gathering just you all get the same units to
deploy as you wish.
There have actually been a number of games called DEFCON over the
years (most sporting similar concepts), but I'm guessing you mean the >classic from Introversion Software.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1520/DEFCON/ >https://www.gog.com/en/game/defcon
I can't say I was as enthralled with the gameplay or concept as you,
but I /loved/ the presentation; it's almost neon-colored display >representing Hollywood's interpretation of the 'big board' maps used
by strategic air command. It's gorgeous in its stark simplicity.
And the game is an absolute blast to play with friends. At least in
short bursts. As mentioned, it's not really a game you can win and the
real joy comes when you start launching the nukes willy-nilly in a
spasm of amageddic fire. Usually (at least in my experience) there's
very little actual strategy; most people just go right to the nukes as
soon as they can. I guess because everybody just wants to see the
world burn?
It doesn't make for long-term play sessions, but it's one of those
rare 'party games' I actually think is worth playing.
Have friends over, get drunk, nuke the world?