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Defcon 5 (video game)
Encyclopedia
Defcon 5 is a single player adventure/first-person shooter
video game developed by Millennium Interactive
Ltd, a UK-based studio. It was released for IBM PC compatibles,
Sony PlayStation
, Sega Saturn
and 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
in 1995. Defcon
5 actually means the condition used to designate normal peacetime military readiness while Defcon 1 refers to maximum readiness.
Shortly after his/her arrival at MRP-6F the installation is attacked by an unknown enemy force. The player must face enemy fighters as well as invaders searching the base. The overall goal is to escape the installation with evidence of what has transpired.
ultimately escape the installation. This involves fighting off the invading enemies by deploying the defence turrets effectively and using the installation's computer terminals
(called "VOS terminals") in order to hinder the intruder's advance.
The computer terminals in the game offers an unusual wide range of interaction. Players can use them to remotely control the defense turrets, load ammunition and inspect the turrets for damage and deploy combat droids within the installations perimeters. Doors can be controlled from the VOS terminals in order to control access to the installations different areas. The player can use this capability to lock in enemy forces in parts of the installation.
The game also allows the player to fight the invaders by shooting them, but this is discouraged by the fact that new enemies arrives with each passing wave of attacking ships. Also, any fighting in the installation greatly degrades the air quality in the immediate area once an enemy is destroyed. The computer might even seal doors to polluted areas, sometimes trapping the player. The player can dissolve the pollution by opening doors to adjacent areas, and the pollution levels can be monitored in the VOS terminal's environmental module.' 
The installation is huge, consisting of two major towers with seven floors each (the administrative and domestic blocks), three hangars, a service level, six turrets and a control room. All these are linked by a subway-train like transportation system named "LIMO". Several elevator systems also connects the different levels. This complex layout enables the player to avoid enemies by choosing an alternate route to his/her destination.
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed by Millennium Interactive
Millennium Interactive
Millennium Interactive was a Cambridge-based computer games developer responsible for titles such as Rome: Pathway to Power, The Adventures of Robin Hood, James Pond, Defcon 5, Deadline and most notably, Creatures. Another notable title is Strike II, a 3-D air combat science fiction game.In July...
Ltd, a UK-based studio. It was released for IBM PC compatibles,
Sony PlayStation
PlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
, Sega Saturn
Sega Saturn
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console that was first released by Sega on November 22, 1994 in Japan, May 11, 1995 in North America, and July 8, 1995 in Europe...
and 3DO Interactive Multiplayer
3DO Interactive Multiplayer
The 3DO Interactive Multiplayer is a video game console originally produced by Panasonic in 1993. Further renditions of the hardware were released in 1994 by Sanyo and Goldstar. The consoles were manufactured according to specifications created by The 3DO Company, and were originally designed by...
in 1995. Defcon
DEFCON
A defense readiness condition is an alert posture used by the United States Armed Forces. The DEFCON system was developed by the Joint Chiefs of Staff and unified and specified combatant commands. It prescribes five graduated levels of readiness for the U.S...
5 actually means the condition used to designate normal peacetime military readiness while Defcon 1 refers to maximum readiness.
Storyline
As a "cyberneer" working for the fictional Tyron Corporation, the player is tasked with installing an automated defense software at the deep space mining installation named MRP-6F, a large compound located around the top of a crater in which mining operations take place. Its purpose is to defend the mining installation from hostile attack. For this purpose the installation houses six powerful defense turrets installed around the crater, as well as a myriad of support systems for power generation and munitions stores for those armaments.Shortly after his/her arrival at MRP-6F the installation is attacked by an unknown enemy force. The player must face enemy fighters as well as invaders searching the base. The overall goal is to escape the installation with evidence of what has transpired.
Gameplay
The game is reminiscent of the System Shock series in terms of gameplay. The player must explore the base in order to find items which is needed to establish a line of defence andultimately escape the installation. This involves fighting off the invading enemies by deploying the defence turrets effectively and using the installation's computer terminals
(called "VOS terminals") in order to hinder the intruder's advance.
The computer terminals in the game offers an unusual wide range of interaction. Players can use them to remotely control the defense turrets, load ammunition and inspect the turrets for damage and deploy combat droids within the installations perimeters. Doors can be controlled from the VOS terminals in order to control access to the installations different areas. The player can use this capability to lock in enemy forces in parts of the installation.