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The Game

Operation Defuse is a tactical, turn-based, asynchronous multiplayer game for mobile devices.

Command a team of terrorists on a mission to plant and detonate a bomb, or lead a special forces team to stop them. Played like chess, but you only see your opponent when they’re in your line of sight.

This is a blend of Counter-Strike and XCOM.

Become a Patron!

Developing and running this game costs money, but I want to avoid in-game monetization if possible. If you want to help make this project a reality, consider supporting me on Patreon. With enough support, I can dedicate more time to development and cover commissions, assets, and server costs.

Support on Patreon

Key Features

Development Roadmap

Prototype
Vertical Slice
Meta Systems
Alpha Testing
Production
Beta Testing
Release
Continued Dev
PHASE 01 Prototype Complete

The goal in this phase is to make the core game loop fun to play. Minimal time is spent on artwork and everything is done with placeholders.

  • Basic game mechanics.
  • Cloud services and networking systems implemented.
  • A lot of playing the game over and over again after every change.
PHASE 02 Vertical Slice Complete

In this phase I produce a visually presentable, polished version of one complete map to demonstrate the game's potential and attract early supporters. The videos you see online now are from this phase.

  • Complete environment art for one map.
  • Basic characters with animations.
  • Effects and HUD implemented.
  • In-game UI implemented.
  • Sound effects implemented.
PHASE 03 Meta Systems In Progress

Building the meta-game systems that surround and support the core gameplay. This allows players to do proper matchmaking, motivates them to play better for a higher Elo score and ranking, helps setting up characters and team and a tutorial to help new players getting started.

  • Full menu GUI
  • Elo score and ranking system
  • Matchmaking based on Elo score
  • Friends list
  • Personal and friends statistics
  • Interactive tutorial explaining the game mechanics
  • Persistent character/team setup which can be picked from in game matches
PHASE 04 Alpha Testing Upcoming

Private alpha testing (patrons only) of the one map and all meta systems. This validates the gameplay and all supporting systems.

  • Bug fixes, stability improvements.
  • UX refinements.
  • Backend hardening (logging, validation, rate limiting, monitoring)
PHASE 05 Production Upcoming

This phase is mostly about creating more content, building more maps and assets, and increasing the replay value of the initial release.

  • Content pipeline standardization
  • Two additional maps (greybox → test → environment art)
  • Stretch: Another 1 or 2 additional maps
  • Stretch: Character voices (voice actors)
  • Announcer voice
  • iOS platform support
  • New character models
  • Stretch: Character customization rewards for ranking up (cosmetics only)
  • Initial localization translations (limited set of languages)
  • Music tracks

Some optional goals are marked as a 'stretch' as they depend on the amount of funding through Patreon.

PHASE 06 Beta Testing Upcoming

Private release to patrons for testing on Android and iOS. This is the final quality verification before public release. Bug fixing, stability improvements and polishing.

PHASE 07 Release Upcoming

Public release on iOS and Android and a marketing campaign to streamers, reviewers, and press. Rapid hotfixes for any bugs that may have slipped through the beta testing.

PHASE 08 Continued Development Upcoming

Creation of more content, such as maps and character customizations to extend player retention time.

  • Additional maps (greybox → test → environment art)
  • Public playtesting of greyboxed maps (without Elo score impact)
  • Ongoing bug fixing and polishing
  • Community engagement and updates

Development will continue as long as funding supports additional content.

Screenshots

All screenshots and videos are unaltered and represent the in-game visuals accurately.

About Me

My name is Pascal van der Heiden, a lifelong developer of both physical and digital games, some of which are available on my personal website. I'm developing this project in my spare time, driven by the enjoyment of creating something others can play.