Gameplay

First Strike is a real-time strategy game where you play as a global Superpower in the midst of a nuclear war. There are only 2 resources at your disposal: space and time.

Superpowers

 * List of Superpowers: Superpowers

There are a total of 12 playable Superpowers in First Strike. Each Superpower has a number of allied nations which can be directly controlled by the player.
 * Not all Superpowers are unlocked at the start, and they are unlocked gradually by completing objectives.
 * Every Superpower has an important nation known as its Capital, which is marked with the Superpower's icon.
 * The Capital has 150% the hitpoints of regular nations.

Expansion
An allied nation can be tasked to expand into an adjacent unallied nation, which will convert them into an ally. Expansion is necessary to ensure progress.
 * Expanding to a nation takes 30s, or 15s with Superior Diplomacy.
 * When a nation becomes allied, it becomes able to perform any actions that other allied nations can perform.
 * Due to the adjacencies and geometry of the nations, expanding into the right nations at the right time is an important strategic element.

Missiles
Missiles are the main offensive and defensive means in First Strike. There are 3 types of missiles:
 * Cruise Missile: Usable for short-range offense and defense.
 * Intermediate-range Ballistic Missile: Usable for mid-range offense.
 * Intercontinental Ballistic Missile: Usable for long-range offense.

Every allied nation of a Superpower has a silo that can store 3-5 missiles. The Capital can hold 1 more missile than other nations (up to 5). A nation can consume some time to build or debuild missiles, each missile type requiring a different amount of time.

Landing a missile on a nation causes it to take damage, which will reduce its hitpoints and consequently its silo size. This can be prevented by:
 * Selecting a nation with a Cruise Missile, selecting "Attack", then manually targeting the incoming missile, or
 * Selecting a nation with a Cruise Missile, then "Auto-Defend", or
 * Letting the Automated Defence System intercept it, or
 * Using the Air Defense Dome (explained in the Superweapons section).

Once a nation (including the Capital) loses enough hitpoints, it ceases alliance with its Superpower. The Superpower can re-expand into the nation, but there will be a 50% penalty to its hitpoints.

Research

 * Main article: Research

Research is an action nations can perform in order to unlock or upgrade mechanics or Missiles. Different Superpowers start off with different research progress. There are 4 branches in the research tree:
 * Efficiency: Related to rate of actions.
 * Recon: Related to intelligence of the playing field.
 * Missile: Related to the abilities of missiles.
 * Nation: Related to silo capacity, expansion rate, and hitpoints.

Diplomacy
Diplomacy is an action a Superpower can perform to enter talks and sign a pact with another Superpower. Entering talks takes 20 seconds, and your nations cannot perform any manual actions during this time (e.g. defending against attacks without the Automated Defence System).

An allied Superpower will:
 * Not launch any attacks at your nations.
 * Intercept missiles about to hit your nations.

A pact between your Superpower and another is displayed as a blue chain connecting your capitals, and a pact between enemy Superpowers is displayed as a red chain. However, an allied Superpower can break a pact at any time, given sufficient reason to do so. These situations can lead to a falling out:
 * The position of your nations hinder their expansion.
 * You launch attacks at their nations.
 * You fail to defend attacks against them.

Securing the right diplomatic relations early can make a large difference in the course of the game.

Superweapons

 * Main article: Superweapons

Superweapons are late-game technologies that are researched at the end of the research tree. Superweapons can be offensive, defensive, or supportive. Every Superpower has a signature Superweapon which is unlocked with the Superpower.


 * The player is required to select 2 Superweapons before the start of a round, which will be located at the end of the research tree.
 * Each Superweapon has to be researched and built separately, each consuming some amount of time.
 * Superweapons require the Capital to research, build and use; if the Capital is lost, they cannot be researched, built, nor used.
 * Re-expanding into the Capital requires the Superweapon to be rebuilt.

Superweapons are incredibly powerful and have a large effect on enemy Superpowers. When a Superpower researches a Superweapon, a notification is produced to all players to inform them of such.

Hardcore Mode
Hardcore Mode is a single player mode.
 * The AI is allowed to perform actions in quicker succession (1 action every 2 seconds instead of 5).
 * Hardcore Mode can only be toggled on with 8 enemies or more.

Multiplayer
Multiplayer is a game mode where you play against human-controlled instead of AI-controlled Superpowers.
 * Time does not slow down in menus.
 * Diplomacy is unavailable.
 * The research which slows time further in menus is replaced with another research that increases rocket speed.

Modifiers

 * Main article: Modifiers

Modifiers are game-altering settings which players can select prior to starting a round. Each Modifier has a unique set of rules which requires players to employ different strategies to win.