C&C Labs News Wire

— Wednesday, November 30, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 3:06:53 AM ET

APB Updates

Chronojam passed along the following about Red Alert: A Path Beyond, a RA1 to Renegade mod.
Staff Update: 2D Artist
-My fiancee Venompawz is trying her hand at weapon texturing, and her first attempt at this is looking pretty great. With Darkblade too busy to dedicate much time beyond general criticism at this point, having Venom on the team will help us get releases out much faster. Expect an update on this sometime soon: good things are coming

Project Vision Update
-In light of recent questions I've been asked and what I consider to be outright challenges from the community, we plan to investigate the plausibility of fitting in Westwood-quality lightmapping into a future release. I won't mention any specific dates for the inclusion; however, I would rather sooner have a release with some gameplay changes, balance tweaks, and bugfixes over the sort of graphical "bling" that lightmaps would add. Don't think we'll never get around to it, but it is not classified as a priority.

However, a true priority is a retooling of certain existing maps, both released and unreleased. Look for more news on this as it develops. In an effort to provide more truth to the original (always a focus we strive towards), we will attempt to even replicate accurately terrain details as seen in the maps and movies; your favorite trees from RA1 will make an appearance in RA:APB sometime soon! Also, the terrain will be adjusted to enhance gameplay and to improve the experience based on things learned from earlier releases.

Aircraftkiller, assisted by Tweekbee, will be responsible for these level updates. Volkov and Tweekbee will also undertake the task of replicating original terrain features.

— Tuesday, November 29, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 2:48:19 PM ET

Renegade on XWIS

Renegade has now officially switched to the community-run XWIS servers. Here's the official announcement from Crimson at the Renegade forums.
It's official! Renegade players are now directed to the XWIS service instead of Westwood Online. Just remember that you don't have to do anything different to connect to XWIS. Just select the "Westwood Online" option in your Renegade client and connect as always.

Along with this transition, I am very happy to announce that Blackhand Studios has partnered with Strike Team to support the Renegade XWIS server. As part of this partnership, BHS will be equipped to handle several types of support issues, as well as communicating more effectively with the community through the MOTD seen when players log in.

We are very confident that this transition will turn out to be a great thing for Renegade. We will keep the Renegade Wiki updated with information and answers to your questions as they arise.

In closing, I want to extend a HUGE thanks to the following people who made this all possible: Olaf and DonCarlo at Strike-Team, Apoc and Pete L. at EA, and Scorpio9a who worked with Olaf to get the NAT bug fixed.

Happy gaming!


Last edited by Blbpaws on Tuesday, November 29, 2005 at 9:00:46 PM.

— Friday, November 25, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 2:51:44 PM ET

New Poll and Poll Results

I finally updated the poll. Here are the results from the last one:

Do you plan on buying C&C: The First Decade?
Definitely
36
43%
Most Likely
10
12%
Meh, We'll See
19
23%
Probably Not
7
8%
Absolutely Not
10
12%

Total Votes: 82

— Wednesday, November 23, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 6:30:49 PM ET

BF2 Version of A Path Beyond Dead

On the website for Renegade Alert, a RA1 to First Person Shooter conversion, Chronojam has announced that the Battlefield 2 version of the mod is dead, and that they team will be focusing on the Renegade one, which has now been renamed back to the original RenAlert.

— Monday, November 21, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 1:51:53 PM ET

New Feature at CNCSeries

CNC Series, our affiliate, has a new feature called 'Battle Report System'. Here's Rob's description:
...Several members, myself included, have started our own quickmatch logs - recording details of all our games on the XWIS RA2 ladder. It was this that gave me the idea to code a specific system for battle reports, supporting all the major C&C titles.

All registered members have the ability to add their own logs - you also have the ability to create what is effectively your own page, showing only battle reports that you have written. Other members can add comments to your battle reports - which can be of great help if you're looking for tactical advice or just a friendly chat.
Sounds like a good feature. Check it out here.

— Friday, November 18, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 6:34:18 PM ET

Mark Skaggs Interviewed

Gamespy has caught up with Mark Skaggs, the person who announced RA3 while he was working at EA, and who has now formed his own game studio, Trilogy. Here's a snip from the interview:
After finishing Battle for Middle-Earth you also announced, unofficially of course, that development of a new game in the C&C universe had commenced. The last we heard of this was that it has been put on hold. Don't you feel a little homesick? Because this is a game a big fan base is waiting for, and you seem like the designated person to lead the project.

I can't really comment on the products EA has in development. I was set up to start the next C&C, but decided that it was time to put my family first and so I took a break. I'll always love C&C style RTS games and I'm always thinking about the next product I want to make. There's probably another RTS waiting in my future, but there are also a host of other cool concepts and game ideas that I'm interested in working on. We'll see.
Full thing here.
Last edited by Blbpaws on Friday, November 18, 2005 at 11:37:57 PM.

— Friday, November 18, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 6:32:39 PM ET

New ZH Mod Utility

Our very own CommieDog created a nifty utility for ZH modders. Here's his description:
I have created a menu-editing pack for people who want to make mods with Skirmish capability but do not have the time to make campaigns. This pack completely cuts out the Campaign Select menu and moves the Skirmish button onto the main menu, thus allowing faster access to the Skirmish screen and elimiating any possibility of users crashing the game by trying to play a campaign. To install, simply extract this ZIP file into your ZH directory (it is untested with normal Generals). The directory structure is contained within the ZIP file, so there is no need to worry about placing files in the wrong folder.
Good work, CommieDog! This will probably help many modders. Get the download here.
Last edited by Mike on Saturday, November 19, 2005 at 11:41:06 AM.

— Thursday, November 17, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 5:45:55 PM ET

Novemeber Update from Frank

Frank Klepacki, music artist for all pre-Generals C&Cs, passed along the following update:
Greetings from frankklepacki.com! Here's the latest:

VIRTUAL CONTROL NOW AVAILABLE ON ITUNES!
For those of you who prefer digital downloads, this is your month! Frank Klepacki's Virtual Control Album is now available at ITUNES!

ULTIMATE FIGHTER 2 FINALE!
The Spike TV "Ultimate Fighter 2" finale, which aired Novemeber 6th, featured a ton of Frank's music for maximum fighting action!

C&C SOUNDTRACKS NOW AVAILABLE AS DIGITAL DOWNLOADS!
Check out this article on music4games.net! www.music4games.net/n_ea_recordings.html.

UPDATE ON C&C DIGITAL DOWNLOAD CREDITING:
As many of you know, EA's press release, as well as the listings on the digital download servies such as Itunes, had not credited Frank as the composer of the Command & Conquer music he had done. We have assurance that the issue was not intentional, and WILL be resolved from EA in the near future.

NEW SONG OF THE MONTH!
This month's theme was pointed out by a fan who asked what theme was being played in a teaser video for Yuri's Revenge. Turns out it was a remix of some of the other themes from the game, shortened, and synced to video. We thought it would be fun to feature it this month. Enjoy!
Nice to hear from him, and good to know he's been credited for his work.
Last edited by CommieDog on Friday, November 18, 2005 at 4:18:29 AM.

— Tuesday, November 15, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 1:29:30 PM ET

Skaggs Forms New Studio

According to this report on Gamespot, Mark Skaggs, producer of RA2 and Generals, has officially formed his own gaming studio. He previously was on a 'leave of absence' from EA.
Three well-known industry veterans today pulled back the covers on their new development studio. Based in Santa Monica, California, the new shop, Trilogy Studios, was founded earlier this summer by former Electronic Arts Los Angeles executives Rick Giolito and Mark Skaggs and former Vivendi Universal executive vice president Michael Pole.

— Saturday, November 12, 2005 —

Posted By: Mike at 6:27:56 AM ET

Updates from Aaron

Aaron "APOC" Kaufman has sent the following email to C&C fansites with two important updates:
FRANK KLAPECKI WILL BE CREDITED FOR C&C MUSIC ON VARIOUS MUSIC SITES

I wanted to follow-up with the community on the question of Frank Klapecki’s credit for his work as composer on past C&C games. I’m happy to tell you that Frank will be credited on various music sites. I’ll keep you posted with further information as it becomes available. We appreciate that you have been so supportive of Frank and look forward to your continued support of the franchise.

Kudos to Aaron for working to give Frank Klepacki the credit he deserves.

C&C BIGGEST FAN SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOV 21ST!!!


We have received some awesome submissions for the C&C The First Decade Bonus DVD that definitely showcase the C&C biggest fans in a passionate way. We want to see even more, so we have extended the deadline for submissions to November 21st. Make sure you represent!


Remember, this is your chance to become a part of C&C history. Your video can be as short as 30 seconds or as long as 30 minutes. It can be a flash animation. It can be an awesome photo or artistic image you created. It can be serious or playful. The choice is up to you. We’re simply looking for imagery that represents why you think you are the biggest C&C fan. There is a very good chance you could find yourself on our bonus DVD for the Command & Conquer Decade compilation.

I believe that speaks for itself. The deadline's been extended -- it's time to start getting creative and show everyone that YOU are The Biggest C&C Fan!
Last edited by Mike on Monday, November 28, 2005 at 3:06:56 PM.

— Wednesday, November 9, 2005 —

Posted By: Mike at 5:35:10 PM ET

An Investigation of Characters

Senior staff member Blbpaws has written the first of a multipart Generals World series investigating the origins and history of Command & Conquer. Blbpaws' article, entitled "An Investigation of Characters," delves into the similarities between some of the most memorable Command & Conquer characters and various historical and Biblical figures.

Blbpaws' article not only covers the usual comparisons (C&C Kane vs the Biblical Cain) but also theorizes about other potential connections (Tacitus: a Roman historian who lived in the first century AD, anyone?). The article is a good read; I highly recommend it.
Last edited by Blbpaws on Thursday, November 10, 2005 at 10:34:46 PM.

— Tuesday, November 8, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 5:43:13 PM ET

Words from Frank K

Frank Klepacki, the music creator for all C&C games pre-Generals, pointed out on his website that EA, according to this press release, is now selling the old C&C music in various music outlets, including iTunes. What angered Frank, and rightfully so, was that he was not credited for writing the music, and instead the credit was given to 'Various' or to other composers.

I think it's clear EA made a mistake here. Let's hope they do the proper thing and correct it. Aaron already said he would look into it. All in all, I think EA should be thanking Frank for his role in shaping the multi-million dollar series of games they now own. Giving credit for his work is the least they can do.


— Saturday, November 5, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 10:38:53 AM ET

New Poll and Poll Results

I updated the poll today. It nows asks how many of you plan on buying the newly announced Command and Conquer: The First Decade bundle pack. Below are the results from the last poll.

Currently I have...
neither Generals nor Zero Hour installed
5
7%
just Generals installed
14
21%
just Generals and a Gen mod installed
2
3%
both Gen and ZH installed
23
35%
Gen, ZH, and a ZH mod installed
21
32%

Total Votes: 65

— Saturday, November 5, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 6:00:42 AM ET

Louis Castle: "You Haven't Seen the Last C&C"

GameSpot interviewed Louis Castle, vice president of creative development at Electronic Arts Los Angeles and co-founder of Westwood Studios. This is a snip of what he had to say:

GameSpot: First of all, happy birthday to the franchise. Ten years is quite an achievement. A couple questions about the bundle before we get to the nitty-gritty. $39.99, that seems like an awfully good deal for the package, especially for a top-tier franchise such as Command & Conquer. Why the low price point?

Louis Castle: We wanted to give back to our loyal community and avid fans and feel that this price point allows all of our fans a chance to own a great C&C collection, re-mastered to work on current operating systems, plus a special DVD of commemorative video features. We're also asking the C&C community to submit videos telling us why they are the biggest C&C fan and they may be featured on the DVD. It's a great way to let the fans feel a part of C&C history and help us celebrate the 10th anniversary. The compilation also serves as a great way for gamers to experience the series and get into the legendary franchise for the first time.

GS: The first obvious question with regard to Command & Conquer--what is the future of the franchise?

LC: We are calling it the first decade for a reason! We absolutely intend to continue making games in the C&C franchise, but nothing has been announced at this time. For all the fans reading out there, I assure you that you haven't seen the last C&C game.
(Emphasis mine) While I'm slightly skeptical of EA's claim to be 'giving back' to the community, we shall see how it turns out. In any event, there seems to be little doubt now that EA is working on, or will soon be working on, a new C&C game. Whether we will recognize it as a C&C that we love, only time will tell.

Full interview here.
Last edited by Mike on Sunday, November 6, 2005 at 2:01:46 PM.

— Friday, November 4, 2005 —

Posted By: Mike at 8:42:07 AM ET

Official Press Release: C&C The First Decade

EA has officially announced C&C: The First Decade. Here's the press release:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Nov. 4, 2005 --

Experience the award-winning Command & Conquer(TM) (C&C) series like never before! Electronic Arts today announced, Command & Conquer(TM) The First Decade, one of the largest PC franchise compilations to date. Scheduled for release in February 2006, the title celebrates the 10th anniversary of this innovative franchise. This special collector's edition will include a dozen of your favorite C&C games spanning over the last ten years plus a bonus DVD of commemorative video features.
You can read the full press release here. Louis Castle is quoted as describing C&C The First Decade below:
"Command & Conquer The First Decade offers RTS gamers a way to relive the history of C&C, and I'm thrilled to see this collection offered in one package," said Louis Castle, VP of Creative Development at EALA. "It seems like yesterday when we were all pleasantly surprised by the way the gaming community wanted to play this new type of strategy game."
It seems that Electronic Arts really is trying to prove to us that they're "committed" to C&C. On a related note, we're still awaiting the full update of the www.CommandAndConquer.EA.com website, expected to occur sometime today.
Last edited by Mike on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 3:06:41 PM.

— Friday, November 4, 2005 —

Posted By: Mike at 5:36:14 AM ET

Command & Conquer: The First Decade

As noted by Blbpaws, the Official Generals Site now contains this image (left) with the words: Command & Conquer: The First Decade. Aaron had this to say a la CNCDEN.
I have not failed to realize what you guys want or what your screaming is all about, and neither has our development team. C&C The First Decade has more meaning than meets the eye, but let me clarify and remind, we're committed to the future of C&C. I suggest you read between the lines of my words. I would not be here as a community manager to you or personable face if there was no reason. Take what you want from my words, but I can only assure you, put your fears and doubts to rest. Committed is a word I standby, and you have my word on that.
Committed: that seems clear by now.

Also, thanks to some detective word by a forum member over at CNCNZ, it appears that "Command & Conquer: The First Decade is a new compilation pack of all the C&C games bundled on DVD, expected for release on the 18th of February 2006.". Where does this information come from? Do a Google search for "Command & Conquer: The First Decade" and you will find a South African retailer listing the item.

Furthermore, that fits in nicely with my discovery of that Interesting FTP Folder (generalszh_dvd) yesterday. Also noteworthy is that the URL for the image shown above is the following:
http://images.ea.com/eagames/official/cc_generals_redesign/home/main_patch.jpg
Anyone care to do some URL sniffing?

Quick Update: Check out this new news article on Yahoo!
Last edited by Mike on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 10:39:12 AM.

— Friday, November 4, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 3:01:54 AM ET

'CNC The First Decade Confirmed'

As we reported last night, the new site will definitely have something to do with 'Command and Conquer: The First Decade.' The link that Aaron gave us now redirects to a Generals page with the message: 'Command and Conquer: The First Decade Coming Soon.' Ideas about what this might be? Post in the news comments.

Edit: After doing a bit of poking around on the Generals site, I noticed that the image dispalying the coming soon notice is in fact titled 'Main Patch.' What this means is beyond me.
Last edited by Blbpaws on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 8:29:46 AM.

— Thursday, November 3, 2005 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 6:42:07 PM ET

'CNC First Decade' Site?

Officially, this falls under the rumor category, but I'm fairly confident about it.

A source has indicated to Generals World that the site launched by EA tomorrow, and mentioned as 'something BIG' will somehow be related to 'CNC First Decade.' There is a suggestion that this will be a game for PSP, but more likely, at least for tomorrow, is that we will see a 'C&C First Decade' website. We cannot confirm this as a fact, but we believe it to be true.

As usual, time will tell. Sooner or later, time will tell...
Last edited by Mike on Friday, November 4, 2005 at 12:45:46 AM.

— Thursday, November 3, 2005 —

Posted By: Mike at 6:09:20 PM ET

Word from Apoc

Community Manager Aaron "Apoc" Kaufman passed along the following message:
Hey guys!

I see there is quite a stir in the C&C community today and am excited to see your excitement. I can't wait to see your video submissions for our upcoming project.

To give you an update, we will be sharing what the videos will be used for tomorrow. Sorry you have to wait one more day!

Also note that the link I provided to you below will host our news tomorrow. Are YOU the biggest C&C fan?!?!

APOC
Community Manager & Marketing Liaison
Electronic Arts LA
Well, we'll see what tomorrow brings...

— Wednesday, November 2, 2005 —

Posted By: Mike at 9:25:17 PM ET

Interesting FTP Folder

I was browsing the EA FTP this evening and came across an interesting directory. I noticed a "generalszh_dvd" folder within the /pub/eapacific/generals/ directory. The folder was "last modified" on October 13, 2005, but appears to have nothing in it.

To the best of my knowledge, there has never been either a Generals or Zero Hour DVD of any sort released. So why was this mysterious folder so recently created (or at very least updated)? I'll leave the speculation up to you.


On another note, stay tuned for the "something BIG" EA has planned for CommandAndConquer.ea.com later on today -- and don't forget about the Biggest CnC Fan Contest!
Last edited by Blbpaws on Thursday, November 3, 2005 at 8:08:59 PM.

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