C&C Labs News Wire

I was going to write a detailed summary of the podcast, but I just saw that HeXetic has already done one at Planet CNC. Here it is:

The new interface is a hybrid of the sidebar and more "traditional" RTS context-sensitive bottombar. You get the ability to control your factories and MCV from anywhere on the map as well as info about your currently selected buildings or units.

The MCV is, of course, back in its classic (redeployable!) form, but two new construction-related items are the "crane" and the still-being-named/still-being-tweaked "mini-mcv". The crane gives you a second structure build queue - basically you plonk it down and it lets you construct another building while your MCV constructs one. Helpful for those turtlers who like to build big bases fast. Of course, one crane can't build another, so no getting around having your Con Yard blown up that way. The "mini-mcv" can't build anything, but when you deploy it on land, you can then drop down buildings constructed at your ConYard or Crane next to it. Each one is basically half of the MCV's functionality, though neither one is as good (or as expensive) as the MCV itself.

Jason Bender gave an interesting quote about the turtle-vs-rush balance in Command & Conquer games as a whole:

Short answer is, turtling isn't really a viable strategy in Command & Conquer. It's an - it's an aggressive game - you have to get out there and kick some butt. The base defenses and the walls are speedbumps. They're not, you know, solutions. So, what you really have to do is build an army, get out there, and knock the other guy's base down. That's the only way to win.

Greg Black countered this somewhat by pointing out that the sidebar build style makes defending easier overall because you can construct your defenses in relative peace and rest assured that they'll get at least a few shots in rather than being blown up during construction.

The trio also discussed the contentious issue of squads, with Greg Black asserting that one squad of bazookaguys in C&C3 is the same as one single bazookaguy in TD/TS, in terms of cost and effectiveness. The squads system just means that there are more visual guys on-screen, not less physical units under your control. Engineers and commandos are still solo, and, in general, squads are smaller than in BFMEII and more "elite" squads come in smaller denominations. For example, the sniper squad just has two guys: the sniper, and his spotter. Infantry in squads have their own hitpoints and squads don't have BFME-style "leaders" (the guys with the flag).

With regards to game speed, Greg Black re-iterated that the Leipzig demo was horribly sped up, with stuff being built stupidly fast and blowing up just as quickly. While C&C3 is supposed to be fast, it's not going to be THAT fast. Greg's approach to balancing speed is to start off too fast and then back off to a comfortable level.

To see the rest of the summary, head on over to Planet CNC.  A very nice job by HeXetic, and a nice overview of the 40 minute podcast.