C&C Labs News Wire

— Tuesday, October 31, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 2:18:32 AM ET

Generals World Series

Our affiliate Game Replays has announced the start of the Generals World Series, a tournament of top Zero Hour players:
Electronic Arts, in conjunction with Zboard, are sponsoring the Command and Conquer Generals World Series tournament championship. Hosted and organized by GameReplays.org and Clanwars.cc, the world series will pit the 32 best Clanwars players together in brutal competition over a string of tournaments.

Prizes include $50 for the best replay, 2 MERC keyboards from Zboard, 2 Reaper mice, copies of The First Decade pack, and official EALA artwork autographed by EA Apoc.
You can view all of the World Series details here.

— Sunday, October 29, 2006 —

Posted By: Mike at 2:47:26 PM ET

The Power of High-Tech Warfare

The Power of High-Tech WarfareGenerals World is proud to announce our latest hosted mod, The Power of High-Tech Warfare, created by DetoNato and team.  The Power of High-Tech Warfare takes place in a futuristic sci-fi world wherein humans battle a time-traveling cybernetic life form who packs not only the incredible "Pandora"-technology but also his own fair share of vengeance.

To learn more about this exciting new mod, you'll definitely want to check out the first official trailer which we're releasing in conjunction with the mod's website today.  As you can see, there are also a number of exciting screenshots available in the mod's Screenshots Gallery that you'll certainly drool over.

The Power of High-Tech Warfare
Download the Official Trailer

The Power of High-Tech Warfare has been under development for nearly a year under the Zero Hour engine.  It is slated to be released for C&C 3: Tiberium Wars some time in the future. 

To delve deeper into The Power of High-Tech Warfare's storyline - information has been released about the first 3 of its 6 chapters - check out the newspost on the TPoHW homepage here!

Last edited by Mike on Thursday, November 2, 2006 at 12:38:44 AM.

— Sunday, October 29, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 11:37:37 AM ET

New Poll and Poll Results

I updated the poll today. This time we're asking if any of you have ever considered starting a fansite of your own. Here are the results of the last one:
In light of the explanations in the October Podcast, what is your opinion about squads in C&C 3?
31
They'll be a great addition to the game!
 
22
Squads or no squads, does it really matter?
 
19
I still say they have no place in Command & Conquer
 
20
What podcast?
 
Total Votes: 92

— Sunday, October 29, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 4:52:10 AM ET

New Map Pack from Bhones

Bhones, the winner of the community's third Open Map Competition, has submitted a map pack to C&C Generals World. The map pack consists of two highly recommended maps, a detailed four player one called "Ecks", and a two player one--"Haffecks"--that is exactly half of the four player one, as you can see in the preview images below. Both maps have interesting and unique designs, and lead to fun games. Check them out!
Last edited by Mike on Sunday, October 29, 2006 at 10:39:50 AM.

— Wednesday, October 25, 2006 —

Posted By: AuroraAlphaHL2 at 8:18:23 AM ET

Cold War Crisis Musician

The Cold War Crisis mod team has announced that they have found a musician to do their soundtrack. Here is part of the news post:

After a very long pause and looking into an uncertain future we'd like to present you something we've been able to get into CWC which should really make this mod something special

Remy Maurin, a very talented musician, offered us some help with CWC's music and as far as we can say now, he really knows what he's talking about.

More information can be found Here.

Last edited by AuroraAlphaHL2 on Wednesday, October 25, 2006 at 12:35:01 PM.

— Friday, October 20, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 4:11:52 PM ET

C&C 3....In Book Form?

(Thanks BTT) Amazon.com has a listing for a new Command and Conquer book to come out next year--currently March 24th, 2007 is listed. Written by Keith Decandido, it's labelled as "the official novel of the best-selling real time strategy franchise from Electronic Arts" and is joining the ranks of Diablo, Dune, Myst, Warcraft and others as popular games making the jump to the page.

Probably the most significant thing is that the release date is March 24th, 2007. This would lead me to believe that the current plan is for C&C 3 to be released around that time, though of course, these things are subject to change.
Last edited by Blbpaws on Friday, October 20, 2006 at 8:12:47 PM.

— Wednesday, October 18, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 11:12:25 AM ET

C&C 3 News

Some more C&C 3 News has come out:
  • Planet CNC is reporting that C&C 3 will ship on a multilanguage DVD. It seems rather speculative, but will be something to keep an eye on.
  • Predator confirmed that Zone Troopers will have helmets, a point of much contention for some people.
  • (Thanks PCNC) Some of the cast list for C&C 3 has been announced by 1UP; Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica), Josh Holloway (LOST), Michael Ironside (Splinter Cell, Top Gun), Billy Dee Williams (Star Wars: Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back), Grace Park (Battlestar Galactica), Ivana Bozilovic (Wedding Crashers), Shauntay Hinton (Unfinished Business) are featured.
  • Mike Verdu has been interviewed by Gamespot about the cast. Here's a snip:
    GameSpot: Previously, lesser-known actors were used in Command & Conquer games. What went into the decision of blowing out the cast for Command & Conquer 3?
    Mike Verdu: We knew from the start that we needed a very talented cast to do justice to the story for Command & Conquer 3. I believe we've created a story for this game that has real depth and resonance, featuring interesting and complex characters that grow and change over time, a rich world, and some truly cool moments. We wanted actors who could bring our characters and our story to life...and we found them. In the final product, the live action will be intercut with high-end computer graphics (CG) sequences showing action on a grand scale: You'll see the destruction of the Philadelphia, a full-scale assault by Nod forces on a Blue Zone city, and a number of other scenes with an epic quality to them.
    Something to keep an eye on.

— Monday, October 16, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 1:56:56 PM ET

C&C 3 Developer Diary #3: UI

Gamespot posted a new designer diary, written by Mike Verdu, last night. It gives quite a few new details about the User Interface for C&C 3, which is shaping up to be a cross between early C&C's interfaces and the Generals one. Here's a snip from the article:
So how does our new UI work? At its core, it consists of a traditional C&C side bar interface with the contextual information and object-level control of the Generals UI. This allows players to easily control all production structures from anywhere on the map without the use of control groups, select and control any structure individually, purchase unit-level upgrades, and use tactical unit abilities. Players have an unprecedented level of control over their forces, allowing high-level strategic management and tactical-level micromanagement that's par with any modern RTS game. Additionally, and possibly most importantly, we have found this UI to be both familiar and intuitive to players, regardless of what RTS games they've played in the past.
Head here for the full piece.

— Saturday, October 14, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 4:16:51 PM ET

New C&C 3 Screens

It's been a while since we saw any new content out of EA pertaining to C&C 3. That changed with the release of five new screens out of EA yesterday showcasing some nice views of the graphics and maps of C&C 3. Certainly is a mighty detailed game. Here's two of the screens below. You can see the rest at IGN.
 

— Tuesday, October 10, 2006 —

Posted By: Mike at 3:09:00 PM ET

New Poll: Squads Revisited

I've updated the Generals World Poll!  We now want to know: in light of the explanations in the October Podcast, what is your opinion about squads in C&C 3? Be sure to cast your vote on the right side of the page!

Here are the results from the previous singleplayer vs. multiplayer poll, which finished deadlocked:

What's more important to you, a good singleplayer campaign or lively multiplayer action?
95
Singleplayer...it's all in the story development
 
95
Multiplayer...how else can the game have a high replay value?
 
Total Votes: 190
And so it would seem that both singleplayer and multiplayer are important to C&C fans. =)

— Tuesday, October 10, 2006 —

Posted By: AuroraAlphaHL2 at 6:21:17 AM ET

Blitzkreig's New Patch

Blitzkreig 2, which released a new version of their mod a little bit over a week ago, is asking for your help in finding a bug. On their homepage:

The bad news is, online gameplay seems to run into mismatches most of the time. We are trying very hard to find the source of this, and we require your help with this. Whoever finds the source of the mismatches, gets the following prize:

  • A custom map/challenge/mission to his/her specifications.

Map should preferably be in Europe, Africa is an option as well. Asia or America are not recommended.

  • Ask 2 units of his/her choice, that are not yet in Blitzkrieg II, but which were really contructed/designed, to be included on the map.

These units must have operated in Europe, or must have been intended to be used in Europe. They must have either been constructed or designed (example; the P1000 Ratte was designed. Flying saucers were not.) Units must have designs that are usable in Zero Hour, if you win the prize, you will be consulted on this. Units may include buildings.

  • Become a beta tester for new Blitzkrieg2 releases.

You can find more info Here.

Last edited by AuroraAlphaHL2 on Tuesday, October 10, 2006 at 10:24:32 AM.

— Saturday, October 7, 2006 —

Posted By: Blbpaws at 4:21:27 PM ET

Podcast Summary

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.
    Last edited by Mike on Sunday, October 8, 2006 at 5:16:49 PM.

    — Saturday, October 7, 2006 —

    Posted By: Mike at 8:43:51 AM ET

    October Podcast Live

    The October C&C3 Podcast is now live on EA's servers.  Click here to download it.  Here's the description from the official site:
    In Predator's first October Podcast for Command & Conquer 3, he sits down with lead designer Jason Bender and lead balance designer Greg Black in this riveting 40 minute interview discussing some of the hottest topics in the game!

    Why did the team choose to implement the MCV system and the side-bar? What about squads? Game speed and balance? They even have some surprising info in the end discussing mech technology on GDI and Nod.

    — Wednesday, October 4, 2006 —

    Posted By: Blbpaws at 3:20:32 AM ET

    Frank Klepacki Update

    Frank Klepacki, creator of the music for all C&C's before Generals (should I just say all C&C's?), has released his October update:
    AWAKENING OF AGGRESSION ON PRE-ORDER! It's official, Frank Klepacki's newest CD Awakening of Aggression is going to print, and will be available in November! The store has been updated to now start accepting pre-orders, so you can be the first on your block to get it when it ships! Go to www.frankklepacki.com to check out the cover -- creepy stuff! Sami Silden, the talented artist who did the art for "Virtual Control," is back again with some nice horror themed art to fit the heavy tunes in this release! Check out his site, www.indigo12.com!

    UFC ROCKS TO FRANK'S TUNES! The Ultimate Fighting Championship's recent fight, UFC 63: Hughes vs. Penn, utilized some of Frank's tracks from the new cd for fighter walk ins and montages, including "Brain Dead, Kill, and Magnefried"!

    NEW SONG OF THE MONTH! This months selection is a new custom song Frank scored, that is used in the TV commercials to promote the next upcoming UFC 64: Franklin vs. Silva on pay Per View! Enjoy!
    Frank's music certainly set the tone for many great games, and many great battles.

    — Sunday, October 1, 2006 —

    Posted By: Mike at 4:21:49 PM ET

    New Zero Hour Map, Missions

    This week we added a new Zero Hour map to our downloads section, as well as two new Zero Hour missions.  The Zero Hour map is 1v1 stronghold, by sammy.

    The two Zero Hour Missions are both by beng:
    China Mission 7 for Zero Hour v1.2
    China Mission 7 (Nuclear Winter) from Generals, modified for Zero Hour, with a couple of new units added in. You play as a Nuke General and the GLA will use new zero hour units and tactics. You get Super Lotus and China Secret Agent hero types.

    Click Here to Download
    America Mission 8 for Zero Hour
    General Alexander, intel reports that the GLA have stolen equipment from the Khazakstan state circus, and also agricultural aircraft from cotton farms near the Aral sea. They also raided General Shi-Tao's base to the south, and stole a consignment of Overlord gattling cannons before the Chinese could mount them on their tanks. We do not know what they have done with this equipment. It is up to you to defeat the GLA in this region and demonstrate that America is the only superpower in the world.

    Click Here to Download
    And remember, if you want to submit your own Generals or Zero Hour map, you can head on over to our Submit a Map page!
    Last edited by Mike on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 8:22:17 PM.

    — Saturday, September 30, 2006 —

    Posted By: AuroraAlphaHL2 at 9:39:15 PM ET

    Blitzkreig 2 Release 2.6.15

    Zero Hour mod Blitzkreig 2: The Finest Hour has released version 2.6.15 of their mod. Here are some of the new features:

    Basic rifle infantry (new models for the Russian soldiers btw) will now no longer use AT grenades. Instead each side has an anti-tank weapon which disables rather than destroys the enemy tank. However their main role is to kill infantry at range, and also to shoot them out of buildings.

    SMG infantry are the new addition, and are more geared towards close-ranged combat. They mow down rifle infantry at close range, and also can use smoke grenades. They have HE grenades which will clear out a building faster than riflemen can do it, but only from a closer range.

    Light tanks now have a more clearly defined role in the early game as a heavy machinegun platform. Infantry will have a hard time taking one out, as they are only really vulnerable to the dedicated AT infantry. They are exceptionally nasty units to large groups of intanry, and provided they have soldiers to take out any AT men, they can clear a street very fast.

    You can find more information Here.

    Last edited by AuroraAlphaHL2 on Sunday, October 1, 2006 at 1:43:42 AM.

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