C&C Labs News

Will there be a comeback of interesting missions?
”It's very important, that the missions sit well with the story of Command & Conquer. For that reason there will be various mission targets. We are thinking about 30 different missions in the single player modus, (10 for each faction). But that can still change, as the work on the missions is starting right now. “We want to create more then only such missions, where one starts somewhere, builds up his base and destroys the base of his opponent. In a few missions one will only start with some units without being able to build a base, just like the Commando missions on the first Command & Conquer. Many people love these missions. There will be very special tactically oriented missions in that one must think up the best way to attack the opponent at first to reach the mission target. Of course there will also be the typical base vs. base missions again.

• Mobile Bases aren't in - too hard to balance.
• Naval units will only be available in singleplayer due to being underused in BFMEII.
• A massive spectator mode is planned ("thousands" of watchers).
• At this point, GDI and Nod can basically play each other, the AI basically works, and they are working on the third faction and the campaign.
• There are 6 major actors involved in C&C3's FMVs.
• They've given up on the red-zone/blue-zone economic differences.
• For superweapons, Nod gets nukes, and GDI gets the Ion Cannon.
• No Generals' powers - special abilities are tied to buildings.
• There will be hero-like "commando" units

 

• CNCDEN has four new ZH maps, seven replays, and two wallpapers.
• Command & Conquer: Infiltration is a new Command & Conquer fansite covering C&C 3.
• And for the German speakers, there's a new German fansite: TiberiumWars.de

1: The Gamespeed
-our notion for this game is "fast, fluid, and fun". The speed of all the units is not set in stone right now and that will come with balance, but ultimately, it will be faster paced. Everyone who saw the game in person loved the speed, but certainly, we're very early, so the speed is definitely something we will be tweaking up until the last moment.

2: Building Speed
-impossible to judge this, was for demo purposes only. The buildings will build instantly, but it is their BUILD TIMERS which will determine when you can place it down. The main goal here is, we didn't want the opposing player's building to be attacked while it was building, takes away from the strategic and fast paced gameplay. Don't forget though, you may be building an Obelisk of Light, but if the timer isn't done and you loose your power, sionora. Point here is, building speed is all balance and we've barely just started touching balance, don't judge the demo on this balance aspect.

3: The Lifetime of the Buildings
-same as above, for demo purposes only we sped things up, this will definitely be balanced. The goal of a demo in a short amount of time, quite literally, show us the cool stuff. The lifetime of the buildings is definitely not realistic in the video but for the purpose of time and demo, we had to get thru everything quickly.

4: Walls, Gates, And Defence
-the answer here is simple, C&C 3 will have walls but they were not ready for this demo, so no worries, I think that answers your fears there.

Bottom line on these concerns, they are 100% fair based on the video, but let me reiterate:

1. The demo is not accurately balanced but its more about the visual presentation and showing the gameplay elements. So, yea, Stealth Tanks are good to destroy a power plant, Vertigo Bombers take out tanks, Mammoth Tanks are incredibly powerful and can level a base that isn't properly protected. We have barely touched balance, so no worries, we will be tuning balance and speed very intensely thru development.

2. You haven't seen all the GDI and Nod units, far from it, and that's all I'm going to comment there right now.

3. The intent of the demo was to showcase what a slice of C&C 3 action can look like, and remember guys, we're still very early, there is TONS that has yet to be revealed. Take the video for a visual representation of the gameplay, not a specific balance assessment.

Certainly though, comments on speed, what you want for balance based on what you saw, etc, thats all great and we're listening as usual.

At E3, EA's employees showed gameplay; at Leipzig Games Convention they just played the game. After interrupting the building of GDI power plants with stealth tank attacks, both the Nod forces and GDI army reached a moderate number of units and played out the skirmish. Considering Command & Conquer 3 won't ship until 2007 (but EALA says it is hoping to release a demo in January or February of next year), it's remarkable how polished the game looks this early. With Flame Tanks burping fire everywhere, Mammoth Tanks unleashing salvo after salvo and Orcas zooming overhead dumping missiles, the demo never hesitated, sputtered or burped.

In practice, as we saw, Nod tends to be proficient at hit-and-run tactics, while the GDI remains a solid choice for continuously building up successively stronger forces and eventually steamrolling opponents. Nod can build up quickly with militants and fanatics, who can join up with attack bikes and raider buggies for quick raids along with the speedy scorpion tank. Many of Nod's lower-level units seem to have excellent speed--the midlevel stealth tank, which can turn mostly invisible if it hasn't fired on an enemy for several seconds, is alarmingly fast and seems like an almost-perfect raiding unit, except that it's very fragile and is easily destroyed by enemy fire.

• PlanetCNC has some pictures up from the show floor for C&C 3 at the Leipzig Convention. They also have some notes from a representative on the show floor:

  Kane isn't in Leipzig; no word on whether he'll show or not (sorry, Euro-types who were hoping to meet him). Aaron "Apoc" Kaufman is there, of course, but Apoc isn't tall and bald and evil, so it's just not the same.

  As in Red Alert 2, you can only build one superweapon (of each type?) - no building eighty particle cannons like in Generals or getting those five silos in Red Alert 1. Superweapons can also be disabled in multiplayer and skirmish games as you please.

  The sidebar buttons (underneath the minimap) are 5 tabs: buildings, defense buildings, infantry, units, and planes, similar to how the sidebar worked in Red Alert 2.

  Engineers capture enemy buildings

  Infantry come in squads like in BFME/BFME2 - only some units like the engineer or sniper comes as singles.

  The Carry-All is a "carry-most": all infantry but not every single tank or other unit

  Looks like they're bringing back elements of the RA2 interface and gameplay, which, after all, is the most recent C&C, and is probably closer to the fast-paced gameplay EA desires than Tiberian Sun.
• There's a new preview of C&C 3 up over at Gamespy. Here's a snip:

  The demo we got to see included a multiplayer match on one of the smaller maps between two of the developers. The battle started with each side deploying their MCVs and getting their power stations and Tiberium plants operational. From there, the NOD side proceeded to do what it does best … quick surgical strikes at key spots to damage or impair the enemy. The stealth tanks were exceptionally good at this. The negative aspect to quick and mobile is lightly armored and easily destroyed.

Full preview.

GDI views Nod as a dangerous, virulent, and inexplicably self-sustaining terrorist group obsessed with accelerating the worst ecological catastrophe in history, led by a charismatic and brilliant sociopath named Kane. The Brotherhood sees itself quite differently. Nod believes that it is the agent of change for a world in the throes of transition to a new order, the representative of the poor and the oppressed, and a foil to the previously unchecked power of GDI.

The match we watched was set in a map called Nile Delta which is in the Yellow Zone. The color pallete is therefore blended over with plenty of yellow and brown tones to create a dustbowl meets the apocalypse type of feel. Mad Max would feel at home amongst destroyed civilian buildings and highways. The most colorful pieces of art on the screen were the Tiberium crystals and their sickly green glow. NOD was stark in their black and red attire while GDI donned their more militaristic standard beige and grey.

The user interface itself has been designed to hearken back to classic C&C while providing more information in a slicker presentation. The UI sits on the right side of the screen rather than the typical bottom bar. On a widescreen monitors like the lovely 24" displays in the EA LA offices, this is a wonderful way to see a large area of the playing field while still having access to the UI. The presentation is much more minimal than the strict bar found in Camp;&C games of the past.

From Gamespot:

Thankfully Electronics Arts knows the strength of the Dark Side is strong, and today announced that Kucan will reprise his role as the leader of the Brotherhood of Nod in the upcoming Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars.
Kane will appear in high-definition live-action cutscenes throughout the game which will propel the game's sci-fi story forward.

Imagine a superpower that isn’t a country – a new form of political, military, and economic organization that has characteristics of a religious movement, multinational corporation, and nation-state but isn’t really any of them. Imagine that this stateless superpower has the raw military power necessary to wage war on a global scale and stand against the GDI – which is an alliance of every advanced nation on the planet.

Observe, broadcast, and compete in thrilling online battles with innovations including all-new interactive spectator modes, VoIP communication, player commentary, and more.

Hey guys, couple things about the trailer... First, about the Mammoth Tanks. We have a feature in the game called Tank Articulation which basically means the Tanks conform to the terrains hills, mounds, etc, and move realistically over them as you saw in the trailer. Its funny you guys caught a minor hiccup in the trailer, because our Art Director said something similar after the trailer was finished. Yes, we have definitely tweaked a lot of things, that being one of them, so no worries. The gameplay footage is primarily an updated version of what we showed at E3 behind closed doors.

Hey guys, couple things about the trailer...

-SpikeTV cut out the 1st half of the trailer for some reason, so make sure you see the full cut online and when it goes live everywhere this week, including our official site (go there for the best resolution :o).

-The 1st half of the trailer is a cool GDI intro with graphics and flash and really sets the tone for the 2nd half...the gameplay footage. I don't know why they cut out the 1st half, maybe because of TV time.

-The trailer is meant to be our 1st gameplay trailer, and we purposely did not showcase Nod because we are debuting Nod at the Leipzig Games Convention. The gameplay footage was mainly taken from an updated version of what we showed at E3, really just meant to set the tone, some of the effects, and give you a sneak peek into what you can expect visually and impacting.

-Make sure to hit up our official site Monday to see the trailer in full HD res, and yes it will be online starting tomorrow on MTV and GameTrailers.com, so check those guys out.

Lastly, everyone is begging to see Nod, well rest assured, this will be a huge for C&C 3, so don't sleep.

It’s hot, its high-impact, and it will make you want to get on a plane to Leipzig, Germany to see the game in action next week.

Victory has been claimed...Blue Tiberium is officially in Command & Conquer 3. I am not privy yet to disclose the exact details on how exactly it will affect your gameplay experience (because that hasn't been fully fleshed out), but, I can tell you a couple of things.

-it will be Blue
-it will play a role in your strategy and defeating your opponent
-it will likely be involved in the resource system in some capacity
-i'll give you more specifics later

And yes, we took your feedback very seriously.

We're getting ready for Leipzig to showcase the first major multiplayer battle between GDI and Nod, its going to be explosive, and yes, there will be a fully featured video of it shortly after the show for those who don't make it to Germany.

With regards to Blue Tiberium, I'd like to say this was a collective decision between our designers and producers and the community feedback was a major critical factor in that decision.

Like I keep saying, you guys do have a voice. Keep it constructive and you never know, we're always listening, especially myself.

Its been a hectic crazy week getting ready for next week.

Our official site will be re-launching this weekend, the next newsletter is hitting next week Wednesday/Thursday and YOU ABSOLUTELY must sign-up for it, like every newsletter, if you want to be on the inside first, then sign up, and tell your friends to sign up to. I'm putting the final touches on the newsletter right now, so you heard it from the creator himself, you don't want to miss this.

Welcome back Blue Tiberium...you are welcome to post thoughts and ideas

- APOC

-Amazing effects on the screen with the new particle system. Vastly improved smoke, fire, explosions, tracers, haze, and weather effects.
-The 'user interface' is a side-bar that will allow you to build units quickly from different production structures, build structures in multiple production queues, select and control grouped units with ease, and activate upgrades and abilities for single units or groups of units.
-New 'information warfare' dynamic. Allows you to spoof the enemy's radar, confuse their sensors, and alter what they see on the screen.
-Upgrades include mine laying, rail guns, track enemy units by tagging them with sensor pods, jump jets, mortars, stealth tech, etc.
-Infantry units behave more realistic; they will take cover, can dig in and create fortifications, and become surpressed when coming under fire.
-New AI and new spectator modes for multiplayer.

Here are some current tasks I am working on:
-getting ready to go to Leipzig Germany next week to showcase C&C 3
-making sure marketing has all the assets they need while I am gone, I have deadlines
-getting our official site ready to launch for CC3
- getting patch 1.05 for BFME 2 done - getting patch 1.01 for BFME 2 360 done
- means making sure the team has all the information they need to address issues such as disconnecting
-updating BFME and C&C sites this week -just produced/edited a trailer for C&C 3 that you will see soon
-starting to monitor community feedback on ROTWK for BFME 2 -planning upcoming community summits
-finalizing deal sheets with contractors

Strategy Informer: Are there any upcoming units that we don't currently know about that you'd like to share with us?

Blbpaws: Well, we’ve discussed a lot of what’s going to be in the mod in the past, but one thing I haven’t talked about a lot is what we’re calling the ‘subarmy’ system. In All Stars, as soon as the game starts, the player chooses out of the three subarmies for the faction they are playing as. You can see an example of this in one of our screens released today. For example, if a Tiberian Coalition, as in the screen, player chooses GDI, Nod, or the Mutants. This choice gives the player an additional unit, upgrade, and 3-star Generals Power from that side. This has allowed us to introduce a lot of fun units and upgrades into the mod, such as the Reaper, Disruptor, Floating Disc, Tesla Tank, and Battle Fortress. It’s been a nice way to expand the mod and add another dimension of gameplay, and something I’m really very happy with.

GDI's focus on tiberium eradication in 2047 is a luxury. In the past, GDI has been locked in an epic struggle with a terrifying enemy--a secret society-turned-global superpower that has united most of the Third World against GDI. Led by a charismatic sociopath called Kane, the Brotherhood of Nod preaches that tiberium is the catalyst for the next stage of human evolution. Nod fanatics are doing everything they can to accelerate tiberium infestation on all continents.

GDI and Nod have been fighting each other for nearly half a century. The conflict has escalated into a full world war twice--the First Tiberium War (TWI) erupted in the second decade of the twenty-first century, and that terrible war was followed by another worldwide firestorm a few years later.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CNC Generals World’s Chief of General Site Operations Challenges C&C Community

New viral website launch to cover CNC Generals World administrator’s car with ads and messages

MASSACHUSETTS, Aug 06, 2006 - - With the slow news in the C&C Community, CNC Generals World’s Chief of General Site Operations had lots of time to ponder the future of all things internet. Starting today, the internet will form a near direct link with his car. With the launch of http://www.writeonmycar.com he hopes to rejuvenate a bit of the Command and Conquer community as well as other users on the internet. Luckie, named Nick Allain in the non-digital world, challenges the fans of such games as Red Alert, C&C, and Generals to fill his car with their favorite phrases and messages from the respective games as well as their own personal phrases.

Luckie, as he is called online, is joyful to launch his new website. It has been in the works for over one month. When asked what kind of phrases and ads he hopes will be placed on his 1994 Chevy Cavalier, he states: “it’s open to all phrases, URL’s, and messages that are appropriate. I specifically challenge members of the C&C community as well as the users of Digg.com to fill my car with their messages.

“WriteOnMyCar.com isn’t a scam or a joke. I really drive this car every day. This is a great opportunity for sites and users to get in on something fun and get their name on something that really moves,” says Mr. Allain.

To write on Nick Allain’s car, visit http://www.writeonmycar.com. Take the C&C Challenge and put your favorite C&C phrase or URL on his car. Prices are low and start at $0.34 per character.

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Yes, that's right. After garnering suggestions several months ago in a forum thread, I went and put together a 19-minute video featuring some of my favourite picks from the list. All you need to do is saddle up, make sure you have the DivX codec installed, and then grab either the 90MB high-quality or 50MB low-quality version of the movie, and you're good to go!

From a game design standpoint Tiberium is a simple and elegant resource that is easy to understand and use - but it has properties that designers can take advantage of to create fun game play with many layers of strategy. Tiberium fields are natural conflict points on the battlefield and control over the fields is an important part of game strategy. Direct use of the resource by some units allows for the introduction of new ways to play. The amount and distribution of Tiberium has a huge influence on the pace of the gameplay and the natural progression from early to middle and then late game in a multiplayer or skirmish match. The inherent properties of Tiberium prevent a runaway economy while ensuring that players never completely run out of resources - Tiberium fields will slowly regenerate over time.