C&C Labs News

Over at C&C TV, the third episode of the Aftermath show is up. It mostly focuses on the actors and video footage in Kane's Wrath and has a nice interview with Cinematics Director Richard Taylor.

It's a little late, but for those of you celebrating (or already have celebrated) today, we at Generals World would like to wish you a happy and feasting filled Thanksgiving.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Generals World Staff

GameSpot recently released an article detailing the subfactions contained within the Global Defense Initiative. Just like the other two teams, GDI will contain two subfactions. These subfactions are entitled Steel Talons and ZOCOM.

The article describes Steel Talons as an experimental group started near the end of the Second Tiberium War. In this subfaction, GDI tests it's most advanced, destructive, and unproven technology in order to keep GDI's "technical edge."

After the Second Tiberium War ended, ZOCOM was created to infiltrate the Red Zones. This subfaction clads its units in tiberium resistant armor, utilizes experimental sonic weaponry,  and has the first woman commander of any GDI forces.

In other news, APOC has announced the release of a new wallpaper. Judging by the armor the infantry is wearing, and by the ZOCOM picture embeded into the Subfaction Article, I believe this image depicts the ZOCOM subfaction.

Carl from Carl's Guides sends word that he has completed his walkthrough for Tiberium Wars. It covers all GDI and Nod missions in the game in detail, so if you're stuck on a mission, this guide is for you.

Carl wrote a walkthrough for Generals back in the day that we found good enough to mirror here at Generals World, so you can be sure his C&C 3 guide is up to par.

Anyway, kudos to him for getting the C&C 3 guide out the door - perhaps another will follow for Kane's Wrath?

A few things of note:

• Apoc has banned or disqualified more than 75 cheaters and disconnectors from the C&C 3 online ladder. It's good to see EA doing their best to make sure the online ladder stays fun and cheat-free. You can read more about this in Apoc's post.
  
• HeXetic from PlanetCNC has written a new article, discussing the flaws in C&C 3 interface. It's very well done and should be required reading for EA and any interface designers.
  
• Episode 2 of EA's video series Command School recently was launched. It discusses things like garrisoning, the Scrin firepower in the late game, and how to pull of a very powerful Shadow Team rush. Watch it at C&C TV.
• Command and Crysis: The Dead 6, a mod that has been in development for as long as I can remember, posted a huge media extravaganza. There's no doubt that the engine they are using (from Crysis) lets them create extraordinary art. You can view it here.
• A new mod called C&C Justice has been released. It features walls and Tiberium tribute, and lets Cranes build defenses again. You can get it from FileFront.

Lastly, and most importantly, today is Veterans' Day in America (and Remembrance Day in many other countries). Let's remember those who have lost their lives in war, and be thankful that the wars we fight in Command and Conquer are merely virtual. Even today, not everyone is so lucky.

Modding C&C 3 requires a Mod Software Development Kit (SDK), a free tool made by EA. EA has recently updated this tool to version 4.0, with numerous improvements including:

"updated XML/XSD files for Patch 1.09, updated global and static manifest files, updated TacticalHud UI screen, and a new HUDReplayControlPanel screen. The tools have also been recompiled so they work with the latest schema, lua, etc. The new 4.0 SDK also includes enhanced documentation, with updates to the Common Issues page, Building a Mod, and new pages for Audio and Defines."

Good to see this kind of support for the modding community. Hopefully EA keeps it up. You can download version 4.0 here.

Quite a few things have happened recently. Here's what you should know:

• The free Battlecast Viewer has been released (too late to be of much good, one might say). For more explanation, see Apoc's post here. In effect, the Viewer (weighing in at a rather hefty 1.4GB) lets you watch C&C 3 games without owning the game itself. You can't play, though; only observe multiplayer matches. For those of you who haven't bought the game yet, which I imagine is a relatively small percentage, this could be a good tool in your decision-making process.
  
• They've also revamped, in a very neat way, the Battlecast website. It loads faster, and has a nice organization of thousands of matches. Those of you interested in watching replays of C&C battles will find it interesting to check out.
  
• Episode 3 of Battlecast Primetime is available on C&C TV. It features coverage of new C&C matches, as well as news on Kane's Wrath (the upcoming expansion pack for C&C 3). Namely, each side gets a huge, new "epic" unit that's designed to be the true ultimate force on the battlefield. Nod's, the only one announced, is a unit that shifts type based on what's garrisoned inside.
  
• Also announced was the cast of Kane's Wrath. In addition to Joe Kucan, two new members were added: Natasha Henstridge and Carl Lumbly, who both play Nod characters.
  
• There's a new feature started called "Ask a Developer" on the EA forums, in which you case ask the makers of C&C questions that are on your mind. Ask away!

Just when you might have thought all C&C modders had moved on to C&C 3, Spartan07 would like to announce the launch of the Generals British Forces mod website.  Generals British Forces is a modification currently under development for Zero Hour. The mod aims to add Britain as a new faction within Zero Hour, incorporating elements of the British army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force.

While Generals British Forces has a number of models created, the team is actively looking for new members, including coders, mappers and skinners. If you're interested in joining the team, please post in their forums. For more information about the mod, be sure to check out the website, which includes information about it's current status as well as planned units, structures, and more.