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Command & Conquer: Generals Preview

Chris Leyton

00/12/0000

Command & Conquer: Generals is set to be radically different FROM all that have come before, that’s what you wanted isn’t it???

The videogames industry is going through something of a tough time, brought about by the relative staleness found in most genres; like it or not, weâre in a time of endless sequels, big name licenses and countless tie-inâs. No other genre highlights this more then the RTS, a genre that when first appeared was hailed as revolutionary, and progressed to near perfection with the release of Westwoodâs Command & Conquer.

Since then the C&C franchise has fallen from grace, countless sequels, add-ons and Westwoodâs stubbornness not to change, has seen all but the most hardened fans turn away. And so the change was needed, fortunately Command & Conquer: Generals looks like doing just that.

The first big change that youâll notice is that the series has finally moved into 3D, yes after almost ten years the series has finally moved from its 2D roots, and some would say a few years too late. Using a modified version of Westwoodâs W3D technology that powered Command & Conquer: Renegade, Sage allows for some very detailed environments and units. The engine excels particularly in terms of the dynamic lighting going on throughout the game; clouds cast real-time shadows on the environment below, whilst a variety of reflective effects have been employed, shown best in the water that sports full environmental mapping. In terms of pure horsepower the engine is no slouch, cities are packed with buildings and other objects, destroy a building and watch as thousands of glass shards scatter the area, complete with a Matrix styled close-up and pan effect that accompanies any major destructions. Command & Conquer has never looked so beautiful, and itâs about time.

The next biggest change, and perhaps the riskiest is that fact that this game is set nowhere in the original C&C timeline. Set 20 years into the future, the game doesnât focus on the struggle between GDI and NOD, or even the battles between communist Russia and the Allies as found in Red Alert. Instead the threat comes from the Global Liberation Army (GLA), a terrorist organisation that is threatening world peace. The GLA have gained access to Chinese military hardware as well as biological weapons and is threatening to use these on China. In 2020 China is a different place, with a vastly different regime, the Chinese government is composed of young Capitalists looking to forget their communist past and re-establish China as a political, militaristic, and economic force to be reckoned with. Of course it isnât too long before the US puts their nose in and becomes entwined in the struggle.

The move is a risky choice for Westwood and could alienate fans of the original C&C. The same thing happened when Westwood introduced the Red Alert series, without Tiberium and Mammoth Tanks who knows whether the fans will flock back. I guess Westwood know what theyâre doing, who knows the next C&C game (which is being kept under lock & key) could bring them all together and explain it allâ¦

Keeping up with the changes, C&C fans will notice a change in the interface. No longer a vertical bar, the interface now runs horizontally along the bottom. Following on from other companies, youâll no longer be able to access everything, instead only the actions corresponding to your selected unit/building will be displayed. This has allowed units to be upgraded in a similar manner to the Ages of Empires titles. EA Pacific claims that the move has made the user interface more intuitive and user friendly, allowing commands to be issued more rapidly. Of course weâll have to wait until we play it before we can decide.

The game will be split up into three, ten mission campaigns â“ one for each side. As with other games in the series, each side represents the different approaches youâll need to employ throughout the game. The US being a âfriendlyâ type of organisation places emphasis on the importance of the troops, which is reflected in the high cost of units. Conversely the GLA are fanatics that will stop at nothing to win, even if this is at the expense of their troops lives.

Before starting a game youâll have the option to choose from one of three âCommandsâ, this in turn gives you a number of advantages and disadvantages to the way you play the mission. It basically revolves around making certain units cheaper and opening up new units at the cost of others, essentially this offers nine different ways to play each mission and gives you the opportunity to tailor each campaign to the best way you see fit.

When you start a game in C&C: Generals no matter which side you choose youâll start off with a bulldozer, this actually constructs everything within your game, so buildings no longer sprout up on their own accord. This also allows you to build anywhere on the map, rather then being constricted to your base, opening up the scope for new tactics â“ of course youâll have to protect the lightly armoured Bulldozer if you decide to do this.

Being set in the not too distant future, the arsenal available is a mixture of reality and classic C&C fantasy. As youâd expect the US have access to cutting-edge military hardware, including a hovering tank called the Crusader, slightly based in the fantasy realm you may think. On the more realistic side, and certainly keeping in tune with recent events is the US Detention Camp, equipped with a demoraliser ray-gun that gathers the mood of your captives and fires it at nearby enemy troops to lower their morale.

The confirmed Chinese units thus far have more of a fantasy feel to them, for example the Propaganda Blimp that flies over the troops and inspires them to fight harder through the attached speakers. Or the Seismic Tank that fires off huge shells creating a seismic explosion that destroys any units or buildings in their path.

With less regard to human life the GLAâs firepower relies on the manpower available. The Angry Mob is a group of civilians that are considered as a single unit, firing off small rounds and chucking rocks, the mob is good for close ranged combat and can be upgraded with AK-47s for increased power. More technical is the Scud Storm, a super weapon modelled after Iraqâs scud missiles used during the Gulf War.

In addition to the basic units, each side will have a superhero, though these are still in the early design stages. Itâs believed that the US will be an Arnold Schwarzenegger type character, whilst the Chinese character will be reminiscent of Trinity from The Matrix. Itâs unknown who will make the GLAâs superhero yet, however you can have a pretty good guess, seeing as how close Generals comes to real-life events!

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