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Command & Conquer 4 Announced For 2010

EA has officially announced that Command & Conquer 4 will be coming to the PC sometime next year. They say it will bring the Tiberium series to an "epic conclusion," while introducing "new class-based gameplay, mobile bases and persistent player progression throughout all game modes." In an interview with Gamespot, designer Samuel Bass elaborated: "Our 'offense class' is your classic RTS faction, tank-oriented and focused on frontline combat. With the 'defense class,' however, the emphasis is on infantry, bunkers, and turrets, which lets you build complex defensive grids and really hold down a section of the battlefield. Lastly, we come to the 'support class,' which is based around utilizing a selection of aircraft and custom vehicles to traverse the environment. Once engaged in combat, support players can fight directly or assist their teammates with a variety of powers and [healing abilities]."

72 comments

  1. Can't wait to play by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Insightful

    C&C has always been my favourite RTS series. It has a nice balance of not being overly complicated, so that you can focus on the actually strategy part, without being overly involved with micromanaging things like upgrading buildings and researching new technologies. I am looking forward to playing this one.

    --

    Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    1. Re:Can't wait to play by Hubbell · · Score: 1, Insightful

      #1 Total Annihilation is still the best RTS ever released.

      #2 C&C started sucking around Tiberian Sun/RA2, leaning more towards RA2 being the LOL point in the series where it just started sucking. RA3 and Tiberium Wars were utter fucking shit along with Generals.

    2. Re:Can't wait to play by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Assuming you aren't already familiar with it, TA:Spring is well worth your attention. It is a wholly shameless clone of TA(though there are a whole bunch of other mods, some minor, some totally different gameworlds/unit sets); but with quite respectably modern graphics and controls. Good stuff, decently active multiplayer.

    3. Re:Can't wait to play by Hubbell · · Score: 1, Interesting

      TA:Spring isn't a clone, it's an engine built specifically for TA being adapted to full 3d. I was the story/mission writer for one of the TA2 projects that was undertaken over the years, and I kept up on TAU and shit until like 06 or 07

    4. Re:Can't wait to play by OAB_X · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The dude said favourite, not best.

    5. Re:Can't wait to play by jollyreaper · · Score: 1

      C&C has always been my favourite RTS series. It has a nice balance of not being overly complicated, so that you can focus on the actually strategy part, without being overly involved with micromanaging things like upgrading buildings and researching new technologies. I am looking forward to playing this one.

      Interesting. I dislike it for the simplicity and lack of innovation.

      The damn AI's make me want to cry in these games. Here's all this new graphical bling and we're seeing the same pathfinding problems first encountered a decade ago. Graphics don't matter if the stupid's no better.

      I think the reason why Dune 2 didn't suffer as much was because they didn't try as much. When you can select a gaggle of troops, give a move command and watch them fail, you get frustrated. In Dune 2, you couldn't select like that, you had to click on each unit to give movement orders. With the smaller maps and smaller battles, I know I ended up micromanaging every movement, there wasn't an opportunity for the AI to do anything stupid. With the newer games, the scale prevents that kind of play and so the weakness of the AI's becomes harder to ignore.

      --
      Kwisatz Haderach
      Sell the spice to CHOAM
      This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
    6. Re:Can't wait to play by CastrTroy · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Even if I had said best, I could have been correct, in my own opinion. Best is subjective. Now most popular, Starcraft probably wins hands down. But that is definitely not what I was trying to say.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    7. Re:Can't wait to play by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Troll

      Starcraft? With its wildly unbalanced units and terrible interface? That game is a joke to every RTS player I know.

    8. Re:Can't wait to play by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

      actually spring RTS IS the TA engine - TA was open sourced years ago when the company failed, and developers took it up and made the lobby and multiplayer aspect of it. BA (balanced aniliation) is the main game on there now - i regularly play 8v8 games on spring. 6v6 games run every 20 minutes or so. spring's graphics are more than decent as well - it's a full 3d environment with a modifiable landscape and 100's of units.

    9. Re:Can't wait to play by ILuvRamen · · Score: 1

      that's funny because they stopped being my favorite at C&C Tiberium Wars when they somehow managed to make the enemy able to cheat the laws of the game and made the AI of your own troops stupider. And I'm not even going to buy Red Alert 3 even with RA2 being one of my fav games of all time and Generals being my favorite RTS game by far. It comes with some ridiculous borderline malware DRM scheme and I think anti-cheat system too. And the gameplay got even worse and is unbalanced with crappy AI and poor cutscenes. It's been out for how long now? And guess what, it's already $30 brand new. That's a REALLY bad sign that proves sales sucked. I hope they got the message and are actually going to release a game as good as Generals then for #4.

      --
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    10. Re:Can't wait to play by Cochonou · · Score: 1

      I really can't stand Starcraft (and Warcraft 3) emphasis on micromanagement. Well, actually that's not really true - I like Starcraft probably as much as everybody, but I have found some other games more interesting to play, such as C&C Generals. In this game, you do not have to care about the over powerful spellcasters (of course, there are none), but more about the position of units in the battlefield.
      Of course, it is not because a very popular game implements a game system in some way, that every game has to follow this same way. For instance, I know hardcore FPS players which dislike Counterstrike (and clones) reliance on hitscan weapons, in which you do not have to lead any shot to score kills. That doesn't mean that Counterstrike is a bad game - but there are other ways to follow.

    11. Re:Can't wait to play by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Man, you were trying way too hard. You have to be more subtle on the trolls..

    12. Re:Can't wait to play by TheTurtlesMoves · · Score: 1

      What that cheaters game with Multiple Unit Select (MUS). If you want to prove you can micro use the original... dune 2. Be a man about it!

      --
      The Grey Goo disaster happened 3 billion years ago. This rock is covered in self replicating machines!
    13. Re:Can't wait to play by Wildclaw · · Score: 1

      I really can't stand Starcraft (and Warcraft 3) emphasis on micromanagement.

      The problem with base building RTS games in general is that they have to have a quick pace or players will get bored while building their bases or between battles. But once actual combat begins, you need more control over the units, and that same quick pace will make adequate control near impossible.

      I have always wished that Starcraft and other RTS games for matter implemented some kind of "bullet time" mechanism for multiplayer, where each player can slow the game down for some time using a rechargable gage. Or possibly an automatic slow down when units were engaged in battle.

      Starcraft had one thing though that was incredible for its time, and that was that each unit had a purpose throughout the whole game. Later units had unique purposes, but they didn't simply replace the earlier ones. I think that is what made it such a popular game for many.

    14. Re:Can't wait to play by mSparks43 · · Score: 1

      I'm almost excited.

      Although given this is EA, who afaik have no linux support. I'm sure it will be good, but I doubt it will be good enough for me to go through the hassle of buying and installing another operating system for. So no good to me. Of course I have no problem with them not wanting my money, I just don't think its a very good practice.

    15. Re:Can't wait to play by CastrTroy · · Score: 1

      Which brings up my biggest pet peeves about starcraft. You can only have groups of 8 (12?) units. What I really liked about C&C is that you could select 100 units, and put them all in 1 group, so you could move them across the map easily. Then, you could split those 100 units into other groups, of whatever number you wanted when attacking the enemy.

      --

      Anthropic principle: We see the universe the way it is because if it were different we would not be here to see it.
    16. Re:Can't wait to play by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      With Red Alert, on machines of the era, you got a slowdown automatically in combat because the systems couldn't cope with large amounts of weapons fire. Unfortunately, the result of this was usually that both games would become out of sync and you'd end up with both players laying against the AI, often not realising for about 10 minutes.

      The real problem with the slowdown idea is that it doesn't scale to more than two players. If you have eight players in a game, and it slows down whenever two of them are fighting then it's likely to get very boring for everyone.

      Personally, I'd rather see better local AI for the units. If you're a strategic commander, you should be able to issue orders like 'take and hold this location' and have the commanders on the ground worry about tactics. Homeworld was good at this, but the problem is a lot simpler in a 3D space with almost no obstacles (and even then they'd often decide that the best way for a squad of fighters to attack an undefended harvester was by doing a close flyby of an enemy missile frigate first).

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    17. Re:Can't wait to play by 10Neon · · Score: 1

      They've fixed that for StarCraft 2. Unlimited unit selection, unlimited building selection, and a generally upgraded UI across the board.

      --
      The Guide is definitive. Reality is frequently inaccurate.
    18. Re:Can't wait to play by A+Friendly+Troll · · Score: 1

      C&C has always been my favourite RTS series. It has a nice balance of not being overly complicated, so that you can focus on the actually strategy part, without being overly involved with micromanaging things like upgrading buildings and researching new technologies.

      Ever played Company of Heroes?

      Let me know when strategy in C&C involves suppression, flanking, cover, retreating, reinforcing, directional weapons, victory points (because annihilation just won't happen due to the nature of the game), cutting off strategical points and 6-8 units per side on the field. The best part is that it's not complicated at all - everything is just perfectly natural and behaves like you expect it to.

      By the way, I recently watched a Starcraft 2 gameplay video somewhere and it left me wondering what the hell that was. To me, it looked like a random RTS game from the nineties with pretty graphics - it was over in 15 minutes, there were numerous base rushes, units were moved in huge blobs and vast numbers, and it seemed like a pure teching battle at the core, with early-game units being quickly phased out and replaced by better ones... Just like C&C. Not my type of game, definitely.

      Anyway, try CoH if you haven't already, you might be pleasantly surprised.

  2. Sloshdot. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nows for nords, stoff thot motters.

    Goatse meatspin.

  3. And yet by JimboFBX · · Score: 2, Funny

    And yet after years and years, Online gameplay will still slow to a crawl because someone's graphics are too high, because apparently implementing frameskip in their stupid engine is *THAT* hard.

  4. Cashing in by Lershac · · Score: 0, Troll

    On the breathless anticipation of starcraft 2. Gosh knows SC2 wont be released by then, so they can extract some bucks from those folks wanting to whet their appetite for some RTS.

    --
    Chuck
    1. Re:Cashing in by maharb · · Score: 1

      What? How have you managed to correlate the release of a CnC game with SC2 in this manner? The CnC series has been steadily releasing games and expansions for the last several years but of course it has to be related to SC2.

  5. Re:Doesn't matter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Just run a local PVPGN server (once they support it, that is).

    http://pvpgn.berlios.de/

  6. So long as Kane is still around, I'm happy. by Omegamogo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Joe Kucan's brilliant yet over-the-top acting practically makes the Tiberian series for me. His personality in real life is pretty fun too, judging by the interviews I've seen.

    "It would be a sad error in judgment, General Solomon, to mistake me for a corpse."

    1. Re:So long as Kane is still around, I'm happy. by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Yes, power shifts more quickly than some people think."

    2. Re:So long as Kane is still around, I'm happy. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Joe Kucan's brilliant yet over-the-top acting practically makes the Tiberian series for me. His personality in real life is pretty fun too, judging by the interviews I've seen.

      Joe Kucan rules, but unfortunately that will not make up for the inevitable DRM and activation schemes that will be employed with this title.

      Fuck you EA. I love C&C, but I still haven't bought RA3 because of this bullshit.

  7. mod parent up +5 insightful by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A++++ would mod up again

  8. Hello Iron Grip! by jack2000 · · Score: 1

    I'm just wondering, will they deliver? For more info on this sort of idea check this

  9. Defective By Design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is yet another title that I refuse to buy because it is affiliated with EA. The last EA title I bought (and will ever buy) was the Command and Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath expansion. It turns out that its SecuROM was responsible for many of the problems experienced by users. Had they not chosen the path of intentionally cripple their products and prevent the right of first sale, I would have decided to purchase Red Alert 3 and this game. (I recognize that higher quality versions are available through 'alternate channels', but choose not to procure them in such a way.)

    But you know what? It gets easier and easier to skip their inferior products. The Command and Conquer series is one that I had enjoyed since Tiberian Sun, but EA has managed to convince me steer clear of it. There are plenty of alternatives from companies that show respect to their customers, and those are the ones who will get my business. Yeah, yeah... -1 Redundant, but given the sheer lack of regard for users of their products it bears repeating.

    1. Re:Defective By Design by jack2000 · · Score: 1

      You're going to whine about SecuROM?
      Buy it then get a nocd patch and shut up already. And don't even pretend to not be aware of this possibility ...

    2. Re:Defective By Design by Homburg · · Score: 1

      Or just download a torrent, which will doubtless have a nocd patch included, making it even easier.

    3. Re:Defective By Design by Draek · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I can't remember where I got it from, but IIRC EA was now moving away from DRM after seeing how incredibly useless it was with Spore. At the very least, they didn't use it for The Sims 3 which is their most popular franchise, so odds are good that C&C4 won't be crippled either.

      Yeah, sucks that they didn't see the light 'til now and all that, but I prefer not to hold a grudge against a company if they start doing the right thing. Plus, that gives me good RTSs to play ;)

      --
      No problem is insoluble in all conceivable circumstances.
    4. Re:Defective By Design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd like to see EA stick more of their games on Steam. No additional DRM, and the Steam client runs as a user (except when updating, then it will ask for admin rights so it can write in its Program Files directory.)

      This is the main reason why I bought RA3. I just wish EA would stick all their games on Steam, even if they do so a month or so after stores get boxed copies to keep game shops relevant.

    5. Re:Defective By Design by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      FTFA:

      since C&C4 requires players to be online all the time in order to prevent cheating, we'll be shipping without any form of DRM.

      It sounds like they are trying to twist the definition of DRM to make themselves look better. According to Wikipedia, DRM is "access control technologies that can be used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals to try to impose limitations on the usage of digital content and devices." The restriction of needing to be connected to the internet in order to play even the single player portion of the game fits the definition of DRM quite well.

      Granted that this route is not as obtrusive as Starforce or Securom in many respects, it is not without its flaws. I would even say that it's a step down from Steam which has the option to go into offline mode. I imagine that troops stationed overseas with limited or no internet connectivity will not buy this game... or be unpleasantly surprised if they do not read the fine print beforehand. Oh well... the scene will probably provide more value to that subset of paying customers than EA by having a cracked executable ready before the game's release.

  10. Re:Doesn't matter by gbarules2999 · · Score: 1

    Never mind. Lame attempt at humor.

  11. Spring RTS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Now would be a good time to pimp the free total aniliation based RTS called spring. it has multiple games and 3d graphics, and it's FREE. the engine is GPL'd and has stood the test of time being 12 years old but still standing up there with the best of todays RTS games.

    http://springrts.com/

  12. RTS? Seriously? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We've had pretty much the exact same game for 15 or so years now. There isn't much variety in RTS games, be they military (C&C), fantasy (Warcraft), Scifi (Starcraft), etc. Just the setting and story is different, and people who care about story in a GAME where the GAMEPLAY is the most important (despite the flawed opinions of many modern gamers) are basically playing the same exact game.

    FPS got this way several years back as well, there's only so much you can do with a FPS, though admittedly by their nature you can at least have a bit of variety. With RTS, not so much.

    RTS games died around ten years ago. People who are looking forward to this and SC2 are only jonesing for nostalgia with a graphics update and no real update to the gameplay.

  13. One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by jo_ham · · Score: 5, Funny

    C&C was awesome, and one of the first RTS games I played, even before I got into Starcraft. It went enormously downhill when EA bought Westwood studios and "did their thing".

    Shouldn't be at all surprising, since that's EA's general way of doing things.

    Even if it's good you'll have to somehow convince the online authenticator that you had nothing to do with 9/11, have never hummed a tune out loud in earshot of another person or ever described in words any of EA's "intellectual property", up to and including walking into the store and asking for the game by name without first buying a licence to say the phrase "Command and Conquer 4" in a public place.

    Even after that, you'll put the CD into the drive and it will boot the installer and say "you have a CD drive! CD drives are used to rip mp3s and steal music!" and then shut down, consuming one of your three install allowances.

    I'll pass.

    1. Re:One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by jonwil · · Score: 1

      EA is nowhere NEAR as bad as some companies *cough*Blizzard*cough*Atari*cough*
      I own Red Alert 3. I never had any problems with the online authenticator (it just asked for my serial number and that was it). I also never had any problems with the DRM of that game. I put the DVD in the drive and it installed first time (without even caring what hardware I do and dont have). When I booted the game, it authenticated online ONCE and then hasn't needed to authenticate again. I can also press a button in-game to de-authenticate it and get my install back (which I used last time I reinstalled Windows)

      Also, with a few exceptions where EA themselves do not own the IP (music tracks, cinematics, Macromedia Flash based UI, MP3 technology, 3rd party libs) I have never heard of an instance where EA have a problem with re-using their IP (e.g. using content from one game in a mod for another)

    2. Re:One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by Rogerborg · · Score: 1

      Well, great. I guess since you didn't have any problems, nobody else did.

      If we're extrapolating, my copy didn't even have to be authenticated once, but I've got GameCopyWorld to thank for that, not EA.

      --
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    3. Re:One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by mikael_j · · Score: 1

      I feel like the C&C series of games hasn't been developing as well as they should, certain things have even disappeared from the game, like walls. Now maybe I'm biased but I liked being able to build walls and barbed wire fences to slow down an enemy assault but for some reason they're not in C&C3...

      Then OTOH, I'm one of those RTS players who like a slightly slower but more complex gameplay situation with games that drag out for hours on huge maps.

      /Mikael

      --
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    4. Re:One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know why walls were removed. Walls were removed to support twitch style rts gaming ala starcraft. Wall slowed down the enemy and there for made the game "less fun" for the twitch style players. Defensive strategies were continuously nerfed in the hopes of making the game more rush oriented because it is what the starcraft players wanted.

    5. Re:One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Still have one of the original NFS series - #3. It was good, it was fun and I can't play it anymore because some dipshit limited the 3d cards to the list he knew back then. I'm about 10 generations (!) faster now, let alone in pixel pushing power, but since it isn't called "TNT2" it won't use the 3d card and opt for software 320*200. On a 24" TFT with a GF9, that's pretty insulting.

    6. Re:One of the first franchises to be ruined by EA by ogreinside · · Score: 1

      Wait for it to release on Steam.

      --
      "The more you suffer, the more it shows you really care, right?" -Offspring
  14. DRM by the_Bionic_lemming · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Sorry, after the latest fiasco with that stupid securerom refusing to run cnc 3 on my system because I have a virtual drive (and I owned the title) and the twitchy crap it does with the 1.06 update by crashing everytime I try to load it because I don't have a language pack (which there is no option for me to implement) has gotten me to the point where I won't be sending money to EA anymore for games.

    I don't mind buying games, I do get really pissed off when I buy the game, register it, and then get locked out because they blacklist a product.

    --
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  15. There will be no DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    "Designer, storywriter, and campaign lead Samuel Bass explains these new features and confirms that the game will have no digital rights management software"

    Please RTFA before ranting about DRM.

    1. Re:There will be no DRM by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm doubting this. This guy has absolutely zero control over what ships from the publisher. He may say the game will not have it, but I'm sure it will be shipping with the latest StarForce or SecuROM in 2010. Almost assuredly, it will have activation just like Spore, and probably demand periodic authentication for "update checking."

      EA might not have put the activation DRM on the Sims 3 expansions, but until they stop shipping it with all their other games, I'm dubious of a single word to the contrary.

      EA has been in the DRM market since people started patching out floppy disk timing checks in Bard's Tale I. I doubt they will change their style anytime soon.

    2. Re:There will be no DRM by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      Does that mean that there will be no DRM, or that there will be DRM but it will be branded as something different? The latter option seems more popular with game companies at the moment...

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
  16. f*** Command & Conquer by viridari · · Score: 2, Informative

    Warzone 2100. I just saved you a bunch of $$. You'll love this game.

    1. Re:f*** Command & Conquer by Arimus · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'll second that one... excellent game and I love the tech tree in it... AI can occasionally be a bit dumb (keeps trying to use VTOL on my nice airdefences and ground against my ground defences ;) )

      --
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  17. Bugs by phorm · · Score: 1

    The plot and rather simplistic controls make it fun to play, unfortunately I've found that the bugs definitely did not, especially when it came to Tiberium Wars. While it improved over time, initial games of the purchased product was like playing a Beta copy, and I didn't buy at release time, but many months later, meaning there was plenty of time for fixes. There were a few instances in single-player missions where I had to restart because the game wouldn't recognize completed objectives, and some even more frustrating instances of multiplayer crashing, dropping out, or many other issues.

    EA makes good games, but the overall quality of the released product seems to be lacking. You're better off to wait until about a year after the initial release until the bugs are out.

  18. Total Annihilation by pipingguy · · Score: 1

    Thanks for this story! It reminded me that that I have an original TA disc and just installed it on my Mac laptop via Bootcamp. Seems to run fine. Bye-bye productivity!

    1. Re:Total Annihilation by TheRaven64 · · Score: 1

      If you don't want to reboot, TA works well in Crossover Games (I'm using the free version that they gave away last year). I've not tried it with the stock build of WINE, but it will probably work, although building WINE on OS X is certainly not for the faint-hearted.

      --
      I am TheRaven on Soylent News
    2. Re:Total Annihilation by pipingguy · · Score: 1

      F-yeah! TA and it's mods is what I remember. Why did Cavedog go bankrupt?

  19. The good news is.... by Kuano · · Score: 1

    This is the last C&C game in the tiberian universe. So now the original designers won't be rolling around in their graves anymore. Let it rest in peace EA, move on and kill another game.

    1. Re:The good news is.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Last game to finish the main story arc, maybe. I'm sure they'll come up with plenty of side games to keep milking the franchise.

      RIP Westwood, we miss you.

    2. Re:The good news is.... by RogueyWon · · Score: 1

      Why should they be rolling around in their graves? The only Tiberian-universe game that was an insult to the original was C&C2, and I'm fairly sure that this was back when Westwood were still in control of the franchise.

      C&C3 was, I thought, a pretty decent spritual successor to the original.

  20. Re: Mod parent up by Cochonou · · Score: 2

    Okay, parent did indeed read TFA, which is a crime on Slashdot.
    Nevertheless, he seems to be the only one to have caught that critical part of the interview when there are already 10 posts complaining about DRM.

  21. Sounds like Battlezone 2 by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

    BZ2 combined RTS with a first person view. You could basically jump in any vehicle and then direct things just like you would in C&C, except from a first person view and as a member of any battle groups.

    It changed the whole dynamic, since you could not just scroll around the map at will, you actually had to go to an area you wanted to manage. Terrain was much more important too, because it could obscure you line of sight and some steep hills were impossible for some units to climb.

    I've been wanting an update to BZ2 for years. Just a shame it's EA that's doing it.

    --
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    SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    1. Re:Sounds like Battlezone 2 by griffinfinity · · Score: 1

      Yer but a young whippersnapper, BZ was the real deal, back when any pilot worth his salt could make them recyclers spit ammo, piss Wolverines and shit Black Dog Tanks all might long...yeeeee haaw! I can almost see old Killseeker comin' over the hill being chased by the immortal Shotglass! Long live the xGo! (Xtreme Gamers Organization) est. 1998 on the Acti servers. The elite Lakytus aka ~xGo~Sublime!! An Aussie ANNIMAL...~xGo~BigWIllieStyle!! Lord of the Wolverines! and yours truly ~xGo~Mustang -> THE Master of the Mag Cannons!...

        Life was good, when life was simple! Ah, but C&C was also outstanding. Going on 4 eh? I wonder if that foxy Lil' Tanya is still shootin' lights out?

  22. Tiberium Sun Anyone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tiberium Wars was pretty decent imho. I've been playing the game since wayyyyyyy back. Killing Dinos since C&C and the ants in RA.
    What I'd like to know is why people are harping on about EA killing the franchise, and how it'll be all good once they are done with the game as it'll stop them raping our childhood (Incedently, I demand Rule 34 on C&C).
    Anyway, Westwood were working on Tiberium Sun for YEARS before EA bought out Westwood. I'm guessing that most of what was wrong with that game (ie, all of it) was down to Westwood.
    IMHO, the changes maed in Generals and Tiberium Wars were for the better. I don't think anyone wants to go back to the days of those god awful tunneling flame tanks and APC's.

  23. Good move Taco! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have to say the quality has improved so much since Slashdot ditched 'Anonymous Coward' and got this Anonymous Cowardon fellow in to replace him.

    Thanks for making Slashdot such a great place Mr Taco!

  24. I'll wait for Supreme Commander 2 by Luke+has+no+name · · Score: 1

    After playing an RTS with full map zooming, I can't play new RTSs without it.

  25. Lost touch with Command and Conquer... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I am what most of you would call a whippersnapper and would yell at for being on your lawns....

    But, I have played Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert 1, since then the storyline first and foremost has slipped, replaced more and more by eyecandy, look at RA2, Kari Wuhrer? really? and James Earl Jones of Tiberian Sun? And compare that to all the eyecandy in RA3...Jenny McCarthy, Gemma Atkinson, George Takei, Kelly Hu?

    The earlier games were fun due to their simplicity and balance, each had different tactics, and you could tweak their rules.ini for added fun, it was easy, try to do that now with all the crazy units with their options.

    RA was so frigging cool, with the whole Philadelphia Experiment, Tesla Coils, the effect of removing Hitler and how that affects the story line, and C&C1 with the whole supranational GDI and abrahamic NOD... I spent hours looking these things up afterwards....

    Sadly nothing as such in the new releases so farewell to the new C&C tiles...

  26. From the second link - mandatory to be online? by Sits · · Score: 1

    Samuel Bass: "Essentially, whenever you play Command & Conquer 4, be it in single-player, co-op, skirmish, or online, you earn experience that collects in your persistent player profile. Within the profile, you use your experience pool to level up your classes, earning new units, structures, powers, and upgrades. Since your profile is persistent across the game, you can then take your new toys and put them to use in any of our game modes.

    [..]

    "As a nice side effect, since C&C4 requires players to be online all the time in order to prevent cheating, we'll be shipping without any form of DRM."

    In short, I have no idea just what that means. My current reading is that it is one of "you have to be online to play any multiplayer games" or "you have to be online to run the game at all".

  27. Re:Doesn't matter by justinlee37 · · Score: 1

    Company of Heroes has restrictions similar to the ones planned for Starcraft II. You have to login through Relic's online authentication to play the game at all, even with friends on a LAN (this will keep your friends from using a pirated copy, much to our chagrin at the time). However the LAN gaming works perfectly assuming everybody logs in to Relic with a legitimate copy of the game. So I don't really feel like that sort of login method "killed" the RTS genre (and if you liked CoH I don't see how you could think so either), it just makes it harder to get a free lunch.

    Or did you mean to say that Company of Heroes was responsible for Starcraft II's DRM? That might be true.