The Command and Conquer (C&C) series was groundbreaking in technology in RTS (Real Time Strategy) gaming. Since its debut in 1996, it has grown from seedling into a full-grown apple tree, complete with franchised products. Alas in its growing pains, Westwood, the creator of C&C (which saw 1 sequel and 1 prequel) was bought out by the arcane Electronic Arts.
Electronic Arts have been around since I can remember IRC (Internet Relay Chat) when it was free(!) - and that was back when 33.6K Modem on dial-up bandwidth was "top of the range". They made quality games, solid in engine and beautiful in aesthetics. Firefight brings back awesome memories, much like 1942 does to those who remember the explosion of arcade-gaming-machines.
But the expansion of EA proved that growing too fast with money as your end goal is nothing but disasterous. Those who own C&C: Generals with the Xpac: Zero Hour know about the bugs that litter the game's code. While aesthetically pleasing, the engine was that of an old Ford Laser. It leaked memory like nobody's business giving way to hackers that would exploit flawed code to their advantage. For those who MPed (Multi-Player) online know the frustration, as they witnessed 1% completed SCUD Superweapons being launched endlessly without cooldown time, laying waste and luminously-neo-green biotoxins throughout the map in a matter of seconds.
But kudos to EAP (EA Pacific) for going back on their "offical last patch" - to patch the biggest flaw seen in RTS gaming. It took months, and it cost EA. Online gamers disappeared in a matter of days, and the EA Servers saw no activity. The patch fixed up major problems (which to EA's credit, every game released is bound to have problems) but the General Servers would never be the same again.
For the fans of Tiberan Dawn spanning the Red Alert series to Tiberian Sun, the Command & Conquer series have proved the best in imagination and creativity in SCI-FI storyline. The graphics have been beautiful to watch, whether that be seeing the multitude of lights light up your LCD as 100 tanks get obliterated by 10 rocketmen in bunkers with MIGs as air support, or just watching the door open as your first Minigunner runs out of the barracks, pretty technology has never come so far so quickly.
Generals and the expansion pack Zero Hour is highly recommended by a love-at-first-sight Real Time Strategy Gamer, the first C&C to have full 3D graphics and most diverse army and arsenal at your disposal; where micromanagement is key and often turns the tide of the battle. And if the game does not improve your strategy thinking, it sure will improve your mouse-precision, even if it is just improving the speed and accuracy of clicking cell Z-239 in your cubicle at your office while you're working overtime because you've played Zero Hour for the past 70 hours straight.
...now when does EA release the next C&C...
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2 comments:
Wow.
When an expert talks about something they're passionate about, in creative prose, it can be quite interesting, even if one essentially has no idea what they're talking about.
However, your face was so straight throughout that blog that I wonder if you're actually taking the mickey. If not, I like your bold, unapologetic decision to write about this stuff!
The ethics that EA were faced with;the fans that they lost in their lack of support for their product was quite controversial.
Generals & Zero Hour were beautifully crafted; however, the code of the game was poorly written, so much like buying a second hand car with a leaky engine but 2-hour fresh paint job, Generals and Zero hour failed to perform when you tried to drive it from A to B.
...I wouldn't know how to take the mickey if I tried.
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