2.8.5a Patch
Fixes:
Bug fix: Removes the delay between Bazooka infantry firing anim and actual projectile launch.

Updated the readme with info on problems with the LAN patch (it apparently makes some internet games unstable, wsock32.dll needs to be moved to the DLLs subfolder if you want to play ROTD over XWIS)

2.8.5 Update/Re-Release
Fixes:
Bug fix: The mod no longer crashes randomly when navigating the menus/exiting the game and no longer requires Win98/ME compatibility mode under Vista/Win7.
Bug fix: Applied Hyper's WCE fix. Players are now allowed to select medium or high detail level without risking Wave Class Error crashes.

CNCSaga.de: Command & Conquer was a real milestone. How did you come to the idea to create this game and how much did it cost you in the end to achieve everything?
Louis Castle: C&C was designed after the huge success of Dune 2. I don't recall the actual costs but I would guess about $2m. At that time that was a huge budget. C&C took about 2 1/2 years to make.

CNCSaga.de: Was it a hard decision to give everything to Electronic Arts? Did it turn out to be profitable for you?
Louis Castle: We sold Westwood to Virgin in 1992. Virgin was sold to Viacom, including Westwood and Westwood alone was sold to EA. We were not part of the decision to sell Westwood when it was sold to EA but we were agreeable with EA or Microsoft, both of which were actively bidding to buy Westwood. In the end, both Brett and I were well compensated but we also made sure to take care of all the Westwood staff in 1998 when EA bought Westwood.

CNCSaga.de:How would you have continued the C&C franchise if you would still be in possession of it?
Louis Castle:It would have definitely been different. The Irvine team really liked a few mechanics from other games so starting with Red Alert 2 and continuing through C&C 4 the games have been heavily influenced by a different design team.

HeXetic: In Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, players are dropped into a world falling apart at the seams, plagued with an all-consuming alien substance, wracked with factional fighting, and recovering from a full-on alien invasion. How did this setting influence your approach to the game's music? How much direction did the C&C4 design team provide for the musical direction of the game?
James Hannigan: It was very influential, and I think the music successfully conveyed this sense of desperation and bleakness - but hopefully not to the extent that it was depressing or killed the fun. The battle music I think manages to be energizing, while keeping the right sense of fear and trepidation, and the theme of Kane’s ascension I think provides an interesting emotional backdrop to the game that you wouldn’t get if you *only* went for atmospheric or bombastic tracks matching what you see happening in front of you. When possible, I’m always looking to provide this kind of emotional landscape in the hope that the music will hint at a world bigger than the one you can see on screen, avoiding taking just a literal view of everything. I think that approach can help create more of an immersive, believable universe - whatever the game is.

Music can really put things into an emotional context and expand the scope of a game, even if players/viewers are less conscious of it than, say, the visual details or gameplay elements. Yuriko’s theme from Uprising could be another example of that in that it hopefully adds something you wouldn’t get without it, fleshing out the character of Yuriko and putting things into context before you even play. But, having said all that, I’m all for hard-hitting bombastic battle tracks as well! I’m happy working within orchestral parameters but equally comfortable with driving rock-oriented/synth music as well, when it’s called for. It’s often up to the team you work with and the vision they have for a game that determines the brief when it comes to music.

HeXetic: Have you played C&C4? How much? Any particular likes or dislikes?
James Hannigan: I like it. I can see both sides of the argument regarding the changes of direction in terms of gameplay and mechanics, but I still enjoy C&C4 very much – particularly the 5v5 multiplayer. The way I see it is that this game complements the others in the series and it doesn’t need to replace them.

CNCSaga.de: In the past 15 years, did the community and the brand Command & Conquer change since back then? What are your thoughts about this?
Frank Klepack: The community hasn't changed as much as it's remained a solid force of passionate people who love the games and love making their own takes on it. I think that really cool that they are going strong after so many years. As far as the brand goes, thats subjective. I thought C&C3 and RA3 still retained some of the gameplay and visual presentation that echoed what came before it, but C&C4 seems to be the most far removed of the whole series.

CNCSaga.de: Was it hard work to make your comeback in the community with Hell March 3? The fans were expecting much and you had to raise the bar you had set yourself.
Frank Klepack: No it wasn't hard - it was quite natural. The only major difference was, they wanted to stick close to the feel of HM2 rather than go in a different new feel, which is what I would've done otherwise. So I had to provide what the client wanted rather than have the creative freedoms I was used to. Which is fine. I think the best version of HM3 is the one I performed at Games In Concert 3. It sounds punchier when its live!

CNCSaga.de: What were your highlights with Command & Conquer in the last 15 years and what are the things you were happy about or what makes you a happy even today?
Frank Klepack: Highlights were making the first game and having a blast with no limitations. After Red Alert shipped, the outpouring of fans who loved the music was a big surprise to me, seeing Hell March become a hit. Winning the PC Gamer award for best soundtrack over Quake which was done by Trent Reznor was crazy, since that guy is one of my biggest influences of the time. Scoring msuic to James Earl Jones scenes in Tiberian Sun was awesome, since he's the voice of Darth Vader, and I'm a huge Star Wars fan. Recording my tracks for Red Alert 3 at Skywalker Ranch with the symphony was a great and exciting expereince. And of course the opportunity to perform these themes live with symphonies such as Video Games Live and Games In Concert is the icing on the cake!