Gben

drools... okay i revise my earlier statement. I *might* buy this game based on the box art! -gben

My understanding, from the pre-order thread at EA, is that this is *just* the pre-order artwork. But like you said, it's pretty confusing and it could well be the special edition pack. I think US stores will start to carry the pre-release from Dec 26th onwards... so in the new year in Australia and NZ it should be confirmed in-store I guess. I don't love the new artwork, but I don't hate it either. It's okay... there's nothing wrong with it, it just doesn't have that clearly-identifiable-C&C-'ness about it. But at the end of the day I'm going to buy it regardless of the cover art. So whatever... -gben HOLD THE PHONE... I just noticed they have update the EA site with image for Kane edition http://www.ea.com/commandandconquer/news.jsp?id=Kane_Edition Now I really like this one...

Well I've only seen really poor quality scans, so if anyone wants to PM links to better quality versions if it's a legal problem for the forums... -gben

Aah... thanks that's much better. (I keep forgetting that you guys use firefox, and by default I'm using IE7. I'll try and remember that in future.) -gben

Firstly, can I say that I found that particular blog, incredibly difficult just to read! Can we at least try to have some line breaks, columns, paragraphs in future??? Anyhoo... All good stories need a point of tension. So I second the motion. If you don't have a reason to intermingle, and there's no risk to the endeavour... well the game can quickly get stale. We need the creative spark from developers in the point of tension... I like pop caps generally speaking... it creates artifical tension through limitation of unit numbers. I think EAW's pop cap works better than Starcrafts... because really SC just limits massing (to a degree) where EAW really forces pre-meditation in unit selections. ... but RA2 is still my favourite multiplayer game from C&C genre. Go figure! -gben

Yeah Zee - take one for the team! -gben

Well obviously their nod's SUPER soldiers! I was kinda wondering the same thing too... it kinda looks odd with whole platoons of capes. It's the sort of thing that should be used to distinguish individual units... like a commando for instance. I *really* like the mood in that 2nd screenshot... with all the green tiberian and spotlights of sunshine... (the one that looks like it's underwater.) But I don't know, it just seems so wrong for GDI to be using rocket launchers, 'cause it makes no sense for them not too... just a hang up from the earlier games.... it's just weird that I care. It's nice to see these hi-res screenshots... like the shadow from the mech's claw... very omnious. (Of course now I'm thinking of the CLAW from Liar Liar - excuse me while I Koom-By-Yah) -gben

Good catch... fun to watch. I love the idle unit animations on the Mammys... Fun to translate... anyone want to try... NB: the ability to read/write/speak German is superfluous. -gben

Nifty! Love the AK... -gben

I really do like the appearance of effort on EA's part in creating different feels for the different factions. Whether this actually happens ingame or online is a different thing... The vibe from the summit seems to be positive, so I'm hopeful. I wonder if EA will release a beta or demo before the release... -gben

This is great news... -gben

How much of this land doesn't get any water... a heck of a lot of it. -gben

confirmation that the 3rd side is alien - yah no confirmation that the 3rd side is skrin - boo questions for zee in other thread - booyah! -gben

Well no suprise there, but the Generals music doesn't work in the new Game Play Trailers... I liked them fine in Generals, and I liked his stuff in the rainbow series... but it definetly didn't suit C&C. But that's okay - it was designed for that universe. I'm open to new music... -gben

Well watching a recon group walking through the hills is hardly going to get our blood racing is it - I don't begrudge EA for putting all the explosions and such in these trailers... only the whiteness is bothering me now. The flames really get swallowed up by all the whiteness... the only colour I saw was the OBBY. I noticed the juggernault deploy animation in the trailer as well... makes a little sense, the reinforcement at the foot of the legs... but the deployment speed certainly fits into the fast, fluid and *cough* fun mantra. Predator mentioned elsewhere that these are artillery units, but they are being shown in the action for actions sake... but I notice how flat the trajectory is and really wonder how much range is on these suckers. Certainly not anything like the TibSun Artillery... now they were a hoot! I noticed the crystal going through the three harvestor slots... nice. I'm suprised no-one mentioned the great big crystal in the centre of the mineral field giving of gases in the trailer... now that I think of it. When you get into the whole mineral/organic thing... this chunk looks a little out of place. (I guess I'm mentioning this because it was the only other colour I remember). (by the way i couldn't download the files directly from the links posted - my manager said the links were removed - so I had to stream them.) -gben

Hey well it looks great on my home comp... so it was worth the download. I love the high quality trailers and downloads. I really liked the animation on the gdi mechs by the way. My one comment from the movie is the white weapon fire... a little overwhelming all this white death... apart from the fire (flamers) there didn't seem to be much differentiation between all the weapons... All this white makes me feel kinda like its warefare in a hospital! heh. Well I didn't expect green and red lasers ala Star Wars but still... -gben

I can't place where I saw it, but I recently saw a map of nuclear blasts indicating world devestation... but I can't think where it was. The thing that sticks out, and why I would bring it up, is that Australia had three detonations... 2 over on the east coast around Sydney and Melbourne as you would expect but the 3 was in the middle of the west coast around Derby or Broome... and there is NOTHING worth nuking over there. It made me laugh because they obviously didn't really think about where they were placing the nukes - just spreading them out to cause major damage... lol. Now I'm wondering why Aust/NZ doesn't have any temples... - are we insignificant or - are we the NOD base of operations??? . . . . alright which one you bastards has APOC!* 'fes up!!! *said in my best imitation of the John Walton playing Bill Woodfull in the BODYLINE miniseries who said that famous line... 'which one of you bastards is calling this bastard a bastard?" (Yes. yes. Any excuse to get a cricket quote in... especially when it's a day after the Poms crumble!) -gben

Hey I was looking at the site again today... now the world map and countdown has temple locations around the globe. Or did I miss that the first time? 3 in the US and 0 for Australia and NZ. Surely they got that wrong... . . . . there should be at least 1 in Fiji right?!? -gben

I really admire the work ethic of mod teams like APB... a community of people who pool their resources, talents, and elbow grease to take a dream and put it into reality. Surely when you look up the dictionary for the definition of 'total conversion 'apb' must be at least be listed as an example. If only the big game companies could find the secret to harnessing this dynamic and make a profitable game... There's a really interesting dynamic in the entertainment industry now that I've noticed. ie. that making a turkey of a movie is still pretty much assured of turning a profit for the investors because of certain level or returns - so that making a movie is business strategy not an expression of artistic vision. We seem to see that all the time in the gaming industry now too [i think this is more or less the view of Capt Grumpy]. I never played the mod, but apparently the dream progression of Desert Combat team from mod makers to paid employees didn't turn out so well. Shame really. I like what APB/Reborn are doing... I hope they share the love around. -gben

Well I survived the break in the cricket - thank god for desktop scoreboards... Not very interesting new information, some rehashing of questions that I thought were settled before... a large amount cheese included in the podcast. Shame, the midcast 'live' communication from APOC could've been implemented better. Rather than a live cross in the middle, it should've been done at the start or end... because it makes no credible sense that EA "Online Shopper" would continue on the fan broadcast if APOC sent a urgent request for help! He could have done it at the beginning and when he couldn't him back on the phone used the live call as an excuse to talk about the other C&C news... or the end of the cast but it's been done before. My favourite implentation would have been simply to say... we recorded this encrypted recording last night, and we're playing to you now... help us now. Make it a mission briefing even... The extension of this would have been using 'apoc' as a deep throat character who discovers new information about C&C and leaves them in locations were fans can find them on the internet... new screenshots of nod vehicles, logos, gameplay... that sorta thing. It's an opportunity missed for more fun in character... (that's the mission briefing - find the information drops from APOC. links to websites could have been cryptic clues or something) My two other comments was it was incredibly difficult to understand what was being said - it was not very clear - I had my volume up 4/5 of the way to try and hear both guests... So in that light I may have missed this point... the multiplayer game modes - are they only on the XBOX? That seems stupid. -gben

Aw... but that means I have to turn off the cricket!!! -gben

C'mon Captain Grumpy... the C&C freaks like us have all seen the images, but the trailer is designed for the wider audience and all the lapsed fans out there who haven't got their finger on the pulse anymore... ...I think it's safer for EA to stick with the old music - considering the nth degree of nitpicking we all seem to do to anything new! ...rather than the mech falling, I enjoyed the defense tower arcing over, nice and slow... majestic in death. ...and it was good to see moving versions of old stuff. I can't wait to see everything move at 1/6 the speed when I cram it on my computer! he he he! Fast fluid and fun... HA... not on my 'puter! -gben

<aol> me too! <aol> -gben

I'm looking at a screenshot of the logo in the November trailer again... yeah I was right. The background certainly impacts on the emphasis... the white logo on green background looks good. The 'three' is a layer... I like it. thumbs up from the fanboy. -gben

... and and a poll on the font used in the manual! :lol: -gben