Machinima Videos: History of C&C & Westwood Part 4

[Sonic 296]

Part 4 of Machinima's series of videos about the history of Command & Conquer and Westwood Studios is now available for viewing. Check it out below.

 

Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 are also available via the CNCNZ.com YouTube Channel.

[Gben 20]

I really enjoy these. Each episode reminds me that Westwood only have themselves for getting into a vulnerable position where they needed to be closed down. Did anybody play Earth & Beyond? I never had a chance...

[Troopzor 5]

Another great episode. Aside from Tiberium, I really reallllllly hated that game. Actually glad it was canned

[Silverthorn 0]

I really enjoy these. Each episode reminds me that Westwood only have themselves for getting into a vulnerable position where they needed to be closed down. Did anybody play Earth & Beyond? I never had a chance...

 

Wasn't into MMOs though.

 

Anyway, the more we look at it. Now we understand why WW closed down, but the problem is, EA doesn't know how to handle the franchise as though they have no idea what they were doing, and therefore, there were WW fans try to boycott against EA, including myself.

 

And the worse part is, many of us Westwoodians depended on EA to take over and follow WW's footsteps, but unfortunately, that following footsteps didn't happen and EA being themselves. And what is even worse is that C&C3 was the first EA project (& the real C&C game) which we remembered Greg Black said he was not happy it, and it's true, ALL NO THANKS TO OUR FREAKIN' EALA EXECS!! Buggy gameplay, bad unit models (C&C3 has nearly none), problematic storylines and most of all, lack of WW-style CGI movies!

Edited February 1, 2011 by Silverthorn

[Johnnyxp64 20]

i played earth and beyond..... it was boring after 5-6 hours of exploration.

[Plok 327]

"[Generals] The story was hands-off at best."

 

The story was non-existant.

Tiberium Wars should've got better reception than Generals

[Silverthorn 0]

I can't wait to see what the next episode is about to offer and I got the feeling Machinima will finally stop there for now, just like how they did with Valve.

 

So far, yeap, it really ends with a whimper like we all predicted. And I'm not sure if they know about this, C&C4 maybe all sh*tty like they know it too, but does the Machinima people have any ideas behind our pain including how EALA's deception was controlled. If they mentioned the executives or at least Greg Black, then we know they already knew how it all happened. If it's not, then they're outdated and we need to correct them.

Edited February 1, 2011 by Silverthorn

[TheRoadToDawn 0]

Well looks to me like Westwood put all their eggs in a basked and fouled up. Shouldve had a back up plan, or should have stuck to their cash cow (C&C) and forget MMOs. They are a waste of time and money. Besides, everyone and their Facebook now makes MMOs, it was a bad path reguardless.

 

In reguards to Tiberium, they should just release it as a freebee and let modders have some fun.

[Sonic 296]

does the Machinima people have any ideas behind our pain including how EALA's deception was controlled. If they mentioned the executives or at least Greg Black, then we know they already knew how it all happened. If it's not, then they're outdated and we need to correct them.

What deception? Are you still in the "EALA did everything to rip everyone off" mode?

 

Once and for all please understand that EALA were operating under what's called a business plan. It may not have been the best but that's how they chose to run their the business. The positive thing is its changing, or has already changed. Hell the EA CEO, John Riccitiello, said it himself. Something along the lines of fewer hi quality games rather than flood the market with sub standard products.

[Silverthorn 0]

The executives are very hard to ignore, Sonic. I also remember Greg Black's interview too, it's not that difficult to remember. Here's what Greg Black told us before.

 

EA had broken many promises to us and was continuing to make bad decisions at the expense of the C&C franchise and over the protests of the development teams.

 

If I were over there as one of his dev friends, I can tell that the marketing people or the execs only just want to pump out games for the sake of making quick cash. But when it comes to saying it's all part of the business plan, but now this only becomes worse and in the end, a bad decision finally paid off and it becomes a scar. Think Harry Potter's last book, Lord Voldemort maybe gone and Slytherin now no longer like the bad guys, but its dark reputation still lingers.

 

Sure, the CEO said he regretted the decision he made, ranged from the last time he merged competitors together (Merging Westwood was a good reason as seen in the Machinima videos, but others like Bullfrog is still yet to be known, the first thing comes to mind is merging for eliminating competitions). So anyway, you can say it's a positive thing now since they realize how terrible C&C4 went, but no matter how you look at it, like my Slytherin example, EALA's dark reputation still haunts our minds.

[Troopzor 5]

The executives are very hard to ignore, Sonic. I also remember Greg Black's interview too, it's not that difficult to remember. Here's what Greg Black told us before.

 

 

 

If I were over there as one of his dev friends, I can tell that the marketing people or the execs only just want to pump out games for the sake of making quick cash. But when it comes to saying it's all part of the business plan, but now this only becomes worse and in the end, a bad decision finally paid off and it becomes a scar. Think Harry Potter's last book, Lord Voldemort maybe gone and Slytherin now no longer like the bad guys, but its dark reputation still lingers.

 

Sure, the CEO said he regretted the decision he made, ranged from the last time he merged competitors together (Merging Westwood was a good reason as seen in the Machinima videos, but others like Bullfrog is still yet to be known, the first thing comes to mind is merging for eliminating competitions). So anyway, you can say it's a positive thing now since they realize how terrible C&C4 went, but no matter how you look at it, like my Slytherin example, EALA's dark reputation still haunts our minds.

 

Silver, I'm sure we all understand what your saying, and I agree (about how they F'ed up C&C4). But in all honesty you're starting to sound like a broken record.

 

What's done is done and all we can do is hope that the future is brighter for C&C. Beating a dead horse is not gonna solve the problem.

[Silverthorn 0]

Well, thanks for telling me, Trooper. It's kind of hard to forgive them and I usually intend to repeat it over and over again (And I too hate myself from doing that, people are annoyed about this as much as I do). But luckily I don't go super active over here, otherwise, you'll probably kick me by now. I also suffer much worse at ModDB, they don't respect WW fans and they drop my karma down without ever thinking twice. Even so, I don't understand why ModDB even want those karmas in the first place, it's still doing more harm than good, or how about even applying a "Turn Off" button? But I doubt about it.

 

Anyway, I wasn't intend to beat the dead horse. I'm most likely trying to stalk the execs. If this world would be a crime world, I'll have my sniper rifle and kill them by now, just like those Flash sniper games.

Edited February 4, 2011 by Silverthorn

[Troopzor 5]

Well, thanks for telling me, Trooper. It's kind of hard to forgive them and I usually intend to repeat it over and over again (And I too hate myself from doing that, people are annoyed about this as much as I do). But luckily I don't go super active over here, otherwise, you'll probably kick me by now. I also suffer much worse at ModDB, they don't respect WW fans and they drop my karma down without ever thinking twice. Even so, I don't understand why ModDB even want those karmas in the first place, it's still doing more harm than good, or how about even applying a "Turn Off" button? But I doubt about it.

 

Anyway, I wasn't intend to beat the dead horse. I'm most likely trying to stalk the execs. If this world would be a crime world, I'll have my sniper rifle and kill them by now, just like those Flash sniper games.

 

That route only leads to chaos and the C&C franchise being banned from all countries due to inciting rebellion.

 

And I'm pretty damned sure they get that their entire user base (the C&C community) is really pissed at them. We've definitely made that clear through player reviews and even the professional ones. So all we can do now is wait and see how they decide to continue with the franchise.

 

It may be a terrible idea, but I'm not giving up on C&C just yet, I've been a C&C fanboy for 15 years and I don't intend to stop now!

[Silverthorn 0]

Well not me, I am one of the many betrayed fans wish it would just lay itself into the coffin. After all, the more you try to meddle with it even trying to go back to its former high quality glory, the result might not be great like in the old times.

 

I wish to say this, but I don't think not everyone will buy this. Think about it, like in the 70s or 80s series from an old TV show, once it gives a reboot to today's time, not everyone will buy it. Like Disney, those old cartoons are FTW, but in today's time, if given a reboot, not everyone will enjoy it back. Just like Westwood, they'll say it's not the same as it used to be.

 

And my prediction IF EALA did give us a new & rebooted C&C, I'm thinking there won't be tons of CGI like Westwood did. And I got the feeling they won't open up their own CGI room. We already know, EA claim themselves to be a game giant, but a giant that has nearly no money in its pocket. In Youtube, they said the Burnout series also get humiliated same as C&C as well.

[mirza044 4]

Part 5

is now available. Edited February 8, 2011 by mirza044

[Silverthorn 0]

Thanks for the heads up on the video. It's nice that Machinima did some good commenting on RA3, and as well it even mentioning the event of how Tiberian Twilight got its name.

 

Hoo hoo, the narrator even said the word, "Whimper", nice job! That's another "in your face, EALA" moment. And wow, again, he even said "bosses", thank goodness the Machinima team did their homework on the execs who are behind all of these C&C4 messes. Lastly, it is nice to say that EALA confirm on the next classified title, but we still may never know what's going to happen, either it's going to do good or make it worse.

[Plok 327]

Hvala, Mirza...

 

I don't know why did they say that RA3 "took wackiness to crying shame". For God's sake, that's what RA was about, they even said that themselves!!!

Plus, they stated that it had "nothing new". Yeah, and I'm Kane incarnate.

 

"[C&C 4] had the community stunned." <- That's a rather mild way to say it

[Silverthorn 0]

To be honest, the dev team took the RA universe to a whole new level of wackiness which I find it overkill. Our beloved Soviets once a proud brute nation, even from RA2. But in RA3, it just became too clowny and all the seriousness inside that game is fading out. RA2 did retain some seriousness inside ever since they know how to make the Soviets properly and correctly, but RA3 is just so wrong like hell!

[mirza044 4]

Hvala, Mirza...

 

I don't know why did they say that RA3 "took wackiness to crying shame". For God's sake, that's what RA was about, they even said that themselves!!!

Plus, they stated that it had "nothing new". Yeah, and I'm Kane incarnate.

 

"[C&C 4] had the community stunned." <- That's a rather mild way to say it

 

You're welcome (nema na cemu )!

[Guest Stevie_K]

I think the amount of wackiness in Red Alert 3 was kind of overkill as well. It was okay, but it didn't feel like a sequel.

[Gben 20]

To be honest, the dev team took the RA universe to a whole new level of wackiness which I find it overkill. Our beloved Soviets once a proud brute nation, even from RA2. But in RA3, it just became too clowny and all the seriousness inside that game is fading out. RA2 did retain some seriousness inside ever since they know how to make the Soviets properly and correctly, but RA3 is just so wrong like hell!

 

Huh - apart from the bullfrog - name another clowny Soviet unit in RA3???

You may be able to debate wimpy RA3 soviets but never clowny.

[Nmenth 291]

Huh - apart from the bullfrog - name another clowny Soviet unit in RA3???

You may be able to debate wimpy RA3 soviets but never clowny.

As much as I hate to defend Silverthorn, he was not saying the Soviets specifically were clowny, the game as a whole was.

The Soviets were not necessarily "clowny", but merely inferior to the RA2 variant. RA2 made their units dull and deadly war machines, RA3 made them bright and puffy toys.

[Troopzor 5]

Everytime I watch some sort of video review, or recap on how the Tiberium universe 'ended' I cry on the inside.

 

C&C was easily my childhood video game, in fact there is no game series that I can think of RTS wise that I've EVER nerd'gasmed over as much as C&C. I hope and pray almost every day that the next C&C will fix all the prior mistakes, and cure the large wounds left from what was C&C4

[Silverthorn 0]

Huh - apart from the bullfrog - name another clowny Soviet unit in RA3???

You may be able to debate wimpy RA3 soviets but never clowny.

 

Yes, Nmenth, thanks for the point. But you know you can't ignore the visuals.

 

If you're asking for another clowny unit, here are some I can name.

 

1. War Bear (Not clowny, except some WW fans prefer the old Siberian Husky)

2. Tesla Trooper (Just 50%, prefer the RA2 version)

3. Hammer Tank (Not very serious, that looks stupid and whimpy, the Rhino is better!)

4. Apoc Tank (It's pretty obvious, isn't it? RA2's Apoc is still the best and still remain the scariest, even the RA2 conversion mod for RA3's Apoc tank retains the fear which EALA could not)

5. MiG (Aww come on, the YR's MiG is still way better than this one)

6. Dreadnaught (Not clowny, it's just it's not the same as the RA2 version)

7. Stingray (On sea is good, but on land is terrible)

8. Sickle (I'm not really sure about that, I just felt it's not very right)

 

Oh well, that should be enough, at least the other factions are still ok, it's just the Soviet is my favorite faction and seen it became so clowny and it breaks my heart. As a whole game being clowny, well Nmenth, not very much (Just around 60% as a whole), the one I describe is mostly on the Soviets alone.

Edited February 9, 2011 by Silverthorn

[Nmenth 291]

at least the other factions are still ok

I disagree... cheese was expected with the Red Alert universe, but in my opinion, they took the whole thing too far in RA3. The Soviets contrasted the most with their darker predecessors, but the Allies also became less than intimidating and the entire Empire is ridiculous.