C&C 3 Red Zone Screen Shot

[Sonic 296]

EA Community Manager, Predator, has sent us this never before seen screen shot of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. It features the Alien Faction attacking Nod deep inside a Red Zone. This is considered one of EA's marquee screen shots for C&C 3.

 

 

I think Predator described this screen shot very well in his e-mail so I've included it below.

 

You’ll notice in the background the Planetary Assault Carrier. This base-destroying artillery flying structure flies very slowly over the terrain but comes equipped with 8 Invader class fighters, it has one of the coolest deploy animations I’ve ever seen and when the Invaders are flying around, it looks like an insane dog-fighting war mixed with ground artillery. It is lethal weapon for the 3rd Faction, one that can be powerful if used correctly. It is by far my favorite unit in the game, simply because of the way the Invader ships deploy off it and land on it and fly around like maniacal alien pilots.

So what do you think about this new screen shot, comment on this news post and let us know.

[Luk3us 63]

Coolness.

 

Actually upon further inspection, that doesn't look all that bad a spot really. I thought the red zones would be more doom and gloom looking... Hmm...

[Gben 20]

Well a screenshot of a reportedly cool animation instead of a video is a bit of a tease isn't?!?

 

I was a bit confused by the artillery/fighter hybrid description. Is just planes or does it also have guns?

 

-gben

 

EDIT: Another question are the drones/planes attached by the blue line, or is that just a vapour trail of some kind??? They look like puppets...

[Sonic 296]

Well a screenshot of a reportedly cool animation instead of a video is a bit of a tease isn't?

Don't worry you will get to see lots more details in the coming weeks before the game is released.

[Cygnus X-1 12]

Due to the presence of a few alien structures, it looks more as if Nod is doing the attacking, and not the other way around

[BWare 0]

Say, that reminds me.... Whatever happened to the talk of the alien side having bases that were essentially built on mobile platforms? That was such a great concept! It seems like we're just getting a fairly typical setup here, with "teleporters" instead of war factories, and whatever else. It seems like it will be mechanically identical to both Nod and GDI. They were really going in the right direction with a radical concept like the big floating "spaceship" bases. the scrin really don't deserve the typical equivalent-building-for-every-enemy-counterpart treatment. :?

[Sonic 296]

I recall that as well, but I don't recall EA ever saying anything about it. More like fan speculation.

 

The idea was probably dropped in the name of balancing the game. The concern is that the Aliens could be way more powerful than GDI and Nod as they are right now, giving them bases built on mobile platforms seems a little tilted in their favor.

[Saracen 16]

Yeah that was the exact reason.

 

As the developers quickly found out, heavily fortifying the front of the mobile base led to everything on the enemy's side just being entirely wiped out in a matter of minutes.

 

To be honest they haven't changed the concept really, it's called the mother ship. Difference being it cannot defend itself.

[Luk3us 63]

Say, that reminds me.... Whatever happened to the talk of the alien side having bases that were essentially built on mobile platforms?

 

You're been out of the loop, thats what happens when you bugger off for a few months, everything changes.

[BWare 0]

Haha, yeah I suppose so. Still, I'm very impressed with what I've been seeing. The game looks incredible. I was just hoping for something a bit more unique for the scrin.

[Gben 20]

Haha, yeah I suppose so. Still, I'm very impressed with what I've been seeing. The game looks incredible. I was just hoping for something a bit more unique for the scrin.

 

The games looks good, but it is a shame that they don't seem to have any new concepts. Hopefully this familiarity will work in their favour rather than just seeming to be new skins on old models...

 

Has anyone spotted anything unique with the invaders?

 

-gben

[Luk3us 63]

They look like aliens.

 

Unfortunately, they seem similar to what ever other alien race looks like in other RTS games. But meh, its all good.

[F15pilotX 4]

EA Community Manager, Predator, has sent us this never before seen screen shot of Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. It features the Alien Faction attacking Nod deep inside a Red Zone. This is considered one of EA's marquee screen shots for C&C 3.

 

 

I think Predator described this screen shot very well in his e-mail so I've included it below.

 

You’ll notice in the background the Planetary Assault Carrier. This base-destroying artillery flying structure flies very slowly over the terrain but comes equipped with 8 Invader class fighters, it has one of the coolest deploy animations I’ve ever seen and when the Invaders are flying around, it looks like an insane dog-fighting war mixed with ground artillery. It is lethal weapon for the 3rd Faction, one that can be powerful if used correctly. It is by far my favorite unit in the game, simply because of the way the Invader ships deploy off it and land on it and fly around like maniacal alien pilots.

So what do you think about this new screen shot, comment on this news post and let us know.

can you say Protoss Carrier?

 

and the other concept sounds kind of like the Terran buildings being able to move

[BWare 0]

Unfortunately, they seem similar to what ever other alien race looks like in other RTS games. But meh, its all good.

Bingo. That's one of the very few problems I have with what we've been seeing.

[Luk3us 63]

Yeah but its not really EA's fault, I think the whole idea of alien, isn't very alien any more ya know? We're all be too exposed to the idea. lol..

[Gben 20]

...and the other concept sounds kind of like the Terran buildings being able to move

 

Yeah rather a single/connected city, a series of a floating buildings concept would have been good. (I'm seeing the Hawk city from that 80's Flash Gordon movie). If they used the SC terran concept, but with fully functioning floating buildings. Parachuting/tractor beam animations for units that land on earth would be really cool... picture a harvestor that literally 'docks' with the refinery!

 

Basic balance ideas...

The buildings can be moved anywhere without on map, but due to cost or some over fiction, you can only build/warp one of each type. Possibly irreplacable for the match... so that you don't move it too close to the action.

 

Defensive buildings cannot be built to avoid some mutation of the protoss cannon rush... they just rely on units for defence.

 

Or maybe you could borrow the protoss energy field concept to fit in with the C&C MCV style of gameplay. We could treat them like dodge-em cars with free movement within the sphere of your initial beacon, which could be placed by your initial peon (alien version of mcv) - perhaps even as a meteoric landing from a space vessel like a super-weapon?

 

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I guess we were all hoping for an alien side that acts alien to the nod/gdi version - so that it simply doesn't have mirror functions to everything... infantry, tanks, harvesters etc

 

Still let's see how it plays out.

 

-gben

 

EDIT: Going through the videos again, I now realise you can see this unit (Planetary Assault Carrier) in action in the videos released on the 11th January... look at #7 & #8.

 

You can see the planes and artillery in action, although you can't see the deploy animation...

[Cygnus X-1 12]

perhaps just floating ships that drop troops (?) and vehicles (?) instead of an actual "base" per say, thats what I would have gone for.

 

as far as killing them.....eh, maybe special strike missions or something. That or some real air-to-air action. Imagine a level (or 5) like Ace Combat going after an alien ship in the air......wouldnt happen, but the speculation is there