FiringSquad C&C 3 Interview

[Sonic 296]

FiringSquad have posted a new Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars interview with Mike Verdu (the executive producer of the PC version) and Michael Glosecki (senior producer of the Xbox 360 version). In this interview we get the usual backdround info about C&C 3, some confirmation about the number of single player missions, which is 38. There is even some discussion about support for Direct X 10 after the game is released. They then focus on some the exclusive features that will be seen in C&C 3 for the Xbox 360. Here are two sample questions.

 

FiringSquad: What's the toughest thing about bringing back the classic C&C setting after several years and making it fresh for both fans of the series and new players?

 

Mike Verdu and Michael Glosecki: You’ve put the finger on the most difficult challenge we’ve faced: Making a game that is fresh but familiar, that has the innovation and new features you’d expect from a state-of-the-art 2007 RTS game but is also a Command & Conquer game at heart. I think we’ve found the right balance. Command & Conquer 3 is built on fast, fluid, and fun RTS game play, a terrific single player experience with 38 missions and a rich story told through the FMV cutscenes (will be familiar to fans of the series), and innovative new multiplayer modes that turn RTS into a spectator sport. People who have never played a Command & Conquer game will get a chance to experience the fast and furious gameplay and the deep story that have inspired millions of fans throughout the years. Those who love Command & Conquer will feel like they are coming home.

 

For the Xbox 360 specifically, we also found ways to make the game more accessible. We’ve introduced a streamlined interface that allows you to control the various parts of your army in the heat of battle even while your units or structures are not on the screen. For example, as the GDI player you can select and control your base’s War Factory from any part of the map, tell it to build some Predator tanks, and then send those tanks to your current location all from within the same interface.

 

FiringSquad: How does the Xbox 360 version differ from the PC version and will the console port be released around the same time as the PC release?

 

Mike Verdu and Michael Glosecki: For the Xbox 360 specifically, we have made some significant upgrades to the control and game UI system that we introduced in The Lord of the Rings, Battle for Middle-earth II. Based on user feedback and our own observations we’ve not only found ways to improve the controls, like our short-cut systems, but have also found ways to improve the responsiveness of the controls. We’ve also introduced a new feature called cursor magnetism which acts as a sort of aim-assist, making it easier for you to select and control your units while in the thick of the action.

 

We’ll be featuring new multiplayer game modes including Conquer, Siege, and Capture the Flag. In Conquer mode, you build your armies up to a set point limit before the game starts and then defeat your opponent in a “no reinforcements” fight to the death. Siege is a “turtling” mode where a wall of energy is put up between the players that keeps them from attacking each other for the first 5 minutes of gameplay. Capture the Flag features a flag hidden in the middle of the map and each team that returns the flag to their base gets a point with the winner being the first player to 5 points.

 

The Xbox 360 version also features Capture & Hold and King of the Hill. Capture & Hold is a battlefield style of play in which there are 5 points in the map and the team that controls those points for the longest period of time is the winner. King of the Hill features one point to hold in the middle of the map, this makes for some very intense fighting and was one of our most popular modes from The Battle for Middle-earth II.

I also spotted three new screen shots, which I'm assuming are from the Xbox 360 version, check them out below.

 

 

Click here to read the rest of the interview.

[Cygnus X-1 12]

well that was interesting. I wonder why they would leave the Zone assault and King of the Hill out of the PC version though.

 

The different multiplayer modes should prove to be very fun and interesting. Now with a good comp, we'd all be set to go.

 

Oh, and the whole "spectator sport" section-very cool. I'm impressed, and I'll be really impressed if they actually pull the whole thing off and it works well. I mean if Korea can have Star Craft as a national sport, surely C&C3 can be played as stated in the interview.

[rEdaSbLood 1]

i agree i think things that are being put into the xbox version should be included in the PC version, i mean why the heck not?

[Guest Rabbit]

I wonder why they would leave the Zone assault and King of the Hill out of the PC version though.

 

They actually explained SOME of it at the summit. For one, they wanted the 360 version to have some added features to it, those being part of it, and also, they were having trouble making the gameplay as fluid as they wanted with those two modes, when playing on the PC, or something like that.

[Sonic 296]

Those XBox 360 exclusive feature could be something do with Microsoft, they have final approval of what software gets released on their console, so maybe EA had to have something exclusive that sets the Xbox 360 apart from the PC version.

 

They are only multiplayer modes, only a minor feature in my book.

[Cygnus X-1 12]

/ most certainly, but still fun aspects of the game. Overall I dont think the lack of those two modes will detract from the PC version at all.

[Gben 20]

Mike Verdu and Michael Glosecki:

...Another cool new game mechanic is information warfare. Nod can deploy decoy armies, jam radar, and create fake radar returns.

 

Decoy armies... that's news to me. Hmmmmm

 

Mike Verdu and Michael Glosecki:

... classic superweapons... and many other powers – not to mention wormholes, mind control, and teleportation.

 

I'm suprised you Yuri haters haven't mentioned this.

 

Mike Verdu and Michael Glosecki:

GDI’s Juggernaut is a large walking artillery platform that can bombard structures from a distance. Alone it’s powerful, but combine it with the spotter in a sniper team and you can call in artillery strikes anywhere on the map.

 

It's good to have it's range confirmed... anywhere on the map!!!Turtlers are going to love that! Are the snipers/spotters cloaked? I wonder what their range is...

 

Mike Verdu and Michael Glosecki:

...I believe these video sequences seamlessly tie the epic story together and offer a way for players to become immersed in the game.

 

Seamless. I really hope so... after just finishing the mess that was TibSun.

 

I still don't understand the thought process behind exclusive content for differing consoles. That would surely only benefit owners of both a PC & Console who are trying to make a choice between the two... I could understand extra features that would enhance an advantage of a console game... like mini-games that can be unlocked

 

... like C&C Sole Survivor. I can see that working on a console.

 

But I was thinking of a 2d platform game as an optional engineer capture mission. Still it's a moot point for me, as I don't have one.

 

-gben

[Luk3us 63]

That artillery thing, I think is just a Generals Power, so you wait a few minutes and then rain down the pain sort of deal.

 

Decoy armies, fake radar returns? Sounds interesting...

[Alphabear 11]

yeah i like the idea of fake radar signatures and artillery. Finnally a more realistic artillery in C&C

[Gben 20]

Well I would hope for a "Yuri->Boris" dynamic rather than a "powers" dynamic for artillery. Maybe a slower rate of fire, or a charge-up/reloading thing... but the 5min "power" thing would be dissapointing.

 

-gben

[rEdaSbLood 1]

yea if the commando unit can call in an available jugg that would be cool

[Gben 20]

I don't think they will "call in an additional unit" then it would be a generals power.

 

Offtopic - is picture in your signature from 300?

That movie looks amazing...

 

-gben

[rEdaSbLood 1]

yea it is..

 

but what i meant was if there is an available jugg, then the commando can calll it to strike something

[Cygnus X-1 12]

TibSun wasnt a mess as far as cutscenes tying the story together :?

 

I would hope that it would allow you to call in strikes from available units, otherwise one lone commando can play hide and seek all day and keep calling in arty strikes etc.

[Gben 20]

TibSun wasnt a mess as far as cutscenes tying the story together :?

 

Wasn't a mess? Well after finishing the campaigns for a third time just last week... I beg to differ. Nod is pretty much ok - except for Slavic's capture.

 

It's always a really jarring scene, when my 200+ units rip apart the GDI base, and kill every single thing in my way, and then all of a sudden the FMV starts with Slavik is in cuffs, and McNeil is boasting about who beat him.... where's the "WTF... it's a trap!?!?" segment!?!?!

 

GDI's starts ok, but then just goes off the rails about mid-way... overall I thought the complexity/puzzle factor of GDI was way better than NOD's. It really felt like a training mission before GDI... but nothing compared to the difficulty of the original C&C Dawn.

 

-gben

[Cygnus X-1 12]

Well of course nothing is perfect, how about those RA missions where the FMVs had wreckage and stuff but in reality you either captured the entire base or blew it to hell and back? I mean obviously they cant anticipate some of that stuff, so they go with a middle ground that makes for great FMVs.