Command And Conquer (2013 game) Wiki: Everything you need to know about the game

Command & Conquer is a brand new real time strategy action video game, and  it was originally titled C&C: Generals 2 (Command and Conquer: Generals 2).

The game is being developed by Victory Games, formerly known as Bioware Victory; a division of EA (Electronic Arts), the studio was founded in 2010 with the specific goal of continuing the Command and Conquer franchise and is the third team to have been tasked with the series development after Westwood Studios and EA Los Angeles.

Running on the Frostbite 3 game engine, putting it graphically on par with games like Battlefield 4 and Need for Speed: Rivals. When the game was first announced it was being called a direct sequel to Command & Conquer: Generals, which launched in 2003.

It has since then be repurposed into the first Free To Play (FTP) installation in the series. It was slated for release in 2013 and was going to be available exclusively on EAs digital games service, Origin.

• 1. Development
• 2. Gameplay
• 3. Factions
• 4. Cancellation

Development

Following the successful launch of Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, the LA based development team “EA Los Angeles” was struck by a series of layoffs. With so much of the development team’s staff having been laid off, the future of the iconic RTS series was unsure. The first time that a new entry in the popular series was announced came alongside news of a newly formed video game studio called “Victory Games” in February 2011. Victory Games would be built from new staff and previous staff members from EA Los Angeles development teams.

During their first Q&A blog session, the developers had no problems publically announcing that they were indeed developing the next entry in the Command & Conquer. In mid-August of 2012, Electronic Arts officially announced that Command and Conquer: Generals 2 was to be re-purposed as a new entry into the Free to Play model of gaming. Following the official announcement, which came via a Dev Blog, it was made clear that the game would simply be titled Command and Conquer. This game is set to be the first in the series that will implement the use of DLC.

This DLC will be specifically built for the free to play model. Content that was designed for C&C Generals 2 will also make the transition into Command and Conquer. Continuing with the general dislike of the FTP model in the games industry, this news was not well received by the loyal Command and Conquer fan base.

They expressed displeasure at the planned lack of a single player campaign. In response to this EA President Frank Gibeau has said that there is still a possibility of a single player story. “The beauty of free-to-play is that we can adjust and adapt to what we’re hearing as opposed to, ‘I’m sorry, it’s two months from ship and it is what it is.’ It’s a very different model because you don’t have to build as much. You build in response to your audience.”

Later that year, a single player story was confirmed for the game, giving it a single player campaign. Sometime in October of 2010, a vice-president from EA informed members of the media that developer, “Visceral Games” (Dead Space franchise, The Simpsons Game, Dantes Inferno) would be the team that ensures that the series would carry on. Any game coming from the studio however was said to be “far-off”

Gameplay

Command and Conquer will be the same as the majority of the other entries in the series in regards to gameplay. The player will view the battlefield from above and use the mouse to select their units and execute various battle commands; this means that the player will once again have control of large armies with a high degree of customization depending on which units have been included. The development team have made sure to let fans know that unlike Command and Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight, this game will not include a population cap (which was not well received) and that it will also see the return of base building, a long standing key feature of the franchise.

Factions

The Command and Conquer Generals factions are being carried over for the free to play game. They are:

People’s Republic of China. The PRC are heavily reliant on sheer military might, but not supremacy. They use extreme brute force and powerful weaponry instead of tactics. They are hindered by limited air units but make up for it with numerous heavily armoured battle tanks. Because of this, the PRC are an assault based army, requiring the player to “meat grind” with their units, constantly pushing forward despite casualties to ensure victory. The main disadvantage to having such a massive and powerful army is that its forces are generally slower on the ground, leaving them open to swift hit and run attacks.

Global Liberation Arm. The GLA are the least technologically advanced out of the three factions, making use of extremely fast but weak ground vehicles. They have zero air capabilities meaning that they must engage guerrilla warfare, this means tunneling beneath the foe, employing the use of suicide bombers, hijacking enemy vehicles and executing ambushes. The GLA gather resources at a faster rate than the other factions thanks to their resourceful salvaging techniques, they rely heavily on an infantry based army model.

The United States of America. The USA is the most technologically advanced faction in the game. They take to the battlefield with a potent combination of Land, Sea and Air forces. The USA employs the use high end technology to defeat the opposing factions; they make use of drones to repair damaged vehicles.

They use various pieces of laser based technology to guide weapons fire and even use lasers to create defensive structures. The American infantry make use of Snipers and Commandos as well as demolition tactics when in the field. They also bring the largest air based fleet to the battlefield, using air strikes and fuel air bombs to great effect. The downside of this mighty technological force however, is the vast wealth required to fund it. The USA takes vast quantities of resources to field, this means that as well as funding a powerful army, the player will need to sacrifice force to protect their resources.

Cancellation

As of October 29th 2013, the game was officially cancelled with all development and  production, stopped. The team that was working on the game has been disbanded and EA aims to find them suitable replacement roles within the company. In a statement that was publicly released on the games official website, EA assured all closed Alpha build participants that any and all money spent would be refunded to them. The announcement reads:

“Generals,

Thank you for your participation over the last few months in the Command & Conquer closed alpha test. It’s been much appreciated, and you’ve been instrumental in helping define what a new Command & Conquer experience should and shouldn’t be.

Part of being in a creative team is the understanding that not all of your choices are going to work out. In this case, we shifted the game away from campaign mode and built an economy-based, multiplayer experience. Your feedback from the alpha trial is clear: We are not making the game you want to play. That is why, after much difficult deliberation, we have decided to cease production of this version of the game. Although we deeply respect the great work done by our talented team, ultimately it’s about getting you the game you expect and deserve.

Over the next 10 days we will be refunding any and all money spent in the alpha. If you have a question about your refund, please contact help.ea.com.

We believe that Command & Conquer is a powerful franchise with huge potential and a great history, and we are determined to get the best game made as soon as possible. To that end, we have already begun looking at a number of alternatives to get the game back on track. We look forward to sharing more news about the franchise as it develops. Thank you again for your participation and support.

– Victory Studios