A good remaster of Red Alert 2 or Tiberian Sun would be amazing. Maybe allow mod support too like Age of Empires 2 with Steam Workshop?
If EA ever wishes to make a new CnC game I think they should go back to their roots. Keep the game simple and familiar to fans of the classic games. It is obvious from every release since RA3 that we are not interested in any game with "command and conquer" in the title that doesn't include the gameplay elements that are essential to the series (notable exclusion being Renegade, however).
There is a reason why we play OpenRA over EA's newest games. We want Command and Conquer for the base building, resource collecting and action packed combat.
Just make a Command and Conquer game that is actually a C&C game!
This. I would love a remaster of those. And a remaster of Tiberian Dawn too. I don't much care for 3D worlds I would even prefer a 2D overview like in the old days, so there is no rotating the camera. I would even go so far as to use sprites instead of 3D models. Looking at ori and the blind forest it can look fantastic and will add that special feeling to it.
Mod support for it would also be very welcome.
As a side note I would love a person single player game set in tiberian universe. It doesnt have to do anything with the cnc games, just the universe. Maybe something like Metro 2033 but set in the time of tiberian sun.
Last edited by Madness on Thu Oct 11, 2018 6:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
It's good EA are noticing the interest of the players, and the hard work of the developers and modders though.
Redoing what others have done and charging people for it will only damage/split the community and continue to leave negative thoughts about EA. EA have a bad name outside of C&C already. But a new C&C with good single player would rectify this completely imo. But as with what everyone else has said, we'd like a classic C&C, not one like RA3/C&C4/Rivals.
I look forward to more news and thanks for getting in touch with the community.
It's good EA are noticing the interest of the players, and the hard work of the developers and modders though.
Redoing what others have done and charging people for it will only damage/split the community and continue to leave negative thoughts about EA. EA have a bad name outside of C&C already. But a new C&C with good single player would rectify this completely imo. But as with what everyone else has said, we'd like a classic C&C, not one like RA3/C&C4/Rivals.
I look forward to more news and thanks for getting in touch with the community.
Personally I don't like the newer games because of the style they have. They went too far with the sci-fi stuff, I think tiberian sun is already reaching. I would much prefer a style that is closer to reality, much like cnc dawn or ra1 was. Generals did a good job of this.
EA has no intention of interfering with the work of OpenRA. Our hope is we can team up together to share insights, best practices, and further grow the C&C community through this initiative.
Hi EA_Jimtern... welcome to the community :-). You should combine forces with pchote/sleipnir and the rest of the dev crew to make an absolute kick ass RA2 remaster... i don't think people would mind paying a fair amount for a proper fully featured RA2 remaster.. as it currently is the only non-freeware entry. but keep the current OpenRA mods as free to play introductory offerings as they are now :-) forever & ever pleasee
(((Mac compatibility))) is really important for me, and also gameplay over flashy graphics. Also something to be said for (((really competent AI))) that reflects the way competitive games are played to some extent. A lot of players find it really hard to transition from single player skirmish guy to competitive. Or even to casual team gamers.
Consider not to go for a 3D game but instead create a remastered but still isometric Red Alert for example. Generals 2 would be awesome, but I would rather see a remastered classic title than a fully fledged new title with high end graphics (that might get cancelled in the process).
Great to see that you got in contact with OpenRA!
And don't forget to take Frank on board, certain marches will need to be remastered reinterpreted.
Last edited by lawANDorder on Thu Oct 11, 2018 8:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Mod support is probably worth sinking money into. You can't please everyone, so why not let people mod the game till they have exactly what they want?
Personally I'd like to see linux support, though I doubt it would be a high development priority.
Although not directly related to a remaster, I would love it if the original RA2 could be made freeware too, sort of like how StarCraft was made free when the HD remaster was released.
Mod support is probably worth sinking money into. You can't please everyone, so why not let people mod the game till they have exactly what they want?
Personally I'd like to see linux support, though I doubt it would be a high development priority.
Although not directly related to a remaster, I would love it if the original RA2 could be made freeware too, sort of like how StarCraft was made free when the HD remaster was released.
EA has no intention of interfering with the work of OpenRA. Our hope is we can team up together to share insights, best practices, and further grow the C&C community through this initiative.
That's reassuring to hear. Despite the decline of the RTS genre in general, I really do believe that C&C has the potential to get back to its status as a renowned strategy title. While remastering the older games might give veterans a nice flash of nostalgia, I really do hope that EA have a vision for the future of the C&C saga. Tiberium Twilight and Rivals have garnered very mixed feedback, and I'd like my favourite videogame series to go out on a high note instead of fading into obscurity. Could you maybe tell us whether there's any possibility for the series to receive a full-blown sequel in the (distant) future?
Regarding your initial question, I think RA2 and Yuri's Revenge would be best suited for a remaster. Unlike RA1's simplistic style or TS's voxels, the sprites have aged very gracefully, plus it already has most of the functionality of a modern RTS (Attack move, waypoints, customizable hotkeys...). Would be nice to see it return (with a massive balance overhaul)!
I'm very happy to hear great news like this.
RA2 is my absolutely favorite strategy game, and even tho I own the game on Origin, making it work is impossible on some hardware,
so I would't even thing about throwing my money at this remaster, same as I did with SC:R
My general feelings on seeing old C&C games remastered: yes yes yes.
I don't know what EA has archived (hopefully, everything) but it would be super neat to see the FMV cutscenes at higher resolution / bitrate, or sound/music at higher quality, or maybe even the ingame graphics at a higher resolution (that would probably mean they would have to be remade). Anyway, I think this would be super cool to see. Personally, the older the game, the more interested I would be. Heck, give us Dune 2 remastered!
If its a remaster: (((More content to design maps with (more different variable cliffs) and better map making toolset, ))) (((different competitive modes, Capture point/domination for example))) (((ROTATABLE BUILDINGS IN ALL DIRECTIONS))) (((CIRCULAR REFINERIES I.E ones you can enter from any direction))) ((( MORE TERRAIN VARIABILITY different units being more effected by different types of terrain))) (((True to original graphical style))) (((Different unit queuing options)))
I remember playing C&C DOS back in the day, when I must have been ten or so. Mammoth tanks were fucking huge and scary. And oh my goodness the noise of an obelisk or AGT! Made you jump out of your skin. And I played almost all of the franchise, including Generals and Renegade, but not the rather infamous C&C 4. I really was enchanted by C&C, and consider it very special to this day. I even bought the soundtracks from Amazon!
I also remember sending a letter to EA at the time to suggest (badly drawn and spelt) units for Red Alert 1... like electric fences and scuba divers. I personally like to think that letter led to swimming SEALs in RA2, but who knows.
Anyway, I think there's a few pitfalls EA should avoid. It's usually more instructive to see what doesn't work than what does. EA must not attempt to return to the "classic RTS" experience. If you want that, play the classics, or Petroglyph's 8-Bit Armies. The latter unfortunately didn't sell very well and I think proves my point. It's also a bad idea to diverge so radically from what made the franchise a success than it alienates your core supporters (C&C 4 having a mobile base).
I also heard Generals 2 (which looked incredible) was canned because people reacted badly to it being a bit too much like Starcraft 2. Don't be lazy and copy someone else's thing! You're going to have to be brave and innovate! That is how you make quality products and create value! I know coming from a board-room mentality where the biggest concern is making yet-another-football-game... this may be a strange and alien concept, but this is how C&C came into existence: innovation.
So what made C&C great? Base building. Army choice. Harvesting resources. Coolness. Iterative improvements were added to this, like blowing up and repairing bridges, occupying buildings, swimming soldiers, and eventually deploying whole bases in the water, flying units which could transform, which were all very interesting. They added meaningful choices for the player. C&C has built such a varied tradition of mad technology, there's plenty to pay homage to, which should also provide cool ideas for new mechanics. From tunnelling to mind control and everyone's favourite giant squid.
I loved how fast and aggressive C&C generals was. It was also so diverse. You can rush, sure, but if the other guy is GLA he can legitimately turtle up. It was one of the few instances of seeing that choice being really meaningful for players. You could do so much! I think a new C&C needs that aspect. Give the player those meaningful choices, that a good rush can be countered by a good turtle. That the micro and macro skill of the player are both important. A variety of choices, not simply arbitrary ones... like, oh I need to build a power plant and a refinery before I can build a war factory. It should be A or B, not A, B, then C.
I think the obvious solution is to build upon those things, to add interesting and meaningful options to the core C&C experience. Things we've never seen before which are cool little features, but don't stray too far. There's also plenty of ways that you could effectively blend ideas, like taking aspects from C&C Renegade's multiplayer mode to inspire how a future C&C RTS would be.
The story driven campaigns are also great, and so fundamental to the success of C&C as a franchise. C&C managed somehow to predict the future. With 9/11 creating something of a GDI vs Nod situation. And global warming being a corrupting Tibeirum-like force. And how the media has become so polarised and there's so much fake news (ANOTHER TOWN SLAUGHTERED BY GDI TERRORISTS!!)
So a lot of the themes presented were both deeply meaningful and prophetic. Red Alert was similar in a more roundabout way, both times that the writers wanted to create a story which was written from their fears about the way the future could go badly wrong. The technological ideas were often so quirky and zany, and often came from the bizarre annuls of cold war history and science fiction. I think the design team should pay a lot of attention to the core of what makes a great story and engaging universe. That will underpin everything.
Cut scenes don't have to be high budget; just good, I was happy with an unknown actor person sitting at a table. I think that's a critical aspect of project management. You find something you can really do well, rather than something amazing which can only be half-budgeted. The fact Seth getting shot in the head was done far better than the deaths in C&C3 is absurd.
Do I want a C&C or RA? Set before, during, after? SOMETHING COMPLETELY NEW??!!??! I don't know. I was happy with Tim Curry going to space because capitalism hasn't got there yet, and would be very happy to have anything weird or wonderful.
I also think it'd be cool to have some sort of a thing focused around the original C&C world, with weird and wonderful technology inspired from all of the franchise bleeding into it, made with in-universe context. Wrapped around an engaging and perilous and international social context. There's lots of stuff you can get into, with regards to power struggles, intrigue, not knowing who you can trust, very cold war themes about great powers backing people all over the place and the situation on the ground getting out of control. That'd be compelling.
It'd also be interesting to see the teams BEING international, not just Americans here and there. We live in a diverse world with so much history, and a global war will represent that. Or should. Incidentally I think it's a travesty that a historical drama about WW2 was never made with multiple characters from different nations, so the viewer gets a view of a truly global conflict, and not just whatever perspective is most convenient to their culture. But I digress.
P.S. I'd like to see the next C&C's UI to be a bit more like SC2: specifically in the way SC2 shows you exactly what unit stats are, exactly what unit damage bonuses are, range, etc. I hated how C&C hid critical information. Give me ALL THE INFORMATION TO MAKE A DECISION!!
... so far away