Command & Conquer: Generals
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| Command & Conquer: Generals | |
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| Developer(s) | EA Los Angeles (PC), Aspyr Media (Mac OS) |
| Publisher(s) | EA Games (PC), MacSoft (Mac OS) |
| Engine | Strategy Action Game Engine (SAGE) |
| Latest version | 1.8, December 2005 |
| Release date(s) |  February 10, 2003 February 14, 2003 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player Multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: T (Teen) PEGI: 16+ |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows, Apple Macintosh |
| Media | CD-ROM (2) (PC), DVD (Mac OS) |
| System requirements | Pentium III/AMD Athlon 800 MHz, 128 MB RAM, Windows 98/ME/2000/XP, 32 MB DirectX 8 compatible video card, DirectSound compatible sound card, 1.8 GB hard disk space, 8x CD-ROM drive. (PC) 1 GHz PowerPC G4, 256 MB RAM, Mac OS X 10.2.6, 32 MB video card, DVD-ROM drive. (Mac OS) |
| Input | Keyboard, Mouse |
Command & Conquer: Generals is one of the most recent real-time strategy games in the Command & Conquer series. Generals utilizes the SAGE (Strategy Action Game Engine) engine. This proprietary engine is an extended version of the Command & Conquer: Renegade 3D engine, and Electronic Arts has not made any announcements as to whether or not it will license the SAGE engine to other developers, however it has been used for other EA games such as The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth.
Generals was released onto the Microsoft Windows platform in 2003, and a Mac OS version was released in 2004. Generals marked the return of the Command & Conquer series to the Mac OS, and the first new game since Command & Conquer (although plans for a Mac OS version of Red Alert were under way before being scrapped).
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Though bearing the name of Command and Conquer, the story bears no relationship to the storylines of the Tiberium and Red Alert series.
Generals takes place in the late 2010s. Players are given a choice of three factions to play rather than the two in the early parts of the Command & Conquer and Red Alert series. In Generals, the United States and China are the world's two superpowers, and are the targets of the Global Liberation Army, a generic Middle Eastern terrorist organization with an unclear agenda and the arsenal/hardware of an illegitimate military force. Both the United States and China are depicted as the protagonists in the series, and frequently co-operate with each other throughout the storyline. The three factions are thus engaged in a war similar to that of the real-life War on Terror.
The player can play any of the three sides in any order, with each side's campaign comprising seven missions. For the storyline to make sense, the proper order to play is China first, then the GLA, then the USA. In this order, China retaliates for a devastating GLA nuclear attack on Beijing, eventually completely crushing the GLA cell masterminding all Pacific rim operations. (Events such as the destruction of the Three Gorges Dam and the use of China's nuclear arsenal are part of this campaign.) The GLA campaign then begins, with the organization trying to recover from its recent setback at the hands of the Chinese, by raising funds and instigating attacks against their American and Chinese antagonists, eventually culminating in the overtaking of the Baikonur Cosmodrome for the firing of a Soyuz launch vehicle bearing a biological MIRV at a nondescript city. At this point the American campaign begins, in which the USA engages the GLA across several locales, including Bagdhad and the Caspian Sea, before defeating a rogue Chinese general supporting the terrorists and tracking them back to their base of operations in Akmola, Kazakhstan.
Each of the three factions are depicted in a different manner: the United States uses expensive state-of-the-art technology such as airborne drones and laser defences, while China uses older combat-proven technology such as modernized napalm and Gatling guns. (China's strength also rests in its sheer numbers - "horde bonuses" are given to large groups of units). The GLA, being technologically disadvantaged, often resorts to guerrilla warfare to achieve victory in the battlefield.
Unlike Tiberian Sun or Red Alert, Generals has no major characters other than that of the in-game heroes (where they only play a minor role) and the player, portrayed as a general in whatever army is being played. The player earns Generals Experience in order to rise in rank and receive new abilities, such as the ordering of airstrikes or the immediate repair of units in a certain area.
Despite the generally positive spin on China in the series, the Generals series, interestingly enough, is banned in China (see below). Throughout the game China also shows a degree of indiscretion with nuclear weapons, albeit restricted to the lower Tactical nuclear weapon yield range.
The Generals story is continued in the expansion pack Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour.
Generals presents players with a separate musical score for each faction. The game's opening and ending theme music during the China campaign features China's national anthem, March of the Volunteers. The United States' theme music consists of epic, militaristic scores composed by Bill Brown. The GLA faction's theme soundtrack can be described as a combination of Middle Eastern sounds coupled with heavy metal music, similar to the Somalian sequences in Black Hawk Down.
[edit] Command & Conquer controversy
Although Generals is officially listed as a Command & Conquer game many fans of the Command & Conquer series were upset over various changes implemented for the game, such as the transition from a side-toolbar to a more Blizzard-influenced system of training units and building structures. This includes the use of dozers/workers for building construction instead of the MCV/Construction Yard. In addition the Generals story was not a continuation of any previous C&C timeline.
Since Generals was such a departure from the Command & Conquer universe (both the Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert storylines) there were mixed reactions amongst fans to the developers' use of the words "Command & Conquer" in the title of Generals, due in large part to Generals lacking the distinctive C & C style of gameplay. For example, in every other Command & Conquer game released players have had Full motion video briefings which tie the game's missions and plot together, the interface for construction of all structures and units has been a tabbed scrollbar to the extreme right of the screen (as opposed to the Warcraft style of producing different units at their respective buildings), there has been no "peon" or "worker" unit (a unit needed to build other structures), and all plot lines are centered either between the Allies and Soviets (Red Alert), or GDI and Nod (C&C).
Generals, on the other hand, departs from conventional Command and Conquer themes: The GDI, the Brotherhood of Nod, and the tiberium resource are not present in this game. This game is not part of the 'Red Alert' theme either, which features an alternate timeline and conflict between the Soviet and Allied forces. It is an entirely separate, original game world, although it follows the Red Alert theme of very loosely involving modern warfare and politics with science fiction twists. Unlike previous C&C games, Generals and the Zero Hour expansion were developed by EA Los Angeles, after EA Games absorbed Westwood Studios. The game mechanics display an influence from other RTS games, such as Blizzard Entertainment's StarCraft and the more recent Warcraft III. The control bar is now at the bottom and several units have special action buttons (cfr. the Warcraft series 'magic spells'). Many units' attack and defense can also be upgraded in specific buildings much like in the Blizzard RTS games. There are no FMV briefings for upcoming missions (although there are still briefings), and the introduction of a "peon" when building has been met with some resistance. Unlike in the previous C&C games, a player can build as many superweapons as he has the funds for; often causing the construction of large numbers of superweapons to become a tactic that dominated online play in contrast to the more conventional strategies used in previous games. As a result of these changes, there are debates among fans as to whether Generals is a true Command & Conquer game.
There is also a glitch/cheat in the online play called the "SCUD bug" which allows the player of the GLA army to automatically reload his/her SCUD launcher shortly after it is fired. Many fans demanded Electronic Arts to fix this glitch so that online players wouldn't be given the opportunity to cheat so easily. But EA didn't respond to this call (which critics in turn believe that EA is not being paid enough, if being paid at all to fix).
[edit] The balance of power
The balance of power in Generals is varied.
The United States of America focuses its military on technologically advanced equipment and precision tactics; it uses such advanced weaponry as stealth aircraft and lasers, while its infantry are the best equipped. Such a philosophy is evident in the American superweapon: the particle cannon, capable of causing more localised and precise damage than the other factions'. The USA's primary weakness is a combination of very expensive weaponry and a relatively slow economy, with slow resource gathering and sporadic supply drops for its Supply Drop Zone structure. This forces a USA player to value each of their units, and any losses a USA player suffers hurts the player's economy.
While the USA prefers to surround itself with advanced technology, the Chinese faction relies on brute power and sheer numbers. The Chinese tanks are the strongest in the game, and include the enormous twin-cannon 'Overlord'. In the game, they appear to have no qualms in using low-yield nuclear weapons and napalm. Their superweapon, the Nuclear Missile, reflects this approach, causing indiscriminate damage over a wide area. China is also able to produce Hackers which gather money most efficienlty to the disadvatage of other players. In the online play in the Zero Hour expansion, there is also an Infantry General for China's faction which can produce a limitless number of anti-air units called Mini-Gunners that effortlessly shoot down enemy aircraft to disadvataged air-dependant players. China's main disadvantage is that it lacks a speedy force for quick attacks, and thus its army is ponderous and slow. A faster or more precise GLA or USA player can turn a heavy Chinese assault with the proper tactics.
The Global Liberation Army, or GLA, uses uncoventional stealthy and sneaky tactics. The Global Liberation Army is the most resourceful faction, and while its tanks and other machines are the weakest, they are also the cheapest and fastest. The GLA also use biological and chemical weapons, even spraying toxic substances from converted tractors. The GLA's superweapon is the SCUD Storm. The GLA's main weakness is that its units cannot compare to the superior USA or Chinese main combat units, and thus must rely on numbers, stealth, and maneuverability to overcome their opponents.
[edit] Other facets of gameplay
In addition to the changes elaborated above, players can acquire "Generals' points" throughout a mission or a campaign.
These points are acquired through the destruction of enemy buildings or units, and allow the general to increase in rank (you start off as a one-star general). Higher ranking generals are given access to greater capabilities and off-map support such as artillery strikes and air support. Five-star generals have access to the most powerful abilities.
Each of the factions in Generals is unique in regards to units, base structures, and resource gathering. Even so, all three sides rely on barracks to produce infantry and some type of tank factory for the procurement of combat vehicles. One of the main goals of Generals is balancing, from the beginning of the game to advanced stages; every side has enough power to survive.
[edit] Reception
Generals has received a little mixed but mostly very positive reviews. Based on 34 reviews, Metacritic gives it a score of 84/100.[1] Generals has also received the E3 2002 Game Critics Awards Best Strategy Game award.
[edit] Comparisons to Real-Life Weaponry
Generals features many units that exist in real life, but many of these units vary from their real-world counterparts. For example, one of the final General awards for the American side is the 'Fuel Air Bomb.' The weapon pictured shows several BLU-82 bombs being dropped. However, the BLU-82 is not a Fuel Air Bomb. Also, the picture shows a Daisy Cutter fuse attached to the bombs. The MOAB is depicted as being dropped by a vastly oversized B-2 Spirit. In reality, the MOAB is so large it can only be deployed from cargo planes, like the C-130 Hercules.
With regard to tanks; the game uses several real world tanks, but mainly as a reference: The GLA Scorpion Tank shown in the game resembles an Italian P40 Tank. The Chinese army uses the ficticious Battlemaster tank, which resembles a Soviet T-55/Chinese Type 59 rather than the Chinese Type-80, and also the ficticious Overlord Tank, which has no real life equivalent (other than the P-1000 Ratte, a tank that never left the drawing board; the Overlord is instead an homage to the Mammoth Tank, a staple among Command & Conquer games).The autoloader, an upgrade applicable to the Battlemaster tank, is employed to increase tank's rate of fire. In reality, however, autoloaders require more time to reload shells than do their tank crew counterparts. For the American army, the Crusader Tank is based on the German Leopard 2, while its name is taken from the British Crusader tank (although it may be a tank version of the XM2001 Crusader artillery vehicle), while the laser mounted Paladin Tank is named after the M109 howitzer of the same name. Real life equivalents of both units would probably be either an M1A2 Abrams or an M60 Patton. The Chinese MiG clearly resembles in appearance the Mikoyan Project 1.44.
Units such as Technicals, Comanches, the A-10 Thunderbolt, Pathfinders and Humvees are among some of the units that are portrayed realistically. However, there are some differences between in-game units and their real life counterparts. For example, Comanches are designed as stealth helicopters.
Also, the Spectre Gunship in reality is merely an armed version of the C-130 Hercules, and is not the massive supersonic aircraft (illustrated as an armed version of the C-17 Globemaster III, which doesn't currently exist) portrayed in the game.
Some other vehicles are completely fictious, such as the Tomahawk Missile Launcher and the Aurora Bomber. The Tomahawk is actually a naval weapon, and would not fit on any land-based transport, though the weapon itself fills the actual role of the M270 MRLS. Meanwhile, the Aurora is a popular aeronautical myth of a secret US superplane. However, these weapons are feasible, considering Generals' near-future setting.
Of the superweapons, nuclear weapons and Scud missiles exist in real life, though Scud missiles are less devastating than portrayed in-game and no Scud missile has ever carried an anthrax warhead (though Iraqi engineers under Saddam Hussein were developing such a weapons system), while nuclear weaponry is significantly more powerful than the in-game nuclear weapons. The latter can be explained if one assumes the weapons carry low-yield tactical nuclear warheads, however. The damage inflicted by these weapons appears to have been altered for balance's sake.
Since Generals is set in the future, many units featured are a mix of prototypes and real life units, but even so, Humvees and Comanches may not exist by the time the events of Generals occur, as the U.S. is currently looking for a replacement for the Humvee and the Comanche project was canceled in February of 2004.
The USA's power plant, the Cold Fusion Reactor, has the Control Rods upgrade. However, in real life, cold fusion has never been successfully created. (Cold Fusion is currently deemed not possible, though Generals is set in the near-future where breakthroughs may have occurred.) Control rods are normally present in a nuclear fission reactor like China's, and not a fusion plant.
Some of General's tactics are actually outdated, and are not used anymore in the present, never mind the future. For example, carpet bombing was a relic of the Vietnam War, though in Generals it is used by the Chinese side, which focuses on overwhelming firepower and proven tactics and weaponry. (That said, in Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour, USAF General Malcolm Granger utilises carpet bombing - with the attack made by a B2).
Infantry forces show some discrepancies with real-life soldiers. For example, the USA Army Ranger is shown carrying an M-16 assault rifle with a mounted M203 grenade launcher, which is used to fire flashbang grenades, despite the fact that flashbangs are not fired out the M203's barrel, and are used to stun enemy soldiers, not to kill them. Furthermore, the icon to switch to rifles from flashbangs is an image of an M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. GLA soldiers carry rocket propelled grenade launchers, which are not typically used against aircraft due to their high degree of inaccuracy and inability to track targets, contrary to what is shown in-game. Also, although Chinese infantry are pictured wielding the Type 81 Assault Rifle in their individual image, their graphics show them carring bolt-action rifles with mounted bayonets, which were long ago phased out by most armies (phased out of the PLA in 1945) and are kept only as collectors' items, ceremonial weapons, or weapons of last resort.
There are also other inaccuracies. For example, Chinook helicopters are not actually capable of carrying MBTs, and F-22 Raptors are shown with no stealth capabilities for balancing reasons. Some of the GLA's comparatively outdated weaponry, such as the Quad Cannon and FIM-92 Stinger missiles, should not be able to hit many of the Chinese and American planes, which in reality deploy their munitions from much higher altitudes.
It should be noted, however, that Generals, being solely a game designed to provide entertainment, as opposed to a simulation, is expected and required to sacrifice realism as described above in order to provide game balance and other gameplay issues in order to create a properly entertaining and challenging experience.
[edit] World Builder
Generals also includes a map editor named World Builder for the PC edition only. World Builder includes features such as:
- A terraforming tool.
- An intelligent road system, able to detect when the player wants an intersection.
- A tool to scatter flora around the map.
- Waypoints and area triggers that the AI can use. Waypoints also determine starting points for the players on a skirmish map.
- A scripting system that was meant for the missions in the single-player campaign. This scripting system has many capabilities.
[edit] Third-party modifications
Command and Conquer: Generals has a relatively strong online community. Among the community members are mod-developers. Below is a list of some of the mods that have been in development for Command and Conquer: Generals and Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour.
- Battletech: The Capellan Solution
- Call To Arms
- Epic Generals
- Iron Curtain
- Operation: Restore Justice
- True War 2
[edit] For the Zero Hour expansion only
Some of these mods do not work on the "First Decade" collection version of "Generals".
- An Act Of War
- Blitzkrieg II: The Finest Hour
- Cold War Crisis
- Command and Conquer: All Stars
- Command and Conquer Boss Generals (Expansion Mod)
- CnC Shockwave
- Destructive Forces
- Imperial Assault
- Mid East Crisis
- Pro:Gen (Mod) (modifiable by player)
- Rise of the Drones
- Rise of the Reds
- Starkiller
- Tiberian Sun Rising
- Vietnam | Glory Obscured
[edit] See also
- Command & Conquer: Tiberian Series
- Command & Conquer: Red Alert
- Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour
- Command & Conquer: The First Decade
[edit] External links
- Command & Conquer: Generals Official Site
- Gamereplays.org - The main website for competetive Generals players.
- PlanetCNC
- CNCNZ.com
- CNCDen.com
- CNC Generals World
- Command & Conquer: Generals Mods - At the Mod DB
- Command & Conquer: Generals at MobyGames
| Games: | Red Alert: Command & Conquer: Red Alert | Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Counterstrike | Command & Conquer: Red Alert: The Aftermath | Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Retaliation
Red Alert 2: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 | Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge |
| Factions: | Allies | Soviet Union | Yuri |
| Characters: | Red Alert: Allied Characters | Soviet Characters
Red Alert 2: Allied Characters | Soviet Characters |
| Storyline: | Red Alert: Storyline
Red Alert 2: Storyline |
| Technology: | Technology of the Allies | Technology of the Soviets |
| Games: | Command & Conquer: Generals | Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour |
| Factions: | USA | GLA | China |
| Characters: | USA: General Alexis Alexander | General Malcom "Ace" Granger General "Pinpoint" Townes
GLA: "Dr. Thrax" | Prince Kassad | General Rodall "Demo" Juhziz China: General Ta Hun Kwai | General Tsing Shi Tao | General "Anvil" Shin Fai |
| Storyline: | USA | GLA | China |
| Misc: | Controversy |
