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Command & Conquer is back
EA and Victory Games are bringing back the classic Command & Conquer series to PC gamers everywhere, but not in the way you might expect. The new C&C is going free-to-play, and the developers are promising some big things for the franchise and the return of some fan favorite features. C&C is going back to its roots, and bringing all of the full-scale warfare and destruction that the series is known for.
It will be free-to-play
Victory Games is moving EA's premiere real-time strategy series to the free-to-play space. Now, we know what you're thinking. You're wondering if you'll be nickel-and-dimed into spending way more money than you want to purchase armies, expansions, and what have you. But good news: C&C doesn't require you to buy anything to stay competitive.
It's built on the Frostbite engine
Frostbite has been adapted from the first-person shooter-centric engine used in Battlefield 3. And with it, unit animations, overall visuals, and in-game physics have gotten a noticeable boost. In addition to being able to fully realize highly detailed environments in the upcoming RTS, EA's Frostbite engine allows players to completely destroy buildings and other parts of the environment.
It holds true to the core gameplay of the series
Anyone who has played the old C&C strategy games will feel right at home. You'll start a match, gather resources, build yourself a base, create an army, then go out to demolish the competition with a cavalcade of tanks, troops, and aircraft. The controls are fairly standard for an RTS, but the developers are making an effort to create an interface and mechanics easy enough for beginners to get the hang of. At the same time, there seems to be plenty of complexity with unit upgrades and determining efficient build orders to keep the veterans satisfied.
The Generals, Tiberium, and Red Alert universes will make a comeback
At launch, Command & Conquer will include the factions and gameplay elements of the the Generals universe--meaning the themed Generals will be making a return. Generals allow you to customize your faction with the special themes, like toxic weapons, air force, laser, and nuke, that give you specific powers, units, and structures, which will greatly affect your play style. Even more Generals will be added regularly through the live service, giving you plenty of ways to alter your factions.
Three army factions
Since C&C will be kicking off at launch in the Generals universe, the first three factions shown will be coming from that series as well. Each of the three initial factions is different from the other and use different battle strategies. The Asia Pacific Alliance (APA) is an evolution of the China faction from the original game, and they take on the horde strategy--sending large numbers of low tier units to conquer enemies.
There will be various multiplayer modes
While there won't be a dedicated single-player campaign in C&C at launch, there will be several multiplayer modes ready for players to blow each other up. Not all are competitive. We had a chance to play the new co-op Onslaught mode which is like a two player horde match against one enemy AI faction. Players have to coordinate defenses at their shared base and defend against waves of enemy units, with each wave getting progressively more difficult.
Social interaction is a big part
To support the greater online community, Victory Games is adding features such as a persistent player profiles, achievements, and other social aspects like clan ladders, Generals challenges, and live maps of ongoing sessions. Clan support, clan ladders, replays, and spectator mode are also all in the pipe. C&C will even take some ideas from Battlefield 3's Battlelog, like the constantly updating friends feeds.
Live service keeps the updates coming
With the move to always-online play, C&C's developers get a few benefits in the form of player feedback. There won't be any C&C expansions to buy; instead, there'll be additional content implemented into the game on a regular basis. Best of all, it will be catered to everything that players are enjoying the most.
