Feature interview: Command and Conquer 3

When we heard C&C 3 was to be shown at E3 2006, we had no doubts that it would be good. But what really grabbed our attention at the E3 presentation was the effort that has gone into creating the design materials for the game. Not content with a perfunctory outline, EA LA has produced detailed documents and guidebooks for artists, programmers and designers, based on the C&C 3 universe. According to the presentation, when any team member has a question about the game, they’re referred back to these resources.

EA LA went so far as to get a pair of professors to come up with the chemical composition of Tiberium.

‘When everything in the game world feels like it is consistent and makes sense – from the science and mythology to the motivations of the major characters and civilisations, then I think you have something that is much greater than the sum of its parts,’ explains Verdu. ‘The game world starts to feel like a believable place, one that you can get lost in – a universe that assumes its own form of reality. Really good science fiction and fantasy stories, whether told on film, in book form or in games, create wonderful worlds that endure and that we can’t wait to visit.’

Speaking of Tiberium, the mysterious crystalline substance will take a central role in the new game. It has progressed from simple resource to essential game/story element from game to game, and now it will serve as the primary plot element. Verdu explains the entire scope of its involvement.

‘In addition to playing a key role in the game fiction, Tiberium is the main game resource. All three factions [yes, three! But more on this later] in the game use Tiberium to drive their economies.’

Additionally, EA LA has introduced units into the game that directly interact with Tiberium in the field – further impetus to maintain control of crystal fields and introducing new strategies to players. Tiberium has also become such a problem that parts of the planet are now categorised into different zones, depending on their level of Tiberium infestation.

‘Blue zones are relatively pristine and have minimal Tiberium contamination. Yellow zones have significant Tiberium concentrations that are relatively widespread – Tiberium is everywhere and it’s dramatically affecting the environment. Red zones are uninhabitable hellscapes where Tiberium infestation has reached critical levels,’ says Verdu.

While the GDI occupies the Blue zones mainly, Nod has set up in the Yellow zones and recruits from the desperate population that believes the GDI has abandoned them.

‘The zones do have some effect on gameplay. You won’t find many structures to garrison in a Red zone while Blue zones are filled with buildings that turn them into urban combat zones during multiplayer games. Tiberium is also distributed in different ways depending on the zone – you’ll find tidy patches of Tiberium in Blue zones held back by GDI resonator technology while Tiberium grows unchecked in Red zones.’

A favourite returns in C&C 3: the Mammoth Tank.

Unity
At its core, C&C3 is an RTS, and that means funky units to throw into combat. According to Verdu, the game won’t disappoint on this front.
‘We have introduced interesting ways of combining units, some unique new units and structures that work with our build system and sidebar interface to open up early game strategy. We have introduced a new “information warfare” dynamic that allows you to spoof your enemy’s radar, confuse their sensors, and even alter what they are seeing on the screen,’ he says.

‘Units have an amazing range of capabilities, powers, weapons and upgrades. Some units turn into structures when they’re deployed. Other cool unit abilities include mine laying, the ability to tag enemies with sensor pods so you can track them, jump jets, mortars, stealth technology [and more]. Also, our third faction plays like no other RTS faction out there… this is where we’ve taken some risks.’

We weren’t able to find out a great deal about this third faction, except that they’re an alien race rumoured to have brought the Tiberium plague down onto Earth. Is it an attempt to terraform the planet for colonisation, or a gift from the heavens as Nod wants the world to believe? Whatever the case, the third race will be playable in the game. And Verdu is right – introducing a third side into what has traditionally been a two-faction fight is a risk. Whether players will embrace the addition is something only time will tell.

If you’re concerned that the third side will detract from the GDI and Nod, you have nothing to fear. Verdu says that along with new and exciting units, some familiar troops will return.

‘We’re bringing back a lot of the Tiberium universe favourites such as the Mammoth Tank, Orca and Stealth Tank, but we’re also including several new and unique units for both GDI and Nod. The balance of “new” to “classic” is probably about 50/50 or 60/40 for GDI and Nod. The third faction is of course all-new and has some of the most innovative units I’ve ever had the pleasure of working on in an RTS.’

Specifically, the Nod will receive a new unit – a giant battle mech armed with a laser cannon known as the ‘Avatar’, which Verdu says will act as the side’s Mammoth Tank. Additionally, the Avatar can be customised by ‘ripping’ bits off other units – if you want a nice flamethrower on your mech, just grab it off a Flame Tank. Need stealth? Borrow the generator from a nearby Stealth Tank. ‘Put these components together and you have a 40-foot-tall stealthed, flame-spewing, laser-zapping, particle-beam-firing war robot of doom,’ explains Verdu.

Truly the stuff to put the tremble in your underdaks… but what about the GDI?

‘A typical new GDI unit is a fast attack jet called the Firehawk that can be equipped with air-to-air or air-to-ground missiles, and it has a sexy rocket booster upgrade that allows it to arc high into the stratosphere to avoid anti-aircraft fire of any kind, dropping down over enemy targets to deliver a nasty surprise,’ says Verdu.

‘GDI is also fielding a new main battle tank called the Predator, a fast scout buggy armed with rockets called the Pitbull, heavy infantry in powered armour with jumpjets (Zone Troopers), an APC that can carry all manner of troops, and a unique vehicle called the “Rig” that can deploy into a forward battle base – among other new units as well.’

Getting into urban redevelopment 2047-style