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The latest RTS from Westwood should easily surpass the success of Red Alert 2 as one of the top multiplayer games of all time.

I’m a Somebody!

When my invitation to attend Electronic Arts’ Command & Conquer: Generals Multiplayer Test press event landed in my inbox, I jumped up and down like a little school girl with excitement. Me! At a bona fide gaming press event! The joy! The excitement! The free booze!!!

Unfortunately, once you’ve been taken to one of these industry junkets, your end of the bargain is that you actually have to produce something in writing for the media outlet you work for. So now that my body has fully detoxed from my trip to EA headquarters in lovely Redwood Shores, CA, I’m going to tell y’all a little bit about the multiplayer aspect of Command & Conquer: Generals, and why it looks to be one of the most promising online gaming experience we’ve seen for quite a while.

Oh, and fear not, dear reader. EA in no way purchased a favorable preview from me with their gifts and lavish treatment. No way! It’ll take a lot more than reservations at a nice hotel, free mixed drinks, being dined at fancy restaurants, and other VIP-style treatment to taint my journalistic integrity!

You’d actually have to throw in hookers, and an all-you-can-eat Jamaican beef-patty buffet as well. Then, I’d write whatever you wanted...


AttenSHUN!

Fans of previous Command & Conquer games should note that the developers at Electronic Arts have taken a decidedly more realistic approach to this iteration of the series. Gone are the “Tesla tanks” and other sci-fi tinged units from the past; they’ve been replaced with more serious fare such as A-10 attack jets, suicide bombers, Red Army troops, and other real-life units.

That’s not to say that EA Studios has eschewed fun for realism; it’s obvious that the game’s producer Mark Skaggs and his programming team know full well that fans of the series are willing to suspend disbelief a little in order to have a truly enjoyable gaming experience. And an “enjoyable gaming experience” describes quite nicely what I had during my time with C&C: Generals.

So does “numb tucus syndrome,” since I was sitting down for 4 hours straight playing Generals.


Are You SURE That’s Not a Cutscene?

The first thing that grabbed my attention while playing the game was the incredible display of alcohol on the EA sponsored open bar that was located in the LAN party area. However, the second thing that grabbed my attention was the absolutely stunning (and brand new) graphics engine the development team has created. The unit animations are wonderful, the landscape graphics are a sight to behold, and the weapons effects are simply the best I’ve ever seen in a real-time strategy game.

Explosions and building damage are expertly modeled, and the first time you see your base get obliterated by a Chinese nuclear attack, you’ll likely be too stunned at the visuals to work up any counter-attack. When it happened to me, I just drooled like Homer Simpson and mumbled, “Mmmmm, nukie goodness...”

The production quality of the in-game sounds also add to the overall immersiveness of C&C: Generals. The music shifts depending on the side you are controlling (for instance, those controlling the stereotypical terrorists of the Global Liberation Army will be treated to music that might be heard at a belly-dancing festival), and the incidental sounds definitely put you in the middle of the battlefield. The unit dialogue is quite humorous, but I have a feeling that EA may come under attack due to the stereotypical nature of the Middle-Eastern terrorists. We’ll see...


Setup and Go!

Jumping into a multiplayer game is very intuitive, and anyone with some online gaming experience should have absolutely no problem getting started. Electronic Arts has decided to go with Gamespy as their matchmaking service (put those knives away, I’m just the messenger…), so you’ll have to have an account with them before you can play Generals on the Internet.

One of the cool features of the matchmaking service is that it will keep track of how many times players have dropped their connections in the middle of a game. This will allow folks to have the ability to avoid getting stuck in a match with a “sore-loser” that will pull the plug the minute you start wiping out his units. Very nice touch.

Also, the developers at EA say that they’ll continually be tracking which sides are winning the multiplayer contests, so that they will be able to more effectively tweak the balance of gameplay. For instance, if the folks at EA see that the Global Liberation Army is winning 60% of the online contests, they’ll get to work on a patch to rectify that imbalance.

It was quite clear from my discussion with sober members of the development team that there’s a real commitment to long-term support of the multiplayer aspect of the product (and you can bet there will be a single-player expansion pack down the road as well).


Brass Tacks

Of course, all the pretty graphics and support commitment in the world won’t add up to a hill of beans if C&C: Generals doesn’t deliver the goods in the game play department. Fortunately, from the 5 or 6 hours I’ve spent with the Multiplayer Test, fans certainly don’t appear to have anything to worry about.

While on the surface game play may appear similar to C&C: Red Alert 2, once you dig a little deeper you’ll find that there is some real innovation going on in Generals. For one, there is a new experience point system that unlocks new technologies as your General gains levels.

The only way you gain these “general points” is by engaging the enemy in battle, so those folks who like to just fall back into defense mode will find themselves at a disadvantage. You’ve got to get out there and fight in C&C: Generals!

What upgrades you’ll have access to once you gain enough “general points” will depend on which side you are playing. For the heathens playing the Global Liberation Army, you’ll have access to such cowardly upgrades such as viral attacks (which rain down bio-weapons on the enemy), while folks playing the good o’l U.S. of A. will be able to unleash some A-10 Attack Jet whoopass on the unsuspecting enemy.

These special attacks go very far to add a bit of extra strategy to the real-time proceedings – don’t expect just to tank rush your way to victory. (Note – the following run-down of the various sides will be supplemented by three upcoming “featurettes” which will cover all the units and special abilities of the three playable sides.)


God Bless America!

Playing as the Americans will give you access to several high-tech weapons and technologies, such as stealth bombers, and the ability to periodically reveal an unknown area of the map using advanced radar systems. The cost of gathering resources (which is simply done by either placing a supply depot near an existing resource stockpile, or having one of your infantry units capture an oil derrick) is very high, as the Chinook helicopters used to hoist the goods are quite expensive

Some of the special units used by the U.S. squad include devastating Tomahawk Missile Launcher, the deadly Aurora Strike Fighter (which can engage in very cool dogfights with Chinese fighters), and “Colonel Burton” – a unit that uses expert fighting skills and stealth to defeat the enemy.

The United States also boasts a few very powerful and unique structures: the Detention Center saps morals from its prisoners resulting in the ability to demoralize opponents in faraway battlegrounds, and the Particle Cannon allows you to slice and dice the enemy base with a super high-tech laser beam (think the episode of Star Trek: TNG when the Borg sliced a hole in the Enterprise, and you’ll have a good idea of the effect).

Playing as the United States can be quite challenging, as the high cost of production mixed with the slow nature of force building can make for a tough road to hoe (whatever that means). However, during my games, I was able to occasionally hold off my opponent by using the U.S.’s superior firepower and advanced technology level. The occasional A-10 Attack Jet run over the enemy base also proved effective against the swarming GLA and the built-for-power Chinese.


Workers of the World Unite!

Playing the Chinese side will probably give you the most “classic” Command & Conquer-style gaming experience, as you’ll depend heavily on a steady diet of disciplined infantry, and some absolutely killer tanks.

The Chinese boast what is possibly the most devastating unit in Generals, a mammoth tank known as the Overlord. The Overlord is more like a small base on tracks than a standard tank, as you can build additions such as propaganda towers (which heal nearby units) and bunkers atop these beasts. It also can fry up a mean egg roll.

Production for the Chinese is a little less expensive then the American side, but you’ll suffer a bit in the technology department. That’s not to say that the Chinese don’t have a few tricks up their sleeves that can bring the bad guys to their knees; for instance, the Hacker unit can bring computerized systems down, and as you gain experience you’ll be able to steal money straight out of your foe’s coffers! Sneaky little bastard!

But the true weapon of choice in the Chinese arsenal is the Nuclear Strike, which devastates opposing bases in a fiery display of mushroom clouds and glowing radioactive ooze. If you’re playing a multiplayer game against the Chinese, and you hear the air raid klaxons begin to chime, get the hell out of there!!!

I found the best strategy to use when playing the Chinese was work as fast as you can to gain the Nuclear Strike capability, all the while building up a solid battalion of Overlord Tanks and flame-spewing Dragon Tanks. Once you’re able to, soften the enemy up with a tasty nuke, and then follow-up by rolling your steel panthers into the rubble to clean things up.

Of course, I only managed to win one of my several multiplayer games, and that was against a guy that not 12 hours prior was chugging straight scotch with his head sticking out of a limousine singing AC/DC’s “Hells Bells”. So you may want to check a different website for strategy tips.


The Streets Will Flow With the Blood of the Non-Believer!

Hands down, the most innovative (and perhaps controversial) experience during my time with C&C: Generals was the time I spent playing at the turban-wearing terrorist organization known as the Global Liberation Organization (GLA).

While people with previous experience in the genre should be able to play as the U.S. and Chinese sides with no adjustments, playing as the GLA truly requires one to strategize on a whole new level. The GLA side, in my opinion, is what is going to make Command & Conquer: Generals stand out from the rest of the RTS pack.

Rather than relying on standard tanks and infantry, the GLA relies more on its ability to do things on the cheap, and to get in and out of places quickly and stealthily. Production costs for the GLA are much cheaper than the other sides (although the workers are not quite as efficient), so the trick with the GLA is to build as much as you can as fast as you can, swarm the enemy before he knows what hit him, and get back to the harem before sundown.

And what you’ll hit him with are units such as rock-throwing mobs, toxin tractors that spread liquid bio-death throughout your adversary’s base, suicide bombers that carjack civilian vehicles and ram them into enemy facilities, and the ever popular “Scud Storm” special attack.

The use of “fire-and-forget” units such as truck bombs and suicide runners means that the GLA side must care less about their own body count and more about bringing down as much destruction upon the enemy as possible.

However, what really separates the GLA from the other sides is their extensive use of a tunnel network. Playing as the terrorists, you’ll be able to place “GLA-Holes” (clever, eh?) anywhere on the map in as many places as you like. Once the tunnel network is in place, your GLA troops will be able to drop down a hole in one area of the map, and pop-up instantaneously at another location. Imagine playing as the Americans, with all your high-tech buildings and units, only to have a rag-tag bunch of suicide bombers show up right outside your doorstep.

And to add insult to injury, once you think you’ve destroyed a GLA-Hole, you’ll find that they start repairing themselves automatically! Producer Mark Skaggs put it best when he stated, “getting rid of the GLA is like trying to get rid of cockroaches.”

Playing as the Global Liberation Army is already a fantastic experience in the beta, and I definitely think will be the most well liked feature in multiplayer Generals. I know most of the buzz around the room during the demonstration was focused on GLA tactics and strategies, so most game industry pundits seem to agree that EA has really created something special here.

Whether or not there will be a media backlash against a mainstream game that allows gamers to play as car bombers and terrorists remain to be seen. Mark Skaggs seemed optimistic that they wouldn’t have any problems from retailers; this reporter is not so convinced.


I Know It’s Just a Beta

Keeping in mind that the code I got to play with is in an unfinished state, there were a few spots that could use some polishing up before release. For one, I experienced some graphics slow down on a GeForce Ti 4600 card when there were a lot of units on the screen. Not everyone experienced this, but a few others and myself noticed a definite sluggishness at some spots, so I’m certain it wasn’t just a personal “whiskey flashback” from the night before.

Also, moving your army from one end of the map to the other takes a bit too long for my liking. Hopefully, the pacing will be picked up a little bit before the game goes gold. Of course, you could argue that waiting for your troops to arrive at their destination will give you the opportunity to engage in much-needed base building operations. Come to think of it, you could also argue that golf is a sport, but you’d be wrong there as well.

Finally, while tank rushing will no longer be an option to players using the GLA, it definitely is still a valid strategy when playing the Chinese. I won one of my multiplayer games relying almost solely on a tank rush strategy (with a few nukes thrown in...), so that strategy option will still be there for those who prefer brawn over brains.


Bring it On!

Other than the few minor issues (which could very well be tweaked by the time the game is released), I think Electronic Arts is going to have a major hit on their hands with Command & Conquer: Generals. The gaming community at large already considers Red Alert 2 to be one of the top multiplayer games of all-time, and Generals should easily surpass that based on what I’ve seen and played.

Toss in a fully featured scenario and map editor (which might include a video tutorial – a fantastic idea, in my opinion), and a solid single-player campaign that features all the new aspects of the three distinct playable sides, and EA should be looking at another million-seller come next February.
It was a true pleasure to see the enthusiasm on the faces of the developers and employees who have devoted their vocational lives to creating the world of Command & Conquer: Generals, and I’d bet that that excitement will result in a rock solid game that should please both established fans and newcomers alike.

Preview by Michael Askounes, PC Gameworld.