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Quick Community Roundup.
March 08, 2010 - 22:50
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Today, my colleagues from the university are restarting their classes. I didn't have my vacations yet. I'm stuck with my graduation final project yet. My objective is to figure out a method to transform the voxel models used by Red Alert 2 and Tiberian Sun into 3D models that could be used in other games. So, I'm either working at the dissertation that I'll have to write about this work or at the Voxel Section Editor III, which is being used to test this method. To make my job easier, I'm just generating the mesh with vertex normals and colours. And I've already finished this part of the research. The text is also nearly done and its revision just needs to be finished by my teacher. My ambition goes a little bit further and I want part of the future work done when I present my work to my teachers and the existing features of the program to work correctly. I've already coded a method to generate texture coordinates and textures itself.I've recently got shaders working at the VXLSE III. Right now, I'm fixing a couple of interface problems that Mortecha reported me a while ago with the Right/Left and Top/Bottom views and I'm creating an auto-repair tool for the program that makes testing easier (you'll only need to download the vxlse III executable and the program downloads the other files for you once you run it for the first time). I've already reformed most of the program code and, in the end, instead of becoming the version 1.4, I might release it as 2.0 due to the massive amount of features included in the current SVN build.
So, that's my today's excuse for not posting much news here in these days. But, hell, we cannot leave the site without news for a long time, can't we? So, let's get some basic news running:
Official Command & Conquer News:
-> Command & Conquer 4 will be released next week and the beta is gone. As far as I could play, and I haven't played much, the game is fun, but I've really missed the base building and this pop cap annoyed me as well. It doesn't feel like a Command & Conquer game, although it seems to be a nice real time tactics (RTT) game. As a newbie on C&C4, I've noticed that the units that starts with the offense class were a way better than the other classes, for both GDI and Nod (specially GDI) and I was really lucky to choose it in my first time. I had no problems to wipe a Nod defense enemy base and hold two control nodes against a Nod support class player until the end of the game. I guess my rivals were just as newbie as I am in the game. Anyway, the main attraction of this game for me is the single player campaign. I like the tiberium storyline and, although the inconsistences seen in C&C3 deteriorated its quality, I'm still curious about seeing the end of Kane.
If you wanna a quick glimpse of the story, I recommend you to watch the C&C Comic's first episode. Of course it has several inconsistences with Tiberian Sun and even Tiberium Wars. I.e.: I'd never be unprotected in a red zone near so many huge crystal tiberiums like that mad ex-farmer was, but anyway, the episode is fun, nonetheless.
| Quote: | | EPISODE ONE - AN UNEXPECTED HERO. The year is 2068, and Tiberium has nearly destroyed our world. Christian Pierce, a young farmer and militiaman who is quickly losing his livelihood to the encroaching crystals, leaves his family and heads for the nearest GDI Blue Zone to find work. But what he finds there isn't just a job. It's destiny. Watch it HERE. |
C&C Community News
-> CNCNZ has been spotting a lot of articles about Tiberian Twilight recently and Sonic has even started an interesting discussion about the new DRM system featured in the game. I rarely post news about these things, but one of them, from Sam Bass to Gamasutra has called my attention. According to the article, Sam Bass explains the Starcraft II will be good for the genre as a whole. And here is what he uses as an argument:
| Quote: | | "Hopefully [StarCraft II] will sell a bazillion copies, and a bunch of people will become much more educated in modern RTS play, and get back online and start playing the games," he explained. "I think, in the end, it’s a good thing." |
Unlike some of the other C&C sites, PPM is a fan site where news does not need to be unbiased, so yes, I do expose my opinion, in case none of you haven't noticed. It is a fan site and its news works more like a blog than a professional news source. So, I just feel like I'm an uncivilized or uneducated creature after reading the quoted paragraph from the article. First of all, online play interests them because they have control over your access to the system, in short, piracy may not provide this feature most of the time, so you really have to buy the game. But that's ok and understandable and it doesn't annoys a casual gamer like myself. However, disliking online game does not mean lack of education. I don't like playing competitive online matches and I believe that there are many people like me. I don't want to rush into keyboard shortcuts to build faster than the enemy, go with a pre-calculated build order, or scan every interesting part of the map all the time and micromanage things as fast as possible. This might be the competitive playing style, yea, but it is a way too much mechanic to be honest. I expect to have pleasure when I play a game and not stress. I prefer to play a bit slower enjoying the bits of the game and playing it more like chess. Plan your move, analyse the alternatives and then move when things are ready. No rush. No stress. Perhaps trying a little rush to surprise the enemy once in a while doesn't hurt. But hitting the keyboard frenetically and micromanaging stuff like a freak when playing the game is a big no for me.
Regarding the DRM discussion, CNCNZ showcases an interesting case that happened with some Ubisoft games. What happens to the users who try to play an offline game in a game that requires internet connection for everything when their servers get a denial of service? The answer is simple: you can't play it unless you get a crack (which already exists for the Ubisoft games mentioned in that article). That's not a good deal for those who actually paid to play the game. Discuss it at CNCNZ Forums.
-> CnC Labs has one new 6 player map for Red Alert 3 called Uhud Battlefield created by Azacpi. Check the minimap below. If you enjoy it, click on it to download it.
-> CnC Guild's tutorials and downloads were fixed a while ago. There are a lot of interesting tutorials for Red Alert 2 and C&C3 modders in that site. Check it out if you need some help or some tip.
C&C Mod News
-> Tiberian Dawn Redux was featured in the february's edition of the benelux PC Gameplay magazine. Thanks to 0warfighter0 for scanning it. Click in the picture for a higher resolution scan:
-> Doom Desire Public Beta was recently released by mevitar, who claims to be unable to continue the mod due to real life issues. The mod is a total conversion that brings at least 6 factions (USA, Eastern Asia Alliance, European Union, USSR, China and United Arabian Nations), a huge set of new units with new gameplay mechanics. It requires NPatch Special Edition. You can download the mod and its musics packs at this forum topic at Revora.
-> Contra has several new renders with new chinese weaponry. China has gained an apocalypse device and a King of Fire. But don't worry, because USA showed a reponse very quickly called Cyborg Commando. Check all screenies at the Contra site.
-> Mental Omega's leader, Speeder, has showed some interesting maps featured in the next version of Mental Omega. Here's one of them:
As you can noticed, this map was originally created for Red Alert 3 and fully converted to Red Alert 2. Do you wanna see more RA3 maps on RA2, check Mental Omega's site.
-> The Forgotten total conversion for C&C3 has pictures of the third mission of their campaign, which will feature HD quality movies. Here's one. Click on it for more.
And this is what I could collect for now.
Finally, we cannot end this news without reminding Aro's birthday, which happened yesterday. Congratulations buddy, I hope you enjoyed it and gained a lot of cool presents.
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Farewell, 2POC.
February 26, 2010 - 09:03
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2POC, the main assistant from the C&C community manager APOC, is leaving the crew today. Here's his farewell post:
| Quote: | Hey everyone,
Today I will be departing from the EALA team and moving on to whatever life throws at me. It’s been a blast throughout the last 3 years growing from a simple webmaster at CNC Vision, through an internship program during Red Alert 3, and the last year working officially for the C&C4 team. There’s been a great history between myself and many of you since I joined these boards prior to C&C3’s announcement as jsuh0107 and later nukewave. I am very very thankful that I could help forward on to the dev team not only community concerns, but all the great talent you guys show through artwork, maps, mods, replays, etc. The C&C community never fails to blow me away with everything you accomplish for your love of this franchise.
I may be back eventually as a regular forum user once again, who knows! This has been amazing experience with all of you, and I thank you for that!
-2POC/nukewave |
2POC was a great enthusiastic of modding and made them (and fan maps) more visible at the Official Command & Conquer Site. He has also brought fans closer to the studio and supported us in many ways and made APOC more become accessible.
His efforts at EALA team are very appreciated by many C&C fans, including myself. It's really a pitty to see him go. He may still post in the EA forums as nukewave (his old account). I wish him the best, with an even better job in the future. Good luck in your next endeavours, 2POC!
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Invasion Confirmed at the PC Jeux
February 22, 2010 - 09:16
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The edition of this month from the PC Jeux magazine is featuring the lastest release of Invasion Confirmed in their DVD, among other things.
Invasion Confirmed brings the armies from Red Alert 1, 2 and 3 to the battlefield, to an epic battle, with intentionally cartoonish graphics.
Congratulations for the IC team for all their efforts. And if you run or find a magazine that spotlight one of our hosted mods, please, make sure to inform us about it.
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Tiberian Sun is now Freeware!
February 12, 2010 - 20:12
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Electronic Arts have made Tiberian Sun and the Firestorm Expansion package become freeware. Click on the Image below to check it out!
Set in the early 21st century, Tiberian Sun once again pits the Global Defense Initiative against the Brotherhood of Nod in a struggle for control of the planet. With an epic storyline that unfolds as play progresses, players learn the reasons behind the worldwide outbreak of Tiberium and what happened to the notorious Nod leader Kane, who was presumed dead at the end of the first Command & Conquer.
http://www.commandandconquer.com/classic?sourceid=eag1321
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ModDB Mod of the Year Awards 2009 and C&C mods!
February 06, 2010 - 10:18
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All results from ModDB Mod of the Year 2009 Awards have been revealed and, not surprisingly, the participation from C&C mods in this cerimony were limited.
If it depends on the Editors, Command & Conquer is history. The only mod with any mention to C&C that they could remember is Renegade X, who was one of the nominees for Best Multiplayer Mod.
Fortunately, fans could vote as well. And that's the area where C&C did a bit better with:
-> ShockWave: 9th at the Best Mod of the Year.
-> Red Alert: A Path Beyond: Honourable mention at Indie Games of the Year.
-> Red Alert 2: Apocalypse Rising: Honourable mention at Indie Games of the Year.
And yea, Renegade X, which is a total conversion that brings the spirit of Renegade for Unreal Tournament 3, was the 5th place at nthe Best Mod of the Year.
Congrats for these mod teams for their achievements. It's not easy to get this kind of recognition at an FPS (aka Half Life, Unreal Engine, Crysis) extremely infested community like ModDB where the editors only play FPS games.
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CCCII: 10 Days Remaining
February 05, 2010 - 00:16
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Hello everyone. I'd just like to remind you that you have 10 Days remaining to finish your maps for the Cartographers' Call Competition. A quick overview of the rules for those of you whom are not familiar and or interested in entering.
1 - Only One map per entrant
2 - Any map entered by the creator must be larger than 85 x 85 otherwise their map will be marked as void and will not be judged in the competition.
3 - The entries must be completely new. No re-makes of maps, no copy and pasted terrain from any other maps.
4 - If you post any previews of your maps anywhere before the competition deadline, you will be disqualified and your map will be marked as void and will not be judged in the competition.
5 - Once submitted entries cannot be changed, so make sure you're happy with your map and it has no errors
6 - Entries must be submitted to Aro (Me) by the 15th of February (00:00GMT)
7 - Your map can be any theater, be it a RA2 theater or a YR theater. Lunar maps are accepted but will hurt your layout score.
8 - Symmetrical maps are allowed, but will hurt your layout score.
9 - Maps are to be submitted in .YRM Format
10 - Terrain expansions of any kind are NOT allowed.
For more information on the mapping competition visit this thread.
Good luck to all of you whom are entering, and remember that there are prizes involved this time around, which means all the more reason to give it a go, whether you're an experienced mapper or not.
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PPM Hosted Roundup!
February 04, 2010 - 20:50
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The end of the last year we had a lot of releases and I forgot to create a PPM Mod of the Year poll, as we always do here every year, but I was really insanely busy with my final project. So, this place has survived a lot thanks to Aro's news posts. Now I'm ready again to spot the interesting news that occasionally shows up from our hostees.
Tiberian Sun Mods:
-> Tiberian Odyssey has recently presented one of the capturable units from the mod, the Forgotten "Condor" Carryall. Interesting for Nod commanders, don't you think? Click in the picture for more details.
-> Return of the Dawn's version 2.8 is under construction and getting some good progress. Reaperr has published the changelog, which includes stuff like fixed nukes, updated user interface and several bug fixes. The mod will also be standalone.
-> Twisted Insurrection will feature remakes of several famous C&C maps. Aro has recently finished Bay of Pigs. Check it out:
-> Tiberian Fall is being updated again and ZoidZilla has posted screenshots of GDI bases.
Yuri's Revenge Mods:
-> TS: ReWire received a couple of voxels from ronco and Crimsonum. Here's some of the units that were presented:
You can view more voxels HERE.
Generals Mods:
-> Invasion Confirmed confirms the existence of the japanese's ultimate weapon: the Giga Fortress! Click in the picture below for more details:
Tiberium Wars Mods:
-> Tiberium Essence received a new map pack from RimTech. So, what does it have? The picture below gives some interesting tips. Click at it to grab it:
And that's it. We are done with PPM hosted mod news for now, but we still have interesting news posts coming soon!
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The PPM Goodies of January!
February 04, 2010 - 19:58
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Hey guys, it's time for a quick overview of some interesting things posted in this forum, in the last month. So, what's up with PPM? As you noticed, we are now hosting sites that have no connection to mod projects, such as Cnc Relived. What else? For all those lame creatures that loving calling this place 'PPMSITE', it's time to know the PPMFORUMS. Really, welcome to Project Perfect Mod, also known as PPM. I just didn't buy ppm.com because domains with 3 letters are expensive and Paper Products Market took it first.
Anyway, it's time for the real business:
YR Tutorials
-> Recreating RA3 Natasha's abilities in YR - by mac402.
This tutorial teachs those who are starting to mod to create a unit that behaves like Natasha from Red Alert 3, with a railgun and ability to call airplanes to destroy buildings.
Generals/Zero Hour Tutorials
-> Improved Method(s) for Deploying Vehicles and Objects - by DaFool
This tutorial shows two advanced methods to deploy vehicles and objects. It's up to you to choose the one that fits your needs. Both are suicide methods. The first one transfers the health, while the last transfers veterancy. If you are up for a challenge, check this one out!
Graphic Resources
-> Holy Master's Scene Creation files for 3ds max 9 - by Holy Master.
Holy Master has shared a set of .max files that will help you to render SHPs for infantry and vehicles, for Red Alert 2. It can be very useful for Tiberian Sun as well. Note that it requires 3ds max 9 or higher.
Spotlighted Voxels
-> Demolisher Heavy tank Mk II - by zenoniations.
It's another heavy tank, but hell, a very well made one. Check it out and download it. If you use it in your mod, please, make sure you credit zenoniations for this unit.
And I hope you enjoyed this coverage. Expect more news on the PPM Hosted mods soon.
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