Oktober PodCast

*Junker* · #1 07-10-2006, 10:47

Heute ist der October PodCast veröffentlicht worden. Er ist 40 Minuten lang.
Lead designer Jason Bender und lead balance designer Greg Black werden von Predator befragt.

Here's a summary of some of the points they discussed (www.planetcnc.com):

The new interface is a hybrid of the sidebar and more "traditional" RTS context-sensitive bottombar. You get the ability to control your factories and MCV from anywhere on the map as well as info about your currently selected buildings or units.
The MCV is, of course, back in its classic (redeployable!) form, but two new construction-related items are the "crane" and the still-being-named/still-being-tweaked "mini-mcv". The crane gives you a second structure build queue - basically you plonk it down and it lets you construct another building while your MCV constructs one. Helpful for those turtlers who like to build big bases fast. Of course, one crane can't build another, so no getting around having your Con Yard blown up that way. The "mini-mcv" can't build anything, but when you deploy it on land, you can then drop down buildings constructed at your ConYard or Crane next to it. Each one is basically half of the MCV's functionality, though neither one is as good (or as expensive) as the MCV itself.
Jason Bender gave an interesting quote about the turtle-vs-rush balance in Command & Conquer games as a whole:

Short answer is, turtling isn't really a viable strategy in Command & Conquer. It's an - it's an aggressive game - you have to get out there and kick some butt. The base defenses and the walls are speedbumps. They're not, you know, solutions. So, what you really have to do is build an army, get out there, and knock the other guy's base down. That's the only way to win.
Greg Black countered this somewhat by pointing out that the sidebar build style makes defending easier overall because you can construct your defenses in relative peace and rest assured that they'll get at least a few shots in rather than being blown up during construction.
The trio also discussed the contentious issue of squads, with Greg Black asserting that one squad of bazookaguys in C&C3 is the same as one single bazookaguy in TD/TS, in terms of cost and effectiveness. The squads system just means that there are more visual guys on-screen, not less physical units under your control. Engineers and commandos are still solo, and, in general, squads are smaller than in BFMEII and more "elite" squads come in smaller denominations. For example, the sniper squad just has two guys: the sniper, and his spotter. Infantry in squads have their own hitpoints and squads don't have BFME-style "leaders" (the guys with the flag).
With regards to game speed, Greg Black re-iterated that the Leipzig demo was horribly sped up, with stuff being built stupidly fast and blowing up just as quickly. While C&C3 is supposed to be fast, it's not going to be THAT fast. Greg's approach to balancing speed is to start off too fast and then back off to a comfortable level.
Talking about the two known late-game mechs, the GDI Juggernaut and the Nod Avatar, Jason Bender points out that the Juggernaut is really late-game artillery, and the Avatar is Nod's late-game "Mammoth equivalent", but like the Kirovs in Red Alert 2, you're not going to be sending either of them into an enemy base alone - they need to be in teams, with other units supporting them.
As a reminder and an expansion on previously released details, the Nod Avatar mech can steal some weapons/tech from Nod units (only), and the basic choice is whether it's better to leave those weapons/techs in the hands of their units or whether it's better to combine them with the Avatar (destroying the unit). If the Avatar's in a bad shape or liable to draw a lot of fire, then maybe it's better to leave the flame cannon on the flame tank and just escort the Avatar.
With respect to civilian structures in C&C3, expect to only stick a couple of squads in most of them, instead of dozens of guys like in RA2.
Jason, Greg, and Predator both expressed joy at seeing the return of the engineer rush, and say fears that it is going to be too uber are unfounded. It's such a risky strategy, they point out, with engineers easily being stopped by walls, base defenses, or even a single squad of minigunners, that it's not likely to become a problem for all but the most n00bish of players.
Responding to cries for gates, don't expect to see them available in C&C3, though anything can change between now and C&C3's unknown 2007 release date. The team feels that C&C is more about fielding units than building massive concrete-wrapped bases.
Finally, Greg Black reminds everyone that he's on the forums "every day", secretly watching you reading your posts, so by all means continue generating feedback, even if it a) is blatant flaming or b) never seems like EA pays it any attention. Don't forget Nod's motto:

TECHNOLOGY IS PEACE
TIBERIUM IS LIFE
DIVINATION IS STRENGTH

GREG BLACK IS WATCHING YOU