E3 2002: Command & Conquer: Generals impressions

We watched Command & Conquer: Generals in motion at this year's E3, and even though the game isn't going to be released until the end of the year, it already looks pretty impressive. Despite its name, C&C: Generals doesn't take place in the futuristic Command & Conquer world--it takes place in an alternate reality in the not-too-distant future. In the game, three powerful political factions are at war: the US, China, and the Global Liberation Army (GLA). As you play, you'll recruit a powerful general for your army. In the demonstration scenario we saw, three generals were available for play: a tank commander, special forces, and the air force. Every general will have special abilities and may be able to recruit different kinds of units or use different kinds of weapons. In the demo, the air force general was chosen--air force generals can recruit powerful air units and also use tactical nuclear missiles.

Generals will clearly have the same kind of fast-paced gameplay as those in the Command & Conquer and Red Alert series. Units can be built and deployed quickly, and judging from the demo, the game will have a simple rock-paper-scissors balancing system among different units. For instance, tanks are powerful ground troops that can wreak havoc against enemy vehicles--but they tend to be too inaccurate against infantry units and are sitting ducks against infantry armed with personal rocket launchers. Succeeding in skirmishes will likely require good use of mixed armies.

Generals' 3D engine resembles that of Emperor: Battle for Dune, but it features much-improved object handling and physics. The level we saw took place in the middle of a Middle Eastern marketplace full of large crowds of individually modeled civilians milling about. Once the battle between GLA terrorists and US and China allied troops began, the civilians all turned and ran in different directions, especially from vehicles like jeeps, which flatten people and drag them about, and tanks, which knock down trees in their paths. In the scenario, terrorists broke the dam near the city, which created a huge tidal wave that swept away all the units on the field, as well as the entire city.

Command & Conquer: Generals is currently scheduled for release this winter. We'll have more information on this promising game as it becomes available.