Command and conquer 4 announced

[ADV4NCED]

C&C4 Multiplayer insight

Cant help thinking the game is too involved with bs like offensive and defensive modes... when really, why not just model the ******* game on TS's multiplayer???

God I would have been so happy for them just to have done a remake of tiberian sun with better graphics, then sell it off as C&C4

[Mystical_Titan]

So do it yourself.

[Anakha56]

Any news yet if you need always on Internet Connection?

[Stuart]

Any news yet if you need always on Internet Connection?

So far, the answer is still yes. I doubt that they will change that.

[StarBound]

I thought they dropped drm for c&c4?

[Stuart]

I thought they dropped drm for c&c4?

EA drop DRM? I'd like to come live in your world, if there is space.

[Mystical_Titan]

DRM is here to stay... yippee...

[Xiphan]

So do it yourself.

EA is not Valve, they don't encourage people remaking their old games on new engines. They actually come down with the full force of the law to stop people from infringing on their IPs, else I'd be playing a SS2 remake right now.

[StarBound]

EA doesnt have IPs. They have other peoples IPs.

[Mystical_Titan]

Well, either way, I'm giving this game a go... loved Command & Conquer 3.

[StarBound]

Red Alert 2. Best C&C ever. Even 10 years down the line its still better than the new crap EA is dishing out.

[Xiphan]

[Mystical_Titan]

Mmm... still prefer the hardcopy of a game, rather than a Steam download.

[Xiphan]

Mmm... still prefer the hardcopy of a game, rather than a Steam download.

I thought so too, until Steam had AvP off this weekend making it almost half the price of the retail version. By borrowing the disc from a friend I didn't have to download it. And the majority of my games I have bought hard copies of, the box just sits on my shelf collecting dust and the game disc rests in my CD wallet. I probably install it once and never touch them again. I think now unless it's a Collector's Edition of the game with a lot of worthwhile goodies thrown in extra I'll just get all my games through Steam.

[Mystical_Titan]

Well, Steam is selling Command & Conquer 4 for $ 49.99 which works out to R 350 and then you still have to add bank charges. I'm buying it from Kalahari for R 266.

The expansion to Dragon Age is $ 39.99 on Steam (R 280), buying it for N$ 190 from Kalahari.

Mass Effect 2 is also $ 49.99 from Steam (R 350), I'm buying the Collector's Edition for R 400 from Kalahari.

Need I go on?

[Xiphan]

Fair enough, I tend to wait for their specials before I buy anything anyway.

[Stuart]

Plus I want to see how this always-on-internet thing pans out before I even consider purchasing CnC4.

[Mystical_Titan]

If the game has been released, surely someone will have posted something on it somewhere?

[StarBound]

Ok my review score for C&C4 is... 0. Game that cant be played single player without a connection isnt worth my time. Besides EA forgot to lay out the 24mb line to my house. Maybe they should add a line to the box. They might work.

[Mystical_Titan]

Kinda difficult to review a game you're not going to play.

[ADV4NCED]

I dont see the always online fact being a problem really... I mean the majority of people have dsl now, even in south africa, adsl has become affordable and in most spots you can get connectivity....farms are different though, but even then, most farms make use of wireless so I dont really see the problem here...

If its a case of worrying about EA's server being online years after you've bought the game, chances are you'll be playing multiplayer (by then) if you really did enjoy the game that much. And if this is the case, there will be some sort of secondary server that allows for online play... I mean 11 or 13 years down the road and we're still playing Tiberian Sun online - And its got absolutely no support from EA...

[Anakha56]

ADV The problem is if your ADSL line is not 100% or if someone else in your house is browsing say Google Earth and sucking the bandwidth, what happens then is the game stops and waits for it to be able to talk to the server. I have noticed it when trying to play CnC 4 the movies lagged and the game was not smooth as well. Played when it was just me on the line and had no such problems so the system is not smooth. You want to know what the problem is read the following:

http://forums.commandandconquer.com/jfo ... 37833.page

http://www.mygaming.co.za/news/pc/5638- ... ssues.html

http://www.avault.com/news/command-conq ... -problems/

So problems do exist and now that they have said a spotty connection will cause saved game issues I really dont want to load the game only to find I have to start from scratch. But enough about the carpy DRM what about the game...

It sucks...

No really it does, maybe I am old fashioned but this close up view of the map and being unable to zoom is extremely annoying! Pretty sure strategy games are meant to be able to plan your attack in advance? With this close up view it becomes very difficult to do that. In fact I would no longer consider this to be strategy but rather a RPG with your main character spawning out minions to do battle with . To me this game is fail much how the attempt at a CnC FPS game was a fail. Only reason why I am playing? Its sad but the story/movies, I grew up on CnC so I need to finish the game/story however I will not play it again after this once through...

[CapNemo]

Ok Sparhawk you can just give me the rundown on the story and I can save some money

[Anakha56]

Hell no! If I bought it and have to suffer from bad camera angles and silly walkers thingies so can you!

[Anakha56]

Just to follow up on this DRM scheme...

http://www.neoseeker.com/news/13423-ea- ... uer-4-drm/

EA editor criticizes Command & Conquer 4 DRM
Sean Ridgeley - Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 | 4:34PM (PT)

Burnt by own company

EA.com's editor-in-chief and blogger (or "official EA codpiece") Jeff Green, like many since launch, was burnt by Command & Conquer 4's DRM, which requires one to be online at all times to play. Unlike Ubisoft's latest experiment, this scheme offers many online features for single player and multiplayer, per the "global player progression system." Nevertheless, Green hasn't been having a good experience.

Green wrote on his Twitter account late last week: "Booted twice -- and progress lost -- on my single-player C&C4 game because my DSL connection blinked. DRM fail. We need new solutions," continuing later, "Well. I've tried to be open-minded. But my 'net connection is finicky -- and the constant disruption of my C&C4 SP game makes this unplayable. The story is fun, the gameplay is interesting and different at least -- but if you suffer from shaky/unreliable DSL -- you've been warned."

He also writes, "I think if we think of C&C4 as an "online-only" game -- which it basically is -- then maybe we'd adjust our expectations accordingly." Around this point Green goes to play some DRM-free Dragon Age and not-so DRM-free but not as demanding Dawn of War II.

The Twitter community and press at least is on his side, suggesting improvements like a "grace period" for reconnection, and saying "charging people for your experiments is not okay." Green's all about it, saying even periodic online checks or checks on loading and quitting would be an improvement, or going farther, caching progress for upload at a later time. EA as a whole has been a very reasonable company with its DRM, so here's hoping the higher-ups get on it and provide a smoother play experience.