Digital Arts has launched the supply code for Command & Conquer to a neighborhood of modders who like designing new ranges for the classic real-time technique sport.
It’s a good transfer for the neighborhood, however it additionally tells me that EA sees no actual option to make strong revenues on remakers of the real-time technique model, which was common after I was rising up. That half makes me unhappy, however it’s price dealing with actuality.
Jim Vessella, C&C producer at EA, famous that the corporate launched the C&C Final Assortment on Steam final yr. This was a constructive step in direction of sustaining the legacy of Command & Conquer, however he mentioned EA all the time had the ambition to ship much more C&C franchise enhancements to the neighborhood.
So shortly after launch in 2024, EA commissioned Luke “CCHyper” Feenan (a veteran of the C&C neighborhood who was part of our Neighborhood Council for the C&C Remastered Assortment). Feenan was additionally concerned in bringing the C&C Final Assortment to Steam again in March 2024.
EA requested Feenan to formally analysis enhancements to most of the video games within the Final Assortment. With full entry to the C&C Archive at EA, Feenan proposed a pair formidable concepts on behalf of the neighborhood, and over the previous yr, he has devoted himself to ship upon these initiatives.
In an announcement, Feenan mentioned, “For those of you awesome C&C fans who I have not crossed paths with before, my name is Luke Feenan, aka. “CCHyper”. I’m a 20+ yr veteran of the C&C Neighborhood, a very long time modder, and an Admin of CnCNet. I used to be additionally very lucky to have been concerned within the growth of the C&C Remastered Assortment beneath the mentorship of Jim Vessella.”
Over the previous yr he has labored alongside the C&C stakeholders at EA to revive the Perforce supply code archives for the C&C video games again to buildable states, which now supplies the group with the flexibility to patch these traditional video games in a deeper manner going ahead. As a very long time modder, it was superb to lastly get an opportunity to deep dive into the supply code for these video games and see how they work, Feenan mentioned.
Command & Conquer Generals
It’s virtually 5 years in the past now that EA launched the supply code for the C&C Remastered Assortment DLL recordsdata. This launch acquired reward throughout the video video games business, and has enabled the neighborhood to create superb content material for the Remastered Assortment. In response to the restoration means of the C&C archives, EA is now releasing the totally recovered supply code for Command & Conquer (aka, Tiberian Daybreak) and C&C Purple Alert beneath the GPL license.
This can empower these locally who proceed to create content material for these traditional entries within the franchise, and Feenan hopes it’s going to help communities like CnCNet to proceed to assist these video games and maintain them playable for future generations to return.
Feenan mentioned the neighborhood over at W3DHub has executed nice issues with the C&C Renegade engine for nearly 20 years now and their tasks have been pushing absolutely the limits of the sport. To assist them in taking the sport and their superior tasks to the following stage, EA can be releasing the whole supply code for C&C Renegade beneath the GPL license.
“All of us here are all really excited to see what’s next in store for the community over at W3DHub and what they will be able to do with this release,” Feenan mentioned.
And lastly, in appreciation of the C&C Generals neighborhood who’ve saved the sport alive with their constant power and ardour, internet hosting multiplayer tournaments, and producing superb content material, Feenan mentioned the corporate is releasing the total supply code beneath GPL for C&C Generals and its enlargement pack, Zero Hour.
“I know the Generals/ZH community is going to do amazing things with this source code release, and I’m excited to see what the team over at C&C Online does next with the multiplayer experience for these games,” Feenan mentioned.
EA additionally mentioned it’s enabling the Steam Workshop assist for extra C&C titles to permit customers to add their customized maps. This has been an ask from the neighborhood for a really very long time so EA can lastly give map creators an official and everlasting residence on the Steam Workshop for content material.
Now Steam Workshop assist has gone stay for: C&C Renegade, C&C Generals & Zero Hour, C&C 3 Tiberium Wars and Kane’s Wrath, C&C Purple Alert 3 & Rebellion and C&C 4 Tiberian Twilight.
EA has additionally up to date all of the Mission Editor and World Builder instruments so you may publish maps on to the Steam Workshop. Once you subscribe to an merchandise on the Steam Workshop (through the Consumer or webpage), the video games will now pull that content material down if you subsequent launch the sport and the maps might be displayed within the singleplayer/multiplayer map choice menus.
“We’re all looking forward to seeing what fun and crazy maps you upload,” Feenan mentioned.
EA is releasing a “C&C Modding Support” pack which accommodates the supply Xml, Schema, Script, Shader and Map recordsdata for all of the video games that use the SAGE engine. This has been one other want from the neighborhood for nearly 15 years now so Feenan mentioned he’s excited to lastly make this occur, and it ought to assist the neighborhood to make superb content material and mods for the years to return.
“I would like to take a moment to thank all of our Community Playtesters who have supported us throughout this journey with their invaluable feedback and encouragement, also a big thank you to everyone who has reported bugs and issues for the C&C games on Reddit and Steam,” Feenan mentioned. “And of course to the whole C&C community for supporting these games for over 25+ years.”
Feenan thanked the group at EA working at varied studios and departments throughout the globe who’ve helped make this occur (there are simply too many to call!). Their assist for this undertaking and the C&C franchise was actually motivating throughout the ultimate push to launch. He additionally thanked EA Companions and supporters together with technical director Brian Barnes and Vessella.
Vessella mentioned that, as with earlier modding initiatives, consumer generated content material for C&C titles fall beneath the Command & Conquer Franchise Modding Tips, which have been up to date to replicate this initiative. Kudos to EA. As we’ve seen currently, there are worse fates for growing old sport properties.
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