What is Command & Conquer Generals Zero
Hour?
It’s the first expansion pack to the number
1 selling PC game of 2003. In Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour,
you face off against military masterminds for battlefield supremacy. Become
the ultimate modern warfare General as you command all-new, next-generation
weapons and armies while taking on elite commanders in the unique Generals
Challenge mode.
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What does the term “Zero Hour” mean?
"Zero Hour" is a current military term
that describes the exact moment of a major conflict between two opposing
forces. |
Will there be any new challenges?
Yes! Here is your chance to defeat the greatest military
minds in modern warfare. Zero Hour introduces all-new, diverse armies commanded
by a wide assortment of military masterminds, each with their own personalities,
taunts, and tactics. Defeat these elite Generals in one-on-one battles and
then take their specialized armies online for multiplayer mayhem. |
Will there be any new campaigns?
You bet! 15 all-new missions across three campaigns
take modern warfare around the globe. Protect a nuclear facility in China,
liberate occupied European towns from the GLA, and bring humanitarian aid
operations to war torn regions. |
What is the Generals Challenge mode?
The Generals Challenge mode introduces a new, fiercely
competitive head-to-head solo mode for battlefield supremacy. Even the most
experienced Command & Conquer Generals veteran must learn new strategies
and tactics to take full advantage of—and learn to defend against—the
next generation of the world’s most lethal weapons. |
How long have the EALA team been working on
the expansion and are the same personnel involved in this new add-on?
We've been working on the game since the release
of Generals last February. We went through an early design phase and then
jumped into actual development. We've been indoors most of the summer trying
to make a fantastic expansion pack that will satisfy the hardcore fans as
well as the more casual players. We've done that by providing over 30 hours
of solo play content through missions, Generals Challenge (plus Skirmish
beyond that). Additionally we've been tracking the fan sites and have included
known issues that we wanted to correct. |
How will the Generals Challenge Mode work?
Generals Challenge is another way that we think all
players alike will be able to squeeze more value out of the expansion. Money
is tight these days so it's important to us that player feel like they get
a lot for their cash. Generals Challenge is a solo play mode set up a bit
like a VS. mode in a fighting game. We've included 9 new General Armies
that you can fight as. The Generals have their own "home", like
in a fighting game, and you pick a General that will fight on your enemy's
turf. The enemy General will taunt & provoke the player to "bring
it on". Once you beat one you move onto the next. |
Who or what are the '9 distinctive armies '
players will be able to control?
Examples are Dr. Thrax, a maker of an extra potent
Gamma Toxin and General Granger, a general that uses airpower above all
else. Each General and their army has a few special units particular to
them. The economies, build times, etc. are designed to encourage the player
to travel down a specific strategic path. We felt that players usually use
specific strategies (like "turtling") so we created Generals Armies
that allow the player to more easily follow a preferred road. |
How has the storyline and plot evolved in Zero
Hour and how do the GLA, China and US factions fit into the storyline?
We've included embedded reporters that will report
from the field before every mission. We also have plenty of references to
events in our intro cut scenes that use the in game graphics. We think this
will really help tie them all together much more than the main title. |
We know there are Mediterranean scenarios and
scenarios set in Cairo for the single player campaigns. What else can we
expect?
We visit the US, Asia & Germany too. It should
really help the player feel that there is a lot more environmental variety
this time around. |
What can you tell us more about the new units
in the game?
We included over 30 new units, structures, upgrades,
etc...plus the unique Generals Armies units. Perhaps the coolest is the
new GLA Combat Cycle (which works a lot like an IFV from Red Alert 2), a
USA Microwave Tank that can disable enemy structures as well as harm surrounding
enemy infantry and a Chinese ECM (electronic countermeasures) Tank that
makes enemy missiles swerve out of the way. It also has a beam that can
disable vehicles. |
Are you making any changes to the game engine
for the expansion?
We've included several general optimizations as well
as added snow weather effects. Along with these we've implemented something
we call "Meta Impact" that tosses tanks around like rag dolls.
We use it on the USA MOAB, GLA Sneak Attack and in a few other places. |
Like Generals, will all cut-scenes be in-game?
Not all... we've also got the embedded reporters
that tell the player about the world events during the mission loads. |
What type of new tilesets can players expect
in Zero Hour?
Many of the same but we've added a lot of new art
objects, etc so that we could pull of Crete and Germany well. Ruins, German
style houses, etc. |
What other multiplayer enhancements can we expect
to see in Zero Hour?
Based on player requests we've now added the ability
to turn off your stats in Custom Matches. Along with this we allow a "starting
cash" variant, a "limit superweapons" button and a "limit
armies" button. With regard to limiting armies we felt that some players
would rather keep the game "pure" with just the original sides
- so we let game hosts lock out the Generals armies if they want. We’ve
also worked on improving connectivity, etc….lots of optimizations. |
Are you planning any special multiplayer game
browser interface
enhancements?
Just a few so we can accommodate some of the buttons
noted above. |
Have you received any further flack from the
media regarding the game's subject line? Especially with the ability to
capture weapons of mass destruction which is rather topical.
Command & Conquer Generals was created and plays
much like Hollywood style action movie (in RTS form)...and we think people
are smart and get that. Zero Hour will have that same flavor. |
How have you improved Skirmish?
We’ve reworked the entire mode to make sure
that gamers play against a sly and crafty opponent. The new AI is really
working well and I think players will really appreciate the upgrade. We’ve
also reworked the older Generals multiplayer maps with new tech buildings
and resizing. As it stands now there will be about 50 or so multiplayer
maps to choose from. 25 are reworked and 25 are completely new. |
Are there any other cool game features you would
like to tell the readers about?
We have made a number of UI tweaks like allowing
users to easily find their hero on the radar, a right click mouse interface
and a "Double click destination attack move" functionality. We've
also opened up the right side of the battlewindow so that its lists all
the generals or unit powers that players used to have to click the unit
or structure to use. Makes playing it a LOT more friendly. No more hunting
for the Radar Van to use the Radar Scan! :) Lots of things that we think
just make the game more polished and playable. These are relatively small
but we think the hardcore fans will really appreciate them. |
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Will you release Zero Hour features in a
patch for Generals?
We are reviewing this right now. We think it’s
in everyone’s benefit to carefully choose items that will most benefit
the fans. We’ll have more info on this really soon…but at
this time we’re concentrating on finishing up Zero Hour.
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24.06 15:48.
