Command & Conquer 4 Preview Page 2

12 Aug 2009 at 10:28:40 by Tim McDonald

These explosive deaths will net you the final new concept mentioned above: experience points. Your experience points are totted up across the board, so whether you're playing single-player or multiplayer, you're earning them. These aren't just for show, either. Initially, as you'd expect, the majority of units for your chosen class are locked off. Earning experience opens up more units and powers, and gradually gives you all of the shiny toys hidden away at the beginning.

As mentioned, that carries through to multiplayer, which is a big focus of the game. The experience is reportedly there, in part, to tackle a challenge endemic to RTS games: multiplayer and skirmish modes are initially overwhelming. Here, it's promised, you'll be able to leap into a multiplayer match as soon as you install the game and your limited unit count will be a lot easier to get to grips with, but as you play more and unlock more, you'll slowly get to grips with all of the other units. As we're promised more units than in any previous C&C, this is a Very Good Thing. In terms of balance, the new units will apparently give you more options, rather than making you more powerful, but it's a seductive thought: if you're stuck on a mission you have more options than just battering your head against into until you win. You can go off, unlock some more units in another game mode, and then try again.

Respawning, obviously, will change the multiplayer battlefield, and we're told that one of the multiplayer modes being worked on is similar in concept to a Domination gametype. Each map will have a variety of control locations on it, and you and your teammates – for C&C4 is a “social experience” - will fight your opponents for control over them, respawning when destroyed, until one team's points are depleted.

Of course, all of these ideas aren't up to much if the game itself doesn't deliver, so I'm happy to say that it looks good. The mission demoed to me was one of the early levels of the GDI campaign, and tasked the commander with getting a gigantic crashed aircraft (which, we're told, will host most of the game's characters and act as the base of operations) back into the air. Initially, the Crawler spat out a few units which hopped over the wasteland to a node of the aforementioned Tiberium control network, which would ensure that the ship would get repaired, but this didn't go according to plan. While initial Nod units were easily destroyed, a second set of units – and turrets - burrowed up from underneath the ground and caught the GDI forces by surprise.

A second foray was more successful, but this only led to further Nod attacks, featuring both old favourite and new units. Stealth Tanks and Flame Tanks returned with new looks, and we're promised the Mammoth Tank will make an appearance, but the Nod Centurion was what caught our eye – a towering mech-like monstrosity with an energy shield to deflect enemy fire. Before long, the initial scouting and offence mission switched to defence as both the GDI Crawler and troop ship came under attack, and the Nod Crawler set up shop right outside and began pumping out more and more units.

And it all looks very, very good. Units have separate chunks making up their outer shell, with bits being blown off the bigger units so that you can see the inner workings for yourself. Explosions are predictably gorgeous, and seeing all of the old units in this new engine is a treat. Despite all of this, the pace is considerably slower and more measured than Red Alert 3. Once again, for accessibility reasons, you're going to have more time to consider your moves and options in battle so that you don't feel like things are out of your control in even the most frenetic of firefights, according to EA.

The real proof will be in how it plays, though. While the new ideas are tantalising, there's no doubt that this is a big risk; the changes might put off the old players and fail to draw new ones in. I rather hope not, because at this stage I can honestly say one thing. I can't wait to get my hands on this.

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