Command & Conquer - Comments

Last updated 1997

This is a sequel (of sorts) to the fine game "Dune II" that was published several years ago. The key change they made was setting the game in a modern war context. Not only are the units somewhat accurate (from a tactical military perspective) but there is a lot more emotional satisfaction in conquering parts of the "real" world. Another big change Westwood made to the basic game engine was a more intelligent opponent. The computer player is not the finest general ever put into code, but it is one of the better ones. It does a fine job on defense (which is typical).

What is Command and Conquer like? C&C is a "real-time" tactical build and fight game. Westwood essentially invented this type of game with Dune II but since then the very popular "Warcraft" series has appeared, so they are not alone in this field. Basically you must expand your base (this is fairly simple), then you must build forces, you must also harvest supplies, and you must be able to attack and defeat your opponent. The assault on the enemy base is the most difficult part of the game as you must fight against his static defenses as well as his mobile units, and you need to capture or destroy his buildings, all while making sure the enemy isn't destroying your forces in some other part of the battle field. Your units fight on their own (more or less) but you need to tell them where to go (and sometimes, what to shoot at).

The really interesting aspect of the game is that all units are better against some units than against others. The commando (for example) is deadly against all the infantry units, but is useless against any of the armored vehicles. The medium and heavy tanks are great against other vehicles and buildings, but nearly useless against infantry units. This bears some relation to reality, though there are aspects in which this is wrong.

This links to a great site about Red Alert, the successor to Command & Conquer.

This takes you to the Westwood Studios web page right here.

Go on to the next page about Panzer General.