Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath Q&A - Consoles vs. PC

Real-time strategy (RTS) games arguably began their lives on consoles in the obscure Sega Genesis game Herzog Zwei, but they became what they are today on the PC. The keyboard-and-mouse interface was perfect for accurately selecting buildings and groups of units as you gathered resources, constructed a base, and churned out an army to crush your opponents before they could do the same. However, real-time strategy games have begun to pop up on consoles, and the next game to do so will be Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath, an updated version of Command & Conquer 3 that will offer new control improvements and new content. EALA's Louis Castle, cofounder of Westwood Studios and one of the original minds behind the Command & Conquer series, sat down with us to go over these improvements and discuss the evolution of console strategy games.

GameSpot: Give us an update on the development of Kane's Wrath for consoles. How are things going? How is the game working in practice, and how is it stacking up against the PC version of the game, in terms of both performance and head-to-head competition?

Louis Castle: In terms of console RTS games, Kane's Wrath is tracking to be a strong improvement over Command & Conquer 3. This is the third console RTS in a row that the team here in LA has developed, and it shows. The continual improvements in interface design, performance, and suitable mission design for console gaming is evident from the moment you pick up the controller. The CommandStick controls make even traditionally challenging PC commands lightning-fast and intuitive. The full integration of the PC and console teams allows for great sharing and game design that maximizes all platforms, from concept to final.

GS: Give us an overview of the CommandStick control. What does it add to the experience of a real-time strategy game on a console?

LC: The CommandStick allows for rapid command selection from a radial user interface which appears on the screen with the press of a button. This gives players the ability to build units in resource queues anywhere on the map without switching their visual context. This latest improvement in the console UI gives console players the rapid controls associated with dozens of hotkeys on the PC, all at the flick of a button.

GS: How will Kane's Wrath go beyond what we've already seen from Command & Conquer 3 on consoles? How will it evolve the control scheme and pacing that was developed specifically for consoles with C&C3?

LC: The CommandStick alone is a great innovation and large evolutionary step in console RTS design. The mission design and performance improvements help to drive full-featured RTS gaming into the hands of millions of console gamers. The PC guys have had the rich experience of RTS gaming to themselves for over 10 years, and it's great to see a whole new breed of console RTS gamers who are passionate and as capable as any PC player at executing their personal strategy nearly instantly.

GS: In a larger sense, in what direction do you feel Kane's Wrath will push real-time strategy on consoles? Going back to Battle for Middle-earth II (EALA's console real-time strategy debut), in what direction is the studio trying to push console real-time strategy?

The console versions of the game will have new interface features.

LC: Our team has the single-minded goal of unlocking the amazing gaming experience of full-featured RTS games on consoles. With each console RTS we complete, we learn more about what excites and empowers console gamers, and that learning drives improvements, not only on console RTS games but also on their PC RTS peers. I have found that one of the best ways to make better games is to try new ideas, test them in the marketplace, listen to consumers, and improve the experience. With each new product, our team evolves and improves an already outstanding experience.

GS: In the eyes of some skeptics, consoles may not offer as strong a real-time strategy experience as PCs--after all, there's no traditional mouse-and-keyboard control setup, more-restrictive online options, and little to no room for user-generated content and mods to keep games fresh and vibrant for months or even years. In your opinion, what unique advantages does a console real-time strategy experience offer, aside from letting people play them on the couch?

LC: One of the best advantages for console RTS gamers is the absolute certainty that you are playing against another player who has the same machine spec as you do. The PC market has the complication of so many hardware configurations and connection issues that a multiplayer gaming session is often compromised by a player with a less capable system.

The winners of console RTS matches are, more often, simply the better player. I wouldn't so quickly dismiss the value of playing on the couch. Most gamers with console systems have their gaming system where the bulk of their entertainment dollars have been spent. Sitting on a comfortable couch with a large, high-definition screen and surround sound simply amplifies the great RTS experiences we seek to create.

GS: Would you say that console real-time strategy has truly hit its stride at this point? It's easy to see that first-person shooters, traditionally a game genre that was associated with the PC, have come into their own on consoles. What will it take for real-time strategy games to really take off in the living room?

LC: I think console RTS games will continue to grow in popularity as console gamers seek richer strategic gaming experiences. We have far from hit the stride in my opinion. The continued growth of the console installed bases ensures many players with the same equipment can enjoy the gaming experience we have enjoyed making for over a decade.

But the console versions of the game will still have all the lasers and explosions that C&C fans expect.

This continued market growth and the continued growth of existing gamers' depth and complexity expectations will almost certainly result in more and more RTS fans that play in their living rooms.

GS: We understand that the recently announced Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 is scheduled to ship on both the PC and consoles. Has EALA resolved to put all its new real-time strategy games out for both PC and consoles from here on out? Any possibility that future projects might be exclusive, either to the PC or to consoles?

LC: I can't comment on what we might do in the future, but I would expect us to continue to try and deliver the best full-featured RTS gaming experience we can for all the audiences we have the pleasure of attracting.

Grand Theft Auto IV Q&A: Animating the World

Now that GTAIV has gone gold the team over at Rockstar North is finally getting a chance to field some questions from the masses. Rockstar has made two members of the team available for interrogation. First up is Mondo Ghulam, animation artist on GTAIV, who will be sharing information on how the characters in GTAIV have been brought to life. Later this week, we'll be checking in with another member of the team to hear about weapons.

GameSpot: How have the new consoles affected GTAIV's development?

Mondo Ghulam: Cutscene production has become more involved but more satisfying. Having fully featured skeletons--five fingers and so on--allows us to get to the right pose instead of trying to approximate it with less. Depth of field and full scene lighting has opened the door to much more cinematic-looking cutscenes. We have only scratched the surface with lighting. Higher resolution across the board--models, textures, normal maps--allow the camera to get closer than we used to. Having effectively no upper limit on animation duration and quantity has enabled us to keep much more fidelity in the animation and to realize the script in its full form. More-realistic and believable characters make for better storytelling.

Characters look great even when the camera gets up close and personal.

GS: How has this affected the size of the team, say in comparison to something like San Andreas?

MG: The animation team is about double what it was on San Andreas. The cutscene team doubled in size for around 40 percent of the time we were on production.

GS: Did this lead you to change the way the teams were structured?

MG: There is a clear distinction between in-game and cutscene animation. The tasks and the tools are quite different. There has been some overlap in the content, however, with a number of the smaller connective cutscenes that were previously scripted being handled as full cutscenes.

GS: Can you give us a rough idea of how something goes from an idea on paper to an in-game cutscene?

MG: The basic flow is like so: Script > Read-through > Casting > Rehearsals > Environment > Mocap Shoot > Character Proxies > Mocap Data Solved > Motion Editing and Animation > Props > Facial Animation > In-Game Integration > Audio/Dialogue.

Motion capture this!

GS: When does the team start working on the cutscenes and cinemas in the development process?

MG: Usually quite late, though in real terms we worked on GTAIV for the last 16 months of production. I think total production time was around 36 months, which included motion-capture work at Perspective Studios in Long Island.

GS: Can you give us an idea of how many people you wound up using for the motion capture?

MG: For cutscenes, only one actor was used for Niko's body and facial animation. For the whole game, a huge number--including one per character, plus specialists for fighting, weapons, and stunt work.

GS: How did you handle the motion-capturing facial animations?

MG: Image Metrics handles all of the facial animation. Characters created here by Mike Kane and his team were rigged for animation by Image Metrics. Early on in cutscene production we took the plunge and went for full blend shape and bone animation for faces. It was a tough piece of tech to realize and took the combined efforts of people here at Rockstar North, Rockstar San Diego, and Image Metrics. It has more than paid off.

The game's facial animations are the result of a huge collaborative effort.

GS: How much attention do you and the team pay to movies and the increased use of CGI? Do you think that work has any impact or bearing on video game animation?

MG: Personally, a huge amount. Though improving all the time and at great speed in terms of raw quality, CGI in films has the edge on games. I'm not talking about prerendered cutscenes here--there's no reason why they can't or shouldn't look every bit as good as film CGI.

With film CGI, everything you see onscreen has most likely been rendered offline, whereas those doing cutscenes in-game need to do that in real time/30 frames per second. If you look at CGI in movies maybe five years ago, in terms of features, games are close, but in terms of raw pixel quality we're at a quarter of the resolution. For me, this is what we should be aiming for.

With a game like ours, we not only have several movies' worth of animation but we also have even more gameplay interwoven with the story. In terms of production there is a lot more to coordinate and integrate--"two masters to serve," as it were. Ultimately, the two should go hand in hand to produce a singular experience for the player.

GS: Thanks for your time.

This is Vegas Exclusive Hands-On - First Look

This is Vegas is the upcoming action game from Midway that drops you into a stylized version of Las Vegas and lets you live a virtual life. The game is being developed by Surreal Software, of The Suffering fame, and takes an open-world approach. While this may sound like a setup that's been done to death (albeit not set exclusively in Vegas), Surreal's going in a unique, ballsy direction with the game. Rather than try to outdo the cinematic take of the gold standard for the genre, Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto games, This is Vegas is taking a humorous, tongue-in-cheek approach. Surreal has tapped writer Jay Pinkerton, a former Cracked magazine editor, to help craft the game's story. Surreal representatives say the result falls somewhere between Ocean's Eleven and a Will Ferrell movie. As far as gameplay goes, we got a general overview and the chance to try out three short sequences from the game that gave us an idea of where it's headed.

Yes, gentlemen, this is Vegas.

The game's story follows you, an unnamed nobody, as you arrive in Vegas with 50 dollars in your pocket and hazy goals. As luck would have it, you'll cross paths with Joey Nissan, a local "entrepreneur" who winds up working to get you in with the Vegas crowd. From the sound of it, this bit in the game will be your license to be decadent as you play. Of course, all good things don't last forever, and soon you meet your nemesis: Preston Boyer, a fast food tycoon bent on cleaning up Vegas to be a family-friendly tourist trap. This doesn't exactly fly far with you and your new crowd, so your goal will be to stop Boyer and preserve the town's special atmosphere.

The game's story and the action surrounding it will revolve around four pillars Surreal is focusing on for development: fight, race, gamble, and party. The playable demo we tried showcased three of these, fighting, partying, and gambling. Before we tried it out, Surreal Software studio head Alan Patmore filled us in on what we were seeing, the open-world element, and what to expect. Based on the map screen we saw, virtual Vegas is a stylized place that comprises the whole strip. You'll be able to visit a variety of casinos, which feature different activities and missions to undertake to earn money and improve your standing in the world. You'll find four "crowds" to roll with in the game: the diamonds, or high rollers; the hearts, old-school Vegas types; the clubs, hip clubbers; and the spades, edgy rocker types. The missions you undertake will improve your reputation with them, which will afford you certain benefits in the form of unlockable rewards. At the moment it doesn't sound like there's much bad blood between the four groups, so getting in good with one won't alienate another. Besides the missions you take on, some of which will progress the story, you'll be able to engage in side quests called "gigs" that have five difficulty levels--they'll get progressively tougher. Clearing them earns you various bonuses on your quest, chief among them being cold, hard cash.

We doubt anyone will be surprised to hear that money is a huge deal in Vegas, as you'll be able to use it to buy clothing, accessories, and hairstyles to customize your virtual self. In addition to allowing you to personalize your character, the cosmetic tweaks are key for accessing certain casinos--what would a Vegas game be without dress codes, right? Besides the small stuff, you'll eventually be able to pick up a home base to work out of. You'll need a base of operations, because not all your activities are entirely lawful. The game will feature a "wanted" system, as we've seen in many other games, and you'll have to contend with the law enforcement that will show up. The system doesn't sound like it's going to be too hardcore, as cops won't have terribly long memories; but you'll still have to be careful.

In Sin City, you can't be afraid to get your hands dirty once in a while.

As far as what we could play goes, the demo offered the three samples of gambling, fighting, and partying. The gambling sequence had us guiding our guy over to a table and hitting the B button to get started. You'll sit down at the table and play blackjack, with a slight twist. The game plays as it would in real life; you have a dealer and cards in front of you, and you choose to hit, stand, or get insurance--all the usual stuff. However, if you're feeling like you want a leg up, you can put on some "special" sunglasses and check the cards in play, as apparently one of your associates has marked them with special dye. The catch is that you'll have to manage your level of suspicion, which you'll gauge via an onscreen meter. If you spend too much time using your glasses, folks will get wise and you'll get booted. To keep things interesting, the marked cards don't make for a total cheat. Three types of marks denote their range. So a minus sign lets you know the card is between a two and a six, a circle is between a seven and a nine, and a plus is a 10 or higher. So you'll still have to do some guessing, but the glasses help a little. To move things along you can hit the X button and "fast forward" to your decision. The only other trouble spot is suspicion. You'll have to keep an eye on your surroundings to catch any roaming pit bosses, who will kick up your suspicion gauge much faster than normal if they're around you while you're using your specs. Besides blackjack, you'll find Texas Hold 'em poker and slots to let you gamble the night away. You'll also be able to get some "help" while playing the slots via a hacking minigame, although we weren't able to check slots or the minigame out.

Grand Theft Auto IV Multiplayer Hands-On

When you finally explore Liberty City on April 29, you won't have to do it alone. Grand Theft Auto IV will be the first game in the series to ship with a complete online multiplayer component, supporting up to 16 players on both Xbox Live and the PlayStation Network. Little information has been released about how this aspect of the game will work, other than the subtle hints that Rockstar has dropped during earlier previews of the game. But with the game now finally approaching release this month, Rockstar decided to blow the lid off nearly all the multiplayer game modes, showing us Deathmatch, Cops and Crooks, Racing, as well as much more. Taking the form of an entire day's play testing at the company's London offices, we were literally able to take Rockstar on at its own game.

Deathmatch is a core part of the multiplayer game, and takes place in some familiar locales.

As we'd previously heard, the multiplayer mode is accessed by pulling out your mobile phone at any time during the single-player game. A small LCD appears at the bottom right of your view, and in one of the many small touches in the game, different players see different mobile operator logos on their home screens. From here, you can choose to enter the multiplayer game, at which point your single-player progress is saved and your console accesses its online network. As with Burnout Paradise, you'll be able to see which of your friends are currently playing GTA IV online, and if they're in an open party, you'll be free to join them. Likewise, if you choose to create a game, you can restrict it to just your friends list or open it up to the online community. Your character in the multiplayer game world is completely different from Niko: the fairly limited customisation options allow you to choose a male or female template and change outfits and accessories, but not facial details or body shapes.

To get a feel for the new multiplayer game, Rockstar initiated us with a simple four-on-four team Deathmatch. This mode may be simple, but the open world provides plenty of innovative ways to take down the opposition. As newbies, our first urge was to jump into a vehicle and work as a team, performing drive-by shootings while aiming to run over any enemies that got in our way. Both the driver and the passenger can shoot out of the window while moving, with the left bumper smashing out the window then firing your gun. You can aim using the right joystick, and a small reticle appears onscreen to help you line up shooting, as well as driving. There's also a downside to grouping together, especially if your enemy has a rocket launcher or another explosive device. One accurate shot can take out an entire team of people if they're all housed in one vehicle, leaving them to burn together in a burning wreck while the opposing team gets to regroup and rearm.

The alternative to using vehicles--collecting weapons and finding an elevated position--seemed to lead to higher scores. Combined with the new cover system, the environment can be used by clever players to avoid being hurt. For example, players can pop out when they have the best shots or simply blind-fire to keep enemies at bay. Pressing the right bumper snaps your character to the nearest cover, whether it is a wall or another object, such as a car. The Rockstar team was on hand for other tips, such as crouching when using a sniper rifle for better accuracy and always going for a headshot when fighting one-on-one. Even if you're restricted to a handgun, you can kill off an Uzi-wielding enemy using this method because it can bring down even the most heavily armoured foes. When locking on to an enemy with the left trigger, you can then flick the right stick to lift the aim to the head, and if you nail the technique, it takes only a couple of shots to kill someone.

Whether you're playing in single or multiplayer, you'll still be experiencing the same Liberty City.

Standard gunplay is all well and good, but GTA has always been about the unexpected opportunities that arise from its sandbox gameworld. Even though the Rockstar team had been instructed to go easy on us during our first game, one of the team members couldn't resist jumping in a helicopter, chasing us down a street, and using the rotor blades to send us hurtling through the air to our death. It was a fitting end to the Team Deathmatch mode, but after getting used to the control system, we were yearning for more. A rocket launcher Deathmatch game was duly arranged, pitting us against one other in a small park at night. The rocket launcher is a powerful but slightly tricky weapon to use because it takes a long time to reach its target and you can only carry six rockets at a time. Luckily, if you run out of ammo or want to get up close and personal, then you can have the option of engaging in a good old-fashioned knife fight.

While the Deathmatch modes were fun, the real attraction of GTA IV's multiplayer may well come from the many other modes that Rockstar has dreamed up. The second mode that we played through was Mafiya Work, where the aim was to complete missions before anyone else in the game. Missions are called in to your mobile from gang bosses all over the city; then, every player competes to carry them out and collect the cash. Once each mission had been issued, the objectives flash up on the map and it becomes a mad scramble for victory. Missions included stealing a certain car or delivering weapons to another location, with the player who has the most money at the end of the allotted time winning the game

The Cops & Crooks mode is another absolute riot where one team plays as police officers who have to catch the other team of criminals. The catch is that one of the criminals is assigned the position of the leader, and he must stay alive no matter what happens to the rest of the team. Other team members can die and respawn on the way to reaching their escape points, but if the leader is killed, then it's game over for everyone. There's also a co-op mode for up to four players called Noose Assault, where we had to help a notorious criminal make it from his private jet to a hideaway while being pursued by a ferocious SWAT team. It's a shame that the entire game isn't playable in co-op, but this mission was a nice alternative to the other more competitive multiplayer modes.

The new cover system works well in multiplayer, allowing you to stay shielded while blind-firing or aiming for a headshot.

Another surprisingly addictive mode is the racing, which can be played with or without weapons. It won't compete with Burnout or Need for Speed in terms of realism or depth, but leading a pack of eight racers and tossing Molotov cocktails out of the window is still highly entertaining. The host of the game gets to choose the route and the type of vehicle used in each race, while the participants get to choose which individual cars and colour schemes they want to use. If you're playing with weapons, you can collect pistols and grenades by driving over them, while heath kits restore any damage that you take to your car. If your vehicle does get damaged or you just fancy a change, then you can still jump out and steal one, but this does cost you valuable seconds of the race.

On the technical side, Rockstar hooked us up to the Xbox 360 debug version with headphones and a microphone. Despite being located in the same London office, we were all connected to each other over the Internet, which gave us a good idea of the online experience we can expect from the finished game. While you're free to talk to your teammates at any time by speaking through the microphone, you can also call individual players by accessing the mobile phone and just ringing them up. As with many Xbox Live games, the vocal quality can sometimes dip, but the only other issues we encountered were occasionally dropped animation frames when the action became frantic. Otherwise, GTA IV looked like a smooth online experience--and, according to Rockstar both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will be exactly the same in terms of multiplayer features. Rockstar also told us at this point that while the game will support 1080p, the game will only run in 720p natively, and will therefore be scaled up to the higher resolution.

We wondered just how much of a role multiplayer would play in GTA IV, and after seeing it in action, we're pleased to report that it's far from being a simple afterthought to the game. With classic deathmatch and co-op missions combined with cops-and-robbers and mission-based objectives, the multiplayer component of GTA has a wealth of content to offer. We didn't even get to see some of the other modes on offer, which we saw on the menu screen as Deal Breaker and Bomb da Base II. Having finally got a chance to sample the multiplayer action, we're as excited as ever to finally play it on April 29.

NBA Ballers: Chosen One Hands On

NBA Ballers: Chosen One will hit stores this coming Tuesday, just in time for the NBA playoffs. However, as we recently learned at Midway Gamers' Day 2008, Chosen One actually takes place during the offseason in a global tournament intended to break basketball down into its most fundamentally enjoyable element: the matchups. Rather than relying on role-players, substitutions and plays, in Chosen One, you'll choose one or two of your favorite players and, along with your created hoopster, pit them against the very best and brightest of the NBA.

It's time prove yourself as the Chosen One in Midway's latest hoops game.

That lends the game the feel of a fighter; it's very personal both in play and plot. It follows a fictional tournament sponsored by an equally imaginary television station that takes place in the offseason to see which player is truly the greatest of them all. Like Mortal Kombat, this will see you take a player through several matches in exotic venues until you've defeated all comers and essentially chosen yourself as the league's most dominant player. Unlike Mortal Kombat, you won't be playing with a preexisting character. Instead, you'll create your very own star from the ground up and pit him against the likes of Shaq, Baron Davis, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Durant.

Even though the game comes out very soon, there are still several tantalizing questions hovering around the nature of this tournament. After all, this is a Midway game, and when this company puts tournaments in its titles, the games tend to include spikes, tortured souls, fatalities, and evil wizards. From what we saw, Chosen One will trade the bile for bling, given that players compete in lavish environments. Indeed, if the aesthetic suggests any one thing, it's cash. Everything looks expensive, and when you're holding a tournament at this level, it probably should.

So there most likely won't be any spikes. And even though lead designer George Gomez swore that you wouldn't be able to unlock Goro, doesn't that just make you wonder what might be in his place? After all, someone has to be the last boss. Could it be Michael Jordan? And if he were to defeat you, would he swallow your soul and gain your abilities? These are important and entertaining questions, and even though you may be woefully in the dark now, you have only a handful of days until you can test your might against the very best that basketball has to offer in NBA Ballers: Chosen One.

Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures Updated Q&A - Beta Weekend

Massively multiplayer games usually start you out as a wimpy adventurer in a high-fantasy world, beating up rats with a rusty dagger in the hopes of one day being able to afford a shiny new leather cap to wear. Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures will take a different tack by offering brutal real-time combat that will let you hack and slash your enemies into mincemeat. That's not an exaggeration--the game's extremely violent combat, which includes skewering enemies and lopping off limbs and heads, is in keeping with the source material from author Robert E. Howard, and will soon be available to try out in the GameSpot player-versus-player beta weekend. We sat down with game director Gaute Godager for more details.

What is best in life? The open steppe, a fleet horse, falcons at your wrist, and the wind in your hair.

GameSpot: Give us an overview of the beta. What can players expect to experience?

Gaute Godager: The beta is in its final stages in terms of content and code right now. Classes are getting more and more balanced. The quests, items, and spells are getting their final touches. We still have issues, sure. Plenty of bugs and optimizations to finish off, but we are en route to a fantastic, involving game! What you will experience in the upcoming beta session is hardcore, hands-on, action PVP combat.

You select one of 12 classes. You may choose to play through the [levels] one-through-five story introduction to the game. (I urge you to do this, as you will get a glimpse of the final game in terms of soloing and player-versus-environment, or PVE, gameplay.) After this session, which takes about an hour, you will be automatically leveled up to 20, and will be participating in minigame PVP action. Using the automatic search option, you will be playing either "capture the skull" or "team annihilation."

GS: How much of the game will players get to see in the beta weekend?

GG: In terms of class variety, core control, and PVP fun, I think almost everything! You will be able to sample all 12 classes and their strengths and weaknesses. You will see tons of different, sexy outfits. You will fight in various groups for PVP glory. You will gain PVP levels and track your progress in the kill/death ratio.

GS: Can you give us a general update on the game's progress? What is being worked on at this time?

WRONG!

GG: The game is on schedule for launch the 20th of May as we speak. We polish, remove annoyances, and optimize. Finally the client is approaching the target rendering performance, and it certainly is looking smooth. We are working hard on the features we haven't shown off in beta, features we have held back on purpose to have some new revelations at launch. Among these are spellweaving, massive PVP, and DirectX 10 [graphics]. In addition to this, the classes are getting their final overhauls before launch. We are doing some balance focused only on PVP now, something I prefer doing after the PVE aspects have been more or less stabilized.

I played with spellweaving the other day, and I must say: It is a very scary experience. My necromancer character had dark matter and skulls growing out of the ground everywhere around her, and gradually my powers changed. Spells that normally were applied to only a single target started spreading out and damaging huge belts of opponents in a cascading madness. It's a truly unique feature I am very excited about.