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C+C: Generals
Year:	2003
Developer:	Electronic Arts Pacific
Publisher:	Electronic Arts
Original title:	C+C: Generals
Abbreviation:	Gen
Executive Producer:	Mark Skaggs
Composers:	Bill Brown, Mikael Sandgren
Rating PCG:	90% (03/2003) 85% (10/2003)
Newest version:	1.08 (Generals) / 1.08 (Generäle)
Add-on:	Die Stunde Null

Story:

Story? Which story? Oh, one moment, you are meaning perhaps this here:

In 2020 the terrorist organization GLA (Global Liberation Army) keeps the world on tenterhook: They fight with predominantly chemical and biological weapons against the rich states of this world. China is the first state to pick up the battle and destroys all terror cells in their own country. But this cannot stop the GLA: They are threating with B and C weapons also Europe and USA. The USA are not messing abound: After multiple battles (also in Iraq amongst others) together with China the GLA was finally defeated.

Trivia:

• What am I writing here about? Generals has so much in common with C&C like EA has with support. Fail!
• Jingle-jangle... every elevator music is more entertaining than this noise pollution claiming to be soundtrack.
• Generals was indexed by the much-loved BPjM and thereupon rereleased as the censored Generäle. Now with rolling bomb vehicle... – BPjM Mod anyone?
• On 02/27/2025 the full source code incl. add-on was released under the GPL 3.0.
• C+C: Generals was unfortunately released on February 14, 2003. The release was originally scheduled for December 2002.
• As Frank Klepacki sent in a demo he did not even got a response, but had to read in the press that Bill Brown was going to produce the soundtrack:

  You heard my Generals demo eh? Yeah what happened was our sister office in Irvine was developing Generals, and usually all audio was done by our team in Vegas, and this was the first time they sought it elsewhere. When I asked if they would still want me to do the soundtrack, they said to submit a demo, so I came up with a demo and forwarded it. I was hoping for some feedback, or a yes or no, but instead I heard nothing, and I saw the announcement later online same as everyone else that they chose Bill Brown. Who I thought did some cool stuff by the way, but the point is communication from the team on that would have been nice, seeing as I had been close to the C&C name and worked on every game in the series up to that point.

• Generals was rather inspired by StarCraft and does not belong to the C&C ethos. Westwood and Louis Castle respectively would hardly develop such a game he said in an interview on 08/15/2010:

  I think really the big departure was Generals, because it was a different team, a different group of people. They really liked the StarCraft games, and they built the game mechanics around StarCraft and the world was heavily influenced by Bing Gordon at EA. And it was built around literally being today’s world. I don’t know that I would have done that. I respect the decision they made, but it certainly didn’t belong in the original C&C or Red Alert ethos. The Generals products were good games, but I think they were a little too close to home.

  Also Joseph B. Hewitt IV was not sold on Generals:

  I didn't like it. It didn't feel anything like a C&C game but it was explained to me that what I was feeling was just nostalgia and that the game design had to evolve. But to me, screwing up the underlying gather resource, build, and attack dynamic is what ruined it.

• Why Generals is supposed to be a C&C was explained after inquiry via chat on 05/23/2002:

  TheKiller: Warum läuft Generals als C&C?
  TheVoice: In den Augen des Teams ist C&C ein Stil des Gameplays, nicht unbedingt der Storyline.

  Gameplay? My ass!
• Generals uses SAGE (Strategy Action Game Engine) as its engine which was originally intended for TT.
• There are three factions: USA, China and GLA. Therefore also three campagins, each has seven missions.
• There are three signs mounted on the Propaganda Center of China: 存车处 means bicycle shed, 提防偷鞋 means beware of shoe theft and 立入禁止 means no entry. The latter however on Japanese, it should be 禁止入内 on Chinese.
• Fact sheet from 03/08/2002:

  Command & Conquer: Generals will be the first C&C RTS title to be presented to us in full 3D, and this means both terrain and units. Vehicles and foot soldiers are going to be able to surge up hillsides to achieve tactical superiority, and run back down again if they're getting their ass kicked. From what we've learnt, the only thing to remain in old-school 2D in Command & Conquer: Generals will be the interface. This will make management of units and buildings a very straightforward affair and keep the whole operation of the game running smoothly. Right about now, Command & Conquer fans should be getting very excited indeed.
  
  Previous Command & Conquer RTS titles have always been 2D, with Westwood's only experience to date with presenting the public with a true, 3D game in the genre being the mediocre Emperor: Battle For Dune. However, one would hope that through working on Emperor, Westwood has gained valuable 3D RTS development experience, and will be putting this into practice with Command & Conquer: Generals.
  
  From what we understand, Generals will have a brand new storyline and will veer away from Tiberian Sun and Red Alert. We've also heard a little rumour that the title may be the first C&C RTS to come to Xbox. More news when we get it.

• The boxed copy of US version:
  
• Here is the uncut patch for C+C Generäle restoring Generals.

Official videos:

• Offizieller Trailer

Official map packs:

• Forgotten Forrest
• Black Sheep "The Lost Mission" -Zum sechsten Geburtstag von Gen *würg* wurde die gecancelte dritte GLA Mission veröffentlicht.

Editors / tools:

• FinalBIG V0.4 -Zum Öffnen der .BIG-Dateien.

Official images:

Die Screenshots 1 bis 50 könnt Ihr hier runterladen!