Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight

Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight is a real-time strategy video game and the latest installment of the popular Command & Conquer franchise, developed by EA for PC and released March 16, 2010. It constitutes the final chapter in the Tiberium saga. In addition, Command & Conquer 4 will require the player to be online at all times regardless of whether the player is playing single-player campaigns or skirmishes or online play.Tiberian Twilight gameplay no longer requires the player to gather resources to build an army, unlike past Command and Conquer games, nor to destroy all enemy forces. In the main game mode, the player will have to capture control nodes that are scattered across a map and hold more nodes than the enemy long enough to gain enough points to win the match.

It will also differ greatly from many past games in the series, removing many traditional elements and replacing them with elements from more recent and popular RTS games implementing a new upgrade-oriented resource gathering system, as well as minimal base construction and management. There will be no naval warfare in Tiberian Twilight, as opposed to games in the Red Alert universe who have always featured naval units.

The game’s interface, seems to be inspired by the interface from the Age of Empires Series or StarCraft series rather than the original sidebar which had been used in the more recent Command & Conquer games. In addition, the game has removed the traditional method of resource gathering which is to build refineries which send out harvesters to mine Tiberium at Tiberium Fields.

Instead, the players’ units are tasked to manually bring the processed Tiberium Crystal from predetermined Tiberium rigs back to the player’s spawn area or uplink tower – similar to the mechanics of capture the flag. The crystals are used to further victory points and can be used to purchase unit upgrades. Yet another difference from the traditional C&C games is the presence of a population cap which is frowned apon by fans of the C&C Series.

Playable factions

There will be only two playable factions: The GDI and the Brotherhood of Nod. Each faction will be split into three upgradeable classes: offense, defense and support. Each class will have its own specialized focus but will all be equally competent in battles. The classes consist of a unique set of units, structures, powers and upgrades which will form a full faction.

The Offense Class is focused on tank-based, front-line combat.

The Defense Class is focused on infantry-based combat as well as strong base defenses such as bunkers and turrets, they are also have access to superweapons.

The Support Class is focused on air-combat and custom vehicles to traverse the environment, and the Support Class is also equipped with special powers which are used to assist teammates.

Campaigns

Tiberian Twilight will feature a cooperative campaign mode like Red Alert 3, which will allow multi-class play and integrated player progression. Each faction feature its own unique and diverse campaign with in depth story-telling about the Tiberium Universe and would finally bring an end to the Tiberium Saga. The difficulty in co-op mode campaign will vary depending on the player’s level, also objectives will vary from class to class, however they are shared in co-op.

The game will feature a linear campaign like in Tiberium Wars with campaigns for both factions taking place simultaneously. The GDI campaign is more action-oriented, while the Nod campaign places the player as one of Kane’s Inner Circle members.

Units

Tiberian Twilight will feature a total of about 90 units, including many new units as well as updated versions of previous classic Command & Conquer units.  The GDI will utilize mainly walkers and powered armor infantry for its army while Nod will mainly make use of cyborgs and treaded vehicles instead. Engineers also return and are now able to repair vehicles.

The most notable of the new units is the Crawler, a class-specific unit. It is an all-in-one mobile base which acts as both the traditional base inclusive of a Construction Yard, unit production facility, support powers and upgrades all packed into one, as well as a powerful front-line combat unit. The Crawler is one of the most flexible units in Tiberian Twilight, as it has everything in one place without the need to build a traditional base. Crawlers are also able to hold 5 units that they’ve built while moving, though they will be released when the Crawler deploys into its structure mode.

Tiberian Twilight will complete Kane’s story, revealing his identity and motives. The Tiberium Universe may continue beyond Command and Conquer 4, though this installment will end the Kane story arc.