Welcome
to the DEN Soldier!
Lion's
Weekend Blurb
-
I'm sure
most of ya have heard about the tragedy that struck the
Fort Hood military base in Texas this week. The Army
psychiatrist that went on a shooting rampage is being
described as a devout Muslim. In fact, on Thursday
morning before he went berserk he attended prayers at a
local mosque, then later went out and killed 13 people
and wounded scores of other army personnel. Major Nidal
Malik Hasan was scheduled to be deployed to Afghanistan,
and some say that is what triggered the shooting spree.
He did not condone the war and had asked that he not be
deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. He's currently in a
hospital on a ventilator after being shot
by police several times during the incident. Some had
speculated he was a sleeper cell placed in the military,
but that's unlikely because over the past several years
he had requested that he be discharged from the Army.
The Army paid for his medical training, so he owed them
a certain amount of years before he could leave. I've
read some history about Hasan, and there were red flags
that the Army should have seen. As the investigation
continues I'm sure the truth will emerge, but it does
sound like he just simply, and sadly, snapped. I imagine
it's NOT easy being a Muslim in an Army that is fighting
Muslims in two different wars abroad...Lion
C&C4 Gameplay Video Sat - Nov 7, 2009, 8:52 am [EST] posted by Lion
Scrinoid from the C&C4 forums posted some C&C4 shaky-cam gameplay videos that were taken at the IgroMir-2009 (Gameworld-2009) held in Moscow, Russia recently. One of the videos is below, and you can check out the rest HERE on a post on the official C&C4 forums. There's also some pictures posted as well.
New Unit Profile - GDI Orca Sat - Nov 7, 2009, 8:10 am [EST] posted by Lion
The GDI Orca Mk. V is this weeks new unit profile that's been released on the official C&C4 website. A mainstay on the GDI frontlines since the inception of the First Tiberium War, few would argue that the iconic Orca VTOL has undergone much in the way of evolution over the ensuing years. Yes, there have been minor upgrades to the airframe, armaments and targeting AI over the years, but at its core each "next-generation" Orca rolled off the GDI production line has never been too far removed from its hit-and-run focused, air-to-ground rocket volley oriented predecessors; GDI’s tightly knit corps of airmen wouldn’t have it any other way.
C&C4 Developer Q&A #8 Sat - Nov 7, 2009, 7:56 am [EST] posted by Lion
C&C4 developer Q&A #8 brings us more new info with details on support powers, vehicle hijacking infantry, Crawler weapons, etc. Here's a snip.
Have any camera zoom changes been made in C&C4 from RA3/KW?
Yes! We looked extensively at the in-game camera and came to a few conclusions. First, we wanted to see more of the battlefield at a glance, so we pulled the camera back quite a bit. Second, we felt that the camera angle on RA3 didn’t provide enough visibility of the horizon, which is key to seeing what’s approaching your column of deadly forces, so we brought the pitch angle down a bit to allow you to see more of the physical battlefield. Last, we looked at the art style afforded by the camera, and made some slight adjustments that you’ll only see when you play the campaign, which allow us to create a more cinematic viewpoint as the story unfolds.
What kind of weapons does the Crawler have?
Each crawler has a different weapon style that plays into the playstyle of the class itself. Offense crawlers, for example, are upgraded with guns, cannons, lasers, enormous fireball launchers, armor, speed, and stealth, all things that allow them to get in, do damage, and escape. Defense crawlers are upgraded with advanced repairs, stronger shields, and long-range artillery, allowing them to set up in an area and fire off a high amount of long-range damage. Support crawlers can heal while moving, fire off an array of rockets, become stealthed, and move more quickly, which makes support the fastest and most versatile crawler, but with the lowest damage potential when alone.
Community News Bits n Pieces Fri - Nov 6, 2009, 1:15 pm [EST] posted by Lion
-Zero Hour Mod Generals Generation X has released a HUGE media update that includes some new unit render screens, new wallpapers to dress up your desktop with, and a new gameplay video. Head HERE for the goodies!
-Check out 2POC's latest Map Madness and download three featured maps for Kane's Wrath/C&C3, Red Alert 3, and Zero Hour.
-The wars are on for November. Here's the word from 2POC!
The ladders have been reset and the Tiberium Wars, Kane's Wrath, and Red Alert 3 Ladder Wars for November have begun! The top 4 players at the end of every month will duke it out for prizes. However, you don't need to be the best to win! We will also be rewarding random players throughout the month! All you have to do is play ranked 1v1 matches to enter.
The November Wars are ending November 30th at 12PM PST (20:00 GMT, 4:00AM China).
Monthly winners will also be inducted in to our C&C Hall of Fame which will be hosted on our website in the coming weeks!
-Clan Wars and Game Replays have partnered to bring you the ultimate Generals tournament! The 2009 Generals World Series is taking place in December, where the grand Generals champion will be crowned. Learn more about this coming soon tournament HERE.
-I missed this bit of news. Tis about three weeks old now, but worth mentioning. Back about mid October CNC Labs released a new version of the ZH Advanced AI Mod. Basically the mod improves the tactics used by computer players in Zero Hour. The mod was created to overcome the Zero Hour AI's predictability. More info and the download HERE.
Behold The Mastodon! Mon - Nov 2, 2009, 6:43 pm [EST] posted by Lion
A new unit profile has been released on the official C&C4 website. Tis the GDI Mastodon in all it's behemouth glory. This heavy walker comes equipped with Chin-Mounted Artillery Battery, Dual Missile Launchers, and a "Depth Charge" Emergency Ejection System (Upgrade). It's being billed as the reincarnation of the mighty Mammoth Mk. II from the Second Tiberium War.
Head HERE for the full unit profile and an in-game video.
CNCNZ's October Roundtable Sun - Nov 1, 2009, 8:05 am [EST] posted by Lion
CNCNZ.com has posted up it's latest Roundtable discussion. This October Roundtable (running a day late) is a Command & Conquer special edition. Topics in this month's Roundtable include C&C 4 current status, "Name the Unit" contests, the next C&C 4 trailer, the new unique gameplay mechanic, unit profiles, and potential beta testers.
Weekly C&C4 Unit Profile? Sat - Oct 31, 2009, 9:10 am [EST] posted by Lion
It ain't gonna happen this week according to the following message from APOC on Friday.
We had a setback today, our new webmaster who runs our C&C 4 site is out sick and I currently have no way to upload the new C&C 4 unit profile this week which is actually the Mastodon. Saving the Nod Crawler for a few weeks, he needs more polish. Mastodon unit profile has been bumped to Monday, sorry guys.
New Dev Q&A is now posted, good info in there. Enjoy.
C&C4 Developer Q&A Session Number 7 Fri - Oct 30, 2009, 7:44 pm [EST] posted by Lion
This week's C&C4 developer Q&A has been POSTED on the official C&C4 forums. Here's a sniperoo from the latest Q&A session.
Does the defense class have any tank units?
The defense class utilizes several tanks oriented around a defensive focus. The Spartan Tank, for example, has less health than many other tanks, but turns into a stationary turret on death with heavier armor. The Rhino Tank is a long-range artillery that constantly fires off low-level sonic waves around itself when deployed, slowing and damaging enemies. Both units fit the doctrine of the Defense Class - get in, set up, lay down the hurt. Nod’s toys are even more fun, including the damage-reflecting Centurion and an enormous Tiberium vein detonator called the Aftershock.
Now that tier 3 aircraft have been created for GDI and Nod, what are some examples of these new flying menaces?
In the aftermath of a Tiberium-covered world, GDI and Nod have both put significant resources into creating a fleet of heavy capital ships. The GDI command ship, the Kodiak, sports three triple-barreled artillery cannons capable of laying waste to ground forces at range, as well as an array of anti-aircraft guns that can chew through light aircraft. When upgraded, the Kodiak can transform, becoming much more heavily defended, faster, but unable to attack. When in this defensive mode, it also grants an armor bonus to nearby allies. On the Nod side, the Leviathan mobile command facility can launch enormous fireballs from three devastating flame launchers and houses a hanger bay that can be upgraded with a wing of swift fighters. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
Is the Nod Avatar returning? What is its combat role in the 4th Tiberium War?
The Avatar is back! In CnC4, the Avatar continues its role as an anti-tank walker, weak to concentrated blasts from powerful laser units. The Avatar can be outfitted with up to five cannons when fully upgraded, allowing it to do some significant damage to enemy forces. As it is damaged, these cannons are blown off of the Avatar, significantly increasing its speed with each cannon lost and allowing the player to retreat the unit to repair and re-arm.
Head HERE for more Q&A and learn a little about superweapons for C&C4.
On a side note, APOC tweeted the following message today..."In case you wondered, next BattleCast Primetime with lots of C&C 4 gameplay will be out next Friday, Nov 6th. Boom boom!
C&C4 Beta In November? Wed - Oct 28, 2009, 8:15 pm [EST] posted by Lion
In THIS POST on the official C&C4 forums, APOC stated the following in answer to when the winners from the Name the Game and Unit contests would start receiving their beta keys.
APOC: Winners will start to get their Beta keys within the first two weeks of November. Simple enough answer for you guys =)
APOC also tweeted the following message on his Twitter page this week..."If you're an RA3 premier edition owner, be on the lookout for a C&C 4 e-mail in November *hint hint*"
Does this mean we may see the C&C4 beta in November? It's possible, but there has been no official date set as yet. We'll have to wait n see.
CNC World 10th Birthday Contest Wed - Oct 28, 2009, 7:40 pm [EST] posted by Lion
In celebration of it's 10th birthday, CNC World is holding a couple contests with prizes between now and Christmas.
Their first contest is entitled "SHOW YOUR C&C PRIDE". Suggestions for showing your C&C pride include the following, but you can do whatever ya want of course.
-Act or dress up like your favourite C&C character -Wear your favourite C&C T-Shirt at a well-known landmark or in an entertaining scenario -Show off your C&C games/merch collection -Write, create or do something that shows your C&C pride
All of the contest details including how to enter are HERE!
Name That Unit Contest Mutant Bus Mon - Oct 26, 2009, 12:44 pm [EST] posted by Lion
EA is giving C&C fans another opportunity to help name a unit for C&C4. This time it's the Forgotten Mutant Bus. You can head HERE to submit your entry for this contest.
CNCNZ Turns 12 Years Old Sun - Oct 25, 2009, 8:37 am [EST] posted by Lion
A BIG Lion CONGRATS goes out to webmaster Sonic and staff at CNCNZ! This weekend, and specifically Saturday CNCNZ turned 12 years old. They have been an anchor in the C&C community for many years, and I wish them more success for the future.
