Latest news with #JimVessella
Yahoo
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Command & Conquer is back in the most surprising way
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. EA has just dropped some news that could interest any budding game developers. It's made four Command & Conquer titles open source, giving up the source code for the legacy real-time strategy franchise under a general public licence (GPL). The decision seems unusually generous from EA, and it could be a good opportunity for indie devs who want to build their learning picking apart games of the past (see our pick of the best game dev software to get started on your journey). EA has released restored original source code on for Command & Conquer and Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Renegade and Command & Conquer: Generals. It's been added to EA's GitHub page alongside the Command & Conquer Remastered Collection from 2020. The code was recovered and restored by EA technical director Brian Barnes, Respawn producer Jim Vessella and Luke 'CCHyper' Feenan, a Command & Conquer community member who proposed and organised the release. Feenan was involved the Remastered Collection and in getting the C&C Ultimate Collection on Steam in March. Fan projects have approximated the code in the past, but access to the full original code will help modders and restorers keep the games playable and could help new developers to hone their skills. Assets and cinematics haven't been made open source though. Meanwhile, EA is adding Steam Workshop support to newer Command & Conquer titles along with a modding support pack. This contains the source XML, Schema, Script, Shader, and map files for all SAGE engine C&C titles so users can make new maps and assets. EA has also published on YouTube newly discovered footage from the C&C Archive for C&C Renegade and C&C Generals featuring alpha gameplay and prototype cinematics. For more game inspiration, see our Monster Hunter Wilds review
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
EA just released source code for a bunch of old Command and Conquer games, and added Steam Workshop support to bangers like C&C 3: Tiberium Wars
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. I have a diseased mind that only wants one thing—a proper remaster of Tiberian Sun, much like Red Alert and OG Command and Conquer got back in 2020 with the release of the Command and Conquer: Remastered Collection. Well, I haven't got it yet, but I have got a decent second prize: EA's announced that it's releasing the source code for a bunch of old C&C games and—here's the bit where I, as a man who enjoys modding but is also very lazy, gets excited—adding Steam Workshop support to a few more. The games getting a source code release are Command & Conquer (Tiberian Dawn), Red Alert, C&C Renegade, and C&C Generals and Zero Hour. They're being released under the GPL license, meaning folks can mix, match, and redistribute them to their hearts' content without EA lawyers smashing down the door. You can find them all on EA's Github page. As for the Steam Workshop? That's getting switched on for C&C Renegade, C&C Generals and Zero Hour, C&C 3 Tiberium Wars and Kane's Wrath, and C&C 4 Tiberium Twilight (they can't all be winners). EA's also gone and "updated all the Mission Editor and World Builder tools so you can publish maps directly to the Steam Workshop." Plus, it's putting out a modding support pack that "contains the source Xml, Schema, Script, Shader and Map files for all the games that use the SAGE engine." I lack the useful skills to know what that really means for the modding scene, but I look forward to reaping the benefits down the line. So it ain't a full-on remaster of Tiberian Sun and RA2 (although I believe in my gut we'll get those some day), but it's not bad, and it's cool to see something be done with C&C after EA suddenly dropped the Ultimate Collection on Steam last year. Per C&C producer Jim Vessella, EA commissioned C&C community veteran Luke 'CCHyper' Feenan to officially research improvements to many of the games in the Ultimate Collection," and this is the fruit of his labour. Say what you like about EA—and I will—but it's great passionate devs and fans have been given the room and means to keep classics like C&C alive. Best laptop games: Low-spec lifeBest Steam Deck games: Handheld must-havesBest browser games: No install neededBest indie games: Independent excellenceBest co-op games: Better together
