Tour the Set of Command & Conquer 4

[Greg Tito]

Tour the Set of Command & Conquer 4

Command & Conquer 4 [http://www.amazon.com/Command-Conquer-4-Tiberian-Twilight-Pc/dp/B002NIP6X8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1279057573&sr=1-1] may well be the last game to contain full motion video sequences, it is certainly going out with a bang.

The Command & Conquer series has been known more many things since it began in 1995. Among the series tenets are popularization of the real-time strategy game from Westwood Studios, the progenitors of the genre with Dune II, a certain bald antagonist, and the use of full motion video sequences for its cinematics. While recording video of Hollywood caliber actors and putting them in your games was all the vogue in the 90s, see a tour of the sets [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wing_Commander_IV:_The_Price_of_Freedom]
that EA Los Angeles used to film the sequences, it appears that C&C4 is taking a cue from the aesthetic of Battlestar Galactica in delivering a futuristic military command post. Screw green screen, these guys built the whole set as if it was actually on TV.

To see the amount of work that is going into filming the full motion video is interesting. Instead of spending develoment time building art assets and models that the animators could then, well, animate, EA LA is building brick and mortar sets. The costs probably equal out, but I wonder why more games don't shoot their cinematics this way. Why exactly did this process fall out of favor? Was it because the contrast between the actual gameplay and the somewhat better resolution video was too abrupt? With the amount of technology that exists for in-game cinematics, isn't that gap basically closed now, s?

While it's definitely cool to see a behind-the-scenes glimpse of C&C4 with Samuel Bass, I'm more interested in seeing Joe Kugan mugging about on the set.

But wait a second, is that Kane? Or Escapist E.I.C. Russ Pitts?

Source: UGO [http://www.ugo.com/games/commander-and-conquer-4-set-tour-video]

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[Dragon_of_red]

Thats excatly what i was thinking.

Awesome, i liked the Command And Conquer Series, they are fun.

 

[Irridium]

I don't mind full motion video with real actors. After Red Alert 3 I found it to be absolutely hilarious, in a good way. Kind of sad to see it go though, they're always good for a cheap laugh...

But wait a second, is that Kane? Or Escapist E.I.C. Russ Pitts?

I don't know, but I do know that he is watching us.
He is always watching us...
.>

 

[Go Fighting In The War Room]

Thats excatly what i was thinking.

Awesome, i liked the Command And Conquer Series, they are fun.

That's the sad part though. It's going to be past tense now that they are ending it. And as much as I don't like how they're stylizing the battle and combat, I will buy it, so I can finish off the first game series I ever played.

C & C fan since 1996! (I was 4 then... that's when I started gaming. Been awhile since Microsoft 95...)

 

[Nimbus]

Why would it be the last? Live action cutscenes are awesome... I hope they make a comeback :/

Also, I have to admit, Russ does one hell of a Kane impression.

 

[Sethzard]

But wait a second, is that Kane? Or Escapist E.I.C. Russ Pitts?

I think that they are secretly the same person

 

[Chipperz]

I don't mind full motion video with real actors. After Red Alert 3 I found it to be absolutely hilarious, in a good way. Kind of sad to see it go though, they're always good for a cheap laugh...

That's exactly what I thought, too! Red Alert 3 became one of my favourite games after I did the Allied missions and was treated to the sight of Tim Curry, doing a ludicrous Russian accent, going "I vill take ze glories of Communism... INTO SPACE!"

It's sad that I'll never see anything like that again

 

[Playbahnosh]

Well, that guided tour of the sets (more like "set") was a little lackluster. It's basicly a corridor and a five by five room with some flashing lights and techie gizmos. If that's the entire shooting location for the movies in the game, I'll call shenanigans. Even RA2 had more and better looking sets than that...

I'm starting to get an eerie feeling, that the more information I get about this game, the less I'm liking it :/

 

[RanD00M]

But wait a second, is that Kane? Or Escapist E.I.C. Russ Pitts?

I think that the solution to that is pretty simple.Russ is Kane.

OT:Well going out with a bang indeed.I shall miss you full motion video sequence cutscenes.Rest in peace.

 

[Inco]

In the last big paragraph there is a typo, it should be 'development' not 'develoment'.. Unless i am missing something big here.

I have always loved the C & C franchises and it is going to be an epic finish to the tiberium franchise that i hope will occur.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

Why exactly did this process fall out of favor? Was it because the contrast between the actual gameplay and the somewhat better resolution video was too abrupt?

Maybe because a lot of those games had hammy actors, stupid costumes, and sets that put Blakes 7 to shame.

 

[mountainfire]

Isn't that gap basically closed now, with the amount of tech

This seems like an incomplete sentence, or at least missing a period. (Not to be nitpicky or anything. I liked the article).

I'm kinda looking forward to this. One of my favorite things about C&C was how cheesy the scenes were.

 

[Sir Kemper]

HAIL TO THE MESSIAH!


Seriosuly though, it's a shame to see FMV finally dying out from gameing, i'll miss all the ham-tastic acting. :/

 

[AceDiamond]

I'm really debating whether I'll still get C&C4, since I have a lot of loyalty to the series since it first got me into RTS games back with the original. On the other hand I haven't really liked what EA's done with the property

Though I'll probably get 4 just for the cutscenes/story alone. Yes I know it's pretty bad of me, but I like B-movie-grade sci-fi and hammy acting.

 

[008Zulu_v1legacy]

I really only liked the original Command and Conquer for its FMV... and the Commando... and the fleet of Mammoth Tanks and Orcas I would use... and the Wall of Light (8 Obelisks of Light in a line) well all of it I suppose.

I especially liked the bug in the AI which forced it to attack the northernmost stuctre in your base, I set a lone Tib silo at the north end and built like 20 SAM sites just below it.

I preorded C&C4 months ago.

 

[theultimateend]

Westwood is the reason I hate EA.

I fell in love with a young lass by the name of Westwood.

EA bought up Westwood and had its way with her .

The abuse so great that the word westwood was (as of a year ago) censored on all their forums .

I still to this day cannot, and likely never will, forgive them.

 

[vortexgods]

Hmm... the thing is didn't FMV cut scenes already die out when EA made Command and Conquer: Generals? Then they brought them back again later to sell games?

That's what I thought.

 

[Jared]

But wait a second, is that Kane? Or Escapist E.I.C. Russ Pitts?

I think that they are secretly the same person

PLotting to take over the interwebs! =O!

 

[tkioz]

Some games genres can do FMV well, others it doesn't suit, but RTS games for example it suits well and I'll be sad when the last game does it.