Generals 2 goes Free to Play

DarthMol

DarthMol

New member
Yep, you read the title correctly. This is an... interesting move. I'll smartly reserve my judgement until I actually get a chance to play the game but this was quite unexpected.

There’s already one free-to-play Command and Conquer game – Tiberium Alliances. This isn’t that. This is Command and Conquer: Generals 2, torn down to be a whole new dedicated F2P part of the C&C universe. Not many details are currently available, save that it’s going to be powered by Frostbite and is due next year, but closed beta sign-up begins today if you want a chance to see it early.

(At the moment, that address isn’t working, but it’s the right one.)

In the words of EA:

“We are thrilled about this opportunity to transform Command & Conquer into a premier online experience. For nearly two decades, this franchise has existed as something you buy; now we are creating a destination where our fans will be able to access the entire Command & Conquer universe, starting with Generals and continuing with Red Alert, Tiberium and beyond. With Frostbite 2, we are able to keep an emphasis on the AAA quality our consumers expect while staying true to the RTS gameplay they know and love – all available online for free.”

Unlike Tiberium Alliances, this is set to be a full-on C&C game, with elements like destructive terrain, physics, and multiple factions. More as it’s announced. And just as a quick disclaimer, the pic above is from the originally announced Generals – this new version may or may not look anything like it.
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Source
 
I shall reserve judgement until further details. AoE Online is a f2p rts and it's pretty decent so General 2 could be alright. :)
 
Yes, but even AoEO requires money to really get anywhere. A non-premium player will always be at a severe disadvantage compared to premium players. It would be much of an issue if the premium content was priced decently, but I paid R300 last year for two out of the four civilizations. Buying the other two earlier this year means I've already spent more money on the game than on a standard retail game.
 
A good question is actually what this will do to singleplayer? F2P is often accompanied by the words multiplayer-only.
 
Graal said:
A good question is actually what this will do to singleplayer? F2P is often accompanied by the words multiplayer-only.
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It appears that there won't be any single player campaign, at least at launch.
EA recently announced that Command & Conquer: Generals 2 is going to be free to play under the umbrella of an online series known simply as “Command & Conquer.” Bioware Victory general manager John Van Caneghem told me last week that Generals 2 will ship without a single player mode. Instead, “co-operative and competitive” skirmishes will serve as the core, with more modes to be added later based on community feedback. A story mode could be added later, but “it is something we haven’t announced yet how we’re going to do it.”

Van Caneghem said that the studio “really want to get back to the roots of what made Command & Conquer great.” Generals 2 will let us harvest and throw up bases in order to “build a zillion units” and “go out and kill all the bad guys.” Despite the familiar RTS trappings, Generals 2 will be a dedicated online experience at launch.
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My interest for this game no longer exists.

How they they say crap like "going back to the roots of C&C" RIGHT after saying it has no single player. That's like telling people you aren't racist while wearing a KKK outfit.
 
People really hate F2P... done right, it's fantastic, but most companies don't have the sense of Valve or Riot to make it not be play to win. I have great hope for the F2P genre... just not from EA.

Also, singleplayer.
 
MOnk said:
My interest for this game no longer exists.

How they they say crap like "going back to the roots of C&C" RIGHT after saying it has no single player. That's like telling people you aren't racist while wearing a KKK outfit.
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Yip. Very sad about it. Typical :(
 
Used to play Generals and Zero:Hour all the time. Nostalgia-effect allows me to only look forward to Generals 2...especially now that it's free.
 
Adoxographist said:
Well sign up for the beta. Let's judge the game then.
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Some people simply don't like multiplayer or having to be online to play something. I used to really enjoy the single player campaigns, to me multiplayer was just like a skirmish except against people you don't like, and I sure as hell don't want to have to be online just to play a skirmish which I'm not mad about to being with.

Some things EA is doing with C&C (C&C4 and this, throw in RA3 while we're at it) almost makes me think they're trying to ruin C&C, though from their point of view they're just milking it, using it's name to try out free-to-play rather than making something new that would be better suited to it or specifically designed for it.

There's no need for some to wait and see to know they have no interest in it.
 
^Yeah, that's exactly what it is. They're using C&C to test the new F2P business model they want to adopt. If they used a new IP, interest would be very low. By using C&C, they're pretty much guaranteed interest in the game. 80% of the people complaining about it now will likely be playing it come release day.
 
Yup, me too. I always liked C&C for the single player (Tiberium sun FTW!!). The only thing I liked about C&C 4 was the co-op campaign, kinda fun playing with other people during mission. And I think they were going to add it to this one??
Also you can't argue with free. "whistling: so its all wait and see for me.

I think C&C is one of their lesser franchises, so they are using it to experiment with more than anything else. And FYI EA ruined C&C years ago when they chased out westwood. :cry:
But I have to say at the moment end of nations seems more interesting than this new C&C coming out!! :D
 
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