EA’s Command and Conquer Remasters will use Original Source Code
EA’s Command and Conquer Remasters will use Original Source Code
In their update, EA confirmed that they have access to the original source code of Command and Conquer and Red Alert, but that they do not have a complete archive. Using the source code of the original games, and the talents of Petroglyph Games, who currently staff many of the games’ original developers, EA hopes to “remaster the original gameplay” of the series, while also delivering modern graphics.
It has also been confirmed that EA’s Command and Conquer Remasters will be built using Petroglyph’s proprietary GlyphX engine, which has been optimised over the past 15 years for RTS gameplay. This merger of legacy code and a modern RTS engine should allow EA and Petroglyph to deliver the gameplay that longtime RTS fans expect while also offering an experience that meets the audio/visual demands of modern gamers.
EA’s Command and Conquer Remasters remain in pre-production, though the next step on EA’s journey will be to translate their current plans into a playable prototype, proving that the series’ legacy ode can be successfully, and efficiently, merged with Petroglyph’s GlyphX engine.
Well, it means we’re aiming to re-use parts of the source code to try and keep the gameplay feel as close as possible to the original games. Again, our goal is to Remaster the original gameplay, not remake it. That being said, there are many areas where the original source code just cannot deliver the quality or functionality we’re looking for in many of the supporting elements. That’s where the second piece of the puzzle comes in.
In addition to Petroglyph’s unique familiarity with the original source code, they have also spent the past 15 years optimizing their own proprietary RTS engine called GlyphX. This engine has been used to power Petroglyph’s RTS titles, and comes with many of the recent standards the community would expect from a modern RTS engine. So with that in mind, our goal is to utilize both GlyphX and the original source code to gain the combined benefits towards the Remaster.
To provide a quick example (Not guaranteed but purely for illustration purposes), imagine using the original source code to determine the charge-up behavior of the Tesla Coil, but utilizing the GlyphX Audio system to ensure the Sound FX are fully enhanced for when that Tesla Coil fires.
As you can predict, there are more details which we’ll learn as we begin to execute upon this plan. But we hope this provides some clarity in the meantime as to how we’re approaching the Remaster from a technical perspective. We’re eager to share more as we begin to prototype the software, and looking forward to hearing your comments in the thread below.
Fans of the series will be glad to know that EA has already confirmed that these remasters will not ship with any microtransactions of any kind, and that each game will ship with their respective expansions without any additional charges. At this time EA has set no completion date for their Command and Conquer Remaster project.
You can join the discussion on the progress of EA’s Command and Conquer Remasters on the OC3D Forums.
