View Full Version : C&C 3 Demo Impressions


otdl
04-20-07, 09:03 PM
I played the demo for 2 hours and i think its GOOD. The controls take some getting used to but overall i like the game. I cant seem to grasp the grouping aspect but iam sure itll get easier. Iam sure if i had a HDtv with some surround sound this would rock. Havent played on LIVE yet. ill be on 2 nite.

So what does everyone else think so far?

Gamertag:NEEKO187

FrankJ.Cone
04-20-07, 09:26 PM
Had a good time with it today, buying it for sure.

Hmerly
04-20-07, 09:39 PM
Got the PC version, its a damn good game. Very good redo of the original C&C's gameplay. It is great in that, unlike some newer RTS, this game can be played really quickly. None of the single player missions really take that long and multiplayer is fun and quick, even if you tech up all the way. You can get several games in quickly, whereas say in Supreme Commander you'd be lucky to get through one game. I really enjoy this game and will get it for my 360 just so I can play on Live. Hopefully, I'll get the hang of the controls in the demo.

DaGamePimp
04-21-07, 06:17 AM
Snooozer for me but then I don't typically like RTS games either ;) .

--- Jason

joe_six_pack
04-21-07, 07:19 AM
These types of games are better on the pc. Doesn't seem to be as fun on consoles (I'm guessing it's due to the controller). Just my .02.

aegisx
04-21-07, 08:52 AM
Is there anyway to play the demo with a friend? it seems all that you can do is a match versus a random person.

HoodedSoldier
04-21-07, 09:39 AM
I really like the game. I just suck at rts. I think this is the first rts i'm gonna try to get into.

Chuck12
04-21-07, 09:44 AM
I love all the C&C games on the PC, and was weiry on trying this out on a console.

The controls are sctually decent. Its just too bad the d-pad on the controllers are crap.

otdl
04-21-07, 12:22 PM
It sux that you have to play multi with random people. maybe you can invite a friend to play but i havent tried it yet.

Stryker412
04-21-07, 12:23 PM
Good demo but I find myself wanting a mouse for quicker access to menus/troops. I'll probably get the PC version once my new PC is done.

lacombo
04-21-07, 03:16 PM
played nonstop for 4 hrs. training, 2 missions then endless online.

if it does come on the 10th then I'll get it to pass time til FM2 comes out...

should of known to see the PC comments :rolleyes: (GIABP)

jagouar
04-21-07, 05:00 PM
this is probably the first time a demo sold me on a game. but i was always pretty high on c&c3 but was waiting to see how the controls were going to work and in that respect c&c3 is actually pretty damn good.

rtweezy
04-22-07, 01:19 PM
If I want to just select all my tanks, how do I do this?

jagouar
04-22-07, 01:39 PM
set them as their own group.... you can hit the left trigger to select all units in the screen (imo one of the biggest improvements made since bfme2).

but i usually set my infantry as their own group and tanks as their own.

mukdweller
04-22-07, 04:15 PM
I love it!! Anyone figure out how to invite friends in the demo, or is it only random all the time??

Mattman
04-23-07, 12:30 AM
Anybody figure out a way to select multiple units without having to use the left trigger to select ALL the units on screen?

DrBaalzamon
04-23-07, 01:47 AM
Anybody figure out a way to select multiple units without having to use the left trigger to select ALL the units on screen?

If you hold down A ( I believe its A) the cursor turns into a dash'd green box if you over over units it selects them one at a time. A box doesnt appear of them but you can tell its selecting them. The bootcamp doesnt go over that ( not that I remember ) but this worked for me.

-Emerson

formulanerd
04-23-07, 02:16 AM
game looks great, and i love C&C, i still just cant get a feel for the controls on a console :(

V1per41
04-23-07, 09:15 AM
I've always been a fan of C&C, but I just don't see myself getting this one for the 360. I tried out the demo, but using the controller for an RTS just didn't feel right. I don't see what you would get by getting this game for the 360 instead of the PC.

jagouar
04-23-07, 09:28 AM
I've always been a fan of C&C, but I just don't see myself getting this one for the 360. I tried out the demo, but using the controller for an RTS just didn't feel right. I don't see what you would get by getting this game for the 360 instead of the PC.

pc's aren't typically hooked up to huge tv's and surround sound where a console is. i used to have my pc hooked up to my projector but once i got my 360 there really wasnt a need anymore (namely because of the media center extender). being able to play rts games on the projector is awesome (and looks quite good in the process).

properbostonian
04-23-07, 10:14 AM
I've always been a fan of C&C, but I just don't see myself getting this one for the 360. I tried out the demo, but using the controller for an RTS just didn't feel right. I don't see what you would get by getting this game for the 360 instead of the PC.
This was a concern for me as well when I bought BFME2. It took me a while but I sucked it up, stuck with it, and finally got used to it.

It's a different experience for everyone. I also made a conscious decision to stop playing PC games entirely. I know, it sucks but it was the only way for me. I couldn't get use to going back and forth between the controller and the keyboard.

Also, playing games on a 46" HDTV sitting 10 feet away (instead of playing on a 19 inch LCD at two feet) is a better gaming experience for me.

BTW, I loved the demo and I will buying this one for certain. RTS games are not my forte but they are a nice change of pace.

Hmerly
04-23-07, 11:56 AM
The biggest reason to get C&C 3 for the 360 is because of Live. Multiplayer on the PC has been so ******, they had to release 3 patches so far already for the game. Its very inconsistent and either you can't connect or you get disconnected while playing. The latest patches has improved things, but frankly, I much rather play on Live if the controls are decent with a gamepad. Plus, at least its a level playing field, since everyone will be using the gamepad. ALso, voice chat will be cool, and if you have the Live Vision camera you'll be able to see the other players while playing. Thats just a cool idea.

benjamin-benjami
04-23-07, 12:23 PM
i know this is probably a stupid question, but i can't figure out how to make groups. I can get to the icon on the bar, and click on it and it does nothing...

bpmurr
04-23-07, 05:31 PM
I liked the demo and found it easier to play then the PC demo. I've been playing C&C games since the original so that says something. I'm impressed at how well it translates to the 360. I wanted to wait to see how each version was before I bought it. Online is a blast with the camera. DX crotch chops ftw!

spinoza_43221
04-27-07, 01:01 PM
Demo seems excellent to me....I thought I wouldnt like the controls on the gamepad as well but they did an excellent job of letting you control the game.

Id suggest people who are tentative about playing an RTS with out a keyboard and mouse try it.

MadEyeB
04-27-07, 01:05 PM
i know this is probably a stupid question, but i can't figure out how to make groups. I can get to the icon on the bar, and click on it and it does nothing...

If you select a group of units for example with left trigger + A you can then press down on the d-pad and it will map that group to the next available slot. If you press up on the d-pad it cycles through groups you've made.

modiGTI
04-27-07, 05:02 PM
I have the PC version and sold it as soon as I played the 360 demo. The PC versions is just too much for my laptop, even with most of the settings turned down.

I like the way the 360 controls are set up, that was my main concern.

robshdtv
04-28-07, 12:28 AM
Played all the old school versions on the pc. RTS is fun and the C & C series don't disappoint. May end up buying both pc and 360. The only bummer on the 360 is all the trigger pulling and button combos can be a little confusing, but without a keyboard and mouse they did a good job. The graphics are great and no slow downs. Played all the demo modes and so far I think I could get used to it. Like everybody says Live and playing in 5.1 on a large screen would be the number one reason to buy this title if you like RTS's.

joerod
04-28-07, 09:45 AM
So when does it come out?

benjamin-benjami
04-28-07, 12:31 PM
next tuesday

otdl
04-28-07, 05:32 PM
So it looks like everyone likes it. Or thinks its decent.

spinoza_43221
04-29-07, 10:30 PM
Yes I think so...by the way if anyone wants some game play tips I dont mind giving away what I learned.

I am a horable RTS player and I am winning over 85% of the games I play on xbox live.

Scarpad
04-30-07, 09:15 AM
I DL the demo its a very nice game, the interface is especially nice, definately one of the AAA titles, I won't be buying it just because I Know I don't have the time neccessary to put into this title.

Rhegaana
04-30-07, 09:27 AM
Yes I think so...by the way if anyone wants some game play tips I dont mind giving away what I learned.

I am a horable RTS player and I am winning over 85% of the games I play on xbox live.

What are some of your not so obvious tips. I too have to beat like 8 or so noobs to get to a decent match. Most of those matches are close but if I end up losing its because of something I did like forgetting to build an extra refinery or being careless by not having base defenses( because of all the noob matches who never attackfirst).

BTW I use more of brute force strategy w/ juggernauts and infantry + apc. The latter taking most of the punishment while juggernauts shoot from a distance. Also taking over surrounding buildings is a must for me, plus I harrass the other player early on with infantry and that jeeplike thingy.

inteller
04-30-07, 10:01 AM
the demo was fine, but I see the controller scheme failing big time when the action gets thick. I've never seen a RTS work well with a controller.

MisterNJ
04-30-07, 10:59 AM
I had a problem with my demo---in the second part of the tutorial where they go through the camera controls I couldn't reset the camera (clicking right thumbstick). It wouldn't reset the camera so I couldn't progress through the tutorial and probably hampered my ability to learn the controls well enough to really enjoy the demo. RTS's aren't a genre I am usually interested in but it seemed like once you get all the controls down that it could be a good game.

spinoza_43221
05-01-07, 12:24 PM
What are some of your not so obvious tips. I too have to beat like 8 or so noobs to get to a decent match. Most of those matches are close but if I end up losing its because of something I did like forgetting to build an extra refinery or being careless by not having base defenses( because of all the noob matches who never attackfirst).

BTW I use more of brute force strategy w/ juggernauts and infantry + apc. The latter taking most of the punishment while juggernauts shoot from a distance. Also taking over surrounding buildings is a must for me, plus I harrass the other player early on with infantry and that jeeplike thingy.

Well your right Im probably beating up noobs then.

anyway some noob advice.

Always build a crane first and a surveyor to get that second base.

Building refinery and then selling them is a good way to get extra harvesters.
You can also use the troops left over to scout the enemy.

Have some kind of early rush strategy. Info on their base and disrupting their plans is always crucial in an RTS. (I usually build 4 apc and 4 missle soldiers early and then use them to harass the other player. By the way if you didnt know you can put troops inside of apc)

Early on I have 2 defensive structures qued up and plant them down if the enemy shows up at one of my bases. Make sure you have enough extra power for this.

For the most part upgraded Mammoths are easily the most powerfull unit that GDI has. Id work on mastering building a force of those first and then branch out to some other strategies.

Using Juggernaughts and Snipers for bombardment. There is a power that lets you drop off sniper teams.

Harrasing and attacking with air power.

Apc and enginner attack

Last...Ion cannons are fun at first but I found over time there just to slow to make much of a difference.

Krevnik
05-01-07, 01:29 PM
Early on I have 2 defensive structures qued up and plant them down if the enemy shows up at one of my bases. Make sure you have enough extra power for this.

This mostly works when you have two bases early on and sacrificed the size of your mobile force to do it. Otherwise, I will use garrisoned buildings at chokepoints (if available) to distract my enemy's early advances before they can even see the base(s).


For the most part upgraded Mammoths are easily the most powerfull unit that GDI has. Id work on mastering building a force of those first and then branch out to some other strategies.


Another thing is that the upgrade affects GDI's tanks in general, not just the Mammoth, so your smaller tanks will get railguns as well. Not quite as devastating, but 4 tanks + 2 Mammoths all with railguns can sweep pretty quickly, and produce more targets for your enemy to need to shoot at.


Harrasing and attacking with air power.


Harassing is an understatement, when a squad of 4 Firehawks will cripple/destroy nearly any building you choose in one run. Well placed bombing runs can do anything from cripple power production, to destroying land-based defenses to move in your ground-pounders. It can also create confusion if timed right, making a player deal with multiple emergencies at once.

The only drawback is the relative weakness of aircraft armor.


Last...Ion cannons are fun at first but I found over time there just to slow to make much of a difference.

Definitely agree... plus the 7 minute timer that you opponents see doesn't make it any easier to fire it. Last opponent that tried it on me got the bejessus bombed out out of them with Mammoth tanks very shortly behind.

Rhegaana
05-01-07, 03:35 PM
Guys how do you upgrade? Is that with the armory? After you build that, does everything upgrade automatically?
I know theese are noob ?'s but I'v only been playing for a week and slowly improving my stategy.

aegisx
05-01-07, 03:39 PM
Mine laying seems like it is pretty fun (meaning not a pain to do)

Krevnik
05-01-07, 03:56 PM
Guys how do you upgrade? Is that with the armory? After you build that, does everything upgrade automatically?
I know theese are noob ?'s but I'v only been playing for a week and slowly improving my stategy.

The Tech Center (which allows you to build Mammoths) can perform the railgun upgrade. Probably the single most useful upgrade on the GDI side, as it lets GDI tanks make quick work of Infantry squads.

Upgrades are done by having the tech upgrade building (Armory for infantry, Tech Center for vehicles, etc) 'build' the upgrade. It will take money and time, and all units that the upgrade affects will get the upgrade when it is finished (as well as any new units built).

spinoza_43221
05-01-07, 10:42 PM
Are there check points on the demo map? If there is Im not sure where its at.

Recently I have been experimenting with forgoing mammoths for zone troopers and I keep steady pressure on their base. You can really zip around with zone troopers and play keep away.


The only down side is 2 zone troopers definetly do not equal a mammoth tank...but Im basically sacrificing armor for extra mobility.

modiGTI
05-01-07, 11:18 PM
Are there check points on the demo map? If there is Im not sure where its at.

Recently I have been experimenting with forgoing mammoths for zone troopers and I keep steady pressure on their base. You can really zip around with zone troopers and play keep away.


The only down side is 2 zone troopers definetly do not equal a mammoth tank...but Im basically sacrificing armor for extra mobility.

Not sure how the auto save works, but I usually just save when I can.

spinoza_43221
05-05-07, 11:17 PM
I'm starting to get kinda hyped for this game. They will be multiplayer against the computer option and you can set the AI at brutal. They also have a bunch of different game modes for online play.


Anyway if you want to see the nod units and the end of the training demo there is a nod construction plant. If you capture it you can test out the nod units.

steve68
05-07-07, 01:56 PM
I have some questions about this game. I used to play Red Alert 2 and Yuri's Revenge online with a friend. So I'm coming from the PC perspective on RTS. I have played through the demo a couple of times now and even the training part twice. There are few points though that are unclear.

In RA2 and YR you could drag a box over some of your units and then hot key them. This can also be done in C&C3, however how do I select more than one unit without selecting every unit on screen? Say I have 4 tanks that I want to assign to slot 1. How do I go about selecting just those 4 tanks? Same applies to troops.

So far I'm just having a hard time getting over the limitations of the controller vs. keyboard and mouse.

modiGTI
05-07-07, 02:06 PM
I'm starting to get kinda hyped for this game. They will be multiplayer against the computer option and you can set the AI at brutal. They also have a bunch of different game modes for online play.


Anyway if you want to see the nod units and the end of the training demo there is a nod construction plant. If you capture it you can test out the nod units.

The AI on the hardest setting is pretty crazy. Especially if you have them on Guerilla style.

assasyn
05-07-07, 03:01 PM
Not for me. Maybe on a PC but not on the console controllers.

Vincent Kennedy
05-07-07, 03:51 PM
In RA2 and YR you could drag a box over some of your units and then hot key them. This can also be done in C&C3, however how do I select more than one unit without selecting every unit on screen? Say I have 4 tanks that I want to assign to slot 1. How do I go about selecting just those 4 tanks? Same applies to troops.

Steve,
Forgive me for not knowing the button name, but if you hold one of the upper trigger (LB/RB) buttons (I believe it's the right one, but it could be left - just figured this out last night) you can select units one at a time and they will group until you release that button. It basically acts like holding the Ctrl button in Windows. Then you can add them to an available slot. I like to keep my units grouped by type.

WantABigScreen
05-07-07, 04:14 PM
These types of games are better on the pc. Doesn't seem to be as fun on consoles (I'm guessing it's due to the controller). Just my .02.

Agreed. I think they're just better on PC. I still play Generals (Zero Hour). Now, I would go for it if MS put out a keyboard/mouse for the console, but then why not just hook up your PC to TV.

modiGTI
05-07-07, 05:09 PM
Agreed. I think they're just better on PC. I still play Generals (Zero Hour). Now, I would go for it if MS put out a keyboard/mouse for the console, but then why not just hook up your PC to TV.

My main thing is my System sucks right now, and I don't want to upgrade for a while.

spinoza_43221
05-07-07, 11:04 PM
I just want to say again how I think the controls for this game are a big step in the right direction. I also was very use to playing RTSs on a keyboard and mouse.

I played the lord of the rings RTS and that didnt take. I felt like I was fighting the controls half the time to get my army to do what I wanted. This game is totally different.

95% of the time I feel like everything is moving just the way I intended it. Is there some roome for improvement yes. Do I wish they would give support for keyboard and mouse yes. But until then this game is going to satisfy my RTS fix.

I cant wait to play multiplayer against the computer with people with mics.

mentho
05-07-07, 11:56 PM
i was glad to see it didn't seem to have the performance problems that plagued LOTR:BFME2. I guess I didn't have THAT many units on the screen, but it seemed solid all the way around.

alex2792
05-08-07, 12:31 AM
Demo was nice but controllers just don't work for RTS, if there was a choice to use kb/mouse I'd definately get it since my PC can't run it well.

assasyn
05-08-07, 11:38 AM
Demo was nice but controllers just don't work for RTS, if there was a choice to use kb/mouse I'd definately get it since my PC can't run it well.
I think there will be a keyboard feature after the update.

slicknate
05-08-07, 02:26 PM
Demo was nice but controllers just don't work for RTS, if there was a choice to use kb/mouse I'd definately get it since my PC can't run it well.

Really? I have found that this game runs particularly well with older machines, mine included.

alex2792
05-08-07, 02:55 PM
Really? I have found that this game runs particularly well with older machines, mine included.

My comp is an Athlon 64 3700 with a 7600GT and 1.5gb of ram the only thing its used for is web surfing, email and media center server for my 360. I got a pretty decent 64x2 lappy but it comes with the built in ATI graphics that can only play solitare lol. And I'd rather play games on my 42inch plasma laying down on the couch. If I could use my MS bluetooth kb/mouse to play RTS games on my xbox I'd be in heaven :)

jaysins
05-09-07, 07:01 PM
I really enjoyed the demo and have been kicking some ass online if I do say ;). The controls are actually pretty good. I'm getting this one for sure after I get done with my classes for the week. Jayjay00agent if anyone wants to lose.