AI, Resources, and Balance

Red Alert's AI was great for the time, but it seems you've been updating it slightly with the add-on releases. What is your approach to Tiberian's AI?

To be frank, in the realm of strategy games, the term 'AI' has been somewhat abused. In Tiberian Sun, players will genuinely see a step forward and they will feel a difference. We've taken a very different approach to the AI for Tiberian Sun. I don't want to give away too much just yet, but the AI is proving to be very adaptive. It's fascinating to watch it create solutions to player attacks. To achieve this, we are experimenting with a combination of scripted battle tactics and formations and a healthy mix of heuristics. This combination makes Tiberian Sun challenging engrossing and dramatic.

GDI parades right down the choke

Trapped! The bridge behind is gone

Will we just have the one resource?

We are focusing on Tiberium as the single resource for gameplay and consistency reasons, but there are a couple types of Tiberium this time around and Tiberium is even more dangerous than it was in the first Command & Conquer. So harvesting can become a tricky experience.

How many units are you currently planning to include in the game?

That's an interesting question and the answer has a lot of history behind it. We found that players don't want hundreds of different units to figure out. It's difficult to make 100's of units interesting and unique and not just slight tweaks and variations on themes. We feel that the right balance is a more reasonable number of units with an emphasis on quality over quantity. And, because the game has such a deep story line, there are many new usable specialized units that appear in specific missions.

Looks like GDI wins this one

Street Battle

How are you planning to keep the game balanced with a new suite of weaponry?

We accomplish this by creating units and structures that work in conjunction with each other. Each unit has a distinctive strength and a distinctive weakness. What this allows the player to do is execute unique strategies and they create lots of opportunities for different styles of gameplay. The real secret to designing units is to always make sure that every unit has an Achilles heel - a specific counter.

What will be the philosophy about single-player map design?

The philosophy is to build well-crafted maps that create a real sense of place, discovery, and drama. Each mission contains exciting things for players to do and find and memorable moments that help drive the story forward. As for the team, myself and a few of the others that worked on C&C, Red Alert, and the add-ons are working on the maps for Tiberian Sun. Gamers should be pleased with the new elements we've added.

More hardcore street battle

Carryall on a night mission