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For the Tiberian Sun expansion pack of the same name, see Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun - Firestorm. |
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This article is about a fan-made game. The subject matter of this article is therefore deemed both unofficial and non-canon. |
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| “ | It's time you saw the future while you still have human eyes! - Kane(src) |
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Firestorm is an upcoming first and third-person shooter video game developed by Totem Arts, that aims to reimagine Tiberian Sun in the shooter genre. Originally announced as Renegade X: Firestorm in June 2020 as a major game mode expansion to Renegade X, Firestorm has become its own standalone project. It was slated for official release in fall 2020, but due to the limitations of the Unreal Development Kit, the full game has been delayed indefinitely with an open beta focused around the "Firestorm Conquest" game mode on UDK expected to release in 2023.[2]
Firestorm is set in a reimagining of the Second Tiberium War, with elements taken from the eponymous Firestorm expansion pack and Tiberium Wars. Unlike the traditional C&C mode in the original Renegade and Renegade X, the main game mode of Firestorm is based on the conquest game mode found in large-scale modern military shooters such as Battlefield. Players will be able to construct buildings and expand by conquering outposts scattered throughout the map.[3]
Overview[]
Firestorm is to feature combined arms warfare across its multiplayer game modes. The game also adds infantry vaulting and a starting loadout system, where opposed to the class system of Renegade X in which a character is restricted to a certain primary weapon, in Firestorm players can choose and purchase their own primary, sidearm, equipment, and infantry upgrades.[4]
There will be two separate releases for Firestorm, one for UDK and for UE5 (Unreal Engine 5). The UDK release will focus around the Firestorm Conquest game mode, which is essentially Firestorm's version of the Conquest mode from Battlefield. It is a class-based and squad-focused game mode where players must capture and defend control points scattered around the map for their own team. Each team will have a set number of vehicles prespawned. During the match, secondary objectives may appear, such as defending a point for a duration or escorting a vehicle; upon completion the team would be granted bonuses in the form of new unique weapons, vehicles, or upgrades.[5]
The public release of the UDK version of Firestorm will also include an SDK. The SDK will contain source code for the cut Firestorm Assault game mode, which was an infantry-centered, objective-based game mode inspired by the Assault game mode from Unreal Tournament and the Rush game mode from Battlefield;[4] as well as defunct iterations of the C&C mode.
The UE5 version will feature Firestorm's take on C&C mode that is much larger in scope compared to Renegade. Players have the main objective of destroying the enemy base. There is limited base building where players can construct and upgrade power plants, refineries, production structures, and automated defenses on fixed build zones. Further expansion is done by capturing outposts throughout the map, where forward bases can be constructed.[3] By the endgame, when the base is fully upgraded and enough credits are accumulated, players can call in superweapons; or deploy epic vehicles - massive, powerful vehicles that can be crewed by multiple players. The GDI team can deploy the Mammoth Mk. II while Nod can deploy the Gunship, the latter is based on the Scrin ship from the Tiberian Sun campaigns.[6]
Development[]
"Tiberian Aftermath" teaser image
Firestorm was heavily inspired by Tiberian Aftermath, a defunct mod for Battlefield Vietnam which aimed to create a Tiberian Sun FPS.[7] Several of the vehicles from the mod were updated and ported into Renegade X as part of its Open Beta 5 release.[8] Totem Arts also experimented with porting the models from Tiberian Sun: Reborn into the Unreal Engine. The developers realized that the designs of the units from Tiberian Sun were not functional (i.e. the Wolverine has short legs and low gun turrets), so they redesigned each unit to feel more grounded and authentic in the universe. The efforts of the team expanded into a project that aims to bring Tiberian Sun into a shooter experience in the Unreal Engine.[7]
The gameplay of Firestorm went through several iterations during development. The first iteration, starting in 2017 as a collaboration with the Tiberian Sun: Reborn team, was a simple port of Reborn assets into base Renegade X prior to the unit redesign. The second iteration was a full-scale RTS vision with giant maps and nearly unlimited base building capabilities, however this was unfeasible due to performance issues and engine instability. The third iteration was essentially a Tiberian Sun reskin of Renegade X with small maps and unit roster, and while this iteration would make the initial fall 2020 release, the developers felt a basic reskin would be disappointing and not fun enough to play. The fourth and current iteration of Firestorm's gameplay would return to the efforts of the second iteration. With new discoveries made in engine optimization and map creation, the developers were able to bring back large-scale maps, yet limited base building and expansion in the form of outpost control.[3]
On June 22, 2022, Totem Arts publicly announced on their official Discord that the full Firestorm release will be moving to the Unreal Engine 5, due to limitations of the Unreal Development Kit for the project's vision. The Firestorm Assault beta planned for the same year will still be released on the current UDK engine.[1] Tester applications for the Firestorm Assault beta were opened on August 3, 2022.[9]
Gallery[]
Full roster concept (now outdated)
Cyborg promo
"GDI Assault" wallpaper
Wolverine render
Titan in-game
August 2021 wallpaper
Infantry loadout GUI concept
Cyborg Reaper concept art
Zone Troopers model
Unreal Engine 5 renders[]
GDI marine render
Ditto
Videos[]
- Firestorm reveal trailer
- January 2019 Banshee test footage
- April 2019 alpha test montage
- August 2019 alpha test montage
- Sounds of the battlefield
- DevTalk #9 teaser
- 4 minutes of early gameplay
DevTalks[]
- DevTalk #1: Building a Tiberian Sun FPS
- DevTalk #2: Level Design and Q&A
- DevTalk #3: Vision of the Future
- DevTalk #4: Building the Endgame
- DevTalk #5: Renegade 19th Birthday Live Q&A
- DevTalk #6: Tiberian Sun 22nd Birthday Live Q&A
- DevTalk #7: Firestorm Assault
- DevTalk #8: Directives Reassessed
- DevTalk #9: Conquest Evolved
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Totem Arts (22 June 2022). "That said the team has made a unanimous decision to move Firestorm to UE5. (...) Firestorm Assault will still be available on UDK" [Post]. Totem Arts Discord.
- ↑ DevTalk #7: Directives Reassessed. 9 January 2023.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Firestorm Update - Delayed!, Music, and More. Renegade X Forums. 15 October 2020.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 DevTalk #7: Firestorm Assault. 19 February 2022.
- ↑ DevTalk #3 - Vision of the Future. 23 November 2020.
- ↑ DevTalk #4: Building the Endgame. 30 January 2021.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 DevTalk #1: Building a Tiberian Sun FPS. 25 June 2020.
- ↑ Renegade X - Beta 5 Launch!. Renegade X Forums. 7 July 2015.
- ↑ Beta Tester Applications Now Open!. Totem Arts Forums. 3 August 2022.
External links[]
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