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The Tiberian Sun press pack is a promotional package distributed by Westwood Studios in 1999, to provide materials and assets for publication. The boxed pack came with a die cast figurine, the same as in the Collector's Edition of the game. It was not released to the public until gruntbug released a copy of the CD-R on r/commandandconquer in 2021. The contents have been transcribed and archived below.

Game information[]

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tsunsum.doc[]

Comand & Conquertm Tiberian Sun

Product Description

Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun promises to push the boundaries of the real-time strategy genre by giving players a more realistic, more dangerous battlefield, new high-tech weapons with unique abilities, troops that gain experience, new tactics and unlimited multiplay experiences thanks to a battle map generator. Set in the early 21st century, the real-time strategy game once again pits the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) against the Brotherhood of NOD in a struggle for control of the planet.

With an epic storyline that unfolds as play progresses, players will learn the reasons behind the worldwide outbreak of Tiberium and what happened to the notorious NOD leader Kane, who was presumed dead at the end of the first Command & Conquer.

Key Features

  • Fight on Dynamic Battlefields

Nature itself provides tactical opportunities -- destroyable and deformable terrain, forest fires, treacherous ice fields and many more surprises that help or hinder your strategies.

  • Exciting New Strategies and Units

Jump Jet Infantry, Hover Tanks, Tunneling APCs, Hunter Seekers, Laser Fences, Mechanized Battle Units, Firestorm Defense and many more.

  • The "Veterancy" Factor

Units can become faster and stronger as they gain combat experience.

  • Dynamic Colored Lighting

The mood and attitude of the battlefield comes alive like never before - covert night missions, searchlights and new defenses intensify the thrill and excitement.

  • New Kinetic Battlefields

Flying shrapnel, shock waves and crashing debris are just a few of the exciting new technologies developed to enhance the in-game experience.

  • New Internet Technology and Multiplayer Support

Play for free on the definitive Internet battleground - Westwood Online. Connectivity is now blended into the game so online action is just a few clicks away!

Product Specifications
Publisher: Westwood Studios
Developer: Westwood Studios
Ship Date: Summer 1999
Category: Real Time Strategy
Platform: Windows95/98

All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

gameinf.doc[]

TIBERIAN SUN

THE PRESS KIT

What makes Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun so special? After all, other companies have taken the genre Westwood invented and taken it in some exciting new directions. What can we possibly do to top the success of the original Command & Conquer and Command & Conquer Red Alert? How can we avoid creating yet another C&C clone?

That’s what this press kit is all about. It’s a guided tour through the minds of the people who are building Tiberian Sun. It will explain what they want in the game, why they want it, and how they are going to get it.

We’re going to cover all the main features with greater depth than we have before. These are the features that make Tiberian Sun stand out from the RTS pack. They are…

The Philosophy

  • What does “wide and deep” mean?

The Units

  • What new toys of destruction GDI and Nod have
  • How veterancy works and why it’s important
  • Who the Forgotten are and what they provide

The Battlefield

  • How the living environment works and why it’s important
  • Why deformable terrain and a battlefield that is altered by the war is a big deal

Multiplayer

  • How the Battle Map generator will mean unlimited multi-player experiences
  • Clan support: The best kind of gang warfare
  • Westwood Online tournaments: make friends, kill them, and get paid for it

The “Wide and Deep” Philosophy

In the early 90s, when Westwood co-founder Brett Sperry designed Dune II, the idea was to take the fun of a strategy war game, eliminate the complexity, and have the battle unfold in real time. Back then, strategy games were slow and every unit on the battlefield had anywhere from five to ten statistics players needed to keep track of. Those games were judged by how complex they were, as if the harder they were to play, the more fun they were.

Dune II smashed that idea and changed the face of computer gaming forever. Select a unit, give an order, send it on its way; the player never had to access a spreadsheet. There was no hex counting, no algebra equations, no multiple menus to navigate, and no graphs to plot.

As imitators soon found out, the secret to Dune II’s success wasn’t just that it was easy to learn and play. Taking away all those cumbersome game mechanics didn’t put it on the best seller charts. Depth of gameplay made Dune II a classic. “Easy to learn, tough to master” is a well-worn cliché in this industry, but it maintains its value. Chess is the ideal example. It's an easy game to learn, therefore it is wide. It is a difficult game to master, with layers and layers of strategy to study. It is deep. So was Dune II, not on the level of chess, but enough to give birth to a genre and a wave of “me too” products.

Command & Conquer was an evolution of Dune II. It was wider in that it was easier to issue commands and build bases, deeper in that both sides had completely different forces, requiring different tactics and styles of play. It also introduced the first chapter of the Tiberium War saga. Gamers around the world became familiar with the Global Defense Initiative, the “good guys,” funded by the United Nations and well-armed with conventional weapons. Opposing them was the fanatical Brotherhood of Nod, led by the maniacal Kane. Nod specialized in un-conventional weapons based on stealth and speed rather than all-out power. The chemistry of addictive gameplay blended with a compelling story was perfect. With sales records breaking around the globe, a franchise was launched.

Red Alert was a refinement and an expansion of what the genre could do. Still maintaining the ease of use that marks every Westwood game, the strategies became deeper and more complex. At the same time, Internet gaming was becoming popular and Red Alert was at the cutting edge. Every major game service supported it, and the ranks of Westwood Online, Westwood’s free gaming service, swelled. Red Alert was one of the first games to become a hit not just because of a compelling single player game, but because of its ingenious multi-player game. Even today, four years after it was released, 500,000 games of Red Alert are played each month over Westwood Online, all because Red Alert is wide and deep.

Now, what do those words mean in 1999? With RTS games featuring more and more units, more and more detail in how commands are given, and more and more of just about everything, what is left to do?

When work started on Tiberian Sun, the designers knew it was going to be tough to keep the game wide and deep. How can you add new features and gameplay depth without making it more complicated?

They decided early on not to try to follow everything the C&C clones were doing. The trick was to figure out what they weren’t doing. They weren’t making the battlefield very interesting. A few games had great ideas for new units, but during the course of the battle, the units didn’t grow or change. With those doors open, Westwood designers set to work, mandated to make Command & Conquer bigger and better and wider, and deeper. No one said building games for Westwood would be easy.

The Units of Tiberian Sun

GDI Infantry

Light Battle Infantry: The Light Battle Infantry are the mainstay of the GDI and Brotherhood troops. Armed with an M16 Mk. II pulse rifle, they deliver light damage to most targets. Although slow, infantry are capable of movement over varied terrain types with little loss in speed. They are also able to pass through certain terrain or hazards that are inaccessible or damaging to vehicles.

Disk Thrower: The Disk Thrower is a light infantry unit that carries a long-range grenade delivery system. Instead of traditionally shaped grenades, the Disk Thrower uses an aerodynamic grenade that is designed with longer flight in mind. Because of the dynamics of the discus-like projectile, the grenade can bounce along terrain if it does not impact its intended target.

Jump Jet Infantry: The airborne divisions of GDI’s infantry, Jump Jet soldiers are able to perform surgical hits on targets normally inaccessible to standard infantry. Armed with a Vulcan cannon, these flying soldiers can provide an anti-air defense as well as quick air-to-ground attacks on poorly defended targets.

Medic: Among the chaos of battle, the Medic is solely responsible for treating the injured and getting downed soldiers' back in the fight. Left on his own, the medic will automatically heal any nearby friendly soldiers. Medics can also be targeted to treat a specific soldier.

Engineer: Slow and unarmed, the Engineer is nonetheless deadly in his own right. The only unit able to capture enemy structures, tactical use of engineers is considered an art among many commanders. The unit has multiple purposes, each explained below. Note that the engineer unit will be lost when any of the actions below are performed.

  1. Capturing enemy structures: The engineer has the ability to capture enemy structures and bring them under your control. This is done by selecting an engineer and then clicking on an enemy structure to send the engineer into the building to capture it. A blue “enter” cursor will tell you if that building can be captured by your side. Only one engineer is required to capture any structure.
  1. Repairing Damaged Structures: The engineer has the ability to bring any of your own structures back to full health. Select the engineer, and highlight the building you want fully repaired. A golden “wrench” icon will tell you if this building can be repaired. Left click to send the engineer into the building to repair it.
  1. Repairing Damaged Bridges: Most bridges in Tiberian Sun have a “repair hut” at one or both ends of the span. Sending an Engineer into the repair hut will rebuild missing sections and repair any damaged ones. Left click to send the engineer into the repair hut to repair the bridge.

GDI Units

Powered Assault Armor (The Wolverine): The Powered Assault Armor or “Wolverine” is a small, eight to nine foot bipedal unit that is piloted by a single soldier. Fast and agile, these lightly armored suits excel at suppression fire and in light skirmishes. Handling large groups of enemy infantry is no problem for a squad of these troopers.

Amphibious APC: The Amphibious APC is a heavily armored unit that can carry up to five infantry units. Capable of ferrying units over land and sea, the amphibious APC is a valuable asset to GDI’s forces. To load the APC, select the infantry soldier(s) you wish to load and highlight the APC. A blue “enter” cursor will appear. Left clicking will load the units into the APC. To make the units exit the APC, select it, and click on it again when the “deploy” cursor appears. Note that an APC cannot be unloaded while in water.

The Titan: The Medium Battle Mechanized Walker, or “Titan”, is GDI’s all-purpose assault and defense unit. Standing 25 feet tall and packing a 120mm cannon, the Titan is a force to be reckoned with. Its long range makes it an ideal unit for use in base assaults, as it can pummel defenses without fear of retaliation.


Hover Mobile Rocket Launching System (MRLS): The Hover MLRS is a medium to long range missile delivery system mounted on a hover chassis. Like the Amphibious APC, the hover MLRS is capable of crossing both land and sea. Because of its hover capability, the unit is unaffected by most terrain types, making it an ideal (although somewhat expensive) unit for scouting enemy territory. Its rockets are capable of hitting both air and land targets with equal effectiveness.

Disrupter: Recent developments aboard the Philadelphia have lead to breakthroughs in harmonic resonance. The Disrupter is the first to use this new technology. Firing a harmonic resonance wave, the Disruptor is capable of shattering any unit or structure caught in the wave – enemy or ally alike. Care should be used in the positioning of Disrupter units as to minimize incidence of “friendly fire”.

Mammoth Mk. II: This prototype behemoth is GDI’s most powerful weapon. Towering over the battlefield, the Mammoth II carries dual rail guns and a back mounted anti-aircraft missile launcher. The rail guns are capable of reducing most units to slag in a matter of seconds, while its AA launcher ensures air protection for the unit. Virtually indestructible, the Mammoth Mk. II is still in its testing phases, and due to limitations on the technologies involved, only one can be deployed at any time.

Mobile Sensor Array: The Mobile Sensor Array (MSA) is a vehicle equipped with a state-of-the-art sensor package that can detect the presence of enemy units even if they are cloaked or burrowing underground. Detected units will not be “uncloaked” but will be displayed on radar and the tactical view, allowing a commander to take the necessary measures to destroy the hidden unit(s).

Orca Fighter: The mainstay of GDI’s air force, the Orca fighter is a versatile and lightweight attack aircraft. Fast, lightly armored and armed with dual missile launchers, the Orca fighter can deliver a missile barrage to any location on the battlefield within moments of receiving orders. However, like all aircraft, the Orca must return to a helipad in order to reload its weapons.

Orca Bomber: Heavier and better armored than its fighter cousin, the Orca bomber trades speed for firepower. Delivering a stream of high-explosive bombs in strafing runs, the Orca bomber is ideal for softening up ground defenses during the beginning of a base assault.

ORCA Caryall: The largest of all the Orcas, this transport aircraft has the critical job of rescuing or delivering units to any destination on the battlefield. Using a large grappling device, the Carryall is capable of picking up any vehicle found on the battlefield. To make the carryall pick up a unit, select the carryall, then left click on the unit you wish to pick up. To put the unit down, select the Carryall when it is on the ground, highlight it, and left-click on it when the “deploy” cursor appears. Note that you can drop units directly onto repair pads and refineries without detaching them first.

Hunter Seeker Drone: The Hunter Seeker droid is a lightning fast drone unit that is deployed to “clean up” the battlefield. Hunter Seeker droids randomly search out an enemy unit or structure and latches on to it. Once attached, the Hunter Seeker droid will self-destruct, destroying itself and the object it has attached to. The unit cannot be controlled and will automatically seek prey when released.

Critical to the financial success of both sides, the harvester is the only unit capable of collecting Tiberium for refinement. Harvesters will automatically begin to collect Tiberium if a patch is nearby. The harvester can be ordered to a specific location to harvest by selecting it and targeting the new area. The harvester will automatically avoid threat areas and will inform you when it cannot enter an area because of nearby threats. Tiberium Harvesters will not enter a hostile area unless specifically ordered.

The Dropship: Dropships allow the delivery of crucial supplies and reinforcements to specific areas on the battlefield. The arrival of a dropship with reinforcements during a heated battle can mean the difference between victory and defeat. Dropships are only available in certain solo play missions and can never be directly controlled.

The Kodiak: The Kodiak is GDI’s mobile command center. Commander McNeil and his crew reside on the Kodiak and use it to travel from battle to battle. Typically, the Kodiak observes the battle from afar so as not to put commanding officers in direct danger. However, certain conditions could cause the Kodiak to be vulnerable to attack. If that were ever to happen, protect it at all costs, for if it is destroyed, the battle is over.

Orca Transport: Available only in certain solo-play missions, the Orca Transport can carry up to 5 infantry units to any location on a battle map. Loading and unloading it is identical in function to loading and unloading an amphibious APC.

Mobile Construction Vehicle: The foundation of any base starts with the Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV). Able to deploy itself into a fully functioning construction yard, the MCV is a highly prized piece of equipment for both GDI and Nod.

To deploy the MCV, select it, then double-click. If you get a “no deploy” cursor, something is blocking deployment of the unit. Move any other vehicles and infantry away from it, or move it away from trees or rocks that would prevent deployment.

Brotherhood Infantry

Light Battle Infantry: The Light Battle Infantry are the mainstay of the GDI and Brotherhood troops. Armed with an M16 Mk. II pulse rifle, they deliver light damage to most targets. Although slow, infantry are capable of movement over varied terrain types with little loss in speed. They are also able to pass through certain terrain or hazards that are inaccessible or damaging to vehicles.

Cyborg Infantry: Cyborg infantry are the result of recent Nod experiments in melding Tiberium mutated humans with machines. They are armed with heavy body armor and a high-power pulse rifle.

Rocket Infantry: Nod’s heavy infantry carry a shoulder mounted rocket launcher that is effective against vehicles, structures, infantry and aircraft. Because of the increased weight of the rocket launcher, rocket infantry are slower than light battle infantry but are more heavily armored.

Engineer: Slow and unarmed, the Engineer is nonetheless deadly in his own right. The only unit able to capture enemy structures, tactical use of engineers is considered an art among many commanders. The unit has multiple purposes, each explained below. Note that the engineer unit will be lost when any of the actions below are performed.

  1. Capturing enemy structures: The engineer has the ability to capture enemy structures and bring them under your control. This is done by selecting an engineer and then clicking on an enemy structure to send the engineer into the building to capture it. A blue “enter” cursor will tell you if that building can be captured by your side. Only one engineer is required to capture a structure.
  1. Repairing Damaged Structures: The engineer has the ability to bring any of your own structures back to full health. Select the engineer, and highlight the building you want fully repaired. A golden “wrench” icon will tell you if this building can be repaired. Left click to send the engineer into the building to repair it.
  1. Repairing Damaged Bridges: Most bridges in Tiberian Sun have a “repair hut” at one or both ends of the span. Sending an Engineer into the repair hut will rebuild missing sections and repair any damaged ones. Left click to send the engineer into the repair hut to repair the bridge.

Cyborg Commando: Those cyborgs that perform well are further modified and promoted to the Nod Cyborg Commando ranks. Packing enough firepower to take out entire bases, the Cyborg Commando is a large threat on the battlefield. Armed with a chain gun and flame-thrower, the Commando can make quick work of vehicles, infantry and structures.

Subterranean APC: The Subterranean APC is capable of carrying up to five units underground to a target. When underground the subterranean APC is invisible to the enemy but can be detected by a GDI Deployable Sensor Array. The APC cannot surface from under certain terrain types, such as rough terrain, water, etc.

To load infantry into the APC, select the infantry to be loaded and highlight the APC. An enter cursor will appear. Left clicking will send the units into the APC.

To unload infantry, select the APC and double-click. A deploy cursor will appear. Left clicking again with the deploy cursor will unload the infantry from the APC.

Attack Cycle: Primarily used as a scouting unit, the Attack Cycle is Nod’s fastest ground unit. Although it trades armor for speed, the Cycle is capable of sustaining moderate damage before being destroyed. It carries twin rocket launchers capable of hitting both air and ground units.

Hunter Seeker Droid: The Hunter Seeker droid is a lightning fast drone unit that is deployed to “clean up” the battlefield. Hunter Seeker droids randomly search out an enemy unit or structure and latch on to it. Once attached, the Hunter Seeker droid will self-destruct, destroying itself and the object it has attached to. The unit cannot be controlled and will automatically seek prey when released.

The Weed Eater: This Nod vehicle is essentially a massive lawnmower that is used to harvest Tiberium veins for use in a chemical missile. The Weed Eater behaves like a harvester but with two differences. It harvests Tiberium veins, not Tiberium crystals, and dumps its cargo at a Tiberium waste facility, not a refinery. The harvested Tiberium veins, once processed at a waste facility, can be used to create a deadly chemical missile.

Tick Tank: This light battle tank has the ability to burrow itself into the ground to increase its defenses and perform mobile battery defense. When burrowed, only the turret and a small part of the unit remains above ground. To burrow the tick tank, select it, then left-click on it. The unit will burrow down into the ground and become immobile. To move the unit again, select it, then left-click on it again. Once the tank has dug out from the ground, it can be moved again.

Stealth Tank: The newest in covert warfare, the stealth tank is a light battle tank that is able to cloak itself in order to remain undetected by enemies. The tank is unable to remain cloaked while firing due to the enormous power drain of the stealth generator. Only infantry and base defenses can reveal the stealth tank. However, GDI’s Mobile Sensor Array can detect a stealth tank’s presence.

Artillery: Realizing they needed a way to deliver damage without fear of retaliation, Nod developed a new long-range artillery platform. Because of the recoil involved, the unit is unable to fire while undeployed, and cannot move while deployed. To deploy the unit, select it, then left-click on it. To un-deploy the unit, select the deployed unit, then left-click on it again.

Harpy: Excellent against infantry and lightly armored vehicles, the Harpy is newest generation of combat helicopters. Like all flying units, the Harpy must return to a helipad in order to reload its weapons.

Repair Bot: This robotic vehicle is capable of repairing damaged vehicles on the battlefield. The repair bot features an extendable arm which houses all of the tools needed to repair a vehicle to battle readiness. Placing this unit in guard mode will enable it to automatically repair any units in its immediate vicinity.

The Harvester: Critical to the financial success of both sides, the harvester is the only unit capable of collecting Tiberium for refinement. Harvesters will automatically begin to collect Tiberium if a patch is nearby. The harvester can be ordered to a specific location to harvest by selecting it and targeting the new area. The harvester will automatically avoid threat areas, and will inform you when it cannot enter an area because of nearby threats. Harvesters will not enter a hostile area unless specifically ordered.

Banshee: Experiments with recovered alien technology has allowed Nod to develop the next generation of fighting aircraft. Code-named the Banshee, this sleek craft is capable of decimating any unit or structure with its twin plasma cannons.

Mobile Construction Vehicle: The foundation of any base starts with the Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV). Able to deploy itself into a fully functioning construction yard, the MCV is a highly prized piece of equipment for both GDI and Nod.

To deploy the MCV, select it, then highlight it. If you get a “no deploy” cursor, something is blocking deployment of the unit. Move any other vehicles and infantry away from it, or move it away from trees or rocks that would prevent deployment.

Devil’s Tongue Flame Tank: Terror is a formidable weapon, and the sheer sight of this nightmarish unit is enough to cause GDI troops to tremble. Capable of burrowing through all but the hardest of substances, the Devil’s Tongue can unleash deadly jets of flame on unsuspecting targets with impunity. The flame is especially effective against infantry and structures although prolonged exposure to its blasts can even melt steel.

Montauk: The Montauk is Nod’s mobile command center. Commander Slavik and his crew use it to travel between battles. Capable of burrowing underground, the Montauk typically remains safely away from the battlefield so as not to endanger the command crew. However, certain conditions can cause the Montauk to enter the battlefield. If this should happen, it is imperative that the Montauk be protected at all costs.

GDI Structures

Construction Yard: The Construction Yard is where all life begins. It allows the player to build other structures, so defending it should be a top priority of any successful commander. In some missions, the player starts with an MCV, which can be deployed into a Construction Yard. In other missions, the Construction Yard has already been placed.

GDI Power Plant: Power plants provide power for base structures and are critical to keeping base defenses online. GDI power plants are upgradable via add-on power generators. There are two empty upgrade pads for add-on generators per power plant. Each will increase the power output of the structure by 50% over a non-upgraded power plant.

GDI Barracks: The barracks allow infantry units to be trained. It is also a prerequisite for base defensive structures.

Tiberium Refinery: The refinery converts the harvester loads of Tiberium into credits for the player. It also stores a certain amount of Tiberium. Once a refinery is full, silos must be created in order to store excess Tiberium. If there is no available storage capacity at a refinery or silos, excess Tiberium will be lost.

Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon: The EMP Cannon can fire a high powered blast of Electromagnetic energy that renders any mechanized vehicles inoperative for a short period. Any vehicle or structure caught in the blast is disabled until the effect wears off.

Firestorm Defense Generator: The firestorm defense generator creates an infinitely high force field. Once the generator is constructed, special firestorm defense emitters must be placed on the perimeter of an area to be defended, just like a wall. When activated, the force field that results from these emitters is impenetrable. The firestorm defense generator consumes massive amounts of power. Because of this, it can only be active for a short period before it needs to recharge. The shield can be turned on and off at will.

Firestorm Defense Emitters: Used in conjunction with the firestorm defense generator, these emitters are placed like a wall and control the placement of the firestorm defense shield. These emitters can be used to completely encircle a base or can be used at key defensive positions.

Radar Installation: A radar installation allows commanders to view the battlefield and the relative locations of friendly and enemy units. In order for the radar view to remain active, the radar installation must be constantly powered.

Advanced Communications Center: The communications center allows for communication between a commander and certain special weapons or base defenses. Communications centers have locations that allow upgrades for ion cannon control and hunter-seeker control.


Ion Cannon Control: The ion cannon control is an upgrade to a communications center that allows targeting control of GDI’s orbital ion cannon weapon. Without this control, the ion cannon cannot be used.

Hunter Seeker Control: This upgrade to a GDI communication center allows two-way communications with a Hunter Seeker droid, allowing it to acquire enemy targets. This upgrade is required in order to build Hunter Seeker droids.

Add-on Power Generators: Up to two of these add-on generators can be added to a power plant to increase power output. The output of each add-on generator is less than that of a new power plant, but the cost is much lower.

Tiberium Silo: Tiberium silos store excess Tiberium once the Tiberium refineries are at maximum capacity. If a Tiberium refinery is filled to capacity and there are no empty silos available, excess Tiberium from a harvester will be lost.

Component Tower: Based on a modular construction principle, the component tower serves as the basis for all GDI base defenses. Component towers can be built as individual structures or as part of a wall. One of three weapons can be mounted on a component tower: a Vulcan cannon, RPG launcher, or SAM launcher.

Vulcan Cannon Component: The Vulcan cannon component consists of two mini-guns firing 50mm projectiles at high speed. The cannon is primarily intended for use against infantry but it can be used less effectively against vehicles.

Rocket Propelled Grenade Component: The rocket propelled grenade, or RPG, upgrade launches grenades at enemy units. The RPG is designed for use against vehicles but can be used against infantry as well. Its explosive charge ensures splash damage to any other units caught around its target.

Surface to Air Missile Component: Surface to air missiles or SAMs, are GDI’s anti-aircraft defense. SAMs can only be used against flying units.

Weapons Factory: This structure allows for the construction of vehicles. Certain advanced vehicles require additional structures before they can be built by a weapons factory.

Orca Landing Pad: The Orca landing pad allows for the construction and rearming of Orca fighters, bombers, and carryalls. Without the landing pad, aircraft cannot be constructed and cannot be rearmed when returning from an attack.

Technology Research Center: The technology research center, or Tech center, is where GDI conducts its high tech. weapons research. This structure is required prior to the construction of certain high-tech units and structures.

Upgrade Center: The upgrade center is used to communicate with various units and structures on the battlefield. Upgrade centers have two available upgrade pads and can accept the following upgrades: ion cannon control or hunter seeker control.

Service Depot: Used to repair vehicles and aircraft. A vehicle or aircraft can land on this structure and if enough credits are available, the unit will be fully repaired. Units can be queued onto the pad by bandbox selecting all the units and targeting the repair pad.

Sand Bags: This primitive defensive structure is designed to keep infantry out of a base. Most vehicles can simply drive over and crush sand bags but infantry cannot cross them. Most units, however, can shoot over sandbags.

Concrete walls: A more robust defensive structure than sand bags, concrete walls are effective at stopping both infantry and vehicles. Only certain units can shoot over these defensive walls.

Automatic gate: This structure prevents enemy units and Tiberium growth from entering a base. The gate automatically opens to allow friendly units to pass but will not open for enemy units.

Pavement: Pavement is designed to protect your base from burrowing units as well as prevent heavy weapons fire and explosions from making craters in your base. In addition, units on pavement will move faster compared to normal terrain.

Unlike placing other structures, pavement can still be placed down when any parts of its placement bib are red. Only the squares that are white at the time will be paved. Pavement can not be placed on slopes or over existing roads.

Construction Yard: The Construction Yard is where all life begins. It allows the player to build other structures, so defending it should be a top priority of any successful commander. In some missions, the player starts with an MCV, which can be deployed into a Construction Yard. In other missions, the Construction Yard has already been placed.

Brotherhood of Nod Structures

Power Plant: Power plants supply power to all structures in a base. Without enough power, structures will either not function at all or will function in a reduced capacity.

Hand of Nod: The Hand of Nod is where Nod infantry units are trained. The Hand of Nod is also a prerequisite to building base defenses.

Tiberium Refinery: The refinery converts the harvester loads of Tiberium into credits for the player. It also stores a certain amount of Tiberium. Once a refinery is full, silos must be created in order to store excess Tiberium. If there is no available storage capacity at a refinery or silos, excess Tiberium will be lost.

Electromagnetic Pulse Cannon: The EMP Cannon can fire a high powered blast of Electro-magnetic energy that renders any mechanized vehicles inoperative for a short period. Any vehicle or structure caught in the blast is disabled until the effect wears off.

The Stealth Generator: The Stealth Generator can cloak all units and structures in a large area. The base will remain cloaked until the stealth generator is turned off, the base becomes underpowered or the stealth generator is destroyed. Base defenses and units under the effect will uncloak only when firing or leaving the area of effect. It should be noted that units exiting from a war factory or Hand of Nod and harvesters exiting a refinery will be visible briefly before the stealth generator adjusts and cloaks them.

Radar Installation: A radar installation allows commanders to view the battlefield and the relative locations of friendly and enemy units. In order for the radar view to remain active, the radar installation must be constantly powered.

Advanced Power Plant: The advanced power plant functions exactly like a regular power plant in that it generates power and supplies it to a base. However, due to its greater size and efficiency, an advanced power plant generates twice as much power as a regular power plant.

Tiberium Silo: Tiberium silos store excess Tiberium once the Tiberium refineries are at maximum capacity. If a Tiberium refinery is filled to capacity and there are no empty silos available, excess Tiberium from a harvester will be lost.

Weapons Factory: This structure allows for the construction of vehicles. Certain advanced vehicles require additional structures before they can be built by a weapons factory.

Tiberium Waste Facility: The Tiberium waste facility serves as the drop-off point for the weed eater unit. This structure refines and concentrates harvested Tiberium veins for use in the chemical missile. Once enough of this Tiberium substance has been collected, it is automatically loaded into a chemical missile, provided a missile silo is available. When built, the Waste Facility comes with a weed eater unit.

Pulse Laser Cannon: The pulse laser cannon is Nod’s main base defense. Like its larger cousin, the Obelisk of Light, the pulse laser fires a focused laser beam at enemy units. Recent advancements in laser technology allow the pulse laser to generate its own power so that it can remain operational during low power conditions.

Surface to Air Missile Site: The surface to air missile site, or SAM site, is the primary defense against enemy aircraft. It can only be used against flying units.

Obelisk of Light: The Obelisk of Light is a frighteningly powerful weapon. It has undergone significant improvement since it was last seen on the battlefield. Power output has been increased and few units can survive a single hit from an obelisk laser bolt.

Technology Research Center: The technology research center, or tech center, is where Nod conducts its high tech. weapons research. This structure is required prior to the construction of certain high tech units and structures.

Service Depot: Used to repair vehicles and aircraft. A vehicle or aircraft can land on this structure and if enough credits are available, the unit will be fully repaired. Units can be queued onto the pad by bandbox selecting all the units and targeting the repair pad.

Missile Silo: The missile silo allows Nod to launch long range weapons at an enemy, specifically a cluster missile or chemical missile.

Temple of Nod: Within the halls of this mysterious structure, Nod continues its Tiberium experiments and conducts cutting-edge research. Construction of the temple enables the Hunter-Seeker drone, and allows the recruitment of the Cyborg Commando and the Mutant Hijacker. Note that because of the resources required to produce these special soldiers, only one of each may be in your army at any one time. You may train another only if the one you currently own is destroyed.

Concrete Walls: This basic base defense structure is effective in stopping both infantry and vehicles. Only certain units can fire over concrete walls.

Laser Fencing: Laser fencing consists of emitter posts that project a continuous laser beam between one another, effectively stopping vehicles and infantry. Because laser fence posts can be placed up to 4 cells from one another, a defensive perimeter can be constructed quickly. However, laser fencing does require significant external power to remain online.

Automatic gate: This structure prevents enemy units and Tiberium growth from entering a base. The gate automatically opens to allow friendly units to pass but will not open for enemy units.

Pavement: Pavement is designed to protect your base from burrowing units as well as prevent heavy weapons fire and explosions from making craters in your base. In addition, units on pavement will move faster compared to normal terrain.

Unlike placing other structures, pavement can still be placed down when any parts of its placement bib are red. Only the squares that are white at the time will be paved. Pavement can not be placed on slopes or over existing roads.

GDI and NOD Units
GDI Units NOD Units
Light Battle Infantry Light Battle Infantry
Disk Throwers Rocket Infantry
Jump Jet Infantry Cyborg Infantry
Engineer Cyborg Commando
Medic Engineer
Vein Clearing Infantry Chameleon Spy
Powered Assault Suit Attack Cycle
Amphibious APC Subterranean APC
Medium Battle Mech. Subterranean Flame Tank
Hover MLRS Light “Tick” Tank
Sonic Tank Stealth Tank
Heavy Battle Mech. Heavy Artillery Gun
Deployable Sensor Tower Repair Bot
ORCA Fighter Apache
ORCA Heavy Bomber Alien Craft Prototype
ORCA Carry-All Transport Hunter Seeker Drone
Hunter Seeker Drone Weed Eater
Harvester Harvester

How Veterancy Works and Why It’s Important

Up until now, real-time strategy games had commanders building units and sending them off to battle without a thought. In many cases, there was no reason to pull troops out of harm's way. It was often less trouble just to build more.

What if those units became more powerful as the battle progressed? What if units became stronger, faster and smarter? In Tiberian Sun, inexpensive units that begin as expendable can grow to be more powerful and therefore more valuable. That means commanders must be better caretakers and better tacticians. No more build ‘em, send ’em and forget ‘em, at least not if you expect to win consistently.

In most cases, veteran units will get better armor, more firepower and more speed. In some cases, they will gain special abilities. For instance, veteran foot soldiers will gain the ability to scatter, thus preventing them from being squashed by heavily armored units. Even better, a veteran unit will lend this ability to all the green troops around him.

Some other special abilities that units can gain with experience are increased range of fire, increased sight range, cloaking ability, protection from Tiberium radiation, and the ability to self heal. The game is still being play balanced, so we can’t yet say what unit will get what special ability.

What is certain is that when a unit goes up in rank, you will notice a substantial difference and you will take great pains to keep your veteran units alive and well. That goes for single and multiplay.

Who Are The Forgotten?

In the years that followed the first Tiberian War, the Earth became more polluted, more toxic, and mutated. The green glowing crystals had once held the bright promise of technological miracles. Now they had become the most dire of curses, turning animals into monsters, plants into toxic blooms, and people into something less than human, or perhaps a bit more.

The Global Defense Initiative, in its wisdom, began the global evacuation, taking large segments of the First World population but largely forgetting the Third World. After all, it was the wealthiest nations that paid GDI’s bills, so the wealthiest citizens got the first trips to space and the first trips to the Arctic poles, where Tiberium grew more slowly.

Even First World citizens weren’t guaranteed safe passage. Large parts of the inner city were ignored, as were poor rural areas. If you were in the middle or upper class, paid your taxes, voted, had no criminal record and were healthy, you made the cut. If not, you were forgotten.

Being Forgotten meant finding ways to live with Tiberium. It meant watching the crystals sprout from your skin, watching your children being born with green eyes, and watching the world as you knew it die a slow, tortured death.

It also meant fighting The Brotherhood of Nod. While GDI ignored you, Nod took a sharp interest indeed. At first, The Brotherhood seemed benevolent, giving food to the hungry, medicine to the sick, and there were many many sick. But then people started disappearing. At first, it was one or two a week. The mutated animals were blamed. Then it was scores of people, entire neighborhoods cleared out overnight.

One day, those that had disappeared returned, after a fashion. They were Nod Cyborgs, mindless, soulless killing machines. They had the faces of disappeared loved ones.

This was a crime unforgivable. The Forgotten declared war on Nod. They were brave warriors, with unique skills and Tiberium enhanced bodies, but they lacked the numbers and firepower it would take to defeat The Brotherhood. Reluctantly, they would form an alliance with GDI.

During GDI’s campaign, if they perform certain tasks for The Forgotten, they will be given access to a few unique and powerful troops.

The Forgotten Commando Team

Umagon (Sniper): The Mutant Sniper, named Umagon, is the leader of the commando team. Armed with a sniper rifle, she is able to pick off most infantry with one shot at an incredible range. However, her weapon does very little damage against armored units like tanks and other vehicles. She is most effective when teamed up with Ghostalker. Umagon is as tough as she is beautiful, moving swiftly among the shadows, commanding respect from those around her. She cannot be trained like normal infantry.

Ghostalker (Heavy Weapons): Equipped with portable Railgun and satchels of C-4, Ghostalker is easily the most heavily armed infantry unit around, but is all that heavy weaponry is too clumsy to be effective. Ghostalker is very tough and combat worthy, although considerably slower than the rest of the Mutant Commando team. When targeted on units, he uses the Railgun, which can destroy lightly armored vehicles in one or two shots. When targeted on enemy structures, he uses C-4 charges to instantly destroy them.

Hijacker (Vehicle Thief): The Hijacker is the third and final mutant. Although he is unarmed he is one of the most dangerous units in the game because of his ability to steal vehicles of any type whatsoever. Growing up on the mean streets of Detroit taught him a few things, and he applies that knowledge liberally in his new occupation. To steal an enemy vehicle, the Hijacker must be selected and then sent to the vehicle that he is to ‘acquire’. He will enter it, kill the driver, and take control. Stealing enemy APCs is an especially effective strategy. When a captured vehicle is destroyed, the Hijacker will exit the vehicle as it’s blowing up, taking any damage from debris. The Hijacker will also exit a captured unit when the vehicle is sold on the player's Repair Pad.

The Battlefield Comes Alive

Weather, terrain, elevation, bridges, ice, wild mutated animals – now this is an interesting place to wage war. The battlefield isn’t just scenery anymore. Tiberian Sun gives you an arena that can kill you or be used to kill. Either way, you’ve never seen anything like it. Here are a few features of the battlefield:

Deformable Terrain

Explosions make holes. Big explosions make big holes. When the ground is scarred, you can’t build on it. Also, many units will be slowed down when traveling over rough terrain.

Bridges that can be blown up and rebuilt

Bridges have been important strategic points in every war ever fought. They are lifelines for bases in need of supplies, yet they also provide convenient access to ground troops. Commanders are going to have to know when to keep bridges open and when to blow them to bits.

Here’s another fun thing to do with this feature: wait until your opponent has a column of expensive armor on a bridge, then take it out with a troop that costs less than a tenth of the weapons now reduced to rubble along with the bridge.

Ion Storms

A byproduct of a Tiberium polluted atmosphere, Ion Storms wreak havoc on high tech weapons. During an Ion Storm flying units cannot fly and many advanced weapons no longer work, leaving them vulnerable to gas powered armor and foot troops. You’ll build a balanced force in preparation. High-tech weapons will leave you weakened during an Ion Storm.

Tiberium Meteors

The battlefield is re-seeded with Tiberium courtesy of asteroids that occasionally fall from heaven. That’s a good thing if you’re out of credits and need some resources. It’s not a good thing if you happen to have valuable units standing underneath a Meteor.

Forest Fires

Having trouble with those pesky foot troops charging through the woods to get to your base? Set the forest on fire and enjoy the barbecue.

Lakes that freeze and ice that can be cracked

During arctic missions, you’re going to have to contend with ice. For instance, it could be that you start on an island surrounded by water, making you immune to everything but flying units and amphibious units. Then, as time goes by, the water turns to ice. Suddenly, there are tanks and ground troops heading across that ice. Sometimes the ice cracks; sometimes the ice breaks. It’s also fun to shoot the ice out from underneath enemy units as they cross.

Mutated biosphere

You’ll encounter mutant animals, some of which are rather tame, some that will attack your troops with little provocation. Toxic Tiberium veins grow like mold, forcing you to constantly clean up. And don’t position your foot troops near a Tiberium field. Not only will they die, they’ll turn into aggressive acid blob called visceroids.

Multiplayer Mayhem

Westwood Online is already one the world’s premiere online gaming services with more than a million members all playing games like Red Alert and Dune 2000 for the low, low price of free.

With Tiberian Sun, Westwood Online will offer multiplayer games of up to six people and a variety of options, including team play, cooperative versus computer opponents, ladder rankings, Battle Clan support and monthly tournaments for thousands of dollars in prizes.

Battle Map Generator

The game will also ship with a map randomizer, which can create unlimited multiplayer maps. You’d set a few options (more or less Tiberium, more or less elevation, more or less water and others), click on "build", and get a map suitable for two to eight players that no one has seen before. That means exploration will remain an important part of the game. It also means you won’t have to battle an opponent who has every cell of the map memorized while you have no idea where the resources are.

Battle Clan Support

Fans can now join official Tiberian Sun Battle Clans. Operating similar to a bowling league, clans will receive ranks on a tournament ladder, and a winner will be declared every month. Plans are still being made concerning Battle Clans. You can expect more news to be released before the game ships.

Single Player Tournaments Every month, the best Tiberian Sun players will be declared. When Tiberian Sun is the featured game of Westwood Online, winners will get thousands of dollars in prizes.

tsunqa2.doc[]

Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun

FAQ with Brett W. Sperry

Executive Producer of Tiberian Sun and creator of the C&C Franchise

Publisher: Westwood Studios

Developer: Westwood Studios

Release Date: Summer 1999

What’s new about Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun?

We created new units, new game strategies, new graphics, a new kind of battlefield, dozens of new game features, and a completely a new 3D game engine. Several aspects of the original C&C gameplay dynamic have been retained while others evolved. When our fans play Tiberian Sun they’ll see we have retained all of the best aspects and traditions which were in our previous C&C games in addition to so many new things mentioned above. Best of all, I think they will appreciate the quality and depth we are building into Tiberian Sun which will make it a game with lasting value, intrigue, and fun.

How long have you been working on Tiberian Sun? How big is the team?

We began development in early 1996, but the conceptualization of the trilogy (which became four products with the release of Red Alert) started way back in 1993. The team started out small at about 3 people and has risen to around 25 as the production really got moving.

Time-wise, where does the game slot into the saga?

Tiberian Sun takes place in the first half of the 21st century after the first Tiberian War.

Can you give me a brief outline of the story line? What has happened since the other games?

In many ways Red Alert was the prequel to the C&C line. Red Alert was the introduction to the C&C story line and took place in the latter half of the 20th century. This is where the epic struggle actually began.

The first C&C took place in the last part of the 20th century where you were in the role of a commander aided by EVA who gave you new ways to control the battlefield as never before. Both GDI and The Brotherhood of NOD were competing to get you to their side. You could choose to fight the good fight with GDI or to wage guerilla war with the Brotherhood of NOD.

In Tiberian Sun, the timeline moves forward into the 21st century where the world has become an interesting and altered place. Both sides have significant new technologies and the war has taken on a much more global scale versus C&C, which was a more regional story that took place in Europe and Africa.

So will we be returning to NOD/GDI or is there something else up your sleeves...? We assume it will still be just two forces.

The two main factions are NOD and GDI, but there is a lot more at stake this time. It's become a fight for the future of the planet and the world’s population has polarized to the side that reflects their beliefs.

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.

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.

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.

Westwood Online has been one of the greatest on-line success stories. Did you expect it to take off so well (if relatively slowly) or has it come as a surprise to the company?

We always felt that building a community for people to come together to play our games would be fun and worthwhile, but we had no idea that people would STILL be playing games of C&C and Red Alert several years later! There are hundreds of thousands of C&C games played each week on Westwood Online. That number doesn’t include games being played on Mplayer, TEN, Kali, etc. There was no way to anticipate that level of excitement, but we couldn’t be happier. People continue to use it, love it and it continues to deliver consistent quality game play. The best part about the success of Westwood Online is the fact that we can offer this service for free. (Trust me, it’s expensive for us.)

What’s your philosophy about unit design?

For every C&C game we like to introduce several new strategies and units never seen in previous C&C games. We will not add every unit from our previous games into the new ones because it would work against our story as well as the clarity of each side. Where is the clarity if we plug in 50 or 75 or 100 units into the game? How long will it take to learn those units effectively so you will not feel cheated when an opposing player beats you through deeper study and memorization skills instead a fair fight where all the rules and units a easily knowable and memorable to everyone? Once you introduce large numbers of units and game elements, the means of differentiating them becomes harder and harder and the differences between them become too subtle. I believe there is a fine line and art to all of this and if you are not careful with your design, the very essence of what makes a great strategy game exciting and addictive starts to leak away. Our aim is to create a completely different mindset and philosophy behind each side. This is what makes a C&C game truly dynamic and full of strategies and counter-strategies. There is also our story, the setting, and back story which determines how Nod and GDI have evolved and the tactics (and hence units) they believe will help them win.

You’re using voxels instead of polygons to create 3D units. Why?

Two main reasons. Gameplay and aesthetics.

In a game like TS where it's possible (and very common) for lots of units to be on the map at once, speed and responsiveness are important. Once one of our voxel objects is rendered into RAM it's really no worse than blitting a bitmap/sprite to the screen from a performance standpoint. Polygons must be constantly recalculated anytime they move. That's a lot of CPU usage and given all the atmosphere, kinetics, lighting, and shrapnel we want to have flying around during intense battles, we had to create a more advanced visual system that also didn’t require everyone to have the latest and fastest CPU and/or 3D render card.

As for the aesthetic, it helps that our voxels don't really care what shape they take. We can make very ornate and smooth units with slopping curves and lots of detail. Given the fact we want you to see a good portion of the map through the viewport, polygon units wouldn’t be large enough to reveal all the visual fidelity and most importantly, reactivity we wanted. There are no true 3D polygon RTS games like C&C out there yet, but I am sure one or two are in the works and it will be interesting to see which trade-offs they choose—and how playable they will be on say, a P5 133 with a standard 3D graphics card.

How were you able to create a 3D game that doesn’t require 3D acceleration?

The battlefield and units are 3D, they’re just not polygonal. We wanted to create a dynamic terrain system where the terrain is alterable in real time. A polygonal terrain engine where the terrain isn't pre-calculated isn’t very performance friendly when we factor in all the things a C&C game wants to do. The fact that C&C TS has dynamic terrain, colored lights, numerous special effects, and 3D units, all while not requiring a 3D card is something a technological feat. But more importantly, we want to make our C&C TS accessible and dialable on many different CPUs. If you have the latest machine with AGP or MMX support, you will notice a dramatic increase in performance. But making things like a PII 333 with 128MB RAM, or 3d accelerator cards, or AGP, a requirement would probably cheat many gamers out there of the C&C TS experience.

Outline the key features of Tiberian Sun and explain how they've evolved.

We have an interactive and kinetic battlefield with 3D terrain. We wanted to make the battlefield more interesting, exciting, reactive, and dangerous. For example, players will have to account for lakes and rivers that freeze, forest fires, winds that can carry poisonous gas, and ion storms that will cripple high tech weapons.

Weapons and units gain experience points, which leads to improved armor, speed, power and special abilities. This brings greater value to every unit and will encourage and reward those who take care of these “veteraned” units.

Lots of new weapons, units, and structures. We’re giving players many new ways to wage war. Guerilla warfare and sabotage will become more important. Some defenses can also be customized with multiple upgrades.

Internet multiplay will be easier than ever since access to Westwood Online built directly into the game. You can play solo against up to seven AI s in Skirmish Mode, connect with up to eight people on a LAN, or four players over the Internet. Westwood Online will also feature automatic ladder rankings and support the new C&C Battle Clans.

There are scores of C&C clones out there. What is your impression of them?

We’ve seen the influence Dune 2 and C&C have had on other designs and it is intriguing, but we aren’t really focused on what others are doing. The original C&C plan was to tell an epic story and game experience over four installments and build upon the foundation and essence of what we believe makes RTS compelling to play. C&C TS continues in the original spirit and will offer lots of new surprises and quite a few fresh ideas. Personally I think the point behind RTS is not adding ever more stuff, or lots of different stuff for difference sake, or all the latest techno/visual/fashionable gimmicks, but to deliver solid and exciting strategy gaming with a reasonable number of new twists/units/controls, etc. Good solid games take only what they really need and maintain several levels of balance and playability, no?

How will the multi-player game change?

We’ve added a number of new elements to the multiplayer aspect of Tiberian Sun including a random map generator, new in-game surprises like atmospheric effects that change the direction of the battle, some new “dials” offering a greater degree of customization besides starting number of units, credits, etc. as well as automatic ladder rankings and Battle Clan ™ support. And there are no additional or hourly fees for Internet players on Westwood Online since we continue to run it as a free service worldwide.

What changes (if any) are you looking to make to Westwood Online (formerly Westwood Chat)?

As far as Westwood Online goes, everything will be tightly integrated and the interface and connections will be streamlined. One application (the Tiberian Sun executable) will do it all. We have added all sorts of multiplay features like auto ranking ladders and support for Battle Clans.

Tell us about the new units.

Players will find a few familiar units like tanks and infantry and they will also find many completely new units that create opportunities for new battlefield tactics. These include Jump Jet Infantry who can jump over cliffs and small chasms, subterranean units that travel under the ground, the Firestorm Defense which acts as a sort of force field, the Stealth Generator that cloaks your base, hover tanks that can go over water and land, and the Disrupter that fires a beam of sonic energy, to name a few.

What's the coolest thing about Tiberian Sun?

No one thing is the coolest. It’s the total package that makes Tiberian Sun cool. Everything works together to provide an experience that’s satisfying on many levels. In general I love the strategic dynamic between all the units and I really love the kinetic battlefield which is a result of voxels, lighting, great sounds, high energy weapons and so much more. I love so many aspects I can’t name one and it is too early to tell if I will favor one side over the other. The whole Nod dynamic is very, very cool and GDI is also a bit…meaner than ever before!

How will the 'experience' system work?

It’s a point-based system that takes into account what unit killed what unit or structure. For instance, a tank killing an infantry unit doesn’t get much reward, but an infantry unit killing a tank gets a lot of points. As units and troops gather experience they will gain strength, speed, and, in some cases they get new abilities.

Any dogs?

Tiberian Sun has a few creatures that are new to the biosphere and one or two are a bit more challenging than the old hounds from Red Alert.

Will Tanya be making a re-appearance?

No, not Tanya in particular, but in her spirit we have a very strong female character that’s just (if not more) kick-butt than Tanya.

After all your success, does it put a lot of pressure on you to live up to expectations?

Expectations are probably high but that’s okay since I think we will deliver a compelling game and a lasting experience with a lot of replay and value. For those who hope we will put every single idea/unit/feature they have ever seen in RTS, they might be initially disappointed, but once they get into the game they will see the wisdom of it and hopefully be gratified by our selectivity. Hey, what fun would life be if you could have everything you ever wanted all at once?

credits.doc[]

Lead Credits for Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun

Brett Sperry - Executive producer and designer.

Donny Miele - Senior producer.

Rade Stojsavljevic - Associate producer.

Erik Yeo - Lead designer.

Joe Bostic & Steve Tall - Lead programmers.

Eric Gooch - Lead 3D artist.

Joe Hewitt - Lead in-game & terrain artist.

Kevin Becquet - Lead dramatic/composting artist.

Press releases[]

From: \info\pressrel

cc2film.doc[]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Product: Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun

Release Date: Summer 1999

Publisher: Westwood Studios

Developer: Westwood Studios

Renowned Actors James Earl Jones and Michael Biehn to Star

in Westwood Studios’ Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun CD-ROM

Production wraps on Westwood’s most ambitious film sequences to date

LAS VEGAS, NV, July 31, 1998 – Westwood Studios, a leading publisher of computer and video games, announced today that world-renowned actors James Earl Jones (Star Wars trilogy; Field of Dreams; Hunt For Red October) and Michael Biehn (The Terminator; Aliens; The Rock) will be contributing their talents to Westwood’s upcoming CD-ROM game Command & Conquer™ Tiberian Sun™. The game’s video (FMV) sequences were filmed last week on sets built in Westwood’s own sound stage and on location at Red Rock Canyon National Park in the scorching Nevada desert.

Set for a November release, Tiberian Sun is the sequel to the popular Command & Conquer series of real-time strategy games. Jones, who has starred in numerous feature films, plays, television programs and commercials, makes his digital debut as General Solomon, leader of the Global Defense Initiative. As Solomon, Jones leads his troops on a crusade to crush the totalitarian Brotherhood of NOD regime and save Earth from the ravages of the alien mineral Tiberium.

Michael Biehn, an accomplished film and television actor, also makes his first computer game appearance in Tiberian Sun as Commander McNeil, General Solomon’s second-in-command. Jones and Biehn will appear in Tiberian Sun’s FMV sequences, which reveal the game’s rich background story and provides players with mission briefings and other necessary information throughout the game.

“When it came time to hire actors, we were aggressive and went after our dream cast,” said Donny Miele, senior producer at Westwood Studios. “We got it. Biehn brings to Tiberian Sun the same gritty intensity he brought to The Terminator and Aliens. He’s the perfect hero. Jones radiates authority with every line, the perfect general, full of wisdom and power. Working with talent of their caliber has been a thrill for all of us.”

Other cast members appearing in Tiberian Sun include: Francesco Quinn (Platoon), son of actor Anthony Quinn, as NOD officer Vega; Christine Steel (Team Knight Rider) as the mutant leader Umagaan; Monika Schnarre (The Peacekeeper) as Oxanna; and Frank Zagarino (Shadowchaser films) as NOD commander Slavik. Reprising his role from the original Command & Conquer game is Westwood’s Joe Kucan as Kane, the notorious leader of the Brotherhood of NOD.

Special effects make up and costuming is being handled by Ron Wild, who has won two Emmys and an Ace Award for his make up work in the Disney Channels’ Adventures in Wonderland series. Wild has also worked on Bablyon 5 and the mega-hit Godzilla.

Set in the early 21st century, Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun is a real-time strategy game that pits the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) against the Brotherhood of NOD in a struggle for control of the planet. Players will choose either side and command a vast army of well-trained troops and high-tech weapons. With an epic storyline that unfolds as play progresses, players will learn the reasons behind the worldwide outbreak of Tiberium and what happened to the notorious NOD leader Kane, who was presumed dead at the end of the first Command & Conquer.

-more-

Page 2 - Renowned Actors James Earl Jones and Michael Biehn to Star in Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun CD-ROM

Westwood Studios is a prominent publisher of best-selling PC, and next-generation console games. Formed in 1985, Westwood Studios has released several popular titles including: Dune™ 2000, the Lands of Lore™ series, the Kyrandia™ adventure trilogy, Monopoly® for the Internet, Blade Runner™ and the Command & Conquer product line. Westwood Studios is a wholly owned subsidiary of Electronic Arts™.

Electronic Arts, headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, Electronic Arts posted revenues of more than $1.1 billion for calendar 1998. The company develops, publishes and distributes software worldwide for personal computers and advanced entertainment systems. Electronic Arts markets its products under seven brand names: Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS™, Maxis™, ORIGIN™, Bullfrog™ Productions, Westwood Studios and Jane's® Combat Simulations. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://www.ea.com.

Electronic Arts, EA SPORTS, Maxis, ORIGIN, Bullfrog and Westwood Studios, Lands of Lore, Kyrandia, and Command & Conquer are trademarks or registered trademarks of are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts in the United States and/or other countries. Jane's is a registered trademark of Jane's Information Group, Ltd. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For the latest news and information about Westwood Studios, visit http://www.westwood.com or contact:

Aaron Cohen or

Chris Rubyor

Westwood Studios

Tel: 702/228-4040 x.362 and x. 339

aaron@westwood.com

chris@westwood.com

cc2web.doc[]

Note: The header and footer are the same as in the first press release and are omitted for this reason.

Westwood Studios Launches Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun Web Site

Official Tiberian Sun News, Information, Screen Shots and Artwork Now Available on the Web

LAS VEGAS, NV - Sept. 8, 1998 -- Westwood Studios, creators of the Command & Conquer® universe of games, today officially launched the Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun™ website, located at http://www.tiberiansun.com. Featuring news, information, screen shots and artwork about the latest installment in the Command & Conquer series, gamers can log on for the most up-to-date official details about what is shaping up to be the year's hottest real-time strategy game.

The Tiberian Sun Web site offers visitors an advance look at the latest battle between the GDI and NOD. Screen shots, artwork and descriptions of selected units from each side give gamers the opportunity to glimpse at how the GDI and NOD forces are stacking up. The "News From the Field" section keeps fans abreast of the latest developments and news related to the game. Story information is also available, revealing NOD's latest plan for world domination and the GDI strategy to stop them.

Set in the early 21st century, Tiberian Sun once again pits the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) against the Brotherhood of NOD in an epic struggle for control of the planet. With an engaging storyline that unfolds as play progresses, players will learn the reason for the outbreak of Tiberium that has poisoned the Earth, and what happened to the notorious NOD leader Kane, who was presumed dead at the end of Command & Conquer.

"Command & Conquer fans have been yearning for details about Tiberian Sun since we announced the project a few months ago," said Ted Morris, director of Westwood Online. "The Tiberian Sun Web site will not only offer gamers a glimpse of the latest units and environments, but will keep Westwood readers informed throughout the development of the title."

collect.doc[]

COMMAND & CONQUER TIBERIAN SUN

COLLECTOR’S EDITION ANNOUNCED

Fans Who Pre-Order Will Get Limited Edition of 1999’s Most Anticipated Game

LAS VEGAS, NV, MAY 13, 1999 – Westwood Studios™ today announced that fans who pre-order Command & Conquer Tiberian Sun™ from Babbage’s, Electronics Boutique and from the Electronic Arts® order line will get a limited release collector’s edition version of the most highly anticipated game of 1999. Only 50,000 of the collector’s edition will be sold.

The collector’s edition will include a deluxe manual with exclusive behind-the-scenes photos and rare concept drawings. Also included will be the Tiberian Sun soundtrack CD and a handcrafted pewter figurine of either a Nod or GDI soldier. The collector’s edition box will be coated in silver foil and numbered.

“The collector’s edition is for the devoted Command & Conquer fans who have waited so patiently for the sequel to one of the most popular games of all time,” said Laura Miele, vice president of marketing for Westwood Studios.

Tiberian Sun promises to push the boundaries of the real-time strategy genre by giving players a more realistic, more dangerous battlefield, new high-tech weapons with unique abilities, troops that gain experience and learn new skills, new tactics (long range bombardment, sabotage, and espionage) and unlimited multiplay experiences thanks to a battle map generator.

Set in the early 21st century, the real-time strategy game pits the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) against the Brotherhood of NOD in a struggle for control of the planet. With an epic storyline that unfolds as play progresses, players will learn the reasons behind the worldwide outbreak of Tiberium and what happened to the notorious NOD leader Kane, who was presumed dead at the end of the first Command & Conquer.

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Westwood shines light on Tiberian Sun, the

latest in its popular Command & Conquer series

LAS VEGAS, May 18, 1998 - Next summer, Westwood Studios proudly invites gamers from around the world to experience Command & Conquer® Tiberian Sun™, the third and most anticipated installment in the C&C universe.

Set in the early 21st century, the real-time strategy game once again pits the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) against the Brotherhood of NOD in a struggle for control of the planet. With an epic storyline that unfolds as play progresses, players will learn the reasons behind the worldwide outbreak of Tiberium and what happened to the notorious NOD leader Kane, who was presumed dead at the end of the first Command & Conquer.

Tiberian Sun features an all-new game engine and improved controls that will allow players to command their forces with even greater ease. Westwood’s MegaVoxel™ technology is used to create a more exciting and dangerous battlefield with dynamic 3D terrain, realistic physics and a fully reactive environment. Explosions leave craters. Lakes and rivers freeze. Ion storms cripple high-tech weapons. Forest fires rage out of control, and winds carry poison gas clouds.

Multiple levels of warfare allow players to cripple opponents from afar or get up close and personal in an all-out ground war. GDI and NOD have distinct styles, units and abilities, providing unlimited tactical and strategic choices in the struggle for global domination.

Players can travel under, over, or on the terrain as they employ devastating new weapons, including the Devil’s Tongue, Hunter-Seeker Drones, Jump-Jet Infantry, Disruptors, Stealth Generators, genetically engineered cyborgs, the Firestorm Defense and many more.

Dynamic colored lighting brings the mood and atmosphere alive. Stealth missions are set in the deep blue of early night. Bases on full alert come alive with sirens and spotlights in search of intruders.

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Page 2 - Westwood shines light on Tiberian Sun, the latest in its popular Command & Conquer series

Tiberian Sun features enhanced Local Area Network and Internet play. Up to 8 players can engage in fierce combat over a LAN and players can go head-to-head via the Internet and Westwood Online. Find and challenge opponents from all over the world with just the click of a button without ever leaving the Tiberian Sun environment. A built-in worldwide ranking system allows players to track their victories and defeats against other Internet gamers. Expanded multiplayer options also include random Battle Map™ generation, Battle Clan™ support, and four new handicapping controls.

“Even though we’ve added a host of new features, technology and units, Tiberian Sun retains the best aspects and traditions of the Command & Conquer universe and stays true to what our vision of a compelling strategy game is,” said Brett W. Sperry, executive producer of the project. “I think our fans will appreciate the quality and depth we’re building into Tiberian Sun, which will make it a game of lasting value, intrigue, and fun.”

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