Command & Conquer: Generals

Command & Conquer: Generals is a real-time strategy video game and the seventh installment in the Command & Conquer series. It was released for Microsoft Windows and macOS operating systems in 2003 and 2004. While the Windows version of Generals was developed by EA Pacific and published by EA Games, the macOS version was developed and published by Aspyr Media. The macOS version was re-released by Aspyr for the Mac App Store on March 12, 2015.

Generals utilizes SAGE (Strategy Action Game Engine), an extended version of the Command & Conquer: Renegade's 3D engine. An expansion pack, entitled Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour, was additionally released for PC in 2003, and for macOS in 2005. Both Generals and Zero Hour were met with highly positive reviews. A sequel, Command & Conquer: Generals 2, was in development, until it was re-purposed to a free-to-play game known as simply Command & Conquer. The new game was part of the Generals franchise and was cancelled on October 29, 2013 by EA after negative feedback during the closed Alpha test (In reality, it was not any negative feedback that shut it down, it was corporate politics and shenanigans).

Gameplay
Command and Conquer Generals operates like most other real-time strategy games, in that the player must construct a base, acquire resources, build various combat and support units, and defeat opponents. Various unit types can be constructed, ranging from infantry to vehicles and air units. The player may control the United States of America, the People's Republic of China, or the Global Liberation Army, and each side has its unique characteristics and abilities. All sides share some similarities, such as training infantry at a barracks, building armored vehicles at a factory, possessing "high tech" buildings needed for more advanced units, possessing a means to acquire additional resources and possessing a unique superweapon.

The United States relies on an arsenal of high-tech weaponry and a dominant air force; however, it is the most expensive army in the game to maintain. China relies on the power of propaganda and hordes of troops and tanks to overwhelm their opponents, the drawback here being that its troops must be able to form the larger army in the match. The GLA is considerably weaker in a head-on engagement, and must rely on underhanded, hit and run tactics to defeat its opponents.

The game's interface is similar to that of real-time strategy games such as Age of Empires or StarCraft. The player selects buildings to bring up build orders and purchase upgrades, and can select individual units to activate their special abilities. Structures are built by selecting dedicated builder units and placing the structure anywhere on the map.

As with other real-time strategy games, the various units have advantages and disadvantages against other units, and the player is encouraged to mix unit types in order to succeed and fight tactically with various unit abilities in order to win.

For example, rifle infantry are capable of quickly killing other infantry types, but are vulnerable to light vehicles and dedicated anti-infantry/anti-air units such as tankettes and APCs, which in turn are vulnerable to main battle tanks, which themselves are vulnerable to missile-equipped infantry and aircraft.

As the game progresses and the player defeats enemy units in battle, the player will gain "experience" points, which are used to purchase "Generals Abilities," unique abilities that range from enhancing units and unlocking new unit types to powerful air strikes, one-shot enhancements to units, or targeting "spawn points" to drop or create groups of units anywhere on the map.

As individual units attack and defeat enemy units or capture buildings, they gain "veterancy" and become more powerful, much like the General commanding them. Higher-ranking units attack faster, have more health, and heal or repair themselves.

In a single-player campaign, a player can play any of the three sides in any order, with each side's campaign consisting of seven missions. The storyline follows the order of China first, then the GLA, then the United States. Additionally, there is a training mission that can be accessed directly regardless of the player's progress in the campaign. In this mission, the player is fighting as the U.S. against the GLA.

Games can be played both over the Internet or a local area network (LAN). It adopts a similar format to skirmish mode whereby the goal is to eliminate the other team. Games over the Internet can be completely random, in the form of a Quick Match. Players can also play in Custom Matches where the number of players, the map and rules are decided upon by the host.

The online feature originally worked via GameSpy servers. After the shutdown of GameSpy in 2014, these were no longer available.

A replacement online option has been developed by Revora. The software, instructions and support can be found on CnC Online.

The macOS version of the game released for the Mac App Store supports LAN, as well as Game Center for online play.

Plot
Generals takes place in the near future, with players given a choice of three factions to play. In Generals, the United States and the People's Republic of China are the world's two superpowers, and are the targets of the Global Liberation Army (GLA), an omnipresent borderless terrorist organization, fighting as a fanatical irregular force. The United States and China are depicted as allies in the series who occasionally co-operate against the GLA, whose goal is the elimination of the military forces of China and the United States.

The Chinese campaign kicks off with GLA forces launching attacks on Chinese cities, starting with the detonation of a stolen Chinese nuclear warhead in Beijing during a military parade, which kills thousands. In a separate attack, the GLA destroys a bridge leading into Hong Kong to decimate a Chinese armoured division. Undeterred, the Chinese manage to hold off the offensive, despite having to destroy the Three Gorges Dam in the process in order to stall the GLA's advance and regain the initiative. Now on the counter-offensive, the United States provides air support to the Chinese as they launch a counterattack into GLA-occupied Balykchy, almost completely destroying the city. The Chinese then learn that the cell responsible for the attacks across China has been located in Dushanbe, and a massive Chinese attack is ordered, using nuclear weapons to finally put an end to the GLA incursion.

Despite losses against the Chinese, the GLA's influence in the Middle East as well as its strong presence in Kazakhstan is relatively unaffected. To continue the war against America and China, the GLA acquires cash by raiding United Nations convoys as well as causing mass riots in Astana. Resurrected in the Middle East, the GLA now once again poses a significant threat. The United States fully mobilises against the terrorists by raiding the GLA's toxin deposits in the Aral Sea as well as deploying the might of the US Air Force against the GLA's troops. The GLA retaliates by attacking the Baikonur Cosmodrome, where it intends to use the Cosmodrome to fire long-range toxin missiles at highly populated cities in Europe and abroad.

The United States military deploys to Iraq, Yemen, and eventually Kazakhstan to liberate the countries from GLA control. The GLA reacts by firing Scud missiles against American forces, and ambushes an entire U.S. division in the Hindu Kush. Despite its losses, the U.S. continues the offensive, and even moves to neutralise a rogue Chinese General who has armed the GLA with nuclear weapons. The U.S. is able to defeat the renegade and prevent the nuclear weapons from being used. The American resolution to destroy the GLA culminates with Operation Last Call, a joint American/Chinese assault on the GLA capital of Akmola, Kazakhstan. Pulling no punches, the capital is liberated from GLA control, and the world celebrates the end of GLA tyranny.

Why Great Leaders Resolve Their Conflicts

 * 1) In the game, the player can choose from three different factions: the United States of America (USA), People's Republic of China and the Global Liberation Army (GLA). Each faction have their own distinctive style (USA relies on technology, China on sheer numbers and spirit, GLA on guerrilla tactics) and none of them are overpowered.
 * 2) More units and buildings to choose from.
 * 3) Extended 3D graphics. A very good transition from the 2.5D generation of Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2.
 * 4) Epic story.
 * 5) Absolutely amazing soundtrack.
 * 6) Speedy resource gathering in order to win.
 * 7) You can create custom maps using the game's World Builder.
 * 8) Challenging missions and difficulties.
 * 9) Much like in most C&C games after Yuri's Revenge, all units have distinct voice sets, giving every unit it's own personality.
 * 10) A excellent expansion pack in the form of Zero Hour, which introduced new campaign missions, many new units as well as subfactions and challenge mode. The subfaction system was very well recieved and has been incorporated by many mods.
 * 11) Has plenty of mods to choose from, a lot of which have been praised for improving the already awesome gameplay.
 * 12) Gamers can download any mods for both Generals and Generals ZH includes the Generals 2 mod based on the cancelled game with a same name, It can be found of ModDb.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) It was banned in China due to portraying scenes where national landmarks such as Tiananmen Square and the Three Gorges Dam are destroyed (even though the Chinese are portrayed as extremely powerful and emerges victorious in the war against terror).
 * 2) The Zero Hour expansion was clearly rused, many unused content can be found in the game's files. However, mods like Shockwave managed to restore many of them.
 * 3) The units and characters are modified into cyborgs in the German version due to its censorship issues, and the GLA's terrorist unit (a suicidal bomber) has been modified into... a bomb on wheels - that can somehow drive cars.
 * 4) The sequel is actually pretty good-looking, but due to the Greed of EA and the absolutely Abysmal Executive Meddling happened behind the curtain of Development, the game is abandoned and we may never see any Sequel to the General. Not to mention, EA killed the Franchise with the newest Title. making the chances of another sequel for Command and Conquer games even more less likely.