Lots of information emerged from GamesCom/CommandCom concerning the gameplay details of Command and Conquer 4. Below is a quick list of those details, but expect to see a more in-depth hands-on impression of the game.
DISCLAIMER: ALL INFORMATION IS FROM A PRE-ALPHA BUILD. NOTHING IS SET IN STONE
Crawlers
- Crawlers can respawn, but there is a 1 minute respawn time
- Crawlers respawn by coming down in a large drop pod that destroys any units underneath it
- Can only respawn in designated areas
- Crawlers have a cargo bay that can only hold 4 units by default, but can be expanded to hold more through upgrades.
- You can build units as your crawler is moving around, and they will be stored in the cargo bay. When you deploy your crawler, those units will come out as long as they have finished building
- Crawlers can crush enemy units, but take damage as they do
- Provide a large healing/repair radius
- Can be upgraded with various weapons to enhance combat effectiveness
- Respawning as a different class/crawler will destroy all existing units produced by the previous class/crawler
Classes
- Support class isn't just support, can hold its own as a stand-alone class. Takes less damage overall
- Offense class is more micro-intensive, designed for aggressive gameplay, heavier hitting units
- Defense class can build defense structures, shield structures etc, builds infantry
- Originally 5 classes: Assault, Heavy, Raider, Defense, Support
Gameplay Modes
- Domination Mode is the default (and the only one revealed so far)
- Each map has 5 goal structures that can be controlled
- The more you control, the faster you reduce the opposing team's strategic points
- Each team starts with 1000 strategic points, first to 0 is the loser
- You cannot regain points, you only lose them
- Match length is currently limited to 60 minutes, but will be adjusted based on testing feedback
Different Ways To Play
- Player vs Player (PVP)
- Player vs Environment (i.e. online Comp stomp)
- Skirmish (offline comp stomp)
- Custom match (different settings)
Multiplayer
- Automatching is based on skill and "ladder" ranking (ELO style), not based on level
- You can form temporary parties that let you stick together when automatching
- More permanent clans can be formed
- EA can now detect who disconnects
- Disconnecting results in zero XP gain during that match, and any further action EA deems appropriate
Player Progression
- Skill impacts the game far more than levels
- Unlocking units grants you access to more specialized units, not super strong "kill everything" units
- Level 50 vs Level 0 is NOT as one-sided as one would think. Again, skill matters more.
- You can unlock everything from units, to upgrades to more structures (for defense class)
- You level up your FACTION, not individual classes. That is, when you play as GDI, you gain GDI-only XP that can be used across all three of your classes. GDI XP cannot be used to enhance your NOD profile etc.
Resources
- There is no tiberium, harvesters, gathering, or money of any shape or form
- The "resources" are the strategic command points that each team starts with. You remove these points from the opposing team by capturing and controlling the goal structures on the map
- Goal structures automatically reinforce themselves the longer you hold onto them
- You control these goal structures by keeping units near them. The more units, the faster you capture them.
- EA is experimenting with some form of separate resource gathering and spending
Misc Details
- Each class has an "epic" unit. For example, GDI Offense gets the Mastadon, which is essentially the Mammoth Mk II from Tiberian Sun
- Some units have ammo limits that require them to wait before they reload
- Flame tank causes residual burn damage over time
- Engineer can capture husks of units (for example, old GDI Mammoth Tanks), and can heal/repair units at a short range
- There are approximately 50 command points per player in 5v5, which translates to about 10 units that you can control. The fewer players there are, the more command points there are per player
- Combat lethality is very low
- Movement speed is slow-average
- There are three tech levels that you upgrade to via the crawler
- Un-upgraded crawlers are easier to kill than the epic units from Kane's Wrath, and don't do as much damage.
