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Zitat von IGN
GDI Updates
New Units
Hammerhead: New flying unit for the GDI that doesn't require constant re-loading with ammo back at the air field. This one never needs to reload the twin auto cannons that can rain hell down on infantry. However, it's still fairly defenseless against anti-air units and can only hit ground targets. Hammerheads also have one garrison slot, which is especially important because whatever infantry unit is garrisoned inside will be able to fire as well. Pile in some Zone Troopers or grenade troopers and you'll have one hell of an attack force in the sky that can be deployed to the ground if need be.
Slingshot: This guy fills a much needed deficiency in the GDI's line-up, which is vulnerability vs. aircraft. While they have pretty decent planes, they also require re-armament just like the Orcas. The Slingshots will fill that role nicely as they're a fast ground based lightly armored anti-air hovercraft that can destroy air forces pretty easily if protected from ground troops.
Shatterer: This mobile sonic emitter is another hover tank that has taken the sonic emitter turret from C&C 3 and strapped it onto a mobile platform which becomes a very strong siege weapon. Because these tanks can hit multiple targets, micromanagers should be able to be very successful maneuvering units to get the greatest impact.
Modified units
Zone Raider: Comes with shoulder mounted anti-air rockets. She's great for defending against air attacks though that weapon isn't particularly terrific for full on attacks. The Raider shown in the demo was also upgraded with a new toy called the sonic cannon which fires a shell that explodes in an area effect, which is pretty slick at clearing out clumped units. When combined with the ground-only Zone Troopers, they're a pair to be reckoned with. Even so, good anti-infantry troops like the Black Hand will still have a decided advantage over the Zone Raiders and Troopers.
Other Upgrades
We were also told that Orcas will be able to upgrade with sonic launchers of the Zone Raider, though this particular upgrade will be tied to one of the specific sub-factions. Being able to fly in and spam a much larger area with sonic shells is a pretty nice thought though.
New Power:
GDI also gets a new orbital strike that essentially launches large slugs from space that will be available in the late game for the GDI. It causes a great amount of damage to a pretty large area and is another power that reinforces the fiction that GDI has control of orbital space around Earth.
Scrin Updates
Unfortunately, we didn't really get a chance to see any of the new Scrin units in action. Our only glimpse was in a quick video that showed the design for the Ravager and Mechapede units. We heard it slip that the Mechapedes would be highly customizable unit, but that's all we can tell you for now, though we're pretty stoked about the idea of a mechanical centipede of death.
Improving Console Controls
The control scheme on the 360 for C&C 3 worked really well for what it was. It wasn't perfect, but it did allow players to access nearly everything that PC players could, albeit a tad bit slower and less precisely. But as with most good interface developers, EA wanted to improve upon the system. What they are implementing with this expansion, something they had toyed with saving until their next game, is a much easier radial interface system.
"What it is essentially is a radial that pops up via the right trigger which allows you to pick anything via the left analog stick," explains Vessel. "So, if you have infantry selected you hold the trigger down and it'll pop up the unit abilities. If there's a unit structure selected it'll pop up the build queues." One of the best things about the new interface is an improvement towards the efficiency of the PC build. Those that played the PC build will remember the side bar that allows control over all build queues in one place no matter where you are on the battlefield. Those that played the 360 version won't, because it wasn't there. The radial menu will help alleviate this by allowing you 360 players to access unlimited numbers of build queues via the radial menu which should help you focus on the business of strategy and tactics rather than structure management. We didn't have the opportunity to play with the controls ourselves, but the concept already sounds much better than the original.
Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath is looking to be a pretty huge expansion pack that we're definitely looking forward to seeing more of in the future. There are a lot of solid ideas here that sound well conceived and many of the meta-game features might indeed improve this aspect of the RTS genre. Expect both the PC and 360 versions of the game to release at the same time though the PC version will ship as a standard expansion pack while the 360 version will hit stores as a stand-alone product. We'll be sure to carry whatever info we get your way in the future.
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