Community Summit 06
Previously: Invitation to the Community Summit
On Monday 20 November 2006, I struggled to wake up and started my day by checking my emails, where I found a surprise: an email from Aaron, the Community Manager, entitled “Invitation to CnC 3 Community Summit – CONFIDENTIAL – REPLY NOW”.
I opened it straight away and discovered the good news: I’d been invited to the 2006 Community Summit, which was to take place on Monday 11th and Tuesday 12th December 2006 in Los Angeles. Travel, accommodation and meals were being provided by Electronic Arts.
[...] To the community leaders of the Global Defensive Initiative and The Brotherhood of Nod, you have been summoned to the Command and Conquer 3 Headquarters by the Electronic Arts government in Los Angeles, California, on 11th and 12th December 2006. You have been ordered to attend the official Community Summit for Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. This community summit is highly confidential; if any information regarding this top-secret community summit is disclosed, the mission will be seriously jeopardised. You must keep this absolutely confidential! [...]
Over the following weeks, a series of emails arrived to organise the trip and provide us with further details about the event and the confidential nature of all this information.
This year’s community summit is going to be a highly interactive, hands-on and exciting experience, so tell your mum you’ve got some important business to sort out, because this is one event you simply cannot miss. Day 0: The Journey
I’m flying out of Toulon on Saturday evening, staying overnight at my mate Arzenist’s place, and then heading to Roissy, where I’ll meet up with Jérôme, aka Furax, to begin our journey to Los Angeles together.
We’ve got an 8 hour 40 minute flight taking us to Philadelphia – thank goodness there are films and a meal on board. We then pass through US immigration and customs without a hitch (no, we’re not Terrorists – see document below) and board another flight, a 6-hour 13-minute journey to Los Angeles.
We arrive in Los Angeles at 9.23 pm.
Day 1: The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Marina del Rey
Once we’ve collected our bags, we take a taxi to the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey, a five-star hotel. In the hotel lift, we can’t help but feel a bit out of place in such an ultra-chic setting.
We settled into our room (1021) on the tenth floor, took a few photos of the view and rang Aaron to let him know we’d arrived safely. Then it was off to bed to get some sleep.
View from the hotel.
Day 1: Breakfast at EALA
After sleeping for a few hours (it’s hard to sleep for long, especially when it’s the middle of the afternoon in France), we head down to the lobby with Renardin and join the other guests at the Community Summit. There are 28 of us, two-thirds of whom are American.
At 8.40 am, Aaron joins us and we take a taxi to EA Los Angeles, just five minutes away. We have breakfast in the ultra-modern canteen and Aaron hands out our passes and T-shirts (Nod or GDI depending on our replies to the emails).
List of participants:
Participant | Website | Type |
Tim Gokcen (Hexetic) | Fan site | |
Scott Richards | Fan Site | |
Jeffrey Suhr (Jshu0107) | Fan Site | |
John Eckhardt | Fan Site | |
David Scott Thompson (Assassin) | Fan Site / Modding | |
Alex Watson (Hypnotist) | Fan Site (New Zealand) | |
Li Muyang | Fan site (China) | |
Jerome Ouvrard (Furax) | Fan site (France) | |
Daniel Stacker (Mr Yuri) | Fan site (Germany) | |
Martin Spundflasche (TW4000) | Fan site (Germany) | |
Viktor Rennert (Blackshark) | Fan site (Germany) | |
Sven Greiner (Aschante) | Fan site (Germany) | |
Scott Daniels (Cabal) | Fan site (UK) | |
Pierre Maindron (Tchutch) | Fan site (France) | |
Jarret Mckay | Fan site (hardcore C&C fans) | |
Geoffrey Lapaire | Fan site (die-hard C&C fans) | |
Jason Ferguson | Fan site | |
Matt Everett (Sledgehammer) | Tournament | |
Janet Okai (DonCarlo) | Tournament | |
Christine Korza (Crimson) | Modder | |
Emiel Suilen (Phoib) | Modder | |
Renaud Sury (Renardin) | Modder | |
Eric Edwards (Hostile) | Modder | |
Vincent Vangeel | Modder | |
Jim Bernstein | Modder | |
Carlos Muniz (Banshee) | ||
Carlos Muniz href="http://ppmsite.com">ppmsite.com | Modder | |
Adam Michael | Fan Site |
Day 1: Introduction to CnC3
Mike Verdu, Greg Black, Amer Ajami and Jim Vessella welcomed us into the conference room to give us an introduction to the Command and Conquer 3 project, what we would be seeing over the next two days, and an overview of the game’s new features and options across all areas.
Two participants were chosen to play an opening GDI vs Nod match, which was projected for everyone to see.
They then discussed the single-player game, its three parallel campaigns, the aliens, etc… and they then show us a level from the GDI vs Alien single-player campaign and an internal EA video showcasing the gameplay and live-action scenes.
We finally head to the third floor of the building to visit the offices of the Command and Conquer 3 team (they occupy the entire floor). All the offices are actually cubicles (except for a few people working on video and sound). The walls are covered with concept art and game progress charts.
Section completed on 12 January 2007, following the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA on press exclusives:We learn during this first section that the story will be a sequel to Firestorm. There are 38–40 single-player missions in total, split between the three factions across three parallel campaigns. This is the longest single-player campaign created by this team. The Alien campaign begins a little later than the others (as the Aliens are not immediately on Earth) and is therefore slightly shorter.
The Aliens have been present in their ship near Neptune for over 1,000 years; they are waiting for a signal to act, which for them will be the destruction of the Philadelphia station. They do not have light-speed travel or teleportation to reach their home planet.
Day 1: Behind-the-Scenes Videos
After a lunch break and some shopping at the EA shop, where games are sold for $10, we returned to the conference room to watch the presentation of the game’s videos.
Richard Taylor, the director of the cutscenes, presented his work and described the filming process, showing images from the 120-page script, storyboards and photos from the shoot. We were then treated to a video showing excerpts from the game’s cutscenes, featuring live-action actors and 3D scenes.
Section completed on 12 January 2007, following the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA on press exclusives:
EA has allocated a very large budget for this shoot, the bulk of which goes towards the actors’ salaries.
Filming took place over a week in LA at Renegade Effects Studio and two days in Ohio for the scenes with Josh. The Voice of Kane has been slightly darkened using computer effects. The videos have been edited to give them a cooler tone.
There will be video sequences featuring characters from the game, as well as scenes with journalists summarising the battles. All in-game videos will be in HD. We have also learnt that both Nod and the GDI will be split into two factions: a moderate faction led by Granger for the GDI and Killian Qatar for Nod, and a more hardline faction led by Redmon for the GDI (a politician who’ll stop at nothing to ensure the GDI wins) and Kane for Nod. Other characters will evolve over the course of the game, such as Ajay (played by Josh Holloway), an Officer who had never previously taken part in combat and who comes to realise the damage caused by Nod during the campaign.
Day 1: Video Editing
We then head back up to the third floor to meet two members of the game’s team who are working on video editing. They explain how they work and the purpose of their modifications using several videos (featuring actors or generated by the game engine), where we can see the various effects being added as they go along. The result is truly superb.
Section completed on 12 January 2007, following the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA on press exclusives.
For each video featuring live-action actors and 3D footage generated by the game engine, they adjust the lighting, colours and shades. For scenes featuring live-action actors, they also replace the green and blue screens. For 3D scenes, they send the lighting, colour and shade data to the Sage engine, which then modifies the video in real time. Modders will be able to do the same for their own videos.
Day 1: Props, Fake Buildings and Costumes
Back in the conference room, where Dragon from Renegade Effects Group is presenting his work. He and his team created all the sets, props and costumes for Command & Conquer 3 (they have also worked on a large number of films and TV series such as Star Trek, The Mask, Alien vs. Predator, etc.). Dragon himself is dressed for the occasion as a High Priest of Nod.
He is handing out weapons from the game: a Nod AK-47 rifle, a GDI rifle, Kane’s pistol, GDI and Nod helmets, etc. All the weapons feel as heavy as the real thing, make authentic sounds and actually have laser sight beams to make the actors’ and production team’s work easier.
He explains the importance of detail in making the cutscenes as believable as possible for the player. They were given three months to work on this, whereas for a TV series they’re usually given just one week. This, combined with the great precision of the script and the work of the game’s team, enabled them to produce work of the very highest quality.
He gives the two people who’d travelled from the furthest away small Nod emblems taken from the Fake Buildings, and the last two to Aaron, who’ll give me one later in the day thanks to Renardin putting in a good word for me (without me knowing, thanks ;)).
Day 1: Nod vs GDI multiplayer matches
We then head to a room with around thirty PCs to play 1v1 GDI-Nod matches. I play three games with Renardin within the time allotted to us (about an hour), though I should point out that we took our time. Online matches will be quicker (15–20 mins); in fact, most people play 4–5 matches.
The game runs very smoothly, is easy to get to grips with, and the maps are magnificent.
Whilst playing, I spotted Amer Ajami, the game’s producer, having a laugh sticking my CnCSaga stickers on the computers in the room :D!!!
We met up afterwards to debrief with the game’s team.
Game completed on 12 January 2007, after the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA for press-only events: We discovered features such as the lasso tool, which allows you to freely select units as well as routes and other elements.
Day 1: LaserQuest Evening
For the evening, we set off by coach with Aaron and a few members of the CnC3 team to play some LaserQuest. Three teams – blue, red and green – of 10–12 players (subdivided into two), 8–10 rounds… lots of fun. But Apoc is still held captive by Kane!
We returned to the hotel, thoroughly exhausted, for a good night’s sleep.
Day 2: RTS as a sport
The second day began with a presentation by Chris Corry on Command and Conquer 3’s multiplayer mode, entitled ‘RTS as a sport’. He showed us the new features added to the game to make it more appealing to ‘pro’ players, as well as the new CommandandConquer.com website, which will launch to coincide with the game’s release. This means that all matches can be streamed on the official website, complete with commentary and even an audio feed.
Match completed on 12 January 2007, following the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA on press exclusives: The new official website will be heavily inspired by that of Battlefield. Patches will not prevent users from viewing older replays. You’ll be able to fast-forward through replays. The GameSpy chat will be integrated with the game. There’ll be a reputation system for both players and commentators. You’ll be able to specify your clan so that scores are recorded in the clan leaderboards (1v1 and 2v2). The free player will be approximately 1 GB for the English and German versions and 1.5 GB for the multilingual versions. During matches, you’ll be able to follow either the players’ view, the commentator’s view or a free-camera view. The commentary will be recorded in the replay. A 20-minute replay of a 2-player match with audio commentary will be approximately 1 to 2 MB.
Day 2: AI Testing
We returned to playing CnC3, this time in Skirmish mode, to test the AI. These matches were also followed by a debriefing with the game’s development team. We all noted a genuinely positive change in the AI since Generals.Session completed on 12 January 2007, following the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA on press exclusives: The AI has been significantly overhauled. You can choose its playstyle: camping or rushing. We’ve also observed that the AI is adept at mixing units in its attacks (even air units), that it’s capable of launching multiple attacks on several fronts simultaneously, and that it doesn’t hesitate to launch Engineer rushes and the like...*
Day 2: Xbox 360 version
Big Mike presents the Xbox 360 version of Command & Conquer 3, with Louis Castle – head of console development at EALA and co-founder of Westwood Studios – looking on.
He talks again about the additional multiplayer options in the console version, such as Capture and Hold, King of the Hill, Capture the Flag and Siege. Finally, he and his team play through a Nod single-player mission (vs GDI). We can see how easy the gameplay is with the controller, thanks to redesigned menus linked to the controller buttons (they’ve improved on the system used in the Xbox 360 version of BFME2), and the cursor’s auto-lock feature on nearby units.
He also talks about how the webcam works in Xbox 360 online mode for chat, gameplay and at the end of the match, when the winner gets a few seconds to pose.
Day 2: Alien vs Others Multiplayer
We move on to 1v1 matches with the Aliens. We’re getting to know this faction’s buildings and units from scratch. It takes a little longer to get to grips with them than with the GDI and Nod, as we know nothing about these units’ capabilities.
The CNC3 activities concluded with a debrief, during which we took turns sharing our thoughts on everything we’d seen over the past two days.
Section completed on 12 January 2007, following the lifting of the embargo imposed by EALA on press exclusives: See the files on Alien units and structures...
Day 2: Community
To round off theafternoon in the conference room, where a large part of the game’s team is waiting for us to watch presentations by five fans: Renardin with his CnC Reborn mod, the ModToaster team, videos by JohnWE, the Tib Rising mod and videos by the purepwnage.com
It was a really enjoyable occasion, and we’d like to thank the game’s team once again for their interest in the fans’ creations.
Day 2: Prizes
The meet-up ended with Aaron handing out prizes: an Nvidia GeForce 7900 GTO graphics card (the meet-up being sponsored by Nvidia and Logitech), a Nod mug and a GDI mug, an autographed photo of Kane and an autographed photo of another actor (either Michael Ironside, Tricia Helfer or Grace Park).
Everyone took a taxi back to the hotel except Renardin, Furax and me, whom Aaron drove back himself in his ApocMobile. Thank you!
In the evening, we head out by taxi with Renaud and Jérôme to Hollywood Boulevard to admire the stars. Then we round off the evening at the hotel bar with the best Californian beer – as Belgians, Renaud and I agree it’s no match for Belgian beer.
Days 3–4–5: Back to Paris...
The next day, I flew back to Philadelphia with Jérôme. And what should have taken about 17 hours turned out to be much longer.
In fact, as the plane approached Philadelphia, a storm had caused one of the two runways to be closed, and our plane, caught in the traffic jam, had to land in Baltimore to refuel. This diversion, stop and return to Philadelphia took three hours. So we missed our flight to Paris.
So, together with a Franco-American woman who was also heading to Paris, we went to the US Airways counter to change our tickets. After a long queue and several tens of minutes of discussion with a very friendly member of staff – who’d been rushed into this role at short notice – we finally received our return tickets. To get home, we’ll have to fly back the other way to Chicago at 1 pm the following day to catch a flight to Paris, which will arrive on Friday at 10 am – 24 hours after our scheduled arrival.
Jérôme and I decide to spend the night at the airport as there are officially no more hotel rooms available and we don’t want to risk spending the night outside. We take the opportunity to take loads of silly photos in this huge, empty Airport.
After three hours of fitful sleep – they’d actually left the lights on and Christmas carols playing all night in the Airport – we had breakfast and decided to explore the Airport. We discovered that our Chicago–Paris flight would be in Business Class instead of Economy Class :D!
We took off for Chicago 45 minutes late, but the plane still arrived on time at our destination. In Chicago, we boarded a United Airlines flight. We settled in (a far cry from the cramped seats in economy class), and the flight attendant came round to take our order for our Business Class meal. But…
we were told there was a technical fault and a delay to our departure, and that replacing the part would take four hours…. In the end, we were moved to a different aeroplane and set off for Paris two hours behind schedule.
At midday on Friday, we finally arrived in Paris, where we rushed to the station to catch a TGV to Nantes, but that’s another story...
