Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars

Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars is the most recent addition to the Command and Conquer franchise, developed and distributed by Electronic Arts. It is a futuristic real-time strategy game that takes place on Earth, infested with a green (occasionally blue) alien substance known as Tiberium, which is terraforming the earth at an extraordinary rate.

It is highly praised and it leads the Command and Conquer franchise back to its roots - the previous installment of Command and Conquer - Generals, and its expansion pack Zero Hour - both occur in real-time earth with no mention of either of the two previous universes (Red Alert or Tiberian) and has a different gameplay style altogether. C&C3 sees the return of Tiberium, the sidebar, Harvesters, and various other C&C-specific units such as the Mammoth Tank. The latest expansion pack is Command & Conquer 3: Kane's Wrath.

Gameplay is hardly realistic - buildings seemingly come out of the ground and a certain unit - the MCV - literally transforms into a massive working structure called the Construction Yard. Regardless, the gameplay is relatively easy to learn and is highly praised by major reviewers.

Tiberium is the only resource players will need to collect. It is harvested by slow-moving yet highly resilient vehicles called Harvesters (see the list of units). Tiberium spreads from Tiberium-filled chasms, which slowly regenerate the field they are tied to, providing players with an unlimited amount of it. It may take a while, however, for the fields to regenerate once depleted. Tiberium will also produce more Tiberium nearby, but at an extremely slow rate. Additionally the substance is extremely dangerous to humans and will kill them at a relatively quick rate (previous instalments, which had humans mutate occasionally, have been done away with for now).

The second resource is electricity. It is displayed as a bar near the minimap, and when demand exceeds supply, production is slowed and the minimap as well as all base defences turn off. The creation of additional power plants will increase production.

Command and Conquer 3 is also notable for its real-time FMVs, which feature famous Hollywood actors and actresses including Grace Park, Michael Ironside, and Billy D. Williams. Joseph D. Kucan also reprises his role of Kane, an enigmatic yet extremely cunning and brilliant man who leads the Brotherhood of Nod.

Factions
There are three primary factions in the game, each one with a different perspective on Tiberium. The newest addition is the Scrin, which have been alluded to in previous installments of the C&C franchise.

The Global Defense Initiative represents a typical western military. The GDI sports quite expensive and heavy material, and are generally considered the conservatives - they stick to what they know and prefer tried and true methods of combat versus the new and radical. Their strengths lie primarily in the middle game, where they can take full advantage of their heavy hitters. Their walker unit is the Juggernaut, a bipedal walker artillery unit specializing in the elimination of enemy structures and base defenses from extreme range. Their best unit is the Mammoth Tank which can fire on all targets. Their Commando kills infantry, jump jet across cliffs and bomb structures. The superweapon is the ION Cannon which now cause radius damage.

The Brotherhood of Nod are the underdogs. Led by Kane, their units fall under two general archetypes - fast, light units, or highly experimental tough units. They are unafraid to die for their cause, and most worship Kane as the Messiah. Their walker unit is the Avatar, a heavy-hitting unit capable of upgrading itself by destroying friendly vehicles. Their Commando can bomb buildings, kill infantry and can stealth when not moving. The Nuclear Missile is their superweapon.

The Scrin is the newest faction, and intend to use Ichor (what they call Tiberium) for their own malicious purposes. They field powerful infantry and tough vehicles, and often use massive fleets of aircraft like Planetary Assault Carriers and Devastator Warships to destroy their foes. Their walker is the Annihilator Tripod, an extremely powerful unit with a decent attack rate. It can also acquire the "Forcefield Generators" upgrade. Their Mastermind can mind control and teleport units. Their Rift Generator is the superweapon which sucks enemies into a black hole but construction yards and superweapons can survive however.

Patches
Several patches have been released, the newest being Version 1.09. The earlier patches fix primarily connectivity issues as well as downgrading the less strategy-oriented "strategies" (putting more emphasis on economy rather than overpowering units) and as such updating is highly encouraged.

The Battlecast Viewer was recently released and it allows players to view matches online as though they had the game - it contains all the unit models, but none of the functionality. The Patches made GDI Missions harder though.

Battlecast Primetime & The Worldwide Community
Battlecast Primetime is a flagship internet TV programme which covers the latest news in the Command and Conquer community. They also feature a short segment called the Battlecast 5, in which they broadcast the most exciting battlecasted matches. They also feature a featured matchup which features the two top players from the previous matches to play in a 1v1.

Two other supporting shows include Aftermath and Command School. Aftermath features a behind-the-scenes look on the production of Battlecast Primetime, including miscellaneous items like bloopers. Command School outlines tips, tactics, and strategies employed by players and cover things like build orders and unit matchups.

Germany in particular seems to be grasping Command and Conquer 3, while a handful of top ranked players, including the infamous Dackel, hail from the UK.

The game was featured in the World Cybergames Championships, which Dackel ended up winning.