The 2-CD installation includes:
- One tutorial mission.
- 21 solo play missions divided into three 7-mission campaigns.
- Several 2–8 player skirmish maps.
- World Builder, a map editor for creating user-generated sharable content.
Command & Conquer: Generals mirrors the war on terrorism. Fans of the franchise will notice a shift away from the sci-fi & fantasy direction toward a more plausible near-future. In retrospect (as of September 2014) many aspects of the game seem eerily prophetic.
A first-time player can become familiar with basic game mechanics in the USA mission tutorial.
The player has three unique factions to choose from instead of the franchise's usual two. Each faction has its own 7-mission campaign in solo play. Early missions introduce various aspects unique to that faction. There are three selectable difficulty levels which cannot be changed mid-campaign.
Campaigns are intended to be played in sequence (China > GLA > USA); however, the first mission of each campaign is initially unlocked. Each first mission is designed to encourage experimentation, with plenty of optional things to do. The player can even discover a clever way to complete these first missions in about two minutes or less.
Multiplayer skirmish maps can be played with 2 to 8 players, either human, computer AI, or in combination. Players (including AI) can be setup into teams, with selected and/or random options. It is unknown whether or not there are still any active servers online.
World Builder is a standalone map editor, independently accessed from the game folder. Help and documentation is minimal at best, requiring a steep learning curve for unfamiliar users. Custom maps and mods can still be found online.
Officially supported only for Windows 98/ME/2k/XP, Generals runs great on Win7 32-bit with one minor glitch (see sidebar). Compatibility with other Windows versions is unverified. A cursory internet search suggests that running on 64-bit Win7/8 is possible, according to discussions on EA, C&C and MS forums.
Updates
The final supported patch (v1.08, Dec '05) is a rollback which includes all prior bug fixes, balance tweaks and other "addressed issues". It can still be downloaded from Electronic Arts' public FTP server: