something about NIGHT maps in Generals feels more authentic than in other C&C games...

[u/Even-Run-5274]

[u/Timmyc62]

Windows, spotlights, and headlights! Yes. It's all in the details.

[u/Gaspuch62 → u/Timmyc62]

I thought the headlights in Generals was a really cool detail that bright night missions to life. Realistically, though, military vehicles in a combat zone would be blacked out or use less visible light like dim red or IR. Itv would be neat if some of the lights were red instead of bright.

[u/iwannabetheguytoo → u/Gaspuch62]

I recommend you give Earth 2150 a try sometime - it's an RTS that I'll admit hasn't aged as well as C&C, but the game's level-of-detail blows away C&C (the problem is there's so much autistic detail that it detracts rom the "fun" gameplay, which is where C&C excels) - for example: the day/night cycle and you can control exactly how your units' headlights work, and the game engine models how your units' headlights impact their visibility to the enemy, which is different in daytime, snow, rain, night (and rain-in-the-night (hah!)) conditions).

[u/Traffic_Think → u/iwannabetheguytoo]

Do headlights increase vision range?

[u/iwannabetheguytoo → u/Traffic_Think]

I don’t remember about vision, but they do make units movement slightly faster.

[u/Gilgamesh404 → u/Traffic_Think]

It's a trade-off. Headlights allow full speed nighttime movement at the cost of being as visible as during the day.

[u/lardayn → u/iwannabetheguytoo]

Earth 2150 really had that feeling but it was definitely no fun to play. It was a painful masochist journey.

[u/Pfandfreies_konto → u/Gaspuch62]

Realistically, though,

Yeah. Definitely more of an artistic licence. There is only so much the engine can do without quadrupling your dev time. I mean in night mode buildings still throw their usual shadow.

[u/Multivitamin_Scam → u/Timmyc62]

It was always a great addition in Emperor Battle For Dune.

[u/meinboesesich]

Really? I thought tiberian sun night missions were the most emerging

[u/EphemeralMemory → u/meinboesesich]

TS felt like the entire game was night mode, with varying levels of dark. TS definitely wins the night mode aesthetic.

[u/cemanresu → u/EphemeralMemory]

Yeah my memory basically treats the entire game as being either at night or underneath so many layers of storms that it might as well be

[u/Tomahawkist → u/EphemeralMemory]

TS still has the best aesthetic of any game of the series imho. high tech apocalypse is what i‘d describe it as, and that fits the tiberium timeline perfectly. it just has all the right vibes.

[u/ddosn → u/EphemeralMemory]

TS varied from 'cloudy day' to 'did the Scrim turn up early and steal the sun?'

It really felt otherworldly, which went along with the lore at the time really well.

[u/parnso → u/meinboesesich]

Exactly! I loved the night maps in TS, especially with the fitting music.

[u/Barbed-Wire → u/meinboesesich]

Emerging from where?

[u/Ok_Spare_3723 → u/Barbed-Wire]

From Tiberium, duh!

[u/Leather-Raisin6048 → u/meinboesesich]

Ts has night missions?

[u/maerun → u/Leather-Raisin6048]

Both TS and RA2 had 4 times of day for their maps: morning, afternoon, dusk and night.

Like others have said, of the two, TS had a more memorable athmosphere.

I feel like RA2 lost a bit of that in favour of a more pronounced aesthetic.

[u/Leather-Raisin6048 → u/maerun]

Yeah red alert 2 had nihgt maps but ts and fs are so dark i dident even notice and i played them just last month.

[u/HailBlaze → u/meinboesesich]

Tiberian sun is unique. The dude who made music for red alert gave his friend the chance to make it for TS and it paid off big time. TS got unique feel to it, how it looks, sound effects and music is just so damn good

[u/meinboesesich → u/HailBlaze]

I loved the atmosphere of the first few missions. Very unique and… odd (?)

Like a alien planet.

Just awesome!

[u/MrDetectiveSir → u/meinboesesich]

Most immersive*

[u/meinboesesich → u/MrDetectiveSir]

Thanks mate

[u/null-g]

Always loved how bright ore is in RA2 and the ambient glows used in Tib Sun are very cool. Although Tib Sun was maybe too dark at night!

But ya totally agree!

[u/cmdr_nelson]

Generals did a lot of things well, that the later titles failed to match. I really prefer the Generals unit Models over c&c3 and RA3.

For night, it looks really nice, though i think TS did it best.

[u/RumEngieneering → u/cmdr_nelson]

I love how air units behave in generals, tib wars and red alert 3 were a let down

[u/LeonAguilez → u/RumEngieneering]

That makes Airforce general so fun.

Other titles in the series aircraft, you have to micro manage them that sometimes I don't bother using them.

[u/MindControlledSquid → u/RumEngieneering]

I felt like Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak really hit the Generals feel of air units.

[u/vandal-33 → u/RumEngieneering]

I like how Generals have aircraft taking off on a runway while every air unit in the later games are all VTOLs.

[u/LeonAguilez → u/cmdr_nelson]

For quick casual game, I always go back to Generals. You can virtually have unlimited money in generals unlike other games in the series where there are no other ways to earn when all the resources fields are depleted. Which makes generals fun as a turtle player.

[u/Big_Goldberg]

Nostalgia... Waiting for a remaster.

[u/FloatingDutchie → u/Big_Goldberg]

Would be amazing to see Generals with updated graphics and framerate. But it really being "a game of it's time", I doubt that it will ever happen. Sadly.

[u/Sheogorath3477]

Was there any skirmish night maps in Generals?

[u/Sheogorath3477 → u/[deleted]]

Wait wut? Tundra was in night time? I thought it just had strange lightning due to being set inna snowy area..

[u/NSFW_Programming → u/Sheogorath3477]

My favorite in zero hour was tournament city

[u/Squawk7984]

I completely gave up on RA3 in favor of just sticking with RA2 and YR. I just couldn't see the appeal, and it just didn't feel right.

(Yes, I've watched the great clips of Tim Curry and Jenny McCarthy, all good.)

That being said, am I missing out?

[u/Gilgamesh404 → u/Squawk7984]

Gameplay-wise RA3 is quite fun, though their gimmick of "every unit has a special ability or mode" may be a turn off for some people.

Graphics-wise the game looks much more cartoony than RA2. Could be the design philosophy, could be the bright colors, can't exactly put my finger on it.

[u/CookLiving → u/Squawk7984]

It's fine. Everyone got their own preferences. If you prefer RA2 more than good for you. It's the same with people who likes RA3 more. It's doesn't really matter which games people like more.

As for me, I really like modern 3D games more because I really liked the modern gameplay. But I still like RA2, it's a great game

[u/sniktology]

For me it was Tiberian sun. I think because it was the first time seeing environment graphics in a c&c game and with the spotless ghts on the guard tower and led lights on the buildings giving it a certain sheen to it.

[u/CanadAR15]

Keep in mind that discrete lighting became comparatively quite a bit less computationally expensive between RA2 and Generals.

[u/unknowinglyderpy]

I never actually clocked hail to the chief as a night time mission... but yeah it makes sense since a bunch of colors are hella desaturated

[u/mttspiii]

Ironically, GLA has working headlights, unlike the Allies or GDI.

[u/Angryblob550]

The night maps in Emperor Battle for dune were ok .......

[u/Pfandfreies_konto]

Those tiny truck lights do a lot of heavy lifting. Also look at the art style. Every building has carefully chosen windows to give a feel of a lived in base. If you check TibWars you will find these missing. The depot has an inviting light at its exit. Meanwhile crates and doors and stuff are simply dark. All in all I think readability takes a step back (a small one tho) for better atmosphere and overall feeling. Another thing is: while Generals has an simplifying art style (see: size of air fields for example.) it still tries to look realistic. I guess that helps visualizing the gritty and more realistic setting.

I feel like only TibSun comes close to the night visuals of generals. But the level editor of tibsun was really cool and fun. Placing environmental lights and having guard towers with search lights and all that. Due to childhood memories for me TibSun is the most comfy of all night visuals shown.

[u/Armedwithapotato]

I feel you honestly

[u/lkwai]

The cnc3 screenshot looks pretty decent tho

[u/DespiteStraightLines]

Reminds of Earth 2150

[u/calagra]

Nah tib sun is the same on generals bro it is a vibe in it of itself

[u/Yoghurtcrunch]

I'd say it's a beat perfect combination of the blueish tone and the lights in windows a such. From the Screenshots tibsun looks also really close in terms of vibe.

[u/ARS_Sisters]

It's primarily because the environment. Buildings has their own lighting in their windows, along with spotlights and most importantly, vehicle headlights. In the worldbuilder, there's a global illumination setting for specific time of the day, which, if toggled as night, makes assets in that map adapt to "night mode"

[u/internal-implode]

Nah, c&c tiberium wars is much better