Command & Conquer 3 Patch 1.05 features!
Anyway, the big news of the day comes with EA APOC and his post that features a big change list of things that will be featured in the next big patch for the C&C3, the 1.05. When he says, big patch, he is not kidding. There are a lot of changes, most of them are very nice. Four new maps as well, one of them is similar to what was showed on E³. I think it's too bad they haven't touched the anti-air base defenses and Storm Rider, which is an overpowered unit in my honest opinion, but anyway, here's the big post:
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"Hey everyone,
You've won me over, instead of revealing this to newsletter subscribers first, i'm posting it here, and seeing all the lashing out for the same reasons has admittedly been very aggravating and frustrating, but I won't be denied in my quest to win you guys over.
So, before you read the extensive list below, here is a reiteration of our plans surrounding patch 1.05 which we feel is going to set the landscape for Command & Conquer 3 for the coming months, WCG, the ladder, etc, etc, etc... and of course, I expect there will be many who agree and disagree, but such is life in RTS la la community land
-We are targeting the patch release for later this month and we are currently on track. Since this is such a huge patch, our QA team has mandated a much more extensive amount of testing time on it. That is the primary reason we have not put the patch live yet. As i've said before our patches go through extensive QA testing efforts, and especially one of this magnitude.
-The balance changes that are addressed in this patch are absolutely reflective of thousands of hours of testing and play, thousands of matches and generated opinions from you...the community...we listened and we made conscious choices that we feel are going to diversify the factions greatly. I ask that you please save your final judgement until you PLAY THE PATCH extensively. We had balance testers here to help us finalize and fine tune and they all really felt it brings a new dynamic to the game. I consider our balance testers indicative of the general community player, you. Can't have everyone come in and test, but it certainly helps to get that added layer!
-The notes below do not encompass all of the technical bug fixes in this patch but they do include the primary fixes that would be most visually apparent to you.
- We just fixed the auto-map transfer issue for custom maps, that is not noted in the patch notes, but it will be included in patch 1.05. So for anyone having issues automatically transferring custom maps, this patch should fix your problem.
-We are working on a strict disconnection and cheat policy that we plan to coincide with the release of patch 1.05. We will not rest on our laurels and let these people ruin the competitive aspect of the game. Please also understand that this battle is end- less and there cannot be an expectation to 100% rid of cheaters and disconnects. We will have to adapt to survive, its true. If you look at any other RTS, MMO, or FPS game, its an on-going war, its not just here on C&C 3, its everywhere. We will crackdown and do whatever it takes to combat this in order to make our ladder and your experience as great as possible.
-We intend to start a ladder season shortly after the release of patch 1.05. Per this ladder season we are working on prizes, tournaments, etc.
-The Battlecast feature is currently undergoing A LOT of tuning. Its a new revolutionary feature and we are working to make it everything its meant to live up to. Changes and enhancements to Battlecast will also coincide with patch 1.05 and further in to June.
Alright, without further ado, here are your patch 1.05 full notes. Please do not tarnish this thread with anything less than constructive talk related to C&C 3. That would be hugely appreciated.
We will be having some interviews and so forth with the designers to coincide with the patch and our producer of patch 1.05, Greg Kasavin will be talking in this thread and other patch related threads to help answer any questions. Expect to see him on and off.
Thanks again to all those supporting our efforts,
APOC
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<Fixed>
· Fixed an exploit in which players could use GDI Engineers, Nod Saboteurs, or Scrin Assimilators to capture enemy structures without moving the units over to those structures.
· Observers of multiplayer matches can no longer use hotkeys to affect spectated players' production queues.
· Units affected by the Scrin Mothership's Catalyst Cannon now lose their explosive properties if teleported via the Teleport Units ability or the Wormhole support power.
· Scrin Mothership can no longer fire its Catalyst Cannon through a Wormhole.
<Balance>
The following balance changes are intended to enable a more diverse set of viable strategies for both casual and competitive play, and to further ensure that the forces of the GDI, the Brotherhood of Nod, and the Scrin are evenly matched as Tiberium Wars rage on.
/General Balance Changes/
· Some structures on each side no longer provide Ground Control for base expansion. These include: Power Plants, Reactors, Tiberium Silos, Barracks, Hands of Nod, and Portals.
· Heavy infantry units' resistance to CANNON damage increased by 45%. This affects GDI's Zone Troopers and Commando, Nod's Black Hand and Commando, and Scrin's Shock Troopers and Mastermind. All other infantry resistance to CANNON damage increased by 25%. This change means infantry are less vulnerable to tank shells and similar weapons.
· Infantry armor penalty to SNIPER damage removed. This change makes infantry slightly less vulnerable to Nod Shadow Teams in particular; GDI Commandos and Sniper Teams, Nod Commandos, and Scrin Buzzers are still highly lethal against enemy infantry.
· Infantry attack range bonus while garrisoned reduced by 25%.
· GDI Commando, Nod Commando, and Scrin Mastermind units can no longer be crushed by enemy vehicles.
· CANNON weapons, such as those found on the GDI Predator Tank and Nod Scorpion Tank, now cannot miss against moving enemy vehicles.
· GDI, Nod, and Scrin Harvesters' cost/build time increased by 40% to 1400/14. All Harversters' speed and turn rates equalized, which makes Scrin's Harvester slightly more maneuverable than before.
· GDI Refinery, Nod Refinery, and Scrin Extractor sale price reduced by 70% to 300 credits.
· GDI Surveyor, Nod Emissary, and Scrin Explorer base expansion units now all move at the same speed. Specifically, the Nod Emissary and and Scrin Explorer move 50% more slowly to match the GDI Surveyor.
· Repair Drones for all sides now repair vehicles that are under attack. Limit one Drone per vehicle. Rate of repair is now constant, rather than a percentage based on the vehicle's total health. This means vehicles with lower maximum health will be repaired faster.
· Standardized repair radius on all structures. As a result, the radius on all aircraft production structures has increased.
· Re-stealth time doubled for units that do not have innate stealth effects, such as units affected by Nod's Cloaking Field. This means such units will take longer to regain stealth after attacking or being detected.
· Ground Control provided by building a GDI Crane, Nod Crane, or Scrin Foundry has been equalized. Specifically, the amount of Ground Control gained by building a Nod Crane or Scrin Foundry has increased by 50%.
· Tiberium Spike tech structure's income increased by 66% to 25 credits per unit of time.
· Defensive Tower tech structure's attack power increased by 60%.
· Visceroids are now punishable by crushing.
/GDI Balance Changes/
· Rifleman Squad: Speed increased by 20%. Attack power increased by 50%. Dig In ability cost reduced to 100, build time reduced to 5, Foxhole capacity increased to two units. Foxholes no longer eject infantry units until the Foxholes are destroyed. Dig In ability now causes the unit to begin building a Foxhole immediately at its location.
· Missile Squad: Speed increased by 20%. Health increased by 100%. Range increased by 75%. Attack power vs. aircraft reduced by 25%.
· Engineer: Speed increased by 20%.
· Grenadier Squad: Speed increased by 20%.
· Sniper Team: Speed increased by 20%. Health reduced by 50%. Rate of fire reduced by 50%. Re-stealth time increased by 25%.
· Commando: Speed increased by 20%.
· Pitbull: Health increased by 33%. Rate of fire increased by 25%. Turret turn rate and pitch rate increased, improving the Pitbull's ability to fire on fast-moving aircraft.
· APC: Speed increased by 20%. Attack power vs. infantry reduced by 25%. Turret turn rate and pitch rate increased, improving the APC's ability to fire on fast- moving aircraft.
· Harvester: Attack power increased by 300%.
· Rig: Acceleration and deceleration times reduced, making the unit more maneuverable. Battle Base Repair Drones changed to work like all other Repair Drones.
· Mammoth Tank: Speed reduced by 7%. Attack power of rockets reduced by 25%. Rate of fire with Railguns upgrade reduced by 35%. Attack power with Railguns upgrade increased by 35%.
· Orca: Health increased by 50%.
· Firehawk: Now fires its missile loadout in volleys, improving its ability to quickly damage groups of enemy aircraft.
· Ox Transport: Health increased by 70%.
· Sonic Emitter: No longer hits larger units multiple times in one attack. Attack power per hit increased to compensate.
· Railguns: Upgrade cost increased by 66% to 5000.
· Composite Armor: Upgrade cost increased by 50% to 2000.
· Radar Scan: Support Power cost increased by 20% to 300.
· Shockwave Artillery: Support Power cost increased by 33% to 2000. Attack power reduced by 38%.
· GDI Airborne: Support Power cost increased by 50% to 1500.
· Bloodhounds: Support Power cost increased by 50% to 3000.
· Sharpshooter Team: Support Power cost increased by 40% to 3500.
· Zone Trooper Drop Pods: Support Power cost increased by 50% to
4500.
/Brotherhood of Nod Balance Changes/
· Militant Squad: Speed increased by 20%. Attack power increased by 50%.
· Militant Rocket Squad: Speed increased by 20%. Health increased by 100%. Range increased by 75%. Attack power vs. aircraft reduced by 25%.
· Saboteur: Speed increased by 20%.
· Shadow Team: Health reduced by 50%.
· Black Hand: Speed increased by 22%. Health increased by 66%. Attack power increased by 150%.
· Attack Bike: 200% attack power bonus vs. aircraft has been removed. Turret arc and turn rate increased, which allows the unit to more effectively attack any nearby targets while moving. Directional armor removed, which makes the unit more resistant to attacks from the flank and rear. Fixed an error that caused the unit to not always fire both rockets at once, effectively raising its attack power.
· Raider Buggy: Attack power vs. infantry reduced by 25%.
· Scorpion Tank: Attack power reduced by 20% before Laser Capacitors upgrade.
· Flame Tank: Cost/buildtime increased by 20% to 1200/12. Turret turn rate doubled, improving the unit's ability to quickly acquire targets. Attack power increased by 150%.
· Stealth Tank: Cost/buildtime increased by 50% to 1500/15. Attack power increased by 50%. Attack power bonus vs. aircraft reduced by 25%.
· Avatar: Cost/buildtime reduced by 27% to 2200/22. Flamethrower upgrade attack power increased by 150%.
· Venom Patrol Craft: Attack priorities changed so that the unit will always prioritize enemy infantry over vehicles and base defenses.
· Carryall: Health increased by 70%.
· Armageddon Bomber: Health increased by 33%. (Note: This aircraft only appears when summoned by certain Support Powers.)
· Laser Capacitors: Upgrade cost increased by 50% to 3000.
· Tiberium Infusion: Upgrade cost increased by 50% to 2000.
· Cloaking Field: Support Power cost increased by 100% to 3000. Attack power vs. light infantry increased by 600%. Attack power vs. heavy infantry increased by 200%.
/Scrin Balance Changes/
· Buzzers: Health increased by 50%. Movement rate improved; now more effective at cutting through massed infantry but no longer kill entire infantry squads all at once.
· Disintegrators: Speed increased by 17%.
· Assimilator: Speed increased by 20%.
· Mastermind: Cost/buildtime increased by 66% to 2500/25. Recharge time on Manipulator Device increased to 30 seconds. Teleport Units ability now begins its cooldown period after units are teleported, rather then when units are first selected for teleporting.
· Gun Walker: Acceleration and deceleration times reduced, making the unit more maneuverable.
· Harvester: No longer spawns an Ion Storm when destroyed.
· Corruptor: Acceleration and deceleration times reduced, making the unit more maneuverable.
· Planetary Assault Carrier: Ion Storm ability now generates an Ion Storm more quickly. Scrin aircraft now receive a 25% bonus to attack power in addition to the 25% bonus to armor while in an Ion Storm.
· Mothership: Attack power increased by 100%. Catalyst Cannon now causes a faster, wider chain reaction. Damage sustained by the Mothership has less impact on the power of its attack.
· Buzzer Hive: Buzzers immediately respawn when killed. Buzzers no longer die if their Buzzer Hive is destroyed.
· Gravity Stabilizer: Now spawns Buzzers instead of Shock Troopers when sold or destroyed.
· Force Fields: Upgrade cost increased by 66% to 5000.
· Stasis Shield: Support Power cost increased by 100% to 2000.
· The Swarm: Support Power cost increased by 50% to 1500.
<Multiplayer>
Added four new multiplayer maps, which may also be used in Skirmish mode. Two out of four of these maps are enabled for ranked competition online, and so will appear in the Automatch map rotation.
/Map 1: Tournament Rift/
Red Zones such as this have long since become uninhabitable to any of Earth's life forms, and yet serve as a focal point for the conflict between the GDI, the Brotherhood of Nod, and the Scrin, in their continued efforts to gain control over the alien mineral. This is a two-player map available for ranked matches.
/Map 2: Tournament Coastline/
As the spread of Tiberium inexorably continued across the world, GDI and Nod forces found themselves frequently skirmishing for control over strategic coastal regions such as this one. This is a two-player desert map available for ranked matches.
/Map 3: Schlactfeld Stuttgart/
The Scrin, desperate for Tiberium, savagely laid waste to this once-proud German city in short order. Now fighting over the green crystal continues in the city's ruined remains. This is a two player urban map available for unranked matches.
/Map 4: Coastline Chaos/
An extension of Tournament Coastline, this map is based on the very first map used to publicly showcase Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars at the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo. This is a four player desert map available for unranked matches.
<User>
· Added a "Classic Command & Conquer (Left-Click Orders) mouse interface option, which may be selected in the General tab of the Settings menu.
· Added the ability to cycle through multiple production facilities of the same type either by clicking on the main tab for that production category or using the respective hotkey.
· When placing unit-producing structures, players will now see these structures' default rally point, which should help guide base-building decisions near impassable terrain.
· The Reverse Move command for vehicles can now be given by pressing and holding the hotkey (default 'D') as well as by tapping the hotkey before each move order.
· The 'Show Healthbars' hotkey (default '`') now toggles on all healthbars with one tap. Tapping the hotkey again reverts the effect.
· Loading screens prior to online multiplayer battles now show a snapshot of the selected map as well as statistics for each player.
· It is now possible to rebind the default hotkeys for camera controls.
· Hotkeys for Telestrator features are now available for match Commentator. Visit the Hotkeys tab of Settings menu to view the default hotkeys or change them.
· Various "slash commands" added to online multiplayer lobbies. Type "/help" in an online lobby for a list of commands.
<Bug>
· Fixed an error that prevented players from being able to place certain structures as closely together other as expected, which makes it easier to find suitable building locations.
· Flying units can now be ordered to move onto terrain that is impassable to ground units.
· The Attack Move order now works correctly if a target unit is selected.
· Fixed an error that sometimes caused units to not target structures automatically when given an Assault Move order.
· Fixed a graphical error that caused production timers in the Sidebar interface to "snap" to position when switching between production queues.
· Added an EVA announcement for when an enemy Scrin Mastermind enters the player's line of sight.
· Fixed an error that prevented players from using hotkeys to change unit stances while units were moving.
· Tiberium Spikes now continue to provide a flow of resources if damaged and then repaired.
· Several campaign cinematics now show up as expected in the Transmission Log.
· Fixed an error that sometimes caused GDI Ox Transports and Nod Carryalls to become stuck and unselectable when ordered to land next to edges of cliffs.
· Mouse cursor no longer suggests that air units can be used to open crates.
· Jumping to a unit group now moves the camera to the center of the group, rather than the last unit added to the group.
· Nod defensive turret hubs now appear unstealthed when their turrets fire while under the effects of the Disruption Tower.
· Computer-controlled players will no longer attempt to sell the same structure multiple times when low on resources, which caused a stream of zeros to appear onscreen.
· GDI APCs now will always move close enough to their targets to ensure infantry units inside are within attack range.
· Fixed an error that sometimes caused walker unit death animations to not play correctly.
· Stormriders are now affected by the player's handicap setting in multiplayer matches.
· Maps with six starting positions now properly randomize players' starting positions.
· The Nod nuclear missile can no longer be stopped after launch if the player powers down the Temple of Nod.
· Nod Avatars will no longer retain their veterancy level when they are destroyed and their husks are recovered.
· Nod Beam Cannons now gain their expected bonuses to attack power from veterancy.
· Fixed an error that sometimes caused Nod laser defenses to appear as if they still were firing when powered down or destroyed.
· Units created using Nod's Decoy Army support power will no longer last indefinitely if the Nod Operations Center is powered down. Decoyed Scrin Corrupter units no longer spawn Visceroids.
· Fixed an error that sometimes caused units to display veterancy ranks from the wrong faction.
· Added effects for when Tiberium crystals are attacked and destroyed.
· Added effects for Nod Vertigo Bomber's rear anti-air turret.
· Added ambient sound effects for Scrin Gun Walker and Scrin Annihilator Tripod.
· GDI and Nod Commandos will now respect the rules of their selected combat stance with regard to their C4 charges. They will not automatically rush to demolish structures unless set to Aggressive stance.
· GDI Firehawks equipped with Stratofighter Boosters will no longer fly in stacked on top of each other when groups of them are order to use the ability at the same time.
· Nod Scorpion Tanks don't catch fire as quickly.
· The user interface now properly stretches to the top and bottom of the screen in 1280x1024 resolution.
· Added recoil effects to unupgraded Nod Scorpion Tank and GDI Guardian Cannon.
· Scrin Worm Hole support power no longer allows the user to create the entry and exit points on top of each other.
· Scrin Buzzer Hives now show an attack radius when selected.
· If a player is defeated, the end-of-mission music no longer plays twice.
· Computer-controlled players will now attempt to build superweapons only in their most-fortified bases.
· Added an EVA announcement for when teammates place a beacon.
· The Resources chart in the post-match screen now graphs total credits gathered over time.
· When spectating multiplayer matches, players will now hear the game music change dynamically as the battle's participants do.
· Fixed an error that caused text to misalign in online chat lobbies if players remained in those lobbies for a relatively long period of time.
· When loading replay files directly from the Windows desktop, Main menu music no longer plays during the match.
· Various other minor bug fixes.
<Other>
· Some campaign missions have been tuned and rebalanced.
· In team-based matches, allied players now share Ground Control, allowing them to build structures in each others' bases.
· When attempting to restart a campaign from the beginning, players will now receive a warning prompt notifying them that their autosave for that campaign will be overwritten if they proceed.
· Added wider variety of scorch marks to the battlefield.
· Added garrison-clearing effects for Nod Flame Tank, Nod Black Hand, and Scrin Corrupter units.
· Added explosion effects for when Scrin Disintegrators are crushed.
· Added Heroic-level firing effects for the GDI Juggernaut.
· Added music when viewing Intelligence Database during campaign missions.
· Scrin Devourer Tanks now have an additional gauge that shows remaining supercharged ammunition after using the Conversion Beam ability.
· Added new visual effects for the Scrin Annihilator Tripod's close-range EMP attack.
· Added an audio cue for when Repair command is used on a structure.
· Added ammunition counters to the unit portraits of aircraft with limited ammo, including the GDI Orca and Firehawk and the Nod Vertigo Bomber. Also added reload sound effects to these units.
· Updated the loading screen when loading saved games.
· Fixed various typographical errors in the game."
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Check the full post HERE.
