Command & Conquer: Renegade

Command & Conquer: Renegade is a first-person shooter (FPS) computer game developed by Westwood Studios and is part of the Command & Conquer series. It was released on February 26, 2002 and is to date the only Command & Conquer game that is not a real-time strategy (RTS).

Its story takes place during the final days of the First Tiberium War originally depicted in Command & Conquer where the player assumes the role of commando Nick 'Havoc' Parker carrying out various missions assigned to him by his superiors. These missions take him all over the world in various countries and climates, both indoor and outdoor, and his actions greatly affect the current state of the war.

Story

Renegade's storyline deals with the abduction of GDI's top three Tiberium research specialists by the Brotherhood of Nod. The player takes on the role of GDI commando Nick "Havoc" Parker, who is assigned to rescue these experts. As the game progresses it is revealed that they have been forced into biochemistry research for the Brotherhood's top secret "Project Re-Genesis," an attempt to create genetically enhanced super-soldiers.

Weapons

The game features a wide variety of weapons, including:

Silenced Pistol ("Falcon"): standard 9mm pistol used by both GDI and Nod, which has unlimited ammo and is silenced.
Auto Rifle ("Raptor"): standard rifle for GDI and Nod soldiers. The GDI shots have slightly more damage than Nod's.
Chaingun ("Condor"): improved auto rifle which shoots faster and deals better damage
Sniper rifle ("Pierce"): equipped with a high-powered directional microphone, allowing the player to hear as well as see long-distance targets.
Flamethrower ("Dragonfly"): fires a stream of flame effective against infantry and light vehicles.
Chemical sprayer ("Venom"): tiberium-based weapon, effective against most infantry and vehicles. As with all the tiberium-based weaponry in the game, the chemical sprayer heals tiberium-based mutants.
Rocket launcher ("Locust"): fires non-seeking rockets in clips of six. Rockets deal heavy damage but are slow and so easily avoided. Gunner has a high proficiency with this weapon in Multiplayer mode, and as such, can fire rockets slightly faster that hit things slightly harder.
Laser rifle ("Firefly"): rapid fire, high damage laser that is effective against both infantry and armoured targets.
Laser chaingun ("Tarantula"): similar to the laser rifle, but with a higher rate of fire, and lower amount of damage per shot.
Tiberium auto-rifle ("Mantis"): fires cartridges of tiberium gas which damage infantry units, while also clouding their vision.
Tiberium Flechette Gun ("Talon"): fires tiberium shards at high speeds.
Grenade launcher ("Kestral"): fires low damage grenades with an arc trajectory
Personal ion cannon ("Merlin"): a railgun-like weapon capable of shooting through multiple infantry units. Deals the same damage as the Ramjet rifle to infantry but lacks the scope. It is the most effective weapon against vehicles.
Volt auto-rifle ("Black Widow"): fires a constant electrical beam that deals high damage to all targets but suffers from short range.
Remote C-4 ("Hair-Trigger"): Explosive that can be triggered at the players leisure.
Ion Cannon beacon ("Godsend"): a beacon used to call in an attack from GDI's orbital ion cannon.
Nuclear Strike Beacon ("Retribution"): a targeting device for Nod's nuclear missile.

Multiplayer only

In addition to the above, certain weapons can only be acquired in multiplayer games:

Shotgun
Ramjet Rifle : fires a jet-propelled shell which can pass through multiple infantry targets; also effective against light vehicles. Equipped with a scope. Used against the player at least once in single player mode.
Repair gun : used to disarm C-4 charges, mines, and superweapon beacons, and to repair buildings, vehicles, and infantry. Two versions exist. The Multiplayer mode version is carried by Engineers, Hotwire, and Technicians. Hotwires and Technicians, however, have a higher proficiency with them, and as such, can repair things/disarm things twice as fast. The other version, used in Single Player mode, is very different from the multiplayer Repair Gun. Primary Fire would have it emit a very weak, blue Repair Beam for about four seconds, pause for one second, and repeat. Secondary Fire would do the same, but the beam would be red, and instead of repairing things, would injure or destroy them(a "dismantle beam," if you will).
Mass driver ("Scorpion") A railgun that shoots instantaneous metal slugs and deals the same damage as the Personal Ion Cannon.
Proximity C-4 ("Feather") an explosive mine mainly used defensively against infantry or light vehicles.
Timed C-4 ("Tick-Tock"): an explosive charge with a thirty-second fuse.

Vehicles

This is the list of vehicles in the game:

Nod Buggy: The Nod Buggy is a buggy with an anti-personnel machine gun mounted on the top. It is very weakly armored and can be easily taken down by a small group of infantry.
GDI Hummvee: The Hummvee is the GDI equvalent of the Nod Buggy. It also has a machine gun and has slightly more armor than the buggy.
APC (both GDI and Nod): It is a relatively fast vehicle and has an anti-personnel machine gun on top. It is much better armored than the buggy or the hummvee, and can transport up to five soldiers. It can withstand a direct hit from the Nod Obelisk.
MRLS (Mobile Rocket Launcher System): It is the GDI artillery piece. It has a terrific range and can fire around corners, which gives it a defensive bonus. It fires rockets in salvos of 6, and is lightly armored. It can be torn to pieces by regular soldiers if not properly guarded. Also, it is ineffective against fast vehicles, as they can easily dodge the rockets.
Mobile Artillery: Nod's artillery piece has less firepower than the MRLS, and so isn't as effective in base attacks. However, since its projectiles travel quicker than the MRLS's, it is more effective against vehicles.
Light Tank: Nod's main tank is a low-slung Tank with a small turret. It is relatively weak and is only good against infantry by itself. In large groups, however, the light tank is a force to be reckoned with.
Medium Tank: GDI's main battle tank is better armored and has better firepower than the light tank. However, watch out for laser infantry, as they can easily tear apart the armor of the tank in groups of 2 or 3.
Flame Tank: The Nod Anti-personnel tank has two barrels that shoot jets of flame. It is very effective against infantry and buildings, as they catch fire easily.It is moderately armored and can sustain a medium amount of punishment before needing any serious repairs.
Mammoth Tank: The GDI top tank. It is monumentally expensive and very tough to destroy. It is also extremely slow. However, it should be noted that the mammoth tank is like a medium tank with extra armor as the firing rate is similar to the medium tank's. It has two weapon types: Rockets for infantry and buidlings, and tank shells for vehicles. Also keep an eye out for laser infantry, as one black hand unit can peel away the entire mammoth armor if not dealed with.
Nod Stealth Tank: Also referred to as the "stank", the stealth tank is a lightly armored battle tank that is effective against infantry and buildings. It is commonly used as a rush vehicle. However, due to the high technology of the stealth field, it is rather expensive.
Transport Helicopter (flying vehicle-enabled maps): It is the flying APC, and even though it is faster and more versatile, it is much weaker. It has no armament of its own and is used exclusively for troop transport. It is used most often in the map C&C_walls_flying because they are used to ferry troops to the mesa in the center of the map.
GDI ORCA fighter: The ORCA is a multi-purpose fighter. Its primary weapon are the missles and its secondary weapon is a machine gun. Keep an eye out for laser infantry and officers.
Apache attack helicopter: The Apache is the Nod equivalent of the ORCA. However, primary and secondary weapon functions are switched. It's primary weapon is the machine-gun while the secondary fire are rockets. Make sure not to stray too near the AGT if you're in one of these.

Buildings

Team buildings in Multiplayer mode give their respective teams certain abilities, such as buying weapons and vehicles. If all the buildings in a team base are destroyed, that team loses.

GDI Power Plant/Nod Power Plant:powers all team buildings. If this is destroyed, all production costs double. Power is required for the AGT and Nod Obelisk to operate
GDI Weapons Factory/Nod Airstrip:allows players to purchase vehicles.
GDI Infantry Barracks/Nod Hand of Nod:allows players to change weapon classes.
GDI Advanced Guard Tower/Nod Obelisk:automated base defenses. Attacks any enemy that comes within its range. Requires an active power plant.
Nod Turret:extra Nod defenses.
GDI Tiberium Refinery/Nod Tiberium Refinery:grants its team a steady flow of money.
Nod Communications Center:this building is only found in the single player campaign. The Communications Center blacks out your radar until you destroy it.
Temple of Nod:this building is only found in the single player campaign. The Temple holds all of Nods nuclear weapons.

Series links

Nearly every unit and most of the structures featured in the original Command & Conquer have been re-created in the game. New characters include various mutants, GDI elite commandos known as the "Dead Six" and Nod elites such as the Black hand, Sakura, and Mendoza.

Some of the game's missions seem to be expansions of GDI missions in Tiberian Dawn, such as one in which Dr. Mobius is abducted by Nod and the player is charged with rescuing him, and the final assault on Kane's Sarajevo headquarters. In the final Renegade mission, set in the Temple of Nod, certain rooms are recognizable as those from Tiberian Dawn's Nod mission briefings.

Multiplayer

The multiplayer element of this game takes the form of 'Command and Conquer Mode', in which players are divided into the two teams GDI and Nod. Each team starts with a base and must purchase vehicles and advanced character classes in order to destroy the enemy base and defend their own base. The game is won when one team destroys the other's base or the time limit expires and the team with the highest score is declared the winner. Damaging and destroying enemy units and structures earns points. Some servers allow the 'endgame beacon' that causes the game to be instantly won by the team that successfuly detonates a superweapon beacon on the opposing team’s pedestal located in their Barracks or Hand of Nod. Gameplay is a combination of FPS and RTS elements, since team members receive money form tiberium harvesting and must purchase their own individual equipment.

Strategy

On many of the battlefields the bases include the Advanced Guard Tower (GDI) and Obelisk (Nod) that can easily eliminate lone attackers and are difficult to overcome without team coordination. The following are popular individual and group strategies used online:

APC raid This often occurs early in the game. One player buys an APC and several other players enter the vehicle as engineer classes. The APC is driven into the enemy base and can withstand the defence tower until it reaches the door of the tower or another vulnerable structure. The engineers inside will run into the building and attempt to destroy it by detonating their C4 explosives on the building’s Master Control Terminal. If successful it can open the base up to further attacks or cripple production early on. Its success depends on the number of alert guards in the base and whether the doorways of the buildings have been ‘mined’ with proximity C4 or not.
Flamer rush (Nod Only) This involves a group purchasing several flame tanks and charging into the enemy base at the same time in order to destroy the AGT or the remainder of the base. It is most effective on the map ‘CnC Hourglass’, where the tanks can convene at the top of the hill under the cover of their own Obelisk and then quickly charge down the other side of the hill in order to attack the AGT. It is less successful on other maps where the tanks are vulnerable to long-range fire whilst moving through the battlefield between the bases and are unable to retaliate due to their short firing range.
Stank rush (Nod Only) This is similar to the above except it involves a group of stealth tanks. It can be highly effective if the group manages to sneak undetected into the enemy base but premature discovery by GDI units that get close enough to detect the stealth signatures can mean the stealth tanks are all destroyed easily before they reach their target. For this reason it is popular on the map ‘CnC City (Flying)’ since the stealth tanks can use the cover of buildings to evade enemy patrols.
SBH beacons (Nod Only) This occurs on maps where the bases do not have defence towers or after the towers have been disabled. The Stealth Black Hand Trooper’s invisibility allows him to easily sneak into the enemy base and wait for an opportune time to plant a nuclear strike beacon. This would be impossible otherwise since the defence tower can detect stealth units. Individuals often use this strategy but groups can coordinate their beacon placement in order to overwhelm defenders who can disarm the beacons and cause the destruction of several buildings. After having deployed his beacon the stealth trooper will cloak in order to assassinate any engineers that approach to disarm the beacon. The most popular map for this is ‘CnC Islands’. GDI do not possess stealth troopers, but teams of higher end troops armed with the most powerful weapons can also attempt to place and defend beacons in the enemy base after having fought their way in.
Siege (Usually GDI Only) Groups of Medium or Mammoth tanks can surround the entrance of Nod base and destroy the Nod harvester whenever it attempts to leave in order to collect resources. From this position they can often bombard exposed structures in order to gain a significant advantage in score. This strategy is often successful if GDI engineers are constantly repairing the besieging vehicles. Nod may respond by preventing the harvester’s exit, employing laser troopers to destroy the GDI armour, employing snipers to kill the repairing engineers or sending out stealth troopers in order to steal the enemy vehicles when the driver gets out to repair them. This style of gameplay is almost guaranteed on the map ‘CnC Field’. Nod’s lightly armoured vehicles make it harder for them to use this strategy but skilful positioning and use of artillery units can lead to a successful Nod siege.
APC charging (Usually GDI Only) Also known as 'APC Whoring', this usually occurs in the later stages of the game when the enemy base is in disarray, the defences have been disabled and the enemy are limited to only basic infantry classes. Often it is used to protect a deployed beacon, or to weaken Nod morale. A player in an APC will charge into the enemy base and attempt to run over enemy soldiers as they run from building to building. The high speed and manoeuvrability of the APC allows the driver to score many kills and its heavy armour makes it next to impossible to stop with basic weapons. This tactic is widely frowned upon, and even banned by some servers.
Gunner Rush (GDI Only) This is often used when the GDI Weapons Factory has been destroyed, or Nod is defending all vehicle entrances too heavily. In this attack strategy, several players will attempt to rush through the infantry-only routes and use their rocket launchers to shoot at and kill enemy buildings, usually the Obelisk of Light or the Nod Power Plant. This tactic is very rarely used, as each individual rocket launcher inflicts damage at a much lower rate than any tank. Because of its rarity of use, the element of surprise often gives it the leading edge over other tactics.A gunner rush is also often used at the map called 'C&C_Mesa' at the beginning, because infantry can easily hit the Tiberium Refinery without being hit by base defences. A quick and succesful Gunner rush at the beginning of the map can win you the game.

Technology

The game engine, called the "Renegade engine" or "Westwood 3D", was developed in-house by Westwood. It is designed to support real world physics and allow seamless movement from indoor to outdoor environments. The game was originally intended to use more advanced graphics technology, as well as a style of play based more around stealth than run and gun action; however, this was all scrapped due to the game's release date being pushed back too many times.

The "Westwood 3D" engine was re-used as the base of the Strategy Action Game Engine used in Generals.

Further developments

The game was originally going to feature the young nephew of series hero General Shephard. The model for this character can be found via a cheat that gives the player access to a class called "Logan", or by playing the tutorial, in which he is your instructor.

No official expansion packs were ever released for the game. However, a software development kit (SDK) was released by Westwood Studios so that users could add their own content to the game. The studio also released a number of high-resolution models to the mod-making community, including some from the Red Alert games. Many fan sites have been established to celebrate the game and allow players to download new maps and custom expansion packs.

After the closure of Westwood Studios in February, 2003, the responsibility for maintaining the official forums for Renegade was passed on to Christine "Crimson" Korza of Blackhand Studios, a non-profit organization whose mission statement includes keeping the game's community active, enhancing and patching the game, and keeping multiplayer games cheat-free through their RenGuard software.

While Westwood originally intended to make a sequel to Renegade set in the Red Alert universe, the project was cancelled before any official announcements were made.

Renegade was included in one of the Command & Conquer compilations known as the C&C Collection which was a big box packaging 5 Command & Conquer titles in it.

On February 2006, Renegade was shipped in the compilation, The First Decade along with 11 other Command & Conquer titles on a single DVD. It was noticed by many that on the Bonus DVD that was also delivered in the compilation, Renegade received less attention than each of the other games in the interviews and footage given. Renegade only made more of an appearance than the add-on packs to each of the games such as Command & Conquer: The Covert Operations, Command & Conquer: Red Alert The Aftermath and Counterstrike, and Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour. Even Command & Conquer: Yuri's Revenge which was another add-on pack included in the compilation received more publicity within the Bonus DVD than Renegade did.

The Bonus DVD contains slightly less than an hour's worth of content and Renegade only appears for about 3 minutes at the very most. The other games (not including the expansions) are seen for about 6 to 8 minutes. There was a decent amount of Renegade footage shown in the DVD, but just not much said about it. The time that the interviewees spent talking about the concept of "Tiberium" or "Commando units" can to some extent be referenced towards Renegade but it was really the Tiberium world as a whole that was being talked about at these points.

In the Game DVD of The First Decade, Renegade had a few changes done to it but nothing drastic as it could already run without problems on the Windows XP platform. The changes include that the game is installed at its latest patch (1.037) by default, has a sanctioned No-CD application on it, plus the CD components such as the movie files are now installed into its folder. Like all the other games Renegade is launched through The First Decade's launching program rather than as an individual game. Renegade, along with a few other titles had problems with its registry entry in the compilation's initial release, which has been since fixed in The First Decade's 1.02 patch.

Awards

Gamespy Game Of the Year - 2002 "Wish it had been a hit"

References

Parker, Sam. "Westwood says no to Renegade sequel". GameSpot. July 30, 2002.

External links

Command & Conquer series | 2002 computer and video games | First-person shooters | Electronic Arts games | Windows games

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