EALA has finally come clean on what the deal is with placing the PlayStation 3 version of Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 (PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360) on hold. He said that the issues were rooted on the game engine being unsuitable for the system's "exotic" architecture. More in the full article up next.

If there's any proof that Command & Conquer is one of the most heavily modded titles around, just look at all the number of times we've messed with the Red Alert *.ini files. All those user-created "fan-xpansion" packs for RA2, Generals, and Battle for Middle-Earth. That canned HaloGen mod.

Electronic Arts Los Angeles (EALA) promises that Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars will continue the tradition. EALA Predator writes in the official forums for C&C3:

I've said this many times, modding is extremely important to me, to Mike Verdu, to Amer Ajami, and to the EALA studio. We've turned over a new leaf this past year with our first MOD SDK release and granted its not perfect, its certainly got a lot to offer.

We are absolutely committed to creating a new MOD SDK for Command & Conquer 3 and getting that in your hands in as efficient timeline as possible with our resources. Our development team is currently rotating on vacations now that the game is gold, we need some breathing room and a break after a long-hard project! But, work has already started on the SDK, and that simply means starting to analyze how we can open up the new build pipeline to you guys with something accessible and easy to understand.

The new mod SDK is required because unlike the past games, Tiberium Wars uses XML and not *.ini protocols to govern the game. The result is a faster game as the end product, but now requiring a new approach to modding. Just hang in there, he tells the community. This is not going to be an indefinite-release thing.

Predator ain't dissing the efforts of independent modders out there to create their own tools for modding C&C3; "A lot of tools modders create are not officially sanctioned and otherwise would not be created by us...BUT...that does not mean we cannot verbally support and promote them if they are viable and safe, which most often I've found them to be."

EALA's intent on fleshing out the Tiberium storyline begun with the very first Command & Conquer title, which perhaps will now find its climax in Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (PC stuff, Xbox 360 stuff, somewhat the same stuff). That's how little of the story producer Amer Ajami reveals in this interview with GameTrailers. Luckily he talks about lots more than the story, including:

• The return of the classic sidebar interface
• Adaptive AI
• Nod's Avatar warmech (he describes it far better than we could),
• "RTS as a sport", and
• Campaign-branching "Theater of War" single-player gameplay.

The fun with GameTrailers doesn't stop there, as there's also glimpses of the gameplay which shows off the visual scale of the game: Units like the GDI Juggernaut tower over infantry units. Explosions throw everything into the air. Massive firefights. Rooted in the game's origins, but taking advantage of every development in the RTS scene since then, could this be the C&C that the fans have always dreamed the RTS series could be?


Just don't ask us why GT used the Generals soundtrack for both clips.

Gameplay video at the full article, commander.