Command & Conquer Remastered Includes Mod Support, EA Releases Source Code

Electronic Arts (EA) have announced that Command & Conquer Remastered will not only support mods, but have released the source code for the first two games.

The news comes via r/commandandconquer, and a post by EA Producer Jim Vessella. Therein he explains since the announcement of Command & Conquer Remastered, “one of the top questions from the community has been if the game would provide Mod Support.”

Along with confirming that mod support would be coming to the game, Electronic Arts have released the source codes (TiberianDawn.dll, and RedAlert.dll) for the game (under GPL version 3.0 licence). This means

Vessella states EA’s belief that “this will be one of the first major RTS franchises to open source their source code under the GPL.” The GPL licence was chosen “to ensure compatibility with projects like CnCNet and Open RA.”

Alongside a map editor, the open-source code will make it easier to create maps, units, replace art, alter gameplay logic, and edit data. Vessella explains how the community council have already made a custom unit.

“The community council has already been playing with the source code and are posting some fun experiments in our Discord channel. But to showcase a tangible example of what you can do with the software, Petroglyph has actually created a new modded unit to play with. So we asked a fun question – “What would the Brotherhood of Nod do if they captured the Mammoth Tank?” Well, one guess is they’d replace the turret with a giant artillery cannon and have it fire tactical nukes! Thus the Nuke Tank was born. This is a unit which is fully playable in the game via a mod (seen in the screenshot above), and we hope to have it ready to play and serve as a learning example when the game launches.”

In addition, Vessella states that LAN Play will not be available at launch due to delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic. “We understand this feature is vital as both an avenue to play mods in multiplayer, and also to serve as a backup in case the online systems are ever down. We’re bummed this one got away, and will continue to keep this on our priority list going forward.”

Steam Workshop will host the game’s mods, and allow players to subscribe to them directly though in-game menus (and activate them in-game) as well as via the Steam interface. Origin players can use in-game menus, though they will need to install the mods “into their respective folders outside the game.”

You can find the full run-down (via Steam) below:

Command & Conquer and Red Alert defined the RTS genre 25 years ago and are now both fully remastered in 4K by the former Westwood Studios team members at Petroglyph Games. Includes all 3 expansion packs, rebuilt multiplayer, a modernized UI, Map Editor, bonus gallery of unreleased FMV footage, and over 7 hours of legendary remastered music by Frank Klepacki. Welcome back, Commander.

new and Remastered Features

Graphics Switching — Switch in real-time between legacy and remastered 4K graphics when in solo play.
Bonus Gallery — Contains over 4 hours of B-roll footage, making-of photos, and unreleased music tracks.
Music — Enjoy over 7 hours of remastered music, including 20 music tracks re-recorded live by original composer Frank Klepacki and the Tiberian Sons.
Mod Support — Create, share, and play mods with the Steam Workshop.
Cinematics — Immerse yourself in hours of upscaled full-motion video cinematic footage.
Enhanced Sidebar UI — The fully redesigned Sidebar UI embraces a modern approach with less scrolling.
Jukebox — Customize your entire soundtrack via an enhanced Jukebox with playlist support.
Custom Game Lobbies — Host and join custom game lobbies to set game rules, teams, and maps.
Rise Through the Ranks — Go head to head in 1v1 Quickmatches, and fight your way to the top of the Leaderboard.
See All the Action — Don’t miss a minute of combat with Replays and Observer mode.
From Console to PC — Experience the original console missions now on PC.
Console Cinematics — Watch the original console cinematic videos now on PC, featuring community favorite General Carville.
Maps — Take control of the terrain with the Map Editor, available on both Origin and Steam versions.
Mission Selection — Track your campaign progress on the new Mission Selection Screen.
Camera Zoom — Zoom the camera between the legacy DOS and Gold distances for a better look at the battlefield.
Skirmish Mode — Take on the AI — with controllable difficulty settings — in Skirmish mode, new for Tiberian Dawn.
Customizable Hotkeys — In-game Hotkey customization, now with support for the new Sidebar UI.
EVA — Your battle interface sounds better than ever! The original voice-over actress, Kia Huntzinger, reprised her role as EVA and re-recorded her lines in high definition for Tiberian Dawn.
Control Improvements — Enjoy updated mouse controls, camera movement, unit queueing, and selection improvements.

Additional features and content:

Over 100 campaign missions
Over 250 multiplayer maps
In-game tooltips
Accessibility features
Quicksave and Autosave support
Cinematic subtitles for both games
Text localization in French, German, Russian, Spanish, Polish, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese
Voice-over in English, French, and German

The Steam version includes: