Its be a whole year of Roundtables already, and this is a special bumper edition. Listed below are the people participating on the panel for this month.
- Sonic – CNCNZ.com Webmaster
- Saracen – CNCNZ.com Co-Webmaster
- Lion – Red Alert Den
- Chickendippers – CNC World
- Banshee – Project Perfect Mod
- HeXetic – Planet CNC
- [NE]Fobby[GEN] – Renegade X
- TheGunrun – CNC-Live
- JohnWE – CNC-Files
Question 1) Red Alert 3 is out very soon, are you looking forward to it?
Sonic: I can’t say I’m excited because I don’t get excited over video games these days. But yeah I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t played since the RA3 Summit at EALA in June, never had time for the beta, so I’m keen to see how far the game has progress since then. I’m getting FarCry 2 on the same day as Red Alert 3 so we will have to see which one gets more attention.
Saracen: Damn Straight! The Beta has proved through gameplay, mechanics, and much more that this game is 100 times better than C&C 3. The multiplayer experience is just whack! Now if the Single player can do the same, we’ll definitely be in for one hell of a ride!
Lion: I’m looking forward to this game more than any other C&C game I have since the original Red Alert. The co-op feature for the campaign alone is worth the price of admission. I love the cartoonish look of the game as well. It’s a tad bit fast paced for my taste, but I can get used to it. I was ok with the original Red Alert (tank/APC engie fest), but I’m getting older and my reaction time is slower. Hint for ya older players…hotkeys are your friend! Heck, I’ve been playing games since the mid 1980s, longer than many of the fans are old. Any hoot, I’ll stop here before I have to turn this answer into a book with chapters and just say, long live the Red Alert Universe!
Chickendippers: Absolutely! Even more so than the C&C3 release. I think the hype of C&C3 for me was the return of the franchise, but I’ve always had a soft spot for the Red Alert series.
Banshee: I’m looking forward to its co-op campaign. Skirmish and multiplayer doesn’t attract me anymore, due to the bland symmetrical maps. You play one, two, three times… and then you get tired because the game gets predictable. I must admit that if I get the game when it gets released, I’ll take a while to start playing it, since I’m very overloaded with real life at the moment.
HeXetic: Yes. From what I’ve seen we’re in for a campaign that’s considerably more engrossing with cutscenes considerably less cringe-inducing than the last few C&C outings, and although I’ve got quite (Rock Band 2) a few (LittleBigPlanet) games (Far Cry 2) to occupy (Dead Space) my time (World of Warcraft) with already (WipeoutHD, Bionic Commando Rearmed), I’m always looking forward to a fun set of RTS missions. I’m sure my girlfriend will get quite a laugh out of watching the ludicrous cutscenes as well.
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: I’m looking forward to seeing what EA does with this one. Red Alert games have historically been released right after Tiberian ones, where Westwood would learn from their mistakes and try to make something better. It will probably be a similar routine with RA3. Red Alert 2 was an awesome game and a blast to play, even till today, and after several years, it’s about time we see what could be another great addition to the series.
TheGunrun: Hells yeah! Red Alert 3 is the game I have been waiting years for to come out. I always wondered how RA3 would factor into the RA plot and I think EA has done a great job at finding some way at narrativley justifying the game’s existence, and also making a game that is fun to play and look at.
JohnWE: Absolutely! After seeing the design process at EALA and playing the beta, I am fully prepared to say that this is the most polished (and fun) RTS game to be under the C&C name! I hope Apoc mails out my copy promptly.
Question 2) How will you approach the single player campaign in Red Alert 3? Off line with the AI or jump online for some Co-Op action?
Sonic: I’m just not into the whole online thing for RTS game anymore. And while I think the Co-Op mode is a great addition to Red Alert 3 I would rather stick it out with the AI and stay off line. Red Alert 3 doesn’t support the Co-Op mode via LAN so I may never used that feature unless it gets changed in a future patch.
Saracen: I’m going offline and staying offline for the campaign. As much as the co-op mechanic interests me, I will still remain an RTS traditionalist. The AI in the campaigns will be a strong key to this games success, and I will make sure I’ll give it everything I’ve got!
Lion: With open eyes and a computer. Seriously though, I’ll most likely go it alone first to get familiar with the units and not to embarrass myself online, then do the co-op thing with a friend or two after I graduate from boot camp. With the large variety of units coupled with their primary and secondary abilities, there’s quite a bit to learn in Red Alert 3.
Chickendippers: I think I’ll have a go with the AI first just so I can get playing quickly, then arrange to co-op with some friends later on.
Banshee: That’s a good question. For the co-op campaign, I wanna try both with an AI and a human player. I used to enjoy a lot the co-op campaigns from Red Alert 2. I’ve played them a lot with friends and even my dad (he loves YR).
HeXetic: I’ll start offline, for several reasons. First, I like game campaigns (RTS, FPS, whatever) because they’re fun without requiring other people. Second, because I’d like to have at least a passing familiarity with the missions before I try to tackle them, say, on a hard level with a buddy online. And thirdly, because while I’m certainly no eternal pessimist, and I have faith that EA has cleaned up their act, if you follow the trend of previous C&C launches, when Red Alert 3 comes out the multiplayer servers will be flaky, go down, catch fire, and eventually explode with more energy than the Large Hadron Collider, leading to the instant creation of Strangelets that will destroy all matter in the universe.
And believe you me, the patch to fix *that* is going to push back the mod SDK quite a bit.
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: I’ll probably be doing a little bit of both. I generally like to play RTS games offline, but the online co-op feature seems like it’ll be interesting. I’ll have to find myself a buddy, hehe.
TheGunrun: Once I have this game installed I’m jumping right into the co-op with my friends. I always wanted an RTS that would have co-op and I friggin love how RA3 ended up being that RTS.
JohnWE: I’ll play the campaign offline first so I can try out the generals, and as always, I’ll play the Allied campaign first if I get a choice. Then after I’ve beaten it, I’ll jump online and play it with friends afterward. We always liked to play the Coop missions in RA2, but this time they are more than just a skirmish map with pre-built structures.
Question 3) We have only heard a sampling of the new Hell March 3, does it live up to the hype?
Sonic: Of what we have heard, it rocked. I was afraid they would change it to much and it wouldn’t sound Hell March. Its changed just enough to warrant being called Hell March 3. The thing is Hell March is one of the most recognisable pieces of gaming music, even to people who don’t play C&C games, its clear to me that EALA and Frank Klepacki didn’t want to change what worked the first and second time. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Saracen: Some people have complained. But you know what, I like it. I’ve never been a massive fan of Hell March, and it’s actually taken me 12 years to warm to it. So after numerous listens of the previous versions, and a good listen to this sample, I’m beginning to think that this could be the best, most refined version to date.
Lion: Dunno about it living up to the hype, but from the small portion I heard, it should appeal to the majority of fans. Frank Klepacki was somewhat limited in what he could do to Hell March 3. After all, it does have to have that instantly recognizable Hell March beat and sound, so you can’t expect a totally complete rehash of the whole song.
Chickendippers: ) It definitely has more in common with HM2 than the original. I’m not so keen on the refrain about 1:35 through the trailer, but I’m sure when it kicks in the heat of battle it’ll be awesome!
Banshee: It’s great and badass, because Hell March 2 was great and badass. It looks like a remix of HM2 with a more futuristic sound approach. It doesn’t impress that much, due to the similarities with HM2. I remember that when I heard HM2 for the first time, I was very impressed. The whole dynamics of the original music changed heavily, and Klepacki modified some parts, cutting some and adding few others. In short, it may remind the older one, but it is a different thing. I don’t have this same feeling when I compare this teaser of HM3 with HM2. Nonetheless, the music is great and much better than what I’ve seen in Generals and C&C3, as well as all that remix in KW.
HeXetic: I’m a big fan of Frank Klepacki — I like his CD work, I was overjoyed to meet him in person last year, and I really liked the Universe at War soundtrack — but, to be honest, I was expecting a little more from Hell March 3. It just sounds too much like a mere remix of Hell March 2, and it seems to me that it’s lost the “stompy” nature that made it so catchy. At the end of the Japanese trailers, there’s a hint of a Hell March whose main “chant” ends not in a “Halt!” or “Nein!” or whatever the guy is saying, but rather a Japanese-sounding “Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiii!!”, which was probably just the result of someone stretching out the audio, but in my head I was imagining it was the lead-up to Hell March 3 — the lead-up to a faster, more techno-y version of the basic Hell March construct; something that screamed not merely colossal war, but ludicrous tech as well.
It was a bit of a letdown. I’ve still got hopes for the Grinder remix as a menu theme, but to be honest my biggest concern is with the Soviet music. I haven’t heard it since the RA3 Community Summit, but I complained — loudly — that what they basically had for the Soviets during “idle” moments in the game (RA3, like C&C3, has dynamic music) is the USA music from Generals, which simply doesn’t sound… Soviet. There was a news item recently where someone said they had added some hearty male Red Army Chorus-style chanting in, so that’s encouraging, but if I’m playing the Soviets and some god-awful generic Hans Zimmer score comes on and makes me feel like I’m that douche bag Nicolas Cage with a team of AMERICAN soldiers infiltrating an island in AMERICA held by AMERICAN terrorists pointing AMERICAN weapons at AMERICA, then I’m muting the soundtrack and putting something more appropriate on… like either of the soundtracks from the previous Red Alert games.
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: After the Hell March 3 sampling was released, I read comments and posts everywhere of people liking the song so far. The community has been quite receptive of it. Though, I personally found it kind of mediocre and not my favourite Hell March. I know I probably sound like a heretic to most C&C fans :P, especially considering this is Frank Klepacki’s first C&C song in many years, but I just didn’t find it very appealing. I expected a bit more; considering it will be one of the only Frank K songs in the sound track. But we haven’t heard the full thing yet, so we’ll see.
TheGunrun: Hell March 3 was excellent, it got me all pumped up and really replicated how Hell March 2 felt when I first listened to it so many years ago. I love how frank added the epic vocals and I really feel that this is the Hell March 3 we wanted. I cannot wait to get my hands on the full mp3 so I can blast it when speeding down the highway in my car.
JohnWE: It actually sounds better than I thought it would. I was afraid it would turn out to be very orchestral after I heard that they did use an orchestra and chorus with it, but I was pleasantly surprised that Frank Klepacki created another superb song in his style.
Question 4) Were you surprised that Tiberium got cancelled?
Sonic: We hardly knew anything about the game so no big loss, but i never expected it to get the chop. I feel the the fate of Tiberium was sealed months ago with its no show at E3, the community manager leaving and not being replaced the delay until 2009 or 2010.
Saracen: After everything that’s gone on leading up to it, many were not surprised. I was however, mainly because I was anticipating this game more than RA3. I don’t know what else to say on the matter really. I’m quite disappointed to say the least.
Lion: Considering how long it was in production, yes I was. But I’m not sorry it was cancelled as I just didn’t think it was what the C&C fans wanted for a C&C FPS game. If EA was listening to it’s fans, they would have known that the majority wanted a sequel to Renegade with a C&C mode of game play.
Chickendippers: Yeah, it was totally unexpected, especially following ZoneRunner’s departing message promising cool stuff to come. Although the complete lack of any new information was a little suspect.
Banshee: No, I wasn’t surprised at all. It disappeared from the news a long time ago, back in June. The community manager left and he was never replaced, which was an important tip. If they want to sell a game, they wouldn’t take long to replace the person. Also, seeing the comments from the staff who was working on it, it was really a disaster.
HeXetic: Not even slightly. They lost their community manager. The well of information went dry. And they’d last had a blockbuster magazine-cover preview months and months ago. If it was going to be a crap game, then I’m glad it was canned. It’s too bad about whatever dragged it down (rumour mill says mismanagement and general asshattery), but the last thing this world needs is an EA that continues to release garbageware (I’m looking at you, Boogie for Wii).
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: Not at all. It was just a matter of time really; the game wasn’t received well at all by the community even at its launch, and everything went quiet right after launch. No news for months, Tiberium wasn’t presented at Leipzig, it was delayed to fiscal year 2010, and the community manager quit right before the delay and cancellation of the game. I personally wasn’t too happy with the direction Tiberium was going and I was even somewhat glad it was cancelled. According to the information released, I simply knew I wouldn’t like the game. No C&C mode was a biggie, but besides that the game seemed very much AI and squad oriented, which is not my preference. We saw a GDI on GDI Battlefield-like multiplayer based around AI, no mention of the Brotherhood; all that on top of its poor graphics (very subpar for an Unreal Engine 3 game set for fiscal year 2010) made me know that the game would either get a complete makeover or just cancelled completely.
TheGunrun: Surprised? No. Disappointed? Kinda. I felt that the C&C franchise really needs another FPS, but Tiberium was far less Renegade that I wanted. I feel with this cancellation that hopefully a Renegade 2 might be in the tubes with C&C mode, but I have to say, that suit and gun in Tiberium was quite badass.. Oh well.
JohnWE: It was surprising, yes. I thought that it was part of EA’s marketing strategy to keep the focus on RA3 till it had been released and that the beta key would be for Tiberium. But the tables have turned, and it has been cancelled.
Question 5) Has the cancellation Tiberium closed the door on a future C&C FPS game?
Sonic: I really hope EALA understand how popular Renegade still is, its crying for a sequel. So fingers crossed the bad experience that was Tiberium has put them off the idea of another C&C FPS. A C&C FPS with with solid single player game and and updated C&C Mode would be a sure fire hit. Renegade 2…. bring it on!
Saracen: ) I’d sincerely hope not. Really what EA need to look at is a true sequel to Renegade. I’m not talking about carrying on with the story as such, but we need to see a game which will have a solid C&C mode . This is still the most innovative game mode in any FPS, so some real expansion to the mechanics would be a real treat. Personally I think an RA3 version of Renegade would be perfect. The community have all the other decent C&C games covered in FPS mode, so yep RA3 it is!
Lion: I don’t think it has closed the door on a future C&C FPS game. Maybe just the style of game that Tiberium was to have been, squad based that is. C&C fans are screaming for Renegade 2 (with C&C mode) and a solid game engine and dev team that will do the game justice. Keep it simple…call it C&C: Renegade 2 and get it out the door. I personally believe EA is afraid to call a new FPS game Renegade 2 because of all of the backlash it received from the original Renegade. On behave of the C&C Community that wants Renegade 2, we forgive you EA, and the former Westwood Studios. Bring on HAVOC, and let’s do it!
Chickendippers: I’m sure it’s always going to be in the back of someone’s mind at EA; they know it’s a rich IP with plenty of scope for an FPS. Perhaps once they’ve got their FPS team back in order they’ll try again in the future.
Banshee: No, I don’t think so. Maybe they’ll redo the project from scratch, which allow them to change its basic mechanics. A C&C FPS game will certainly have many fans, but that genre is very saturated. So, doing a C&C thing with some innovation is a hard task.
HeXetic: No, but obviously nobody should expect another one to just spring up immediately now. Tiberium’s failure means that whoever wants to propose a new C&C FPS to The Suits will have to work hard to come up with an actual gameplay mechanic that seems to work. Rumour has it that the Tiberium team just couldn’t nail down a good game design, and I’m sure it can be very tricky to do that, especially as there haven’t been many “Strategic FPS” games recently (have to think back to stuff like Battlezone and Sacrifice) — so there was nothing recent to copy, and that means whoever was in charge had to be *really* clever to get it right.
Of course, if EA *does* feel like making another C&C FPS, then they’d be well advised to copy a game formula that works. A game formula that people still enjoy today. A game formula that people enjoy so much today that they still play it even more than they play most of the RTS games *combined* in the same series.
I’m talking, of course, about *Renegade*, whose base war mechanics remain unparalleled, unequalled, and distinctly un-boring. I’ve moved on from it, but I sank countless hours in to multiplayer Renegade (whereas I play virtually no other C&C games online), and people are still sinking them as we speak. If EA wants to make a C&C FPS, they should make Renegade 2.
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: I sure hope not. We’re nearing the seven-year point since the release of C&C Renegade, and there are still thousands of people logging in everyday, about seventy servers, a thriving community (server mods, total conversion mods like APB, Reborn, and AR, unofficial patches, server regulators and anti-cheat programs). How could an almost seven-year old game with poor sales, sub-par graphics, and a mediocre singleplayer still have a prospering community? Gameplay. Specifically, C&C mode – Renegade’s multiplayer gameplay was so unique and entertaining, that a large community of people still play it after so long. It may be a biased source, but a poll conducted by the Renegade X mod on the forums suggest that 86.21% of our community wants some form of a C&C FPS that features a Renegade-styled C&C mode. The same poll was conducted on the Renegade Forums and the number was at 88%. I think C&C has a huge potential on the FPS genre, but with three so-called “failures” (C&C Renegade, C&C Renegade 2, and Tiberium) we might not see a C&C FPS or a Renegade 2 for a very long time, so we may have to look at Community mods for now.
TheGunrun: It damn well better not have! I loved the heck out of Renegade. I remember playing that game 6 hours a day and having so much fun when I was 13. Renegade holds a lot of memories for me and I sure hope they decided to recreate it, even if it was just a rehash Renegade with new graphics. BTW Renegade X Mod FTW.
JohnWE: No, I think that there still will be a C&C FPS in the future. It might be a few years though. At least we have Renegade X to look forward to. I hope the next try they make at a C&C FPS will be much more like Renegade, at least in the multiplayer side.
Question 6) A few sites have started producing their own video/audio content like Battlecast Prime France at CNC Saga and more recently the CNC Live chat show. Is this the future of the how content will be delivered in the C&C Community?
Sonic: Part of me says its the future, as Internet connections get faster content evolves. People still want the news the old way and fan sites should keep going with that. But as we have discovered here at CNCNZ.com producing video content is time consuming. Even with our reworked LiveWire format it still takes a lot of thinking and effort even before recording takes place.
Saracen: CNCNZ.com jumped on this bandwagon early with audio podcasts, we then had vodcasts done by Zee Hypnotist some time later. So I’d like to think we gave the inspiration to others… No but seriously now, it is a way forward that adds a distinct flavour to the content of any site. It brings a welcome change to reading text and looking at still pictures. However these ideas are good, but you need the time and motivation to do them… But even then personal issues offline can bring these things to a grinding halt. It’s been seen across many communities from PSP underground communities, to FPS fan sites to some lesser known online gaming sites…. sometimes it can take something small to derail all the hard work and effort. So my advice to anyone is that always have a backup staff member to cover your back if something goes wrong…. then you won’t lose that prized feature!
Lion: I believe it’s good for a website feature, but it won’t take the place of daily news posts anytime soon. It’s good for a filler whilst waiting on a particular game to be released. But once the game is released, people want maps, mods, replays, etc. And that of course will still have to be delivered the good ‘ole fashioned way. I know peeps love to be entertained, and websites that have all that fancy interactive stuff is attractive. Video/Audio content has their place in the community, and I welcome it. The main problem I see is the fact it takes more time producing video/audio type of content as opposed to keeping a website updated with the usual content. The average webmaster just doesn’t have that kind of time to devote to something like that.
Chickendippers: I don’t think so. I can browse straight to the news I’m interested in to read it, not only does video content take longer to produce (making it constantly behind) but it forces you to skip through and buffer past uninteresting parts. I like Battlecast Primetime, but I watch it for the various features, not the latest community news which is always out of date.
Banshee: Some shows will appear and others will disappear. Doing this kind of content periodically requires some dedication and, depending on the real life situation from those who are willing to work on it, it’s hard to get them online religiously at the time they are supposed to be. That may dis-motivate many people. I had plans for a show like that in PPM. Maybe I’ll do it, but not in this year, since life is being hectic. Anyway, I enjoyed some of these shows, especially Tiberium Legos, back in CNCNZ. TheGunrun has an interesting idea with CnC Live, but his program takes a very long time, which may scare many people in the middle of it. This kind of show should take between 10 and 20 minutes… at most 30, but not more. Otherwise, it may get tiring, unless it is very dynamic like the original Battle Cast Prime Time with Raj Joshi and David Silverman.
HeXetic: It’s not “the” future, but I suppose it’s “part of” the future. I think part of it is the desire to follow in C&C TV’s success; I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a fair chunk of C&C fans out there who only follow the community by reading the official C&C forums, and by watching whatever serial C&C TV-episode-like videos people produce, Battlecast Primetime included.
Mind you, I’ve been making goofy C&C vids since 2002, so ner, ner, I was here first.
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: I personally have not been following the show, but it does seem like an interesting idea if done right. I’d like to see things such as interviews with mod and community leaders on the show, because that’s probably what would get the community’s attention.
TheGunrun: I feel that like with any other community; we should take advantage of the new forms of media out there. I love what the guys at CNC Saga are doing, with BCPTFrance, and especially here at CNCNZ, with LiveWire. Finally C&C is going beyond just text and pictures and venturing into brand new mediums. When I started CNC-Live I wanted to separate the community from all the others out there. CNC-Live gives everyone a voice and a way to feel more a part of the community. I also feel it allows you, the guys who read these discussions and like C&C, to meet the people behind the text in a whole different way.
JohnWE: No, I don’t think that Audio/video presentations are the future way that content will be delivered. But I do think that they provide a necessary upgrade from the norm. Higher interactivity and humour are injected into the mix at CNC Live, so I think it’s a step in the right direction to giving the community more ways to communicate about C&C.
Question 7) This edition of the Roundtable marks the one year anniversary since we started them. Do you enjoy them, either participating in them or reading them?
Sonic: I think they are good addition, it adds a unique feature to our site, no other site does them. While they are fun to participate in and read, organising and compiling the final presentation can take a while. But we know people look forward them. What I do find interesting is the Roundtable is one of the rare features that has managed to “stick” for more than a few months. Although I regret that we haven’t been able to get our friends in the German, French and Russian communities involved all that much yet.
Saracen: ) I always enjoy them, hell, even Apoc enjoys them. These roundtables are more than just a venting forum for the select masses. I like to think they can be looked upon by official sources as the voice of the community. Sure we might not agree and all not have similar answers, but I feel they do an important job. This feature standing for a year is testimony to that. Long may they continue….. well, so long as there are questions to ask and people to answer them, why not!?
Lion: First off, let me just say thanks to Sonic and the CNCNZ staff for their long time dedication to the C&C community. I enjoy both reading the Roundtable discussions and participating in them, and I hope they continue on for some time to come.
Chickendippers: Yeah it’s always nice when the invitation email drops into my inbox most months. It’s also interesting to read what my fellow community members are thinking, often not what I was expecting!
Banshee: Happy birthday to the roundtable! I always enjoy participating from the Roundtable Discussions. It’s a nice way to register the opinion of those who participate from the C&C community and an interesting way to log how it evolves in time. And it is actually useful, since it also reaches an important target: Mr. APOC, who can actually make a good usage of this data. And also, it is a nice way to inform the fans about the best things that happened during the month.
HeXetic: It’s good fun and a handy way of recapping the week’s (or the month’s) stories. Plus I can say mean things about Dario without him psychically derailing trams into my house.
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: Well this is the first time participating in a Roundtable discussion and, so far, I’m enjoying it. I think it’s awesome to get the opportunity to read different opinions from voices all over the C&C world, and discuss these matters. I’ve been a C&C gamer since ’95, so seeing how far and wide this gaming fan base has gotten and talking with representatives of different communities is a great idea. Maybe we could do audio roundtables in the future 😛
TheGunrun: I love these Roundtable discussions; it was one of the community events that inspired me to start up CNC-Live. The roundtable discussions allow the community to get the many different viewpoints and opinions concerning the community. I find just reading these many views and opinions to be very interesting and informative.
JohnWE: No, I really don’t enjoy them. 😛 Talk about a one-answer question. I think the roundtables are good ways to get the collective educated opinion on C&C related issues to the general public. And in that, they are doing an excellent job.
Question 8) What do you think of the themed only Roundtables like the “Fan Only Edition” last month or the “Modding Special” back in April?
Sonic: They worked well. The Modding one in April sparked plenty of debate and gave some modders some much need attention. The Fan Only one came out of necessity more than anything. There would lots of people who to take part in them but could be included in Roundtables such as this one. This easiest way was to get them in all involved in their own one.
Saracen: These 2 were a mixed bag… the modding special was an interesting one because there was a lot of behind the scenes debate with Apoc on that one. Some interesting things were said, and most were constructive. Fingers crossed we may see the results of that debate with RA3 and future products. The fan only edition was interesting, but people didn’t seem to want to get their hands dirty. Most people’s opinions in that one seemed rather generic, which was a shame… Okay I wasn’t expecting anyone to call Apoc a goof or anything, but the variety in that was a little stale. But nevertheless these themed Roundtables break things up a little and keep things fresh, so there’s no harm in keeping them going.
Lion: It’s good for variety. Maybe do one with some dev folks at EALA if possible, and repeat the ‘Fan Only Edition’ and ‘Modding Special’ again
Chickendippers: Well I know I’m no expert on the modding scene so having specials like that is a great way to change the roundtable up once in a while; the more the merrier and all that! Plus it’s a great way to get coherent comments from the community, especially when the official message boards often degrades to “EA sux” comments.
Banshee: They are interesting to show different perspectives about subjects that are not discussed often, or to give voice for those who can only scream at the horde (EA forums). I’d say they could be very interesting for months that are low on news.
HeXetic: Thanks for doing those, since you didn’t pull me in I finally had the breathing space I needed to finally level my main WoW toon to 38! Yeah! Only 32 more levels to go… and three weeks to do ’em in. Damn, I’m going to have to hope my copy of RA3 comes with its own time-travel device
[NE]Fobby[GEN]: The fan edition was definitely an interesting look at what everyday C&C gamers think about these issues, and the modding special was great coverage for those hard-working C&C mods around the community. I definitely think the mods deserve all the attention they could get for creating such amazing and professional work for this community. Themed roundtables are definitely cool, but I also like seeing what people think about a range of topics like this one.
TheGunrun: I think that the themes are a great idea. Variety is always a good thing.
JohnWE: Whatever keeps the ideas fresh and original! How about a non-C&C roundtable… oh wait. Keep bringing up the hard issues, and I’ll keep answering!
Disclaimer: The views expressed by each individual in the Roundtable Discussion are their own, and do not reflect the official view of CNCNZ.com, unless otherwise stated.