#command and conquer renegade

[radiokaos]

Kaos Nova Reveals EA Play on Mac OS!

[sublimepizzastarfish]

Pirate Software's "rearchitecture" for Stop Killing Games

There's been a lot of fascinating drama around Stop Killing Games. Go read the initiative here:

It is a good initiative, and anyone who is a consumer that can, should absolutely go support it.

Jason "Thor" Hall, CEO of Pirate Software, recently had a few, let's say, "takes" on the matter (I'm trying and failing to remain neutral), which began on a stream. The stream's VOD has since deleted on his YouTube channel.

Louis Rossmann, who you might know as the largest Right to Repair activist in the US, made a response to a section of the releevant stream here:

Thor, CEO of Pirate Software, made two videos to clarify his points:

There is an argument in the video at the 2:08 mark that I will reference later.

(I recommend watching all these videos on 2x speed. You will get the same info out of them all, because especially video 2 is a lot of repetition)

Now, as mentioned above, there is one particular technical argument that bugs me about what Thor, CEO of Pirate Software, is making. Here is the full quote:

How would you keep League of Legends in a functional, playable state? You'd have to rearchitect the entire game. The game is what is called "client-server". So, in client-server models, there's a server, there's a client, and all of the math, all of the game, everything happens on the server. The client just displays it. And the reason we want to do it that way is so that you can't teleport around and do a billion damage. You don't trust the client. You trust the server. The client just displays what it's told. Right? So, if we wanted to rearchitect this, we would have to take all of that server logic, push it back out into the client, and somehow make that playable in a multiplayer-only video game. That doesn't make sense to me. So this doesn't work for all games. Why is [the initiative] calling out all games?

So, first off, yes, most games do client-server architecture for multiplayer logic, because you do trust the servers. It is an important step to curbing an entire class of cheats. It doesn't necessarily mean the client isn't malicious (for example, there are cheats for League of Legends that show a growing circle when an enemy leaves the fog of war in the minimap). However, it does mean the client doesn't know 100% of the game at any time when information is selectively fed to each client based on something like the fog of war. That's awesome.

Some games, like PlanetSide (rest in peace) and Overwatch (2) use what's called client-side hit detection. Some games, like Halo 1, employ more selective hit detection models, where only certain weapons use client-side hit detection (see https://c20.reclaimers.net/h1/engine/netcode/). Client-side versus server-side hit detection can change the overall feel of a game, and it's one of the things game developers decide on in multiplayer-only games that require it. In the case of an massively multiplayer online first person shooter (MMOFPS) like PlanetSide (2), the server simply can't calculate thousands of people's math in a reasonable amount of time, because otherwise the hit detection would otherwise feel very crappy to play, and so the math is offloaded to the client and the client says "hit" when they hit.

However, there are a few counterexamples to the specific technical argument that keeping the game playable after end-of-lifing it requires rearchitecting:

Games with dedicated servers exist - Command & Conquer: Renegade, Starsiege: TRIBES

Games where one client also hosts the multiplayer server exist - Half Life 2, Warhammer 40k: Space Marine

Private server hosting exists - World of Warcraft

Some of these games, particularly the examples with dedicated servers that can be run on user hardware, can also run as the second example.

To say keeping a multiplayer-only online game requires rearchitecting a game like League of Legends means a lack of imagination. More relevantly, it means a lack of systems thinking.

To me, it is very strange for someone such as Thor, CEO of Pirate Software, who is self-described as being a 20 year veteran of the games industry to say. I won't say skill issue, because I think there is an ulterior motive at play.

Just to hammer the point home, I drew up some crappy diagrams in Inkscape because this extremely wrong technical argument bugged me so, so much.

Here is what a client-server model looks like:

Here, you have 10 clients, each being a player of the game. Then, you have the server, run by Riot, the developer and maintainer of League of Legends.

Here is the imagination of Thor, CEO of Pirate Software, had to say on the matter on the required way rearchitect it:

Those who know their network models would understand this looks very much like a mesh network, or a peer-to-peer model. And, to be fair, some games might attempt it.

However, this isn't *usually* how games described using a peer-to-peer (P2P) model work. Most peer-to-peer models, like the architecture used in Space Marines, are often used for matchmaking. Once you are in a game, one of the clients also serves as the host (selecting by some algorithm, like randomly or whoever has the best hardware).

P2P is nice, because the company doesn't have to run servers for matchmaking at all during their lifespan (and sometimes a matchmaking server might be spun up to serve as a relay to help with network issues or help other clients find clients quickly). As we'll get into later, a client machine will also serve as the host machine. It is a perfectly fair and valid, although it comes with it's frustrations (mainly in the realm of network address translation (NAT) traversal, because your computer behind a router is not usually exposed to the wider Internet, though sometimes routers have universal plug-and-play (UPnP) set up, which makes NAT traversal much easier here).

If you've ever seen a message in the game "migrating host" because the host left, they likely use P2P matchmaking, but still use a client-server model. They can just migrate the game data to a new host using the data on the other clients as a seed for the data.

This is likely their setup for actual gameplay:

One of the clients now has a server on the same machine. Sometimes, this could be the game itself that would serve in singleplayer. However, most often, this is just a server that's lightweight enough for the client to connect to and they play that way (it's also really nice to develop and QA this way, because many server bugs will also be seen by the client).

Now, one of the disadvantages here is: Can all remote clients connect to the host that the server (and one of the clients) is running on? Again, NAT traversal issues usually play a role here. In the first few days of any game that uses this, and only this, there will likely be a lot of issues with connectivity.

Another disadvantage: The host won't have latency issues. This is why in the case of, for example, Among Us, the client host can see certain things happening (like someone is dead the moment they hit a button or reported a body), but remote player hosts might not.

Okay, so, maybe it's not possible to rearchitect something like League of Legends like this. It could reasonably be a lot of work. Here is another solution:

Looks very similar to the first architecture, doesn't it? It is! The difference is that the text "Riot" was changed to "not Riot".

This is how World of Warcraft and Pokemon Go private servers work.

The vast majority of games that would not run without private servers simply do not require rearchitecting to keep in a reasonably playable state when the servers shut down.

[hooverthehoover]

Made this in like 10 minutes out of boredom, sorry if the shading is really weird (I tend to suck at that)

[grayrazor]

Steam Workshop support for a bunch of old Command & Conquer games now apparently.

Looks like just the 3D ones: Renegade, Generals, Tiberium Wars, Red Alert 3, and Tiberian Twilight.

[hooverthehoover]

Is that the fucking

"Rocket Buggy on the attack!"

[16-tito-16]

hi guys, it's me

Yeah, I have three personalities tito NPC- a little bit of everything ТГ (ru) / Vk(ru) РоткодWWN - command and conquer art Twitter / Bluesky / Vk(ru) / ТГ(ru) / PRITON - NSFW art Bluesky / furaffinity

love

fandom: command and conquer / Red Alert Crash Bandicoot Twisted Metal GI Joe: A Real American Hero/ Renegades Classic Doctor Who Postal New fandom : The Outlast Trials Deltarune

OC (command and conquer)

main characters

 trade - yes

[renegadecut]

*new* renegade cut about civilization and command & conquer

[hooverthehoover]

Well i mean have you heard them say "i love the smell of roasted terrorist" in C&C renegade, they are at least a little zesty

FLAME TROOPERS - COMMAND & CONQUER

[snapmite1998]

Anakin Skywalker: Destiny

Chapter 1: A terrible truth

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/65253292/chapters/167867062

(Coruscant)

Everything was about to change.

This simple fact was known by every sentient being in the galaxy.

As the Clone Wars was reaching its climax, the galaxy held its breath as the Grand Army of the Republic and the Jedi spread throughout the Outer Rim to eliminate the last of the Separatist forces, in the aftermath of the Battle of Coruscant and the death of Count Dooku, the Separatists had lost its leader, and were now on the back peddle as the Republic and its clone armies moved in to press the advantage. All that remained was General Grievous and the corporate leaders who comprised the Separatist Council, who had retreated to the Utapau system with a significant droid presence there, thanks to clone intelligence. The fate of the galaxy hung in the balance as the true victor of this galactic conflict that had ravaged the galaxy for three long years would be determined.

As for Anakin Skywalker, he was eager for the conflict to end so he could truly be with his wife, Padmé Amidala, and raise their unborn child together. It had been after the Battle of Coruscant that he would learn that the woman of his dreams was carrying his child, and it had made him beyond elated. Finally, he would soon have everything he ever wanted, with Padmé, all that was needed for that dream to become a reality was to win the war and ensure peace and order throughout the galaxy was secured.

Of course, that may take some time. Before leaving the Jedi Temple to inform Chancellor Palpatine that Obi-Wan Kenobi has engaged General Grievous on Utapau, the recently promoted Commander Rex and his division of the 501st dispatched with Ahsoka Tano and Bo-Katan Kryze and her Mandalorian rebels to liberate Mandalore from the renegade Sith Lord, Maul, had run into a complication. The Nightbrother Zabrak and his Mandalorians were nowhere to be found; the only hostile presence on the planet was Prime Minister Almec and a skeleton crew of Mandalorians loyal to the Dathomiri warrior. But with no further hostility from the planet, Rex and the clones under his command had no choice but to leave Mandalore, if not, then it would paint the Jedi as a rogue element who completely disregarded Mandalore as a neutral system and refused to wait for the orders of the Supreme Chancellor and Galactic Senate to debate the topic of authorizing a siege on Mandalore to liberate it from a former Sith Lord.

Maul and what remained of his Shadow Collective were a threat, true. But the threat the Dathomiri warrior posed at the moment was minuscule in the grand scheme of things, the Separatists took priority, that and discovering Darth Sidious, the Sith Lord who is rumored to be in control of the Republic. This...mastermind who had pulled both Maul and the late Count Dooku's strings was still lurking in the shadows. Whoever Sidious is, they have played the long game of patience. And when their patience finally expired and Sidious finally steps out of the shadows and reveals themselves, the galaxy will either finally be at peace or face a monster intent on conquering the galaxy once and for all.

Once Anakin arrived at Palpatine's office, the young Jedi Knight saw his close friend observing a hologram, its crimson light displaying a moon or planet of some kind, but he couldn't get a good look at it. But he quickly shut it off before turning in his seat to face the young Jedi Knight.

"Chancellor," Anakin greeted before giving his report. "We just received a report from Master Kenobi. He has engaged General Grievous."

"We can hope that Master Kenobi is up to the challenge."

Was Palpatine's response. Anakin then cast his eyes to the ground with a heavy sigh. "I should be there with him," he mused.

"It's upsetting to me to see that the council doesn't even fully appreciate your talents," Palpatine said sympathetically before questioning the pacing Jedi Knight. "Don't you wonder why they won't make you a Jedi Master?"

Because they don't trust me, Anakin mused bitterly. After everything he had done for them during the war: the countless victories, leading the Republic through some of the bloodiest battles of the war, and countless other achievements that should've led him to become a Jedi Master. But just as the Jedi Council didn't fully trust him, Anakin's faith in them had been whittled down to almost nothing for the past three years this war has dragged on. From faking the death of Obi-Wan and disguising him as a bounty hunter, expelling Ahsoka for bombing the Jedi Temple with false accusations, and nearly allowing the Senate to give her the death penalty, and countless other grievances too numerous to count.

"I wish I knew," Anakin, still pacing, vented his frustrations further. "More and more, I get the feeling that I'm being excluded from the council." Ceasing his pacing, Anakin looked his friend in the eyes, and with a scowl, he spoke matter-of-factly. "I know there are things about the Force that they're not telling me."

Listening intently to Anakin's frustrations made Palpatine smile on the inside; he had the young man right where he wanted him.

Nodding softly, Palpatine spoke after a moment of silence. "They don't trust you, Anakin," rising from his seat, he continued. "They see your future. They know your power will be too strong to control..." placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, Palpatine led him out of his office so that the two men could walk together. "...you must break through the fog of lies that the Jedi have created around you. Let me help you to know the subtleties of the Force."

"How do you know the ways of the Force?"

Turning to the confused young man, Palpatine smiled. "My mentor taught me everything about the Force," he then added in a softer tone, "even the nature of the dark side."

Stepping up so that he was now in front of Palpatine, the Jedi Knight narrowed his eyes at the man before him. "You know the dark side?"

"Anakin, if one is to understand the great mystery, one must understand all of its aspects," Palpatine began, "not just the dogmatic, narrow view of the Jedi..." Anakin felt himself tense as he took in what Palpatine was saying. "...if you wish to become a complete and wise leader, you must embrace a larger view of the Force." The two men then began to circle each other, as if they were two predators that would soon clash at any given moment. Anakin, with unease and tension gripping him. Palpatine, with determination and strength in his words, continued speaking. "Be careful of the Jedi, Anakin. Only through me can you achieve a power greater than any Jedi. Learn to know the dark side of the Force, and you will be able to save your wife from certain death." An unholy smile graced Palpatine's face, and it made Anakin's skin crawl.

"What did you say?"

Palpatine's wicked smile was then replaced with a look of plea. "Use my knowledge, I beg you,"

Without hesitation, Anakin drew his lightsaber, igniting the azure blade, and pointing it at Palpatine's throat. "It's you," he said in disbelief, "you're the Sith Lord that we've been looking for. You're Darth Sidious."

Smiling, he gave a nod. "Indeed, I am," his left hand twitched, and one of his lightsabers was concealed in his sleeve, however, he restrained himself from drawing his weapon to defend himself, believing that Anakin would not attack him. "But I am also your friend, my boy," the Dark Lord of the Sith reminded, a friendly smile on his face.

"My friend?!" Anakin barked. Shaking in both rage and disbelief. "You're behind everything: the war, the deaths and suffering of untold trillions throughout the galaxy, the assassination attempts on Padmé, and who knows what other machinations!" Bearing his teeth, the young Jedi snarled. "You were never my friend, all you did was manipulate me and groom me to become your next disposable apprentice." Realization struck Anakin like a bolt of lightning as he recalled why Palpatine wanted Dooku killed on the Invisible Hand. "That's why you wanted me to kill Dooku, wasn't it? So that I could join you? Join the Sith?"

"Yes," Palpatine said. "I know what's been troubling you," he then pleaded once more, "listen to me, don't continue to be a pawn of the Jedi Council!" The anger radiating from Anakin was like standing next to a burning star, and it pleased Palpatine greatly. But for the moment, the Dark Lord needed the young man to listen to him. "Ever since I've known you, you've been searching for a life... greater than that of an ordinary Jedi. A life of significance...of conscience."

Clenching his jaw as Palpatine turned his back on him, Anakin lifted his blade at the side of the Sith Lord's neck. The Jedi's blade was mere inches from the back of his neck, Palpatine could feel its heat radiating against his skin and he asked aloud. "What will you do, Anakin?" Slightly looking over his shoulders, he inquired further. "Are you going to kill me?"

With clenched teeth, Anakin growled. "I would certainly like to," as he inched his weapon closer to the Sith Lord's throat, he added. "It's the least you deserve."

It would certainly be the just thing to do, Anakin mused, after all, this man has orchestrated a galactic-scale war that has gone on for three years, untold trillions have died, been enslaved, or are now left with nothing, all because of Palpatine and his quest for power. Not only that, but this serpent who claimed to be his friend, has whispered poison in his ears for decades, and has manipulated him.

No true friend would do that.

But what made Anakin's blood burn hotter was that Palpatine had been the one who had tried to rob him of his beloved wife, Padmé through countless assassination attempts either by using others to do his dirty work or otherwise. He had believed that by gleaning an understanding of the power of Darth Plagueis, of the Sith, he could perhaps save his wife from dying in childbirth. The nightmares had been having as of late had rattled him to his very core, filling him with fear and despair, he had already lost his mother, and he would not lose Padmé.

"I know you would," Palpatine's usual friendly, and amiable tone was replaced with a chilling malice that sent chills crawling down Anakin's spine. "I can feel your anger," the Dark Lord exhaled as if he were feeding on the young Jedi's very emotions, "it gives you focus, makes you stronger." As the Chancellor turned to face Anakin again, his true face was revealed for the young man to behold. Palpatine's eyes glowed bright yellow, and a malicious smirk crossed his face as he waited patiently for the Chosen One to make his decision. The Jedi Knight felt his resolve to do what needed to be done shaken. He had first believed that the power that Darth Plagueis wielded, to stop people from dying, could be of use to him, and ensure that the love of his life would never be wrested from his arms.

But now...

He was doubting the promises of power that Palpatine had whispered in his ear at the opera to save those he cared about from dying. Surely it was a lie, a ruse to persuade Anakin to join his side, forcing him to give in to fear and turn his back on the light, the Jedi, and his duty as the Chosen One, to become something... sinister. Even now, Anakin could feel the dark side whispering poison in his ear, begging him to give in to the power of the dark and reject the light. After all, Anakin would have been more than justified in joining the Sith and giving himself to powers so evil and perverted that there would be no hope of redemption, for years he has suffered the distrust from the Jedi Order despite everything he has done throughout the entirety of the Clone Wars, having to stomach their toxic arrogance and dogmatic narrow view of life, but also prohibiting attachments, making them nothing but cold, callous, and dare he say heartless pawns for a corrupt senate who disregard so many sentients across the galaxy just because they are not part of the Republic.

But if Anakin struck down Palpatine in anger, and in hatred, he would fall into the dark side's malevolent grasp. He had been teetering on the edge for many years, his first true taste of the dark side was when he slaughtered the Tusken Raiders and all who inhabited that tribe because they brutally murdered his mother. He remembered the guilt that consumed him when he recounted his brutal slaughter to Padmé, and how she was there for him, even when she had every reason to abandon him and sever ties with him for his barbarism and darkness.

If he pledged himself to the dark side and the Sith, what would he become then? With Palpatine pulling his strings, he dared not even contemplate what atrocities he would have to commit in the name of the Sith.

Swallowing thickly, Anakin deactivated his lightsaber and spoke firmly, finding determination in himself once again. "I'm going to turn you over to the Jedi Council,"

"Of course, you should," Palpatine's fiery yellow eyes returned to their natural color as his deep, malicious voice turned back to the friendly tone he had always used. "But you're not sure of their intentions, are you?"

Clenching his jaw, Anakin could see clearly for the first time since he'd known this man, Palpatine was gaslighting him. Determined to not let him manipulate him any more than he already has, Anakin replied sternly. "I will quickly discover the truth of all this."

"You have great wisdom, Anakin," Palpatine applauded before continuing, "know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padmé." He concluded with a smile, yet it was one of malice, not warmth.

Anakin stared at Palpatine for a long moment, wondering whether or not his choice to turn him over to the Jedi Council was wise. Palpatine turns and moves to his office before talking over his shoulder. "I have no doubt that you will make the right choice, my boy," he then added in his sinister tone. "You must choose but choose soon. What will transpire next will reshape the galaxy forever. And I would rather have you as an ally rather than my enemy."

As Palpatine seated himself at his desk, he smiled at the young Jedi. "I sense the conflict within you, Anakin. You want to report this revelation to the Jedi, but will they believe what you say? After all, they never trusted you. Everything that you've done during this war, and they still see you as a threat to their precious order," turning his chair to look outside the window, Palpatine continued. "You have time to decide my fate. Perhaps you'll reconsider turning me over to the Jedi and help me rule the galaxy forever for the good of all."

Anakin could not find himself to respond, instead, he left the Republic Executive Building with haste.

[fractal-knights]

So you mentioned this "dreaded campaign" a couple times. Could you explain what it was exactly?

The dreaded campaign was a terrible event. One that the inquisition went to great strides to cover up. It is similar to the story of dawn of war soulstorm with how many factions showed up.

It started out simply enough. The Imperial Guard and the Tau Empire were fighting over a sector that bordered their empires. The fighting had riled up the local orks in the sector, starting up a full-blown ork rebellion. To make matters worse, there had been reports from guardsmen that there were Craftworld Eldar sightings. Nothing confirmed though, as they would disappear just as quickly as they would appear.

To make matters worse, even Dark Eldar began to appear, wishing to take many of the inhabitants of the sector as slaves. It all got to the point the ork rebellion turned into a full blown WAAAGH!!! Attracting orks from outside the sector to join in. All the while, chaos renegades and cultists began performing Dark rituals to summon daemons, using the carnage of the war as the catalyst. The sisters of battle soon arrived to deal with the heretics and alien witches.

On one of the hive worlds, a genestealer cult began to make the call to the tyranids, believing the sector was teeming with plenty of biomass. The Craftworld Eldar then made their move when it was revealed that another one of the planets in the sector turned out to be a tomb world, when an army of necrons came out of their tombs to get rid of all the mortals that disturbed their slumber.

This made things get even worse, as soon, several chaos warbands joined the renegades in conquering the sector for chaos. Resulting in both the inquisition, and several space marine chapters, to arrive to fight. It became brutal, with no clear victor in sight.

The warriors of the Imperium tried to work together, even if for some it was begrudgingly, to bring victory to the imperium. Some of the space marine chapters tried to evacuate the civilians, with the effort to do so led by the Nova Dragons. The Inqusition tried to prevent this, believing the people tainted by chaos. But the Astartes, the Guard, and even many of the Sororitas, refused to allow this. The Inqusition, knowing it couldn't afford a battle on all sides, begrudgingly allowed the evacuation after this.

Over the following months, things only got worse. Many on all sides died, with barely any guardsmen regiments remaining, many of the space marine chapters were broken, or wiped out, and even the Sororitas began to buckle at the wave of horrors that faced them.

The inquisiton was planning on performing exterminatus on the whole sector, even where the civilians had been evacuated, no longer caring about what the other champions of the Imperium wanted, as the Lord inquisitor was even willing to mark the space marines, sisters, and guardsmen, as traitors for defying him for so long.

It led to a combined effort to stop the Lord inquisitor. When it was done, the lord inquisitor was dead. But they were worried this would lead to the inquisition punishing them severely. But at the time, they couldn't think of that, as the campaign waged on. At one point, Lucifer Samael took the lead of the space marine forces on the planet. Sergeant Nelda Brar of the Astral Lions of Harad, a Cadian remnant guard regiment, had taken command after all her commanding officers were wiped out. And sister palatine Sarella Lash of The Order of the Daughters of the Risen Sword had also taken command of her sisters after the death of the canoness.

And, after much blood had been spilled, and many lives had been lost, the imperium had managed to achieve a victory, pyrrhic though it was. They had expected retribution from the inquisition for the death of the lord inquisitor, but instead, the inquisition merely covered the whole thing up, not wishing for a repeat of the months of shame.

After this, it was left the the remaining Imperial forces to pick up the pieces. When all was said and done, what little of each space marine chapter remained chose to form a new chapter from the ashes of the old. And such was what led to the birth of the Fractal Knights.

[tentacion3099]

Japanese M24 ATM that has been fitted with Type 64 MATs. Gives Command and Conquer Renegade vibes.

[lexsnotdead]

Completely random recommendation, but check out "Sakura Obata" from Command & Conquer Renegade. The game should be free on myabandonware, or there is a walkthrough on YT for sure, it's relatively short. Game has a hilarious himbo protag (who doesn't get any girls) and Sakura is his way cooler ex. (she is also playable in multiplayer) Not a very deep character, but just cool af.

OH MY GOD SHE'S SO 😳😳😳

hi sakura ma'am.... i'm free on sunday night. btw

[hooverthehoover]

[bigfuckingcrab]

Idk why but one of my favorite things about playing older games is catching shit that almost no one else would care enough to notice like recognizing obscure voice actors from one game in another

for instance I just discovered that the character Logan Sheppard in Command & Conquer: Renegade has the same voice actor as Jaden Korr, the player character from Star Wars Jedi Knight III: Jedi Academy

[alpacaroni-and-cheese]

war crimes (command and conquer renegade)