[Generals : Evolution] Project Update & Beta 0.31 News

C&C Generals Evolution: Beta 0.31 News!

It's been a rough year, but it's time to update you on Generals Evolution Beta 0.31, myself and everything related to this project.

What's up, where have you been?

I'm going to be brief in this article because this is not a main subject of this update, but if you want to read full story of my survival during "Siege of Mariupol" then click here

It was quite a rough year for me and for a lot of people. As some of you know I used to live in Mariupol, Ukraine. By now I'm sure you've heard about what happened there and through what remorseless savagery everyone there had to live through, including me and my family. Thankfully we've managed to live through it all due to sheer luck & shared effort and escape from leftover smoldering ruins right about when it was all over, sacrificing almost everything I have ever owned.

Currently I am somewhere far away and safe, which took me several weeks to achieve. With your help and a help of my dear friend I've managed to get my hands on a laptop, temporarily settle, and resume my work on the game called Military Conflict: Vietnam which I was a part of for 7 years ( and still am ) before the war. I had to put it above all else in my priorities list, because working on it is the only reliable way of survival for me. Unfortunately this came with the consequences of eating up all my available time, leaving no time for my creative endeavors.

Even when I had some free time I couldn't bring myself up to work on anything of my own due to ongoing PTSD issues, quite frankly a part of me simply died under never-ending barrage of artillery shells and airstrikes back home from everything I've witnessed and been through, even after all this time I'm struggling to regain that spark and joy from creation I used to have. I hate being overly dramatic, but this is something that is impossible to explain using words to people when they ask me about how I'm feeling/doing or how it felt to survive through all of this, I just hope neither of you has to live through what I did. I've put 12 years of my life into a war strategy mod for a game only to live through it personally, life is a cruel mistress. At least I am alive.

Light at the end of the tunnel.

Thankfully not all is lost, couple of weeks before the war I've transferred ownership of everything GenEvo to sgor00, co-creator of the mod and my friend. I've had a feeling that something is going to happen, I wish I was wrong. Him and couple of most dedicated community members been busy working on extensive re-balance and bug-fix patch. I want to personally thank Enigma for his invaluable work and research on upcoming GenEvo B0.31 balance and sgor00 for picking up the torch, not giving up, despite all the personal struggles that this situation brought, and keeping GenEvo community alive and healthy. I also want to thank our dedicated community for being active and creating content for the mod, including some of the maps, which will be included into the upcoming patch. Thank you for not letting 12 years of our work to not go to waste and die with a whimper.

Thank you!

Both me and sgor00 want to give our most heartfelt thanks to all of you for your continuing support and interest, GenEvo reached over 100.000 B0.3 downloads and gotten into ModDB Top 100, despite not having any meaningful updates for a while. Our Discord community is alive and thriving and all of this is thanks to you, it means a lot to us.

What can you expect from GenEvo B.031?

Patch 0.31 aims to greatly re-balance and fix some issues of the mod, making it much more viable and much more fair for online and offline play, while keeping it as close to original game as possible. This patch will also include a bunch of community made maps from our most prominent creators and even some brand new maps from sgor00 himself, in total current map pool of GenEvo will consist of 40 fully playable Skirmish maps. There's a slight chance that B0.31 will also include couple of new additions, like units, upgrades or structures from my side, but, sadly, I can't promise anything right now, life is very unpredictable.

All that said, here's a work in progress balance changelog from B0.3 -> B0.31.

GAME BALANCE CHANGELOG FROM 0.3 to 0.31

--GLOBAL CHANGES:

● Unit Locomotor Scalar: 1.75 -> 1.5
● Unit Locomotor Air Scalar: 2.0 -> 1.5

● Generic Projectile Locomotor Speed: 800 -> 600

● Shell flight path adjust per second (300 -> 150)
● Shell flight path removed tag (STRAIGHT_ONLY)

● War Factory and Airfield Repair Rates: 3% -> 2%

● Locomotor Global Edits

• Notes: Acceleration, turn times, braking times have been matched to their original.
• Effect: Most vehicles will accelerate a lot faster, almost instantly, some units will turn slower or faster.

● Infantry Global Visual Scalar added

• Notes: Infantry were too small and they were not rescaled for GenEvo.
• Effect: Infantry are now visibly 20% larger, which makes them easier to see and select, matches them to the original.

● Infantry Global Geometric Scalar added

• Notes: Infantry hitboxes were too small and they were not properly scaled for GenEvo.
• Effect: Infantry are now geometrically larger, which makes them easier to hit.

● Supply Trucks cost (1200$ -> 600$)
● Supply Trucks collection amount (600$ -> 400$)
● Supply Trucks depleted collection amount (300$ -> 200$)
● Supply Centre refund values globally fixed using parameters.

• Notes: The one truck system might come at a later date, but for now we've rebalanced around the two truck system.

● Certain Defences can no longer fire through structures.

Notes: Gattling Cannon, Tunnel Network, Firebases, Stinger Site, Deployed Armadillo.
Notes: Matching the original game. Otherwise, too much of a defender's advantage.

● Defenses can now 'see' on a larger multiplier. Should allow them to react a little bit more easily. (1.5x -> 1.75x)
Notes: New parameter. This is the same treatment that units get.

● Defenses now have a ground-specific fudge factor which allows them to automatically target units with the same range as them.
Notes: This is a bug fix, RA3 engine doesn't like letting defenses fire at stuff sometimes.

● Added Global Wall Template.
Notes: Inaccessible for normal gameplay for release. For worldbuilder use. Has Allies Wall model and customised Generals stats.

● Certain clip based weapons will now reacquire targets more often.
Notes: Globally, this is stuff like the Patriot will reacquire the same unit rather than continuing to fire at its original location.


--USA:

• ● Guardian build time: (8s -> 10s)
• ● Guardian health (400 -> 480)
• ● Guardian damage (50 -> 40)

Notes: Guardian should not be more quickly produced than alternatives. So SWG now just has a worse Crusader with a good special ability.

• ● War Factory health bug fixed (1500 -> 2000)
• ● Tomahawk missile health fixed (100 -> 200)
• ● Tomahawk aiming delay fixed (1.0s -> 0.25s)
• ● Sentry Drone stealth while idle implemented.
• ● Sentry Drone veterancy removed.

● Aurora and variants sluggish locomotor disabled.
Notes: Without the invincibility, the Aurora doesn't need the weakness either.

• ● Sentry Drone [LASER] damage increased (8 -> 16)
• ● Sentry Drone [LASER] delay between shots increased (0.2s -> 0.4s)

Notes: LASER variants will now tend to have more damage at cost of reload time. Same balance, more variety.

• ● Ranger [LASER] damage increased (5 -> 7.5)
• ● Ranger [LASER] delay between shots increased (133.33 -> 200)
• ● Ranger [LASER] clip size reduced (3 -> 2)
• ● Ranger [LASER] clip reload time increased (733.33 -> 800)

Notes: LASER variants will now tend to have more damage at cost of reload time. Same balance, more variety.

• ● Supply Centre cost (2000$ -> 1500$)
• ● Supply Centre build time (15 -> 10)

Notes: Matching other Supply Centres, because all the primary eco is identical.

● Firebase now correctly kills garrisoned infantry on death.

• ● Particle Tank area of effect is now split into primary and secondary.
• ● Particle Tank primary damage increased (20 -> 30)
• ● Particle Tank primary radius reduced (25 -> 10)
• ● Particle Tank secondary damage set to (10)
• ● Particle Tank secondary radius set to (25)
• ● Particle Tank clip reduced (12 -> 5)
• ● Particle Tank clip reload time reduced (10.0s -> 6.5s)
• ● Particle Tank aiming delay added (0 -> 0.25s)
• ● Particle Tank minimum range added (0 -> 100)
• ● Particle Tank can no longer fire while moving.
• ● Particle Tank no longer benefits from Composite Armor upgrade.

Notes: A lot of details now basically match the Tomahawk, but the unit should be overall worse because of cost and power cost.
Notes: This unit just had a lot to work on, but it should be a more balanced artillery-like overall.

● Combat Chinook now uses Helix-style locomotor.
● King Raptor now correctly has stealth detection.
● Stealth Fighter is now correctly invisible on Radar minimap at all times.

• ● Mammoth Tank now has secondary damage. (20)
• ● Mammoth Tank now has secondary radius. (10)

Notes: Mammoth Tank was underperforming compared to vanilla Ovie. It was missing this small detail.

• ● Alpha Raptor cost increased (1100$ -> 1400$)
• ● Alpha Raptor missile damage increased (50 -> 200)
• ● Alpha Raptor clip size reduced (2 -> 1)
• ● Alpha Raptor reload time increased (8s -> 10s)
• ● Alpha Raptor damage type to JET_MISSILE from EXPLOSIVE.

Notes: This vehicle was overperforming compared to the regular Raptor.
Notes: In certain MUs, this vehicle can completely invalidate SWG's defence weaknesses (mobility) and delete two aircraft instantly (which can be high value)
Notes: Additionally, it's a very powerful oppressive tool to hold down construction, collection and production.
Notes: The changes will make using this vehicle riskier, but also provide more use as a jet itself. It should also only be able to disable or delete one thing at once.

• ● Armadillo health (480 -> 240)
• ● Armadillo deploy time (3s -> 5s)
• ● Armadillo reload time (1.5s -> 1.0s)
• ● Armadillo build time (15s -> 5s)

Notes: A little more equivalent to Listening Outpost.

• ● Armadillo [Deploy] health (600 -> 480)
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] damage (85 -> 75)
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] damage radius (20 -> 10)
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] range (250 -> 275)
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] added minimum range (0 -> 50)
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] now correctly uses a separate parameter for contain capacity.
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] contain capacity (5 -> 0)
• ● Armadillo [Deploy] now has minimum weapon speed equivalent to Firebase

Notes: Deployed version of the Outpost is now almost identical to a Firebase.

● Flashbang now correctly scatters against infantry (0 -> 4.0)
● Flashbang no longer needs to reload before the first shot.
● Mechanic is no longer buildable.
● Mechanic vehicle repair moved to Ambulance.

• ● Supply Drop Zone income amount (25 -> 1500)
• ● Supply Drop Zone income interval (2s -> 120s)

Notes: SDZ income retained.

• ● EMP Patriot range (225 -> 275)
• ● EMP Patriot delay between shots (0.25s -> 0.1s)
• ● EMP Patriot damage (30 -> 15)
• ● EMP Patriot (Air) range (350 -> 400)
• ● EMP Patriot (Air) delay between shots (0.25s -> 0.1s)
• ● EMP Patriot (Air) damage (25 -> 30)

Notes: All bug fixes relating to broken parameters.

--PRC:

• ● Gattling Cannon firing delay fixed (0.125s).
• ● Gattling Tank firing delay fixed (0.2s).
• ● Minigunner firing delay fixed (0.25s).

Notes: In some cases this was a buff or nerf to the anti-air aspect of these units, and in all cases this was a nerf to the anti-ground aspect of these units.

● Iron Dragon health reduced (210 -> 160)

● Firestorm radius reduced (90 -> 40)
Notes: Matches the average radius of the Firestorm from the original game, which had a dynamic radius.

● Taskmaster health (380 -> 370)
Notes: Just matches the Scorpion.

• ● Dragon Tank damage per second fixed: (damage 35 -> 25, to fit new DBS).
• ● Dragon Tank now has correctly defined secondary damage and radius.
• ● Dragon Tank projectile speed fixed (600 -> 450)

● Inferno Cannon can no longer fire while moving.

• ● Nuke Cannon fixed deploy time (2s -> 3.333s)
• ● Nuke Cannon no longer denotes its target visibly for any player.

Notes: What was the point of the siege marker? Making a bad unit worse?

● MiG [NUKE] upgraded weapon now correctly does EXPLOSION damage instead of JET_MISSILE.
● MiG [NUKE] upgraded weapon now correctly has reduced reload time (8s -> 2s)

● MiG [Black Napalm] weapon now correctly has reduced reload time (8s -> 2s)

● China Artillery Strike corrected spawning height (500 -> 750)
● China Artillery Strike corrected spawning angle (-125 to 125 (0 average) -> 27)

● Listening Outpost deploy time (3s -> 5s)
● Listening Outpost build time (15s -> 5s)

● Listening Outpost [Deploy] health (600 -> 480)
● Listening Outpost [Deploy] contain capacity (5 -> 2)

● Added Listening Outpost [INFA]: Health (240 -> 300), Deployed Health (480 -> 600), Has propaganda (r75), reduced cost (800$ -> 600$), deployed contain capacity (2 -> 8)

• ● Cluster Mines General's Power can now be used on shrouded terrain.
• ● Cluster Mine health (50 -> 12.5)
• ● Cluster Mine geometry major and minor (2.07 -> 3.75)
• ● Cluster Mine geometry height (5.33 -> 1)
• ● Cluster Mine number of mines (40 -> 72)
• ● Cluster Mine no longer reveals shroud. (10.0 -> 0)

• ● Internet Center income amount (24 -> 5)
• ● Internet Center income interval (1.8s -> 0.45s)
• ● Internet Center health (2500 -> 1000)
• ● Internet Center armor (Internet Center Armor -> Structure Armor)
• ● Internet Center AI limit (2 -> 5)

Notes: IC income reduced 13.33$ps to 11.11$ps

• ● Internet Center [TANK] cost (3000$ -> 3620$)
• ● Internet Center [INF] income amount set (6$)

Notes: Reflects their unique hacker properties from the original game.

● Nuclear Missile Superweapon now correctly tapers off in damage the further from the epicenter. (3500 @ 210r -> 3500 @ 60r + Taper to 300 @210r)
● Nuclear Missile Superweapon target is no longer visible on minimap radar (the missile itself is not visible on minimap).

--GLA:

● GLA build times globally fixed: (1.0x -> 2.0x)
Notes: GLA does not have power in the original game, but they build, train and upgrade as if they have power in GenEvo.
Notes: This is clearly overpowered, so we have now compensated for this issue.

● Worker scale increased from 1.35x to 1.5x.

● Technical passengers now correctly survive the death of the Technical.

● Battlebus passengers now survive the death of the Battlebus, taking 50% health.
Notes: Battlebus' bunker from the original game dealt 50% dealt on evacuation, and we'll use this for better balance.

● Quad Cannon / Flak Tank turret turn rates and pitch rates fixed: (180 -> 360)

• ● Flak Tank speed (35 -> 40)
• ● Flak Tank health (350 -> 300)
• ● Flak Tank AOE (10 -> 5)

Notes: Flak Tank was overperforming. It is now a more well rounded vehicle.
Notes: Flak Tank is worse than Gatt and Quads in cost-effective fights but Flak Tanks are immensely better against groups of infantry.
Notes: Demo General is supposed to have a worse Quad, and not an equivalent. Flak stats are more akin to Quad now than before.
Notes: The AOE before was as big as a Firebase, which is a little too big.

● Scorpion Missile weapon speed corrected (200 -> 150)

• ● Manticore cost (900 -> 625)
• ● Manticore health (450 -> 370)
• ● Manticore transport slots (2 -> 5)
• ● Manticore speed (30 -> 40)
• ● Manticore passengers can no longer fire from inside.
• ● Manticore passengers can now survive the death of the vehicle.
• ● Manticore now requires the "Marauder Unlock" Generals' Power.

Notes: Manticore now acts as a slightly worse Scorpion with transport slots. It even requires a GP but can be stealthed.

● Scud Launcher aiming delay fixed (1.25s -> 0.5s)

• ● Rocket Buggy is no longer forced to reload if it stops firing.
• ● Rocket Buggy now reloads while idle.

Notes: Buggy can 'missile split' in the original.

• ● Katyusha cost (1500 -> 1200)
• ● Katyusha health reduced (250 -> 180)
• ● Katyusha speed reduced (30 -> 25)
• ● Katyusha primary damage reduced (80 -> 50)
• ● Katyusha clip size reduced (16 -> 12)
• ● Katyusha clip reload time reduced (13s -> 11s)
• ● Katyusha aiming delay reduced (2.5s -> 0.5s)
• ● Katyusha minimum range increased (100 -> 200)
• ● Katyusha scatter radius reduced (65 -> 30)
• ● Katyusha is no longer forced to reload if it stops firing or finish the entire clip.
• ● Katyusha now reloads while idle.

Notes: Katyusha is now more on par with Scud Launcher.
Notes: It has a faster burst (but no longer excessively strong) and now a worse overall AOE rather than better.
Notes: Matched a lot of other factors. But Katyusha remains mildly faster than the Scud on the ground.

● Toxin Tractor projectile speed fixed (600 -> 450)

• ● Bomb Car can no longer crush, can no longer phase through infantry and other technical details.
• ● Bomb Car cost fixed (500$ -> 550$)
• ● Bomb Car speed fixed (80 -> 90)
• ● Bomb Car health fixed (150 -> 100)
• ● Bomb Car base build time fixed (10.0 -> 5.0)
• ● Bomb Car primary damage fixed (500 -> 700)
• ● Bomb Car primary radius fixed (30 -> 20)
• ● Bomb Car secondary damage fixed (50 -> 100)
• ● Bomb Car is now upgraded by Demolitions Upgrade: (P Damage: 700 -> 800, S Damage: 100 -> 500)

• ● Windmill energy production increased (1 -> 6)
• ● Windmill cost reduced (800$ -> 600$)
• ● Windmill health reduced (800 -> 600)

Notes: You will be able to hold down all 3 Scuds with one Windmill, build extra if you need, but their cost is now not so excessive.

● Technical with double scrap correctly can no longer fire at aircraft.

• ● Suicide units "range" set to 1.0.
• ● Suicide units no longer have to be facing the target to detonate.
• ● Suicide units no longer have to be inside the target to detonate.

• ● Rebel molotov secondary damage added (5.0)
• ● Rebel molotov secondary radius added (40.0)
• ● Rebel molotov weapon speed (100 -> 120)
• ● Rebel molotov now has consistent weapon speed at all ranges.
• ● Rebel molotov attack range (150 -> 175)
• ● Rebel molotov minimum range (10 -> 20)
• ● Rebel molotov aiming delay (0.25s -> 0.1s)
• ● Rebel molotov firing duration (0.5s -> 0.4s)
• ● Rebel molotov now has consistent reload time (removed RNG).
• ● Rebel molotov reload time (1.1s average -> 1.5s)
• ● Rebel molotov scatter (6.66 infantry -> 4.0 infantry)
• ● Rebel molotov no longer needs to reload before the first shot.

Notes: aiming delay removed but it has to stay for animation purposes so it's merged with firing duration.

• ● GLA Builder speed (20 -> 25)
• ● GLA Builder upgraded speed (25 -> 30)

Notes: The 'Worker' has the right speed but the 'Builder' does not... there you go lads.

● Scud Storm missile speed (100 -> 450)

New Maps!

Here's brand new additions to the GenEvo B0.31 map pool from our most prominent community creators, such as -ClouD, aymcam13, Dereaper89, Bluesss, darkyuri, jmdigital, Predatore and Adriane!

What do we plan after GenEvo B0.31?

It's quite difficult to give you concrete answer regarding this due to our current situation, especially mine, but we're hoping that future patches will inclue more brand new content, like still unimplemented units/structures and even more balance/QoL changes, moving us much more closer to the final 1.0 release with complete SDK release. Hard to tell when this will actually happen, but we're going to do our best to achive this goal.

How can you help?

If you wish to show your appreciation towards project, please consider backing us up on Patreon for one or couple of months. I would also appreciate if you checked out the game I am working on as a lead VFX and lead Sound designer, this is the project that is half responsible for existance of Generals Evolution, it allowed me to sustain myself enough to be able to dedicate time for GenEvo, so if you're interested in old-school multiplayer FPS shooter, please check out Military Conflict: Vietnam Steam page! You can also join our Discord server and hang out with sgor00 and other folks, I won't be there much because I still need to concentrate on my job.

In Conclusion

To be frank I'm just glad that I'm still alive and physically healthy enough to be able to write this news article and update for you, for people who truly care and support this project, it genuinely means a lot to us. Despite this year being the toughest one for me yet, me and sgor00 really hope that this article will lighten up your day during festive season, we wish you Merry Christmas and a much happier New Year.