Something I've always wondered about the graphics

[Hume]

Hello,

Thought I would ask here, as I do not seem to find anything regarding this on the internet:

I've noticed that the graphics in the original Command and Conquer always seemed to have been a little better than Red Alert, even though RA came after CnC. I'm referring to more animations on the buildings in CnC as compared to RA where all the buildings are static, except for some flags and factory door. Also, CnC had more varied landscapes (dessert), although I suspect this is because RA only plays off in Europe, thus no dessert scenery.

This is not really something that can really be answered I guess? Just the way it went. It's just something I've always been curious about and thought I'd ask.

[ore_truck]

On 5/24/2018 at 6:23 PM, Hume said:

CnC had more varied landscapes (dessert)

Red Alert had snow and indoor.

[Hume]

11 hours ago, ore_truck said:

Red Alert had snow and indoor.

Ah yes you're right. I'm busy playing the original CnC campaign only now (I know after all these years), so I somehow assumed it also had snow. Never thought about the indoors levels, I use to really hate those missions in RA1.

 

But still, even looking at the GDI/ Allied medium tank and GDI/ Soviet Mammoth tank, CnC looks better than RA1. It's as if they made the graphics a little more simplistic for RA1, maybe due to shifting to Windows 95 at the time? Or anticipating bigger battles (naval warfare now included) or whatever the reasons were.

Edited May 31, 2018 by Hume
Added some info

[Tore]

C&C1 originally has temperate, desert and winter (looks like temperate, but has snowy bits here and there) 

[X3M]

Td winter maps are my most favorite of the whole franchise.

 

[Messiah]

On 5/24/2018 at 12:23 PM, Hume said:

 Also, CnC had more varied landscapes (dessert)

RA has icecream instead ?

You are right. CnC actually has separate palette files for each theatre: one part of the palette was different in each theatre and was created for the theatre templates only, resulting in a better quality of the template images. The other part of the palette was identical for all theatres and therefore it could be used for units too. RA has only one palette for everthing.

Edited July 2, 2018 by Messiah

[AchromicWhite]

It's possible that RA1's graphics were more rushed... given that TS was already underway.

C&C took off pretty quickly, the wait between even C&C1 and RA1 was too long, and WW had to pump out CovOps to keep people happy in the meantime. 

There are also unused animations of the Chronosphere, Iron Curtain and the airfield, which can be seen in the SHP files for the structures.

Edited July 28, 2018 by AchromicWhite

[chem]

red alert 2 looks marginally worse than tiberium sun too,  good observation, adding to what white has already said ,   the game was originally only meant to be an add on but it became quite a deep game in itself, perhaps they were expecting it to take less time and they made it more expansive (and time consuming ) than they originally intended. This perhaps caused them to  cut corners in animations graphics etc

 

 

Edited October 24, 2018 by chem