Classic Games

Command & Conquer

Real-time strategy refined

Command & Conquer popularised real-time strategy with accessible base-building, resource harvesting, and FMV cutscenes that brought personality to warfare.

pcPlayStationsega-saturn strategyrtswestwood 1995

Overview

Harvest Tiberium. Build base. Crush enemies. Westwood’s Command & Conquer didn’t invent real-time strategy—Dune II did that—but it perfected the formula for mass audiences. The GDI vs Nod conflict played out through cheesy but beloved FMV cutscenes, while multiplayer battles defined the emerging genre.

Fast facts

  • Developer: Westwood Studios.
  • Predecessor: Dune II.
  • Factions: GDI, Brotherhood of Nod.
  • Innovation: RTS popularisation.

Core mechanics

SystemFunction
Base buildingStructure placement
Resource harvestingTiberium collection
Unit productionArmy creation
Tech treeProgression unlocks

Faction design

FactionStyle
GDIConventional military
NodGuerrilla, stealth

Tiberium economy

ElementRole
Tiberium fieldsResource source
HarvestersCollection units
RefineriesProcessing
Strategic controlMap dominance

FMV cutscenes

FeatureImpact
Live actorsPersonality injection
KaneIconic villain
Production valueTV-quality
Series identityContinued throughout

Multiplayer impact

InnovationEffect
Network playCompetitive scene
Map varietyStrategic depth
Balance patchesOngoing support
CommunityLong-lasting

Series expansion

TitleYearSetting
Command & Conquer1995Tiberium
Red Alert1996Alternate WWII
Tiberian Sun1999Tiberium future
Red Alert 22000Cold War alt-history

See also