Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars Designer Diary #2 - The Brotherhood of Nod and the

[Player-X]

Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars Designer Diary #2 - The Brotherhood of Nod and the Return of Kane


What would the next game in this classic strategy series be without the sinister Brotherhood of Nod? Or Kane, for that matter? Executive producer Mike Verdu takes the wraps off the shadowy faction.
Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars will mark the return of the classic real-time strategy series, and the return of the series' two clashing titan factions, the Global Defense Initiative (GDI) and the shadowy organization known as The Brotherhood of Nod, which we're revealing here today. According to the story behind the new game, Nod acts as a "nationless state," a network of rebel factions that exist all over a futuristic version of earth polluted by the mysterious chemical Tiberium. And what would the Brotherhood of Nod be without its charismatic and glabrous general Kane? It's best not to think about it. Executive producer Mike Verdu explains.
The Brotherhood of Nod


By Mike Verdu
Executive Producer, EALA
This is the second in our series of features on the factions in Command & Conquer 3 Tiberium Wars (C&C 3). Last time, we took a quick look at the Global Defense Initiative (GDI), a military and political superpower forged from the advanced nations of Earth. GDI in the year 2047 is what might result if NATO, the G8, and the UN Security Council all got together and became one country. The GDI sees itself as a white knight working tirelessly to protect humanity, freedom, and the environment.
With this feature we go in depth on the Brotherhood of Nod (Nod), GDI's adversary in a decades-long struggle. GDI and Nod have been fighting over control of Tiberium--a mysterious alien element that is slowly consuming the planet--and the fate of humanity and Earth itself.
It's easy to understand GDI; the history, organization, and motives are familiar since they are an extrapolation of today's first-world economic and military powers. Nod is much more complicated. Nod has the people, resources, organization, and raw military power necessary to stand against GDI and wage war on a global scale. Yet the Brotherhood of Nod isn't a country. It's a strange new hybrid organization that has the combined characteristics of a religious movement, a multinational corporation, and a nation-state. Given the awesome demands of modern warfare--with its terrible cost and vast scale--Nod's ability to go toe-to-toe with GDI is astonishing.
GDI views Nod as a dangerous, virulent, and inexplicably self-sustaining terrorist group obsessed with accelerating the worst ecological catastrophe in history, led by a charismatic and brilliant sociopath named Kane. The Brotherhood sees itself quite differently. Nod believes that it is the agent of change for a world in the throes of transition to a new order, the representative of the poor and the oppressed, and a foil to the previously unchecked power of GDI. Here is a partial transcript from a Nod orientation briefing for new recruits:
"Welcome to the Brotherhood of Nod. You have joined a global order with millions of members all working together in harmony to unite the world in the name of peace and realize the true potential of mankind.
Our relationship with Tiberium has always been greatly misunderstood. Most people do not realize that the roots of our faith extend back several millennia, long before the emergence of the green crystal on Earth in 1995...an event prophesized by our great leader, Kane.
While the fascist political consortium of wealthy nations known as the Global Defense Initiative attempted to control the sacred green crystal, the Brotherhood worked tirelessly to acquire samples of the precious crystal...to study it, to unlock its potential as a new energy source, to explore its possibilities. Through our research and our faith, we have affirmed that Tiberium is the ultimate gift to mankind. It is the key to the future.
Our movement grew rapidly throughout the first decades of the twenty-first century. The mainstream media branded us as 'terrorists,' but we exposed GDI forces as the real criminals. They unilaterally redrew international border lines, relegating Nod followers into inhospitable yellow zone while they claimed the pristine and exclusive blue zones all for themselves.

Meanwhile, the Brotherhood champions the common people--the 80% of the world's population that struggles to get by in yellow zones torn by war, wracked by poverty, and abandoned by GDI. Using Tiberium to fuel and fund our efforts, Nod works tirelessly to bring order from the chaos. We make the streets safe, distribute food to the hungry, provide emergency medical care, minister to those who feel a spiritual vacuum, and inspire hope in people who would otherwise have none.
GDI casts itself as the world's guardian and savior, but it is neither. GDI is corrupt and unjust: 20% of the world's population--the most wealthy people on the planet--live in the blue zones, consuming the majority of the world's natural resources, wielding its vast military power to maintain the status quo by depriving the downtrodden of their god-given right to mine and exploit Tiberium.
The powerful oppress the weak in the hollow name of freedom and the only counter to GDI's power is the Brotherhood. Nod meets strength with strength in the name of peace and progress. Nod is the only hope against GDI tyranny. Brotherhood...Unity...Peace." The Brotherhood's appeal is seductive to those who live in the yellow zone. Nod offers a vision of Tiberium that is optimistic and uplifting, portraying it as a gift rather than a curse, a path to a bright future rather than the end of the world. It blames the terrible state of the planet on GDI rather than the relentless advance of the green crystal. Nod offers hope where there is often none, help where it's often most needed, faith where religion has been lost, and pride where there was often humiliation, weakness, and fear.
Nod is able to recruit thousands of new members every month from the desperate populations of the borderlands. Its political, military, and logistical operations are decentralized and buried deep inside crumbling cities, towns, and outposts in the decaying yellow zone. A vast and sophisticated infrastructure is disguised from GDI, and Nod has perfected the art of moving military assets and forces quickly over long distances without detection, even by satellite or drone aircraft with the latest generation of sensors.
Nod's core organization is very sophisticated and high-tech but it also has a large guerilla force composed of hastily trained and minimally equipped recruits from the yellow zone. Nod's field forces are an interesting mix of low tech "militia" troops and smaller numbers of highly trained, elite soldiers equipped with state-of-the-art communications gear and the most advanced weapon systems available.
Nod's military assets are experimental and exotic in both appearance and function, but the durability of its units is suspect. Nod engineers are not afraid to risk human life and will often sacrifice safety and protection for increased abilities and speed. its high-end military hardware runs on Tiberium and tends to be fast but vulnerable, lethal but unstable. Nod offensive weapons deployed on vehicles range from rockets, machine guns, and flame throwers to toxins, lasers, and nuclear weapons. It also has a number of Tiberium-based weapons.

A Nod fast-attack force might include attack bikes, raider buggies, and Scorpion tanks supported by stealthy Vertigo batwing bombers and VTOL Venom scout aircraft. Other Nod military units include the latest-generation stealth tank, the lethal flame tank, and beam cannon artillery. At the highest level of the technology tree are avatar warmechs--armored bipedal war machines that can make GDI troops break and run just at the sight of them. An avatar can actually pull the weapon system out of another vehicle and use it--combine an avatar with the flame thrower from a flame tank and you have a 30-foot-tall flame-spewing war robot that can dominate the battlefield.
Infantry units range from the cannon fodder militants and fanatics to the highly trained elite units like the black hand shock troops and the hang-glider equipped shadows.
Brotherhood of Nod: Apocalyptic death-cult or the last hope for the downtrodden masses? You'll decide as you choose your side in C&C 3.
And in the coming months, we will take the wraps off of our mysterious third faction.

For all you CNC fans REJOYCE! this means Kane is back!

[kuaikukia]

AWWWWW Baldy is back. Finally his back .Ups, sorry I mean kane is back .

[Player-X]

You can't really have a Tiberian Saga without Kane

[darth sephiroth]

no, i really loved blowing that weird space-station crap in tiberian sun
i just can't WAIT to explode the €arth or something in Tiberium wars (yuck!).

if you're wondering about the "(yuck!)" it's because they couldn't have been less creative on the name

__________________

"Going too far is going almost all the way around the world, then turn around to go back" - me
"He's not going too far, he's going around the world" - me
"They're looking for a factbook in the fiction section of the library." - me
"I find spam useless and fatally contradictive to its own existence." - me

[industrian]

Originally Posted by Player-X

You can't really have a Tiberian Saga without Kane

Joseph Kucan is my homeboy.

And BTW...



"You can't kill the messiah!"

[darth sephiroth]

actually, i'll be pleased with the game no matter what as long as it hasn't gotten any over-kill weapons that can't be turned off, the same gameplay but a LOT (and i mean LOT) better random map generator with more tiberian fields

__________________

"Going too far is going almost all the way around the world, then turn around to go back" - me
"He's not going too far, he's going around the world" - me
"They're looking for a factbook in the fiction section of the library." - me
"I find spam useless and fatally contradictive to its own existence." - me

[kuaikukia]

Originally Posted by Player-X

You can't really have a Tiberian Saga without Kane

True, true

BTW, good show, industrian. Seeing his face again makes me chills

[Solid_Snake]

Originally Posted by Player-X

For all you CNC fans REJOYCE! this means Kane is back!

[REJOYCES] HOOORAAAY!!

__________________

[darth sephiroth]

Hehe, that looks perfect snake

"[REJOYCES]HOOORAAAY!!
Mission Accomplished"

__________________

"Going too far is going almost all the way around the world, then turn around to go back" - me
"He's not going too far, he's going around the world" - me
"They're looking for a factbook in the fiction section of the library." - me
"I find spam useless and fatally contradictive to its own existence." - me

[Borisz]

Sounds like a huge step back from Tiberian Sun to me. Wasn't it GDI who used all-terrain mechs? Where are their ORCA planes? How come NOD is using VTOLS and nukes when they had UFO technologies, Cyborg commandos, underground dessant troops, steel-melting lasers and toxic chemical weaponry far more powerful then a nuke? How come there are proper cities in the screenshots when the Tiberium era is post-apocalistic, as shown in Tiberian Sun?

And the screenshots look like the game is going to be Generals 2, not a C&C game. The storyline feels too forced, too out of place (not to mention the ton of things in it that do not fit the storyline set up by the previous games in the series).

The game needs the oversimplified but incredibly effective controls, the classic C&C sidebar and building system (which pinnaced in Red Alert 2), pumping music from Frank Klepacki, and epic, monumental cinematics so it can be classified as a C&C game.

EA has neither of these. Or so far, they had shown no clue of having either.

Oh well, I can only hope that the franchise will get back to Petroglyph (most of the defunct Westwood is now there) so they can make the true Tiberian Twilight game.

[industrian]

Borisz: I agree. Reading about the story, etc, it seems like a retcon to me.

[Player-X]

Sounds like a huge step back from Tiberian Sun to me. Wasn't it GDI who used all-terrain mechs? Where are their ORCA planes? How come NOD is using VTOLS and nukes when they had UFO technologies, Cyborg commandos, underground dessant troops, steel-melting lasers and toxic chemical weaponry far more powerful then a nuke? How come there are proper cities in the screenshots when the Tiberium era is post-apocalistic, as shown in Tiberian Sun?

I take it that you hadn't had a chance to see the newest ingame videos right?
The GDI did use all terrian mechs but it's been 30 years since then. maybe they decided that it would be better off with threads.
The GDI will have new Orcas and the nice cities are in "Blue Zones" which is either cleaned of tiberium or unscarred by it and so the GDI built cities there while the burnt out buildings are in "Yellow Zones" and "Red Zones"
According th the latest previews Nod will have a "Two Tiered" army where the first thier will consist of old units like recon bikes and angry people with guns while the second tier will be thier high-tech units like beam artilery.

And the screenshots look like the game is going to be Generals 2, not a C&C game. The storyline feels too forced, too out of place (not to mention the ton of things in it that do not fit the storyline set up by the previous games in the series).

As far as the screenshots go...They are using the same game engine
I think EA is trying to add some plausability into the tiberium global senario by having the GDI react to tiberium in a believable way as prehaps they don't have the technology to use all the data from the Tacitus to controll tiberium but can contain it and apparently they hope to push Tiberium back. What parts do you not agree with?

The game needs the oversimplified but incredibly effective controls, the classic C&C sidebar and building system (which pinnaced in Red Alert 2), pumping music from Frank Klepacki, and epic, monumental cinematics so it can be classified as a C&C game.

From what I have seen in the videos they have a somewhat transparent sidebar controls that can be toggled and seem to has as much function than the Red Alert 2 sidebar if not more.
Joseph D. Kucan is reprising the role as Kane in this one so we know the acting at least for Kane will be as good as ever and the song from the trailer is a remix of a original CNC song so prehaps they will be mostly using remixed songs from the original instead of the dull ambience from Generals.

Generals was more like Warcraft then CNC from what I see this one will be closer to the first CNC game
Here's a gameplay trailer:
http://www.gametrailers.com/umwatcher.php?id=12016

---

Last edited by Player-X; August 30th, 2006 at 00:30..

[Borisz]

Originally Posted by Player-X

I take it that you hadn't had a chance to see the newest ingame videos right?
The GDI did use all terrian mechs but it's been 30 years since then. maybe they decided that it would be better off with threads.
The GDI will have new Orcas and the nice cities are in "Blue Zones" which is either cleaned of tiberium or unscarred by it and so the GDI built cities there while the burnt out buildings are in "Yellow Zones" and "Red Zones"
According th the latest previews Nod will have a "Two Tiered" army where the first thier will consist of old units like recon bikes and angry people with guns while the second tier will be thier high-tech units like beam artilery.

17 years to be exact, tibsun took place in 2030. For the army stuff, let's just say that in Tiberian Sun they had Mammoth Mark II walkers equipped with Rail Guns capable of piercing any multiple number of targets, while in the Tiberium War video they had simple Mammoth Tanks (which, um, has been in the very first C&C which took place 50 years earlier). That's a pretty damn big stepback.
And for the landscape, they must've made some pretty ****ing huge discovery about Tiberium if they could build completely clean cities, seeing how all of the earth was completely taken over by Tiberium in tibsun (minus polar regions and deserts, to where the GDI was evacuating people to). I mean you had not just the standard tiberium crystals, but whole landscapes, rivers, mountainsides, animals, and people from Tiberium. Cities were overrun with mutants, a factor so great that the mutants had their own faction in tiberian sun, and they played a huge part in half of the missions.

As far as the screenshots go...They are using the same game engine
I think EA is trying to add some plausability into the tiberium global senario by having the GDI react to tiberium in a believable way as prehaps they don't have the technology to use all the data from the Tacitus to controll tiberium but can contain it and apparently they hope to push Tiberium back. What parts do you not agree with?

I would believe some of that if they would actually mention the Tacitus or the tiberium problem at all. So far most of the stuff we got from the games storyline is that GDI = good guys, and NOD = terrorists. And, as I said, it would take a herculean effort to clean up so much of the world and to rebuild so many things. That thing is pretty damn effy to me. Considering that the previous C&C storylines had the fine complexity of a spiders web, naturally I'm liiiiiiiittle bit sceptical about Tiberium War.

Read the Storyline FAQ to see what I mean about complex and detailful storyline, by the way. It details a good 90 years of history, political influences, military and religious aspects, all which build up from Einsteins experiments to the many different lifeforms of Tiberium and the true mastermind of Kane.

From what I have seen in the videos they have a somewhat transparent sidebar controls that can be toggled and seem to has as much function than the Red Alert 2 sidebar if not more.

That's good... I didn't see that video yet. Hopefully they can get at least the interface and controls right, and stay with the roots instead of some bull**** innovation buzz which can be sold but ultimately ruins the mood of the game.

Joseph D. Kucan is reprising the role as Kane in this one so we know the acting at least for Kane will be as good as ever and the song from the trailer is a remix of a original CNC song so prehaps they will be mostly using remixed songs from the original instead of the dull ambience from Generals.

Joe Kucan being Kane is not a surprise as he is one of the few people who stayed with EA (he was also the director for the intro movie in Generals if you checked the credit list). But that doesnt mean jack so far because for all we know, the game may not even give you the same cinematic experience that the previous C&C games did (FMV briefing before every mission, and often during missions too). The game may not even have any FMV just like Generals.
And for the Audio, the trailer you linked used a Tiberian Sun tune. Not a remix, but the same exact tune. Which is called "placeholder" in videogame projects. Besides, remixes of old tunes will be just pale imitations of the genius of Frank Klepacki and his previous C&C soundtracks.

[industrian]

Originally Posted by Borisz

I would believe some of that if they would actually mention the Tacitus or the tiberium problem at all. So far most of the stuff we got from the games storyline is that GDI = good guys, and NOD = terrorists. And, as I said, it would take a herculean effort to clean up so much of the world and to rebuild so many things. That thing is pretty damn effy to me. Considering that the previous C&C storylines had the fine complexity of a spiders web, naturally I'm liiiiiiiittle bit sceptical about Tiberium War.

Granted the game isn't finished and all, but I see no veinholes, viceroids, hounds and those electric-jellyfish-thingies. Plus: remembering the devastation that happened in missions such as the Genesis Island one, I don't know how the hell the GDI cleaned that up. The whole thing looks like a retcon to me (as I said earlier.)

[Player-X]

17 years to be exact, tibsun took place in 2030. For the army stuff, let's just say that in Tiberian Sun they had Mammoth Mark II walkers equipped with Rail Guns capable of piercing any multiple number of targets, while in the Tiberium War video they had simple Mammoth Tanks (which, um, has been in the very first C&C which took place 50 years earlier). That's a pretty damn big stepback.

Erm... the Mammoth Tanks are Mammoth 27s and can be upgraded with twin railguns where the Mammoth Mk2 had one. Who knows about advancement but they went with something that could me mass produced instead of one superpowerful prototype which seems to make some sense if they tought Nod was on the edge of collapse.

And for the landscape, they must've made some pretty ****ing huge discovery about Tiberium if they could build completely clean cities, seeing how all of the earth was completely taken over by Tiberium in tibsun (minus polar regions and deserts, to where the GDI was evacuating people to). I mean you had not just the standard tiberium crystals, but whole landscapes, rivers, mountainsides, animals, and people from Tiberium. Cities were overrun with mutants, a factor so great that the mutants had their own faction in tiberian sun, and they played a huge part in half of the mission

Spoiler:

Decoding the Tacitus at the end of Firestorm with the other piece would count as a "pretty ****ing huge discovery about Tiberium"

I would believe some of that if they would actually mention the Tacitus or the tiberium problem at all. So far most of the stuff we got from the games storyline is that GDI = good guys, and NOD = terrorists. And, as I said, it would take a herculean effort to clean up so much of the world and to rebuild so many things. That thing is pretty damn effy to me. Considering that the previous C&C storylines had the fine complexity of a spiders web, naturally I'm liiiiiiiittle bit sceptical about Tiberium War.

Well that's how a preview is supposed to go, you don't review much and leave a few holes so that fans would debate about it like we are and then go and buy the game so we can satisfy our couriosity so I would say it is working

That's good... I didn't see that video yet. Hopefully they can get at least the interface and controls right, and stay with the roots instead of some bull**** innovation buzz which can be sold but ultimately ruins the mood of the game.

As far as looking at how the controls work it would seem that they are doing a fine job for the series

Joe Kucan being Kane is not a surprise as he is one of the few people who stayed with EA (he was also the director for the intro movie in Generals if you checked the credit list). But that doesnt mean jack so far because for all we know, the game may not even give you the same cinematic experience that the previous C&C games did (FMV briefing before every mission, and often during missions too). The game may not even have any FMV just like Generals.

I think they have already announced it would.

And for the Audio, the trailer you linked used a Tiberian Sun tune. Not a remix, but the same exact tune. Which is called "placeholder" in videogame projects. Besides, remixes of old tunes will be just pale imitations of the genius of Frank Klepacki and his previous C&C soundtracks.

My mistake then, I just hope that they will at least use some music that is not generic

Granted the game isn't finished and all, but I see no veinholes, viceroids, hounds and those electric-jellyfish-thingies. Plus: remembering the devastation that happened in missions such as the Genesis Island one, I don't know how the hell the GDI cleaned that up. The whole thing looks like a retcon to me (as I said earlier.)

They had plenty of time to study the tacitus so I would assume they did and used that knowleadge as around the time of Firestorm the atmosphere had only half a year away from being toxic to humans and since CNC3 is happening years after that I would assume that they found something. Previews also mentioned that GDI hopes to convert more "yellow zones" to "blue zones" in a few decades so I assume this might be used to explain it

[Vanit]

I'm afraid that I haven't really played much of the previous C&C games and I had no idea the story is indepth as you guys are making it out. I do have my own copies of Tiberium Sun and FireStorm so if I get the chance I'll give them another go .

__________________
Click here to download my Sin and Punishment English translation.

[Solid_Snake]

Originally Posted by darth sephiroth

Hehe, that looks perfect snake

"[REJOYCES]HOOORAAAY!!
Mission Accomplished"

Yeah I didin't noticed it looked like an ending scene whenever a campaign in RA2 has accomplished

__________________

[industrian]

Originally Posted by Vanit

I'm afraid that I haven't really played much of the previous C&C games and I had no idea the story is indepth as you guys are making it out. I do have my own copies of Tiberium Sun and FireStorm so if I get the chance I'll give them another go .

The story was very well made. Sans Red Alert 2 of course.

[darth sephiroth]

the Red alert 2 story was just weirdness with no backbone

__________________

"Going too far is going almost all the way around the world, then turn around to go back" - me
"He's not going too far, he's going around the world" - me
"They're looking for a factbook in the fiction section of the library." - me
"I find spam useless and fatally contradictive to its own existence." - me

[industrian]

Storywise, Red Alert 2 was a 50s-60s B-movie turned into a game. It's best if it's not canon.