OpenRA
OpenRA, the community-driven open-source engine for classic RTS games, just dropped a new playtest with significant updates. Fans are excited about features like random map generators for Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, and a visual and balance overhaul for Dune 2000. This project resonates with Hacker News for its blend of nostalgia, technical prowess, and community collaboration in preserving gaming history.
The Lowdown
The OpenRA project, dedicated to recreating and modernizing classic real-time strategy games, has released a new playtest packed with exciting new developments. This update brings a host of improvements and new features across its supported titles, highlighting the ongoing commitment of its community.
- Random Map Generators: A headline feature allows players to create new maps for Red Alert, Tiberian Dawn, and Dune 2000 with customizable biomes, player counts, and resource distribution, enhancing skirmish and multiplayer replayability.
- Dune 2000 Enhancements: This title receives a significant 'glow-up' with new visual effects for units like the Sonic Tank and damaged structures, a long-awaited 'bulk purchase' option for the Starport, and a comprehensive community-led balance overhaul. The single-player campaign also gets difficulty adjustments for a smoother learning curve.
- Tiberian Dawn HD Progress: The standalone Tiberian Dawn HD mod, which integrates assets from the C&C Remastered Collection, is now feature-complete. It includes new HD sprites and a content manager to switch between remastered and classic artwork, audio, and music, with plans to merge these features into the core OpenRA Tiberian Dawn in the future.
- Map Editor Improvements: The map-making community benefits from further UI enhancements to the OpenRA map editor, including new tools that leverage the random map generator logic, such as the Path Tiler for easy placement of terrain features.
- Other Notable Changes: The update also introduces an 'Other RTS' mouse input mode, timed auto-save settings, improved bot behavior (expansion bases), localization progress, new missions for Red Alert and Tiberian Dawn, and numerous bug fixes and performance optimizations.
This playtest demonstrates OpenRA's continuous evolution, driven by its passionate community, offering both new content and refinements to beloved classic RTS experiences. Players are encouraged to download the playtest and provide feedback to shape future releases.