Aloha! FunkyFr3sh has published a new version of CnC-DDraw called CnC-DDraw 5.9.0.0. For those unfamiliar with it, CnC-DDraw is a rendering alternative for old games that uses Direct Draw, making them compatible with newer systems and improving their graphics. You can use it on games like Command & Conquer Gold, Command & Conquer: Red Alert, Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2, Carmageddon, Carmageddon 2, Warcraft 2, StarCraft, Diablo, Diablo 2, Age of Empires, Age of Empires II, Theme Hospital, Populous: The Beginning, Outlaws, Dungeon Keeper, Dark Reign: The Future of War, Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, Atomic Bomberman, Dune 2000, Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Commandos, Red Baron 3D, F-16 Multirole Fighter, F-22 Raptor, Nox, among others. Here is the official announcement from CnC-DDraw's staff about CnC-DDraw 5.9.0.0:

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Instructions

  • Download cnc-ddraw.zip and extract it into your game folder
  • Start the game

The game doesn't work? Please check the Readme file and the wiki.

Hotkeys

  • [Alt] + [Enter]                  = Switch between windowed and fullscreen mode
  • [Ctrl] + [Tab]                    = Unlock cursor
  • [Right Alt] + [Right Ctrl]  = Unlock cursor
  • [Alt] + [Page Down]        = Maximize window

Changelog

  • Frame rate limiter is now working with vsync enabled as well
  • Megamap mouse wheel zoom is now working with Total Annihilation in windowed mode
  • Fixed a crash with custom levels in Captain Claw
  • Fixed a bug in Nox where chapter screens were being skipped
  • Fixed a bug where you couldn't skip the movies in some games
  • Added a new feature for fan-patched games - switch between windowed/fullscreen mode via PostMessage WM_TOGGLE_FULLSCREEN (WM_APP+117) and WM_TOGGLE_MAXIMIZE (WM_APP+118)
  • Improved Performance
  • Added support for Kohan: Immortal Sovereigns
  • Added support for Enemy Infestation
  • Added support for Desperados: Wanted Dead or Alive
  • Added support for Jedi Knight Dark Forces 2 (Software renderer only)
  • Added support for Vermeer


You can learn more about CnC-DDraw by visiting the Official Website. You can grab the latest version of CnC-DDraw by clicking Here. And this is all for today! Enjoy CnC-DDraw and provide your feedback about it so it can get better.

Comrade General! We have news for you. Lee3y, the leader of New Horizons, has recently published New Horizons Version 13. For those unaware of what is being written here, New Horizons is a modification for Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge that tweaks the gameplay, factions, and units with more emphasis on realism. It also provides new campaigns. Here are the updates from New Horizons Version 13:

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Greetings fellow Command & Conquer fans; I release now the latest version of the New Horizons mod for Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge, that being Version 13 (which supersedes Version 12B-3). As always, I highly recommend reading the articles on the previous releases to learn more about what’s new, should you be interested.


What’s New:

Horror Mode

This version brings about the release of a game mode I have been planning for a long time (some years!), which I have finally gotten around to doing. Actually, the new game mode is split into two sub-modes of the same theme (more on that later). And so, gentlemen and (presumed) ladies also, I present you with the long-awaited (by me anyway) Horror Mode!! I was considering calling it 'Survival' mode, but I found that a bit too unspecific, so this 'mode' is in fact horror-themed, complete with facing hoards of monsters such as zombies, various creepy creatures, and the like..

A bit of background:
While developing this, I originally intended to make it so that when a player selected 'Horror Mode', then the Yuri faction/playable country would be swapped for essentially a 'Horror Country'.. This ended up for technical reasons not quite working out. So I ended up making a whole new country, ominously named the 'Forces of Darkness' (FoD). Obviously, when this faction is selected as a player for a game, this is the one that is horror-themed (and Yes, it can be played as both an A.I. And Human player!). Use of this faction is primarily intended for the two Horror sub-modes, although it *Can be selected for any of the other modes; however, the A.I., as well as balancing functionality, goes out the window (as such, an A.I.-controlled FoD, will just camp and do nothing much else but seek out resources).

But anyway, the two Horror sub-modes are as follows:

1- 'Horror Mode'; this is essentially based on my previously created 'Infantry Divisions Mode', whereby gameplay is focused primarily around the infantry. This makes fighting the zombie hordes all the more challenging and akin to most horror movies whereby the use of heavy military equipment is absent.

2- 'Horror Mode Advanced'; this imaginatively-named variation of Horror Mode is based on my previously created 'Mechanised Divisions Mode', whereby Some more serious military tech is available, but still focusing on ground-based combat (after all, fighting the hordes of monsters would be far less of a challenge if the players can just deploy squadrons of fighters and bombers to level them, right?). This mode can be interesting in terms of widening the scope of certain games, such as when standard faction countries are fighting, with a FoD team thrown in the mix.

FoD 'base';



During the development and testing stages, I Literally ended up breaking the game, so a lot of effort went into rebuilding things so that things ran with stability. Fortunately, the efforts have paid off, and everything seems to work, leaving no known errors (all modes checked, including the new campaign missions). A word of advice: if you choose to play either of the horror modes, please bear in mind your specific operating system's capabilities; even selecting just One FoD team can be quite a load on the system. After all, even just one FoD is capable of literally flooding a map with hoards of monsters of all varieties. You have been warned!
With that said, I hope everyone enjoys surviving the onslaught of monsters (including some interesting surprises); these modes will be expanded in the future.

Reminder on online functionality, as per the previous version release;
"One small limitation (as per the CNCNet documentation) is that custom game modes are not selectable on custom maps, for now anyway, but the custom modes can still be played on many available maps (alternatively, you can still launch via the standard/offline launcher, and play the custom modes on Any map, including randomly-generated ones)."

The Horror Mode(s) is one of 2 modes I have long been intending to release; the other remains a secret/surprise and indeed has a completely different theme (which I doubt anyone would guess, but don't even try guessing as it is a secret, so you may only speculate! Muahaha).

Another Massive New Map

That's right, I made another massive new map from scratch. It is not quite the crazy detail of my 3rd NH campaign mission map (and its associated skirmish derivative), but still quite epic. The map has been some time in the making, and I've finally gotten around to finishing it (unlike my 3rd NH mission map, this map is not based on a real location). I called the map 3 Cities; in reality, it's more like 'One City Plus Two Large-to-Medium-Sized Towns', but I thought that was a bit too long. So obviously, there is one large city zone in the map's center, plus two towns connected via a main highway. There are a variety of other habitats throughout the map, including rural farmlands, swamps, forests, and industrial and mining zones. It's a good map to play on Any mode.

Here is a render of the new map (bear in mind that the render does not necessarily include All of the map's details, especially mod-specific ones);



And here are some in-game screenshots on this new map featuring the new Horror Mode:

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User Interface Enhancements

This is something I've been meaning to implement for a while now and have finally got around to doing. Thanks to features enabled via the Ares extension (as always, all hail the Ares extension!), I have paid much attention to it, wait for it... Creating group selection types!! I know, I know, mind-blowingly exciting stuff, but bear with me as I explain, as it will be worth it. Essentially, I have made the game far easier to Control (that is, I have made Playing easier, Not the game itself easier!). This has to do with the amount of micromanagement required. An example, if you are trying to assemble/control an army or group you have created, you would often want to select all units of a certain type by selecting one such unit (say, a mobile recovery vehicle), then hit the 'Select All' button at the bottom of the screen, in order to move them all specifically. You could do this for Every Single type of unit in the game, be it infantry, vehicle, aircraft, etc... But now, in order to make things Far less complicated, I have created several category types, which should Greatly reduce the amount of individual mouse clicks a player has to do (and thus greatly reduce the amount of hand/wrist stress and effort!), in order to complete whatever task they set. So, let's say you've got a relatively large land attack group, and you are assaulting an enemy base; you have tanks, I.F.V.'s, infantry loaded in trucks, and possibly (hopefully) even air defense units... All in all, it can be quite a task to control; you used to have to, for example, click on each transport type (at the least) and order them individually to deploy, and if everything were bunched together, then all your tanks (also, of varying types) would be clumsily huddled together with them. If you wanted to separate the tanks, you would have to waste some time doing so. But now, it is possible to select, say, a BMP-2M loaded with infantry, then hit the usual 'Select All' button, and instead of just selecting all the BMP-2M's, you are now able to select ALL the BMPs, be they BMP-2s, BMP-2Ms, or BMP-3s, and then hit 'deploy', to unload them all at once. Likewise, you can select a tank, hit that good old 'Select All' button, and now, instead of just selecting all the T-72B3s, you will now be able to select all the T-72B3s, T-80BVMs, T-90Ms, (or even M1A2 Abrams tanks if you have them)... You get the picture. You can then move all your tanks forward separately.


To give you an idea, here is a general guide to the selection groups I have made (this may be subject to change/expansion in the future, of course):


-Light infantry; generally most rifle-based infantry, such as G.I.'s, conscripts, V.D.V. paratroopers, Contract Soldiers...
-Canine; literally, if you happen to own dogs from multiple factions...
-Engineers: select all engineers regardless of type.
-Specialised infantry: this applies to the heavier classes of infantry, such as missile troopers, flamethrowers, etc..
-Jetpacks; all jetpack-based troops.
-Transport Trucks; literally, the troop transport trucks.
-Mine trucks; all mine-layers.
-'Technicals' is the colloquial term used for the lighter vehicles. In this case, I have made it quite broad to include pickup trucks, buggies, trikes, Humvees, GAZ Tigr-M's, and even the M-113 and M-1126 Stryker A.P.C.s.
-S.P.G.s; the Self-Propelled Guns, such as the PLZ-05s.
-M.B.T.s; all Main Battle Tanks, though I have broadened this to include the tank-based support vehicles, such as the BMPT 'Terminator' and T-15 H.I.F.V...
-Tank Support: again, quite broad, but this group includes many infantry fighting vehicles, such as Bradleys, BTRs, or BMPs, as well as some other stuff, such as Pantsir-S1s and (ZSU-23-4) Shilka's...
-Transport Helicopters; such as Chinook's, Mi-24's, or even Yuri's V.T.O.L. landers..
-Fighters: All fighter aircraft capable of engaging both ground and air targets.
-Bombers: All ground-attack aircraft (such as A-10s, Su-25s), as well as all bomber aircraft.
-Light landing crafts: Select the main hovercraft transports in your possession, regardless of faction origin.
And lastly (for now),
-Heavy landing craft, namely, the 'Zubr' giant hovercraft.

Model & Visual Overhauls

I have made some overhauls of certain models. This includes, in some cases, entire model replacement to some minor modification/touch-ups, some of which probably won't even be noticed or appreciated. The noticeable stuff mostly has to do with real-life technological advancements, which have rendered some older models obsolete. Primarily, this concerns the rate at which Russia has updated its tank fleet, in line with the ongoing S.M.O., which, of course, means that visually, the models in-game needed updating. The changes are mostly just visual to the models. However, these changes in real life have also resulted in increased characteristics. For the purpose of game balancing, I have tried not to change the unit properties too much (they have been tested for balancing), but the updated units have received a small increase in strength and, therefore, associated costs. Please note I have not included the use of anti-drone barriers/cages, as this would obscure the detail of the models, but I have included the use of the new anti-drone E.W. units in some models.

Here is a screenshot showing a glimpse of the updated T-series tanks;



One unit that has gone through the biggest overhaul is the TOS-1A 'Solnstyepok'; the entire model has been changed, and in addition, the visual effects of the strikes of the thermobaric warheads have been updated. The warhead visuals are not the only update, as the properties have been enhanced/rebalanced and include an additional burning effect; this can result in cases where, say, a large building may have just managed to survive the initial barrage, but shortly after due to the incendiary effect, the building is destroyed.

Here are some in-game screenshots of the overhauled TOS-1A barrage strikes;

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As well as the new actual models, including while firing;



Firing;



AI Enhancements

As usual, the AI underwent enhancements, including taking into account the new modes. I reiterate that the development and testing phase, which I cannot stress enough, was a Huge pain in the ass, whereby I broke the game's AI randomly and had to redo it. But it seems to have paid off.

Miscellaneous:

As always, there are many more miscellaneous tweaks, not all of which I can remember. One key thing I did was further rebalance the shock troopers (nerfed a little) as they were over-performing (especially when garrisoned, and especially the Heavy Shock Trooper). Since overhauling the TOS-1A, I have also removed the option to build the second one, which came with the extended-range guided munitions; this was partially for balancing purposes, as well as for simplification, especially given the all-round improvement taken into account in this version release.

I sincerely hope wherever you are playing from, that you enjoy the new additions, as well as all the stuff from previous versions. As always, have fun!


You can find more information about New Horizons by visiting the ModDB Profile. You can grab the latest version of New Horizons by clicking Here. And that's all for now! Have fun and enjoy New Horizons!

Greetings, Comrade General! We have been able to track some recent updates coming from Retro Generals, and we want to share it with you. For those who are not acquainted with it, Retro Generals is a collaboration between Dafool and Mircea of Rivia to bring the factions and feel of Command & Conquer Generals: Zero Hour to Yuri's Revenge. Mircea of Rivia was recently showcasing the Particle Cannon at the project's Discord channel. One of the things that was shared about it was the video below:

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Made in the US of A.


For further information about Retro Generals, visit the Discord Channel at C&C Mod Haven. That's all, folks! Stay tuned at PPM for more news coverage on Retro Generals!

Comrade General! We have news for you. Reinforcements have arrived from Notepad++ as version 8.5.8 has been recently published by their crew. For those unaware, Notepad++ is a free and open-source code editor and Notepad replacement that runs on Windows. It supports several programming languages, multiple tabs, plugins, and is based on the powerful editing component Scintilla.

Here are the changes and the fun stuff from Notepad++ v8.5.8:

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Notepad++ v8.5.8 Change log:

  • Fix the “Clear Read-Only Flag” command not working immediately regression.
  • Fix saving files losing Alternate Data Stream issue.
  • Fix data loss issue due to no room on disk for saving.
  • Add Win10/Win11 Restart-application feature.
  • Fix user-created session being modified behavior on exit.
  • Improve document list display performance.
  • Update Scintilla to v5.3.7 & Lexilla to v5.2.7.
  • Fix unwanted Afrikaans installer language issue.
  • Fix a crash issue while reading settings from the cloud.
  • Fix security issue CVE-2022-31901.
  • Enhance non-saved search text’s persistence in the Find dialog combo box while pressing an arrow key.
  • Make auto-checking of Find InSelection configurable (resizable & can be disabled).
  • Perl enhancement: Update Stylers & the keywords for Perl v5.38.
  • Fix “Single Line Uncomment” uncommenting an extra line issue.
  • Fix the “Next Bookmark” command, not resetting the current column issue.
  • Allow the menu command Window->Windows to be assigned a shortcut.
  • Fix wrong categories in Shortcuts Mapper.


If you are curious about Notepad++, visit the Official Website, and Forums to obtain further information about it. Download Notepad++ Here. And that's all for now! Have fun and enjoy Notepad++!

Greetings, commander! C&C: Reloaded is receiving continuous support from its author, FS-21. Today, he has released C&C: Reloaded v2.4.12. For those unfamiliar with it, C&C: Reloaded is a classic modification that brings together the Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 factions into Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge with Ares and Phobos. Here is what was posted on Discord about C&C: Reloaded v2.4.12:

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The new hotfix 2.4.12 can be updated & now I'll upload the client in ModDB as always.

If you want, try to play the YR mission 5 of the Allies, and if Yuri Shipyards are destroyed without crashing, then the big bug is fixed.


For further information about C&C: Reloaded, visit the Official Website, Forums at Revora, ModDB Profile, and Discord Channel. Download the latest version of C&C: Reloaded Here. That's all, folks! Stay tuned at PPM for more news coverage on C&C: Reloaded!

Are you picking this up? Good! A new version of C&C Reloaded, known as C&C Reloaded v2.4.10, has been released recently by FS-21. For those unaware, C&C Reloaded is a classic modification that brings together the Tiberian Sun and Red Alert 2 factions into Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge with Ares and Phobos. Here are the updates from C&C Reloaded v2.4.10:

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A new minor release is available from the updater and some DL mirrors.
The full mod's changelog can be found here:
https://forums.revora.net/topic/15746-mod-features-changelog/?p=99017

C&C: Reloaded v2.4.10, minor update (2023/10/07)
------------------------------

General game changes:

  • Updated Phobos library.
  • Tweaks in Meat Grinder game mode.
  • Removed map Tropical Splash due to some unknown issues.
  • Fixed some prerequisites in some Campaign missions.
  • Now AI can build naval teams in RA2 Allied mission 11: Fallout.



GDI changes:

  • Artemis projectiles were non-interceptable by Venoms.


If you are curious about C&C Reloaded, visit the Official Website, Forums at Revora, ModDB Profile, and Discord Channel to obtain further information about it. You can grab the latest version of C&C Reloaded by clicking Here. And that's all for now! Have fun and enjoy C&C Reloaded!

Aloha! Phobos has a new development version called Phobos Build 37 that is expecting feedback from testers. For your information, Phobos extends the modding features from Red Alert 2: Yuri's Revenge and, unlike Ares, is completely open-source. Here are the official words about Phobos Build 37:

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Disclaimer: development builds are inherently unstable and may contain improvements that will be changed and adjusted before the stable release (as well as bugs), with fewer stability guarantees.
Known issues
  • There is at least one cause of desynchronization error occurring in multiplayer games that is yet to be solved but is under investigation.
  • Loading a save game made when the map had at least one active radiation site might crash the game, possibly without an error message or log.



Phobos development build 37 is up!

Changes compared to build 36:


New:
  • Additional pipscale customizations (spawns, tiberium) (by Starkku)
  • Auto-deploy/Deploy block on ammo change (by Fryone)
  • AltPalette lighting toggle (by Starkku)
  • Unhardcoded timer blinking color scheme (by Starkku)
  • Customizing shield self-healing timer restarts when the shield is damaged (by Starkku)
  • Customizing the minimum & maximum amount of damage the shield can take from a single hit (by Starkku)
  • Players can now be given ownership of preplaced buildings in Skirmish and Multiplayer in maps using houses of the format where X goes from A to H for spawn positions 1-8 (by ZivDero)
  • AutoDeath.Technos(Dont)Exist can optionally track limboed (not physically on map, e.g., transports, etc.) technos (by Starkku)
  • Wall overlay Palette support (by Starkku)
  • Show designator & inhibitor range (by Morton)
  • Owner-only sound on unit creation (by Fryone)
  • Allow using Secondary weapon against walls if Primary cannot target them (by Starkku)
  • Reloading ammo in transports (by Starkku)
  • Dump variables to file on scenario end/hotkey (by Morton)
  • "House owns TechnoType" and "House doesn't own TechnoType" trigger events
  • Allow toggling Infantry/UnitsGainSelfHeal for MultiplayPassive=true houses (by Starkku)
  • Customizable straight trajectory detonation & snap distance and pass-through option (by Starkku)
  • Airstrike & spy plane fixed spawn distance & height (by Starkku)
  • Allow enabling application of Verses and PercentAtMax for negative damage (by Starkku)



Vanilla fixes:
  • Objects with Palette set now have their color tint adjusted accordingly by superweapons, map retint actions, etc. if they belong to a house using any color scheme instead of only those from the first half of [Colors] list (by Starkku)
  • Animations using AltPalette are now remapped to their owner's color scheme instead of the first listed color scheme and no longer draw over shroud (by Starkku)
  • Fixed DeployToFire not considering building placement rules for DeploysInto buildings and, as a result, not working properly with WaterBound buildings (by Starkku)
  • Fixed DeployToFire not recalculating firer's position on land if it cannot currently deploy (by Starkku)
  • Arcing=true projectile elevation inaccuracy can now be fixed by setting Arcing.AllowElevationInaccuracy=false (by Starkku)
  • EMPulseCannon=yes building weapons now respect Floater and Phobos-added Gravity setting (by Starkku)
  • Fixed position and layer of info tip and reveal production cameo on selected building (by Belonit)
  • Fixed TurretOffset to be supported for SHP vehicles (by TwinkleStar)



Phobos fixes:
  • Fixed vehicle deploy weapons not working if the unit is cloaked and the weapon has DecloakToFire=true (by NetsuNegi & Starkku)
  • Fixed IsAnimated terrain not updating correctly in all circumstances (by Starkku)
  • Fixed CreateUnit interaction with bridges (spawning under when shouldn't, etc) (by Starkku)
  • CanTarget now consider bridges as land like the game's normal weapon selection does (by Starkku)
  • AreaFire.Target now takes cells with bridges into consideration depending on the firer's elevation (by Starkku)
  • Fixed shield health bar having a different horizontal offset from regular health bar (by Starkku)
  • Fixed Interceptor not resetting target if the intercepted projectile changes type to non-interceptable one afterward (by Starkku)
  • Fixed PlacementPreview setting for BuildingTypes not being parsed from INI (by Starkku)
  • Fixed Phobos animation additions that support CreateUnit.Owner not also checking MakeInfantryOwner (by Starkku)
  • Fixed AutoDeath to consider all conditions for objects in limbo (by Starkku)
  • Shields will no longer take damage if the parent techno has Immune=true or has TypeImmune=true and the damage comes from an instance of the same TechnoType owned by the same house (by Starkku)
  • Fixed interceptors causing multiplayer games to desync (by Starkku)
  • Optimized performance for map trigger retint action light source fix (by Starkku)
  • Fixed a number of issues with Warhead Shield respawn / self-heal rate modifiers, like timers getting reset unnecessarily, the timer being adjusted wrong after the Warhead effect runs out, etc. (by Starkku)
  • Fixed a problem with disguise visibility logic that could cause the game to crash on loading a map (by Starkku)
  • Fixed owned LimboDelivery buildings not being saved correctly in savegames (by Starkku)
  • Fixed a typo in weapon selector code causing issues with NoAmmoWeapon and related checks (by Starkku)
  • Fixed building ammo pip offset being wrong (by Starkku)
  • Fixed additional sync logging not disabling correctly in singleplayer games (by Starkku)
  • Fixed a regression causing Crit.Warhead to not have an explicit target for detonation (by Starkku)
  • Digital display should no longer draw on top of the bottom command bar (by Starkku)


You can check more information about Phobos by visiting the Topic at PPM Forums, Official Website, and Discord Channel at C&C Mod Haven. You can download Phobos Build 37 here. And that's all regarding Phobos for now. Stay tuned at PPM for more news about Phobos!

Hi everyone! A new version of Chrono Divide has been posted moments ago by their crew. For those unfamiliar with it, Chrono Divide is a web browser recreation of Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 made by fans. It features Allies and Soviets, allowing you to play skirmish and multiplayer matches. Despite being a browser game, it can be modded. Here are the official words about Chrono Divide 0.51:

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Version 0.51
5 October, 2023
               

Bug fixes
  • Fixed replay playback speed (maximum speed will still be capped to ensure minimum fps)
  • Disabled pointer acceleration (fixes pointer jumps in Chrome)
  • Fixed encoding of map names that contain non-latin characters
  • The correct music track will now be played when returning from the score table to the skirmish menu

               

               
Features and improvements
  • Improved responsiveness of initial page load
  • The game will now detect and use the language of the imported RA2 game files, if possible. English and Chinese are currently supported. Translators needed.


For further information about Chrono Divide, visit its Official Website, and Discord Channel. You can play the latest version of Chrono Divide by clicking Here. That's all, folks! Stay tuned at PPM for more news coverage on Chrono Divide!