This a log of a chat session that was held on Westwood Online shortly before the release fo Firestorm to answer the fans questions. Ted is Virtual Ted (Ted Morris) from Westwood Studios, Rade-WS is Rade Stojavljevic, Producer of both Tiberian Sun and Firestorm.

-----CHAT OPENS-----
[Ted] : Hello Everyone! Thanks for stopping in tonight.
Rade-WS : Hello all!
[Ted] : Tonight, we have the producer for the biggest mission disk that Westwood has ever created - Rade Stojsavljevic!
[Ted] : (bet you can't say that 3 times fast)
Rade-WS : I can. hehehe
[Ted] : Rade, give us a little background on Firestorm. What's it about?
Rade-WS : Firestorm takes place directly after the GDI ending of Tiberian Sun.
Rade-WS : We've created a brand new story that goes with the 18 new missions and 25 minutes of video footage we shot for the game.
Rade-WS : We've also added new units to both sides to increase their effectiveness and we've created a new multiplayer method of playing the game called World Domination.
Rade-WS : Overall, it's the biggest mission disc we've ever created and it's a box full 'o fun.
[Ted] : Can you explain a little bit about World Domination? I've recieved a few messages from fans about it...
Rade-WS : World Domination, or WDT as we call it, is essentially a graphical ladder that let's player choose which side they will fight for (GDI or Nod) in an attempt to gain control of the world.
Rade-WS : Players fight over contested territories and we tally up the scores at the end of each day - the side with the most wins gets control of the territory.
Rade-WS : Battle lines advance and new contested zones are created. Entire tournaments can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks to complete.
[Ted] : Very cool. I could ask questions all night, but I'll let our fans get in on the action now.
[Ted] : Jezzter is up first!
Jezzter : I was wonder the number of special units such as MMk2 and reapers...i 've seen more than 1
Jezzter : on screen
Rade-WS : You can have as many reapers as you want, just like the other units. The MMk2 is still limited to one at a time per player.
[Ted] : Ok, CncRenega is up next
CnCRenega : will firestorm keep me busy for as long as tiberian sun did?does it have any new graphics support?
Rade-WS : I think it will. The missions in Firestorm are challenging and the new units and multiplay modes should keep you occupied. As for new graphics, we have added new terrain elements to the game in addition to the new units and RMG enhancements.
[Ted] : XheManx is next
xHeMaNx : duh
[Ted] : Well said.
[Ted] : Do you have a question?
xHeMaNx : forgot what i was about to ask
xHeMaNx : lemme think
[Ted] : I see....
xHeMaNx : take some 1 else
[Ted] : Chanster...
chanster9 : hi
Rade-WS : Hello.
chanster9 : i have 2 questions
Rade-WS : Go for it.
chanster9 : 1 how much do reapers cost/how effective are they
chanster9 : and are there any new buildings?
chanster9 : for either side
Rade-WS : Reapers cost 1100 I believe. They are really effective against infantry, units, and aircraft.
Rade-WS : No new buildings for either side, though GDI does have an extra plug-in for the drop pods that goes on the upgrade center.
Rade-WS : There are new buildings in the game though.
MadManAS : Hello VT, Rade
Rade-WS : Hey.
[Ted] : Yo.
MadManAS : I've heard that the story line for FS will be different than that of previous CnC games.
MadManAS : meaning if i finish the GDI campaigns i may get an ending which favours NOD
MadManAS : is this true?
MadManAS : and will it be a trend in the next CnC installments?
Rade-WS : Yes, both endings in Firestorm weave together and occur. We were sick of GDI always winning since the Nod endings usually involved the destruction of earth.
Rade-WS : I certainly hope this is the way it continues since Nod rules!
Rade-WS : (GDI ain't so bad either)
[Ted] : PowerBar is up next.
Powerbar : hey
Rade-WS : Hello.
[Ted] : Hey PB
Powerbar : I was wounding if anything has been done to make GDI more powerful. Nod seems to be more powerful then GDI in the original TS
Powerbar : there underground units are extremly hard to defend
Rade-WS : GDI has several new units that give them the ability to penetrate bases. The Juggernaut is awesome at laying waste to buildings, EMP's can cause subterranean units to surface and pause for a period, and the drop pod infantry are great for scouting.
[Ted] : Titan's up
titan554 : how many people can there be in a tournment will it still be two
titan554 : or will it be more
Rade-WS : 2 people is the limit for regular tournament games. I assume that's what you're talking about and not World Domination.
Rade-WS : You can have more people in a clan game though.
Rade-WS : Clans let you do 2v2 players.
[Ted] : GB, you're up
GbTemujin : when will it be realesed in the us
Rade-WS : Firestorm should be on shelves in the US in the second week in March, on or around March 9th depending on shipping to the store you're at.
[Ted] : Ticki has a question...
ticki2000 : I also have 2 question
Rade-WS : Shoot.
ticki2000 : 1 - Does firestorm have any surprises that we don't know about? like previous expansion packs?
Rade-WS : Yes.
ticki2000 : and 2- When is the release date in New Zealand?
Rade-WS : I don't know for sure, but I would expect it around the same time as the US release.
[Ted] : We're sending it worldwide on the same date.
[Ted] : I think the only factor depends on your local retailer.
warmaker0 : thanks ted
warmaker0 : hey rade
[Ted] : Preordering is the key.
warmaker0 : i just have a couple of questions
Rade-WS : Go for it.
warmaker0 : first - i was wondering if you had read my rant on ww's treatment of their fans at http://www.warmaker.com/rants/fans.shtml . if so, any
warmaker0 : comments?
Rade-WS : Yes I did read that, you were commenting on the lack of Westwood people visiting the chat rooms, correct?
warmaker0 : have westwood percieved that there has been a problem in their past c&c expansion sets, and if so how did you plan to better them
warmaker0 : wow, thanks
warmaker0 : that was part of it, yes....
Rade-WS : I'll answer your second question first before I get back to the first. With Firestorm, we wanted to give people more. We didn't want to do an expansion pack with just new units or missions.
Rade-WS : We had a compelling story that we wanted to tell, so we shot new video footage that tied in to the missions, as well as provided new options for multiplay.
Rade-WS : Now, to answer your first question, it has a lot to do with timing. I only work on one project at a time so there isn't anything I can tell you right now about what I'm working on.
Rade-WS : I will definitely hop on the message boards and do impromptu chats when the time is right.
Rade-WS : Regarding other projects here, the decision about chatting with people is personal preference. I love to talk to you guys to see what you want in a game and give you information about what we're working on.
Rade-WS : Some of the other guys here are a a bit on the shy side and tend to avoid interviews and chats whenever they can. A few of them flee whenever we have a team photo shoot.
[Ted] : I'll just add a small comment to your rant on the website...
[Ted] : Our efforts to give back to the community (in the way of contests, monthly prizes, etc.) are pretty extreme compared to others.
[Ted] : Yes, we give away a lot of money.
[Ted] : But, this is our way of showing appreciation. I think your main argument is that we should spend the money
[Ted] : on a few more people to hang out here and answer questions. I couldn't agree more (although we still want to give back
[Ted] : to the fansites, fans, etc. in the way of prizes and stuff)
[Ted] : I'm looking for dedicated "GameMasters" who will have more control over each of the communities. These people would have
[Ted] : direct access to WS and could relay news back to the fansites.
[Ted] : And, we would get better information back on what people are saying about our games.
[Ted] : I'll be posting some job apps up on the web for these positions soon, so please keep an eye out for them...
[Ted] : Okay. I'm done...
[Ted] : :)
Rade-WS : I'd be more than happy to chat with you at your convenience. You should be able to get my contact info from any of the web masters.
Rade-WS : I don't always make myself visible when I'm on-line since I get swamped whenever I do.
[Ted] : Y2KJames is up next!
Y2KJames : hello
[Ted] : Hi James
Rade-WS : Yo.
Y2KJames : it is cool how fast you made firestorm
Rade-WS is away: Please send all questions to Ted, and he will call on you when it is your turn to speak
Y2KJames : and I have one ?
Rade-WS : Thanks. The team really worked hard on getting it done.
Rade-WS : Go with your question.
[Ted] :
Y2KJames : How does the new Random map work in Firestorm?
Rade-WS : Similar to the way it did in Tiberian Sun except we've added controlls for day/night transitions, vein holes and have added new terrain pieces such as the mutated plants and blue Tiberium.
[Ted] : Hey Bongo, you're next...
BongoBob : hey
BongoBob : ok
Rade-WS : Whazzup?
BongoBob : i was wondering
BongoBob : when will the next update be realesed?
BongoBob : because there are so many bugs in firestorm
BongoBob : i mean ts
BongoBob : like the harvester bug
BongoBob : and the short game bug
Rade-WS : We're releasing an update sometime next week for Tiberian Sun that fixes bugs and adds new features such as the ability to save a game in skirmish.
BongoBob : well
[Ted] : sorry, go ahead bob
BongoBob : so can i have a free f-storm?
BongoBob : im broke
Rade-WS : Sorry man, I gotta eat too. :)
[Ted] : Someone buy that boy a copy of FS
RaGeBPTS : finally... what up guys
Rade-WS : Chattin' away.
[Ted] : Sorry man, got a list a mile long. just picking at random...
RaGeBPTS : ok, i got a few questions
Rade-WS : Go.
RaGeBPTS : 1. Is the mystery unit in one of the screenshots released the Mobile EMP?
Rade-WS : I think so. Depends on which image you're referring to.
RaGeBPTS : 2. Umm... Its on http://editing.tiberian.com
RaGeBPTS : ok, next question
Rade-WS : Shoot.
RaGeBPTS : 2. Do you guys read anything on our sites? Ive posted many things on TSCC and Blueprint, but I dont see anything happening, or even a response to anything at all
Rade-WS : I read the sites all the time though I never respond to any messages in the boards. There's no way to tell if it is me or someone impersonating me so I avoid writing.
RaGeBPTS : ok, 2 more
[Ted] : We'll give ya one more.
RaGeBPTS : 3. I know you hear this alot, but why do you think we cant figure out how to use a map editor?
Rade-WS : It's not that, you guys are smart and could figure it out, it has to do more with support issues.
Rade-WS : If we released a map editor we'd get a ton of customer service issues from people building broken maps that busted the game. It costs a lot of money to have people
Rade-WS : do the support.
[Ted] : Federal is up
Federal2 : Evening Rade, hi Ted. George' s the name and I'd like to ask a couple of questions for my magazine which I work for.
Rade-WS : Ok, go for it.
Federal2 : Can you tell me how you redefined the "Veterancy Factor" from the original TS game? I heard that Veterancy will now be more crucial. Also, do you recall the greatest objective you had to accomplish?
Federal2 : And finally, can you tell me how exactly did you compare the 2 storylines of GDI and Nod, in Firestorm? How is it that you can play the same mission as GDI and Nod?
Rade-WS : We've reduced the amount of experience you need for a unit to gain veteran status. We've also changed the veteran abilities to make them more noticible and useful.
Rade-WS : What exactly do you mean by playing the same mission as GDI and Nod? Are you referring to the single player campaign?
Rade-WS : Nevermind, I think I figured it out and I'll answer it.
Rade-WS : You don't play the exact same mission in FS with GDI and Nod, you just play the counter point to each misison. For example, if as Nod, your objective is to
Rade-WS : Assassinate someone, the GDI counter in their campaign is to prevent that from happening.
[Ted] : Swar1 is up next.
swar1 : hi
Rade-WS : Hello there.
swar1 : i have 3 questions
swar1 : hush you retards let me be
[Ted] : Yeah!
swar1 : will there be any new weather options
Rade-WS : You can toggle ion storms on or off in the RMG now.
[Ted] : We have 10 minutes to go, so we'll let you have one more...
swar1 : will there be a 8 man patch?
swar1 : and i want 4 man cnc!!!!
[Ted] : Don't we all.....
Rade-WS : There are no plans currently to add 8 players to an Internet game, sorry.
ourumov12 : oh hi
Rade-WS : Hey.
ourumov12 : didnt notice i was up
ourumov12 : =)
ourumov12 : ok
ourumov12 : 2 questions
Rade-WS : Shoot.
ourumov12 : i have been getting alot of privs about the cyborg core defender
ourumov12 : what is that?
Rade-WS : It's one of those secret things I can't talk about or the designers will come kill me.
ourumov12 : and second is not a question but an idea could you have a unit shoot at stuff under ground
Rade-WS : Yes, in fact the EMP can shoot subterranean units while they are underground in Firestorm.
[Ted] : Cool.
[Ted] : Jag is up next.
Jaguar27 : whoa
Jaguar27 : hey rade :)
Rade-WS : Hey hey.
Jaguar27 : anyway, due to popular demand, will the MMK2 get its power back?
Rade-WS : What do you mean? It slays right now as is. (I used it to wipe out a base earlier today).
[Ted] : mithtumsn is up next
[Ted] : you there man?
Rade-WS : Bzzzt. Next.
[Ted] : xnucleur is up next.
xnucleur : :Tiberian Sun ROCKS!
Rade-WS : Thanks man.
xnucleur : :I got a ?
Rade-WS : Go for it.
xnucleur : :Can you explain how the juggernaut will compare angaist artillary?
Rade-WS : Sure, the Juggernaut fires 3 shots at once and they aren't as deadly accurate as Nod's artillery. The Juggernaut is really effective against clumps of units or structures but isn't as effective against smaller targets.
Rade-WS : If all 3 shots hit, they will do more damage than the Nod artillery, though it doesn't happen that frequently.
[Ted] : Alright.... Thanks Xnucleur.
[Ted] : Last one for tonight is Toodah
[Ted] : err. Roodah...
Roodah : Hio !
Rade-WS : Yo!.
Roodah : I have two little questions
Rade-WS : K.
Roodah : 1. I saw new Tiberium trees on some screenshots. Will there be any new Tiberium, like red or yellow Tiberium?
Rade-WS : There is a Tiberium mold (green stuff on ground), Tiberium algae, and mutated plants. Nothing new that you can harvest like Tiberium though.
Roodah : thanks .... now my second
Roodah : What do you generally think about map-editors for Tiberian Sun like FinalSun or Yame?
Rade-WS : I just got the latest version of FinalSun and haven't had a chance to mess with it yet (my machine just got fixed today). I think it's pretty cool that people have managed to build editors for TS.
Rade-WS : I'll let you know once I've had a chance to sit down and use it.
borg6859 : is joe kucan still a part of the c&c series
[Ted] : okay, one more from borg...
Rade-WS : Of course. We love Joe around here and it just wouldn't be a C&C game without him popping up somewhere doing his evil Kane stuff.
[Ted] : Tiberian Sun 10: Son of Kane!
[Ted] : err... maybe not...
Rade-WS : We'd go to Roman numerals by thay, C&C XX - Son of the Grandson of Kane's Roomate's Sister.
[Ted] : :)
[Ted] : Alright, that wraps it up for tonight....
[Ted] : I'd like to thank everyone for coming by tonight, and thanks to Rade for stopping in to answer questions!
Rade-WS : Thanks for coming everyone, you guys rock! Look for Firestorm in early March and if you haven't played Nox yet, download the demo from our site. It rules!
[Ted] : Absolutely. Nox is taking everyone by surprise...
[Ted] : Thanks again Rade. We'll see you again soon.
Rade-WS : Later, off to get some dinner! Mmmm, food is good.
[Ted] : Me too.
[Ted] : Goodnight everyone. See you in the World Domination Tourney...
Rade-WS : Good night!
-----CHAT CLOSED-----