Command & Conquer: Generals

Command & Conquer Generals operates in a similar manner to that of other titles in the series - players construct bases and train units from these, acquiring resources on one of the game's maps to fund this, and then defeat their opponents by eliminating their bases and armies.[8] Various units types are available for training, ranging from infantry to ground vehicles and aircraft, each focuses on specific roles (e.g. anti-vehicle), while base structures are divided between unit production, support facilities, and defensive counter-measures. Success in the game relies upon making the most out of mixing units, utilising their advantages while countering their disadvantages with other units, in order to win against opponents - for example, rifle infantry are useful for countering anti-vehicle infantry, but need to rely on tanks to counter anti-infantry vehicles. Units that survive and manage to kill other units gain "veterancy" points, earning chevrons when they level up, effectively improve their abilities and making them more powerful; at the highest level, it also grants the ability to repair any damage when out of combat.

Training can be queued at production structures and units sent to rally points designated by the player, with the ability to research upgrades to improve certain units. In addition, players can also deploy superweapons which can decimate an opponent's forces, though must wait for a cooldown period to end before they can use it again. Factions in the game function similar in how they operate, but maintain differences in units and strategies:

• The United States rely on high-tech weaponry, such as drones, and a dominant air force to deal with opponents, and are able to use supply units to airdrop rifle infantry into occupied buildings, alongside flash grenades, to clear them out. In addition, they can improve power plants, their defensive structures link together to deal with enemy units, and they collect more supplies than the other two factions, but units are more expensive to produce.
• China relies on stronger tank and artillery units, and can use hackers to claim buildings or produce additional funds. In addition, their troop transports can detect stealth units, while their tanks and infantry can incur horde bonuses when grouped together. However, their power plants can cause damage to surrounding units and buildings when destroyed, they maintain a weaker air force, and require large armies to make horde bonuses work effectively.
• The Global Liberation Army rely on cheap units and terrorist-styled guerrilla combat to overcome opponents, in which several vehicle units can be upgraded by salvaging parts from defeated enemy vehicles (infantry can also claim this for funds), using specialised infantry units to create ambushes and considerable damage. In addition, they do not require power for base structures, and any buildings that are destroyed will be automatically rebuilt if the enemy fails to destroy a tunnel entrance that is left behind. However, they must use builder units to collect supplies, with several needed to ensure funds are steady, and cannot build air units; this is compensated by having more anti-air units than the other two factions.

Generals functions differently to other titles in the series, in that base construction relies on dedicated builder units rather than a central construction building, but with the added ability of being able to construct buildings anywhere on the map. Resources are restricted to supply docks that have a limited amount for collection, with each faction able to construct units or buildings that provide continual resources as long as they are not destroyed. In addition, players can also make use of "Generals Abilities" - a unique set of bonuses that can be purchased upon earning experience points during the game, which can confer additional abilities such as support powers (e.g. airstrikes), improvements to certain units, or access to additional units for construction.

After its release, Generals received mostly positive reviews. Based on 34 reviews, Metacritic gives it a score of 84/100,[14] which includes a score of 9.3/10 from IGN.[15] Generals has received the E3 2002 Game Critics Awards Best Strategy Game award.[16] GameSpot named Generals the best computer game of February 2003.[17] During the 7th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Generals with "Computer Strategy Game of the Year"; it also received nominations for "Computer Game of the Year" and "Game of the Year".[18]

In the United Kingdom, it sold over 100,000 units during the first half of 2003. This made it the United Kingdom's second-best-selling computer game for the period, or seventh across all platforms. At the time, Kristan Reed of GamesIndustry.biz wrote that its performance proved "you can still have big hits on PC".[19] Generals received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA),[20] indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.[21] The game's Deluxe release received another "Silver" award from ELSPA.[20]

In September 2003, an expansion pack called Generals – Zero Hour was released, which continues the story of Generals. In December 2011, a sequel, Command & Conquer: Generals 2, was announced, due to be released in 2013.[6] Generals 2 was repurposed to a free-to-play game known as simply Command & Conquer.[23] The new game would have started with the Generals franchise and may have expanded to the rest of the franchise post-release. The game's project was cancelled on October 29, 2013.[24] Later in November, EA said that the game will still be developed by a new game studio,[25][26][27] but no further news emerged and the project appears to be abandoned.