Command & Conquer: The First Decade

Command & Conquer: The First Decade
PAL Boxart
Developer(s)	EA Los Angeles, Barking Lizards Technologies, Base Camp Films, Gametap Entertainment, Westwood Studios
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Engine	Various engines
Version	Official Patch 1.02 (April 18, 2006)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows
Release date(s)	February 7, 2006
Genre(s)	11 RTS games, 1 FPS game
Mode(s)	Single player, Multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Teen (T) PEGI: 12+
Media/distribution	1 Game DVD, 1 Bonus "Community" DVD
System requirements Windows XP 800 MHz Processor 256MB RAM 9.8 GB HDD space 8x DVD Drive DirectX 8.1 compatible 32 MB Video Card DirectX 8.1 compatible sound card

Command & Conquer: The First Decade is a compilation of the Command & Conquer series' games published from 1995 to 2003, all bundled into one DVD and updated to run optimally on Windows XP. It was released on February 7, 2006 and sold for the price of one retail game. Also included in the compilation was a bonus DVD which took a look behind the scenes of the successful franchise, including interviews with producers, old concept art, various soundbites, as well as a montage of the winning fan videos of the "Are You The Biggest C&C Fan?" competition held prior to the compilation's release.

Other items included in the compilation was an A3 (A4 in newer boxes) poster with high-quality C&C renders on both sides, one of which has been confirmed to be a teaser image for EA's Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, as well as a 65-page manual that only includes unit descriptions and hotkeys for each of the included games.

Included games and expansions

• Command & Conquer–August 1995
  • Command & Conquer–The Covert Operations–April 1996
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert–October 1996
  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert–Counterstrike–March 1997
  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert–The Aftermath–September 1997
• Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun–August 1999
  • Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun–Firestorm–February 2000
• Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2–October 2000
  • Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2–Yuri's Revenge–October 2001
• Command & Conquer: Renegade–February 2002
• Command & Conquer: Generals–February 2003
  • Command & Conquer: Generals – Zero Hour–September 2003

The Command & Conquer title Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor was not included with The First Decade.

Game DVD

New game content

The first DVD delivers each of the games with their most recent patches applied (except Command & Conquer: Red Alert which wasn't delivered at the latest version due to the latest patch being a beta version), all of which are bundled into a single installer. Many fans were disappointed that the original installers for the games, which were known to be very immersive and graphically pleasing, were not included. They were replaced by a single standard InstallShield wizard installer. The installer does enable the player to pick and choose what to install, but assuming that all the games are selected, a total of 7 separate serial keys need to be entered.

The compilation comes as its own program, with a launcher which allows to choose between the installed games. A third-party shortcut installer has been made to create shortcuts for each of the individual games.^[1]

The First Decade menu screenshot.

Bugs and Patches

Many bugs have been reported to be present in Electronic Arts' The First Decade pack, including some that didn't affect the original releases of the games. EA responded by releasing two patches: 1.01 and 1.02.^[2] Furthermore, an unofficial patch 1.03 has since been released by enthusiasts. It does not require the 1.01 or 1.02 patch from EA, as it includes all of the fixes from them plus more and negates the need for the DVD to be in the drive while playing. It is for the English version of TFD only; it will not work on the German version. It can be downloaded from Command & Patch.

Bonus DVD

"The First Decade" DVD case contents.

The Bonus DVD included in the compilation pack is a video DVD including the following video items:

• The First Decade
• Louis Castle Interview
• 10 Years of Command & Conquer(TM)
• The Future
• The Community
• A Tribute to Command & Conquer(TM)
• Bonus Features:
  • The First Decade Trailer
  • Concept Artwork
  • The First Decade Credits

As the bonus DVD is a video DVD, it can be played on any conventional video DVD player.

Bonus poster

Also included in the compilation is a single A3 double-sided poster, showing teaser high-resolution renders for the then upcoming Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars. One side is a highly upgraded version of the new GDI Ion Cannon, the other render is an image of the GDI's new Predator tank.

References

1. ^ "XCC TFD Shortcut Installer - XCC Forum". Olaf van der Spek. 2006-02-25. http://xhp.xwis.net/cgi-bin/forum.cgi?a=26;mid=13914. Retrieved 2008-09-27. 
2. ^ "The First Decade patches". Electronic Arts. April, 2006. http://www.ea.com/official/cc/firstdecade/us/news.jsp?src=Patch102. Retrieved 2008-09-27. 

External links

• Official Command & Conquer: The First Decade website
• C&C EVA database A Command and Conquer Wiki