Tempest Rising feels like a new Command and Conquer, and it just got better

It’s the eternal Command and Conquer quandary: GDI or Nod? Putting aside questions of which faction is good, which is evil, the Global Defense Initiative often seems to be better on the offensive, but if you want to dig in and sit behind your Obelisks, it’s Kane’s team all the way. This is part of what makes C&C one of the all-time RTS greats. Both sides are unique, and feel totally different to play, but they’re nevertheless carefully balanced. Inspired by Westwood’s classics, Tempest Rising feels like the closest we have to a new Command and Conquer. But balancing between its two factions, the GDF and the Dynasty, has so far been a little askew. Thanks to a big new update, that’s all changed.

I go into more detail in our Tempest Rising review, but in summary, while Slipgate’s RTS game borrows from the mood and overtones of Command and Conquer, it’s much more than just a tribute act. The mission design is fantastic, graduating from small-scale infiltration to all-out warfare over the course of several hours, and each unit feels like a valuable part of your army – you can’t just mass produce one type of vehicle and expect to win through sheer numbers.

Nevertheless, especially in multiplayer, Tempest Rising fans have found issues with balancing. Some units are too strong; others are too weak. On both the GDF and Dynasty sides, there are some buildings that dominate in the early game, and others which struggle to make an impact. Slipgate is making sweeping changes.

As well as raw cash, in some cases, the GDF requires a second resource called Intel in order to construct certain buildings and troops. The problem so far is that Intel costs are too high to allow players to use these units and outposts in the early game. Slipgate has thus cut the Intel price for both the satellite uplink and data core buildings. But, to balance this out, the amount of Intel gained from killing units and destroying enemy structures has been reduced.

On both sides, the basic infantry are underperforming, which means that the GDF’s Field Scout and the Dynasty’s Guard will now attack slightly faster. Likewise, the basic tanks are struggling to make a sufficient impression on the battlefield, so the Hunter and Boar are also both quicker now when it comes to launching successive shells.

On the contrary, the GDF’s Skycrane is overpowered, and has been nerfed sharply: it now takes longer to build, costs more, and has lower health. This is in stark contrast to the Tempest Sphere, which is now cheaper, faster, and can sustain more damage. The Dynasty’s Voltaic Tank is also better now thanks to an increased range, but the faction’s air units, which Slipgate admits can be “oppressive” during the late game, have had their wings clipped: the Leveler now attacks more slowly and has a shorter offensive radius, and the Dragonfly, also has had its range cut from 4,000 to 3,700.

“We aim to address the large impact some units are having, particularly on the early game, while improving the utility of some lower-performing units,” the developer says. “We are looking to take a more incremental approach to changes that affect the early game and smooth out the transition into the mid-game for both the GDF and Dynasty.”

Slipgate also teases the next major Tempest Rising patch, which will introduce 2v2 ranked matches, remixed multiplayer maps, and a new setting for custom and skirmish games that allows you to adjust the population cap. More information on those features will arrive in the coming weeks.

In the meantime, try some of the other best strategy games, or the best 4X games on PC.

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