Command & Conquer: Generals
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Developers | |
---|---|
EA Pacific[1][2] | |
Zero Hour | EA Los Angeles |
macOS (OS X) | i5works[3][4] |
macOS (OS X) | Aspyr Media |
Publishers | |
Electronic Arts | |
OS X | Aspyr Media |
Engines | |
SAGE | |
Release dates | |
Windows | February 10, 2003 |
macOS (OS X) | April 14, 2004 |
Reception | |
Metacritic | 84 |
Taxonomy | |
Monetization | One-time game purchase, Expansion pack, Subscription gaming service |
Modes | Singleplayer, Multiplayer |
Pacing | Real-time |
Perspectives | Bird's-eye view |
Controls | Multiple select, Point and select |
Genres | RTS |
Themes | Asia, Middle East, Sci-fi |
Series | Command & Conquer |
⤏ Go to series page | |
Command & Conquer | 1995 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert | 1996 |
Command & Conquer: Sole Survivor | 1997 |
Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun | 1999 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 | 2000 |
Command & Conquer: Renegade | 2002 |
Command & Conquer: Generals | 2003 |
Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars | 2007 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 | 2008 |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 - Uprising | 2009 |
Command & Conquer 4: Tiberian Twilight | 2010 |
OpenRA (unofficial) | 2010 |
Command & Conquer (2013) | Cancelled |
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection | 2020 |
Renegade X (unofficial) | EA |
Warnings
- The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.
Command & Conquer: Generals is a singleplayer and multiplayer bird's-eye view RTS game featuring different factions battling against each other on a battlefield. It was developed by EA Pacific, published by Electronic Arts and released in 2003. The game is one of many in the Command & Conquer franchise. It makes use of the SAGE engine, which was an improved version of the Westwood 3D engine.
The game was initially released on Windows on February 10, 2003. It was ported on April 14, 2004 to Mac OS X by i5works and published by Aspyr Media, who also maintained the port over the years. Reception of the game was good, with several post-launch patches being released to fix most bugs, exploits and balancing issues. The team was subsequently merged with EA Los Angeles as its RTS division, and developed its expansion Zero Hour, which got released on September 19, 2003 on Windows and later ported to Mac OS X in February 2005. The game was re-released for macOS on the Mac App Store on March 12, 2015. The expansion added a new Generals Challenge mode, new campaigns, new units and new maps.
Post-release support included 8 patches for the base game and 4 for Zero Hour, as well as map editors (Worldbuilder) compatible with both titles. While no dedicated modding tools were released (instead, the community uses tools released for The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II or Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, both on the same engine), the game quickly received a sizable modding and mapping community, whose projects remain popular well into the 2020s.[5]
A compilation of both the main game and its expansion got released on October 21, 2003 under the name Command & Conquer: Generals - Deluxe Edition. The game was re-released twice as part of multiple compilations of Command & Conquer games: Command & Conquer: The First Decade in February 2006 and for the first time digitally on Origin on October 2, 2012 as part of Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection.
As of May 2023, the game remains playable on modern Windows versions with some major technical hiccups that can be worked around; issues like errors when staring the game, DRM issues and serial key errors. A tool called GenPatcher was created by the community to more easily fix these issues, restore command line support for the Origin/EA app version, add modern resolution support and apply various fixes and improvements. Despite these efforts, the game is unstable and prone to crashing in many circumstances, including having to manage large amounts of objects on the map simultaneously, and unfixed pathfinding issues that are partly caused by improper use (or lack thereof) of pathing blockers in and around map obstacles such as hills and lakes.
The macOS version, however, was delisted from the Mac App Store in May 2020, although it is still playable for owners of the Mac App Store version who installed the App before it was delisted.
Official online services have been discontinued for all releases of the game, but community-run ones like C&C:Online exist. As of 2023, the game retains a small but active community, the competitive side of which is organized around GameReplays.org.
General information
- Command & Conquer Wiki - A wiki for everything Command & Conquer-related
- C&C:Online - fan-hosted multiplayer server replacement (Windows version only)
- Generals section on CNC.community
- Generals section on CNCNZ.com
- Zero Hour section on CNCNZ.com
- Zero Hour section on GameReplays.org
Availability
Source | DRM | Notes | Keys | OS |
---|---|---|---|---|
Retail | SafeDisc 2 DRM[Note 1] in the original releases, SafeDisc 4 DRM[Note 2] in The First Decade compilation. | |||
Origin | Bundled as part of Command & Conquer: The Ultimate Collection; includes the Zero Hour expansion. Currently only visible in the EA App's Browse menu. Included with EA Play. |
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Mac App Store (unavailable) | Deluxe Edition. 32-bit only, delisted from stores after 64-bit update was cancelled in May 2020.[10] |
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
- All versions include custom DRM code which can sabotage the game by destroying all units and structures owned by the player after 30 seconds, triggering an automatic defeat. It can occur on legitimate copies under certain circumstances - see Auto-defeat after 30 seconds for instructions to fix this.
- A free demo version is available from GameFront and CNCNZ.com.
Version differences
- The Deluxe Edition, The First Decade and The Ultimate Collection all include the base game and the Zero Hour expansion.
- The Ultimate Collection version includes a new unskippable launcher, lacks mod support and lacks support for command line arguments.
- The Mac App Store did not have crossplay with the Windows and original OS X releases, and online muliplayer was eventually removed entirely in the v1.1.2 update after Apple retired Game Center invite functionality.[11] The Mac App Store version is playable with other Macs running the App Store version on Network/LAN mode.
Monetization
Type | Notes |
---|---|
Expansion pack | The expansion pack includes new factions, new campaigns and game mode, maps, and units. |
One-time game purchase | The game requires an upfront purchase to access. |
Subscription gaming service | Available via EA Play. |
DLC and expansion packs
Name | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Zero Hour | Included with the Deluxe Edition, The First Decade and The Ultimate Collection compilations. |
Essential improvements
Patches
- The Origin/EA app and Mac App Store versions are already patched to the latest version.
- Retail Windows Generals patch v1.08: CNCNZ, Patches-Scrolls and the GenTool repository.
- Retail Windows Zero Hour expansion patch v1.04: CNCNZ, Patches-Scrolls and the GenTool repository.
- Old Mac OS X version patch v1.0.4: English, French, German [12]
GenPatcher
- GenPatcher can be used to get the game in an optimal state without having to apply these improvements by hand. Includes many of the essential fixes/additions listed below like GenTool, Options.ini fixes, dbghelp.dll removal and restoration of mod- and command-line parameter support.
- Officially supports the CD, The First Decade (English) and Origin/EA app (English and German) versions of the game.
GenTool
- GenTool provides improved compatibility with modern Windows versions, improved widescreen-support and enhanced/adjustable game controls, fixes several known causes of crashes and exploits, and restores online play by allowing the game to link to C&C:Online and adding cheat detection.
- Compatible with all Windows versions of Generals and its expansion, as long as they are patched to the latest official version.
- Included in GenPatcher.
Skip startup game intro
Move, delete or rename the intro videos[13] |
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Game data
Configuration file(s) location
System | Location |
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Windows | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Command and Conquer Generals Data\ %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour Data\ |
macOS (OS X) | $HOME/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.command.conquer.generals.appstore/Data/Documents/Command & Conquer Generals/User Data/ ~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.command.conquer.generals.appstore/Data/Documents/Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour/User Data/ |
Save game data location
System | Location |
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Windows | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Command and Conquer Generals Data\Save\ %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour Data\Save\ |
macOS (OS X) | ~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.command.conquer.generals.appstore/Data/Documents/Command & Conquer Generals/User Data/Save/ ~/Library/Containers/com.aspyr.command.conquer.generals.appstore/Data/Documents/Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour/User Data/Save/ |
Save game cloud syncing
System | Native | Notes |
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Origin | ||
OneDrive | Requires enabling backup of the Documents folder in OneDrive on all computers. |
Video
Graphics feature | State | WSGF | Notes |
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Widescreen resolution | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Multi-monitor | |||
Ultra-widescreen | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
4K Ultra HD | See Widescreen resolution. | ||
Field of view (FOV) | Top-down view nearly orthographic. See Camera height. | ||
Windowed | Add -win to the shortcut target. The Origin/EA app version requires additional preparations. |
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Borderless fullscreen windowed | Use Borderless Gaming, GeDoSaTo or GenTool. | ||
Anisotropic filtering (AF) | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | ||
Anti-aliasing (AA) | Edit AntiAliasing value in options.ini |
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Vertical sync (Vsync) | Cannot be disabled. | ||
60 FPS | 30 FPS cap. Game speed and logic tied to frame rate in singleplayer, but game logic is always tied to 30 when in multiplayer. GenTool can increase the framerate cap, but not without affecting the game speed. | ||
120+ FPS | |||
High dynamic range display (HDR) | See the glossary page for potential alternatives. |
Widescreen resolution
- Setting the resolution to something else than the game originally supports, the game crashes when alt-tabbing. There are several workarounds available to fix this issue.
Set widescreen-resolution in-game with GenTool[14] |
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Set resolution manually in Options.ini[16] |
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Camera height
- Adjusted camera height only applied to replays and singleplayer.
Adjust camera height in-game through GenTool[17] |
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Adjust camera height[citation needed] |
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Input
Keyboard and mouse | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Remapping | See the glossary page for potential workarounds. | |
Mouse acceleration | Only scroll speed can be changed | |
Mouse sensitivity | For scroll speed. | |
Mouse input in menus | ||
Mouse Y-axis inversion | ||
Controller | ||
Controller support |
Controller types |
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Audio
Audio feature | State | Notes |
---|---|---|
Separate volume controls | ||
Surround sound | Uses whatever the speaker layout is for the default playback device. Only tested on Windows 10. (When using Dolby Digital Live on a Sound Blaster Z) | |
Subtitles | ||
Closed captions | ||
Mute on focus lost | ||
Royalty free audio |
Localizations
Language | UI | Audio | Sub | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
English | ||||
Traditional Chinese | Not available in P.R. China. | |||
French | ||||
German | An uncensored version of C&C Generals was shortly sold. The censored version, titled "C&C Generäle", is more widely available and known and uses separate patches. | |||
Italian | ||||
Japanese | Base game only, up to version 1.07. Opening scene still retain in English voices. | |||
Korean | ||||
Polish | ||||
Brazilian Portuguese | [18] | |||
Russian | Fan translations by Siberian GRemlin, DK team | |||
Spanish |
Network
Multiplayer types
Type | Native | Players | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|
LAN play | 8 | |||
Online play | 8 | Official GameSpy service has been shut down; see Online play to get online play working again. |
Connection types
Type | Native | Notes |
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Matchmaking | ||
Peer-to-peer | ||
Dedicated | ||
Self-hosting | ||
Direct IP |
Ports
Protocol | Port(s) and/or port range(s) |
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TCP | 80, 6667, 28910, 29900, 29920 |
UDP | 4321, 27900 |
- Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) support status is unknown.
Online play
Install GenTool and use C&C:Online (Windows)[19] |
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VR support
3D modes | State | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|
vorpX | G3D User created profile, requires DGVoodoo2 v 2.55.4. For required ini tweaks see profile introdution. Note: Profile may not work with the latest wrapper, in case of issues please report to the vorpx forum.
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Issues fixed
d3d8to9
- Might improve compatibility and stability of the game significantly in some specific cases by converting all older Direct3D 8 API calls and low-level shaders to more modern Direct3D 9 ones.
- Could lead to unstable performance and could make the game crash, especially with total conversion mods.[Note 3] Advised to only use this for singleplayer as it can possibly cause instability in multiplayer.
- Compatible with GenTool.
- Proton: already contains its own API translation layer and there is thus no need for installing d3d8to9.
- Not included in GenPatcher.
Install d3d8to9:[20] |
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DirectX 8.1 error
- Full error: Please make sure your have DirectX 8.1 or higher installed. Also verify that your video card meets the minimum requirements.
Install DirectX 9.0c end-user runtime[21] |
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Remove dbghelp.dll [22]
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Technical Difficulties/Serious Error
- This error is shown in case of one of the many errors the game can encounter. It is thus often not clear what exactly causes this error; one of the methods below should fix most common causes:
When using Alt+Tab
- The game can at times crash when using Alt+Tab ↹, in particular the second time. This happens usually when the game is set to resolutions that it originally did not support.[23]
Install d3d8to9[24] |
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Use windowed mode, see Video[25] |
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Other scenarios
Create or edit Options.ini[26] |
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AntiAliasing = DrawScrollAnchor = GameSpyIPAddress = 0.0.0.0 Gamma = 50 IPAddress = 0.0.0.0 IdealStaticGameLOD = High LanguageFilter = false MoveScrollAnchor = MusicVolume = 55 Resolution = 800 600 SFX3DVolume = 79 SFXVolume = 71 ScrollFactor = 50 SendDelay = no StaticGameLOD = Low UseAlternateMouse = no VoiceVolume = 70 |
Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP2 (only if not using GenTool)[citation needed] |
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Install d3d8to9[citation needed] |
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Fully reinstall[27] |
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Auto-defeat after 30 seconds
- Is triggered by DRM. Can even occur on legitimate installations.
Use GenPatcher[28] |
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Use executables from GenTool's repository[29] |
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Check game's serial key registry entries[30] |
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Clean reinstall of the game as administrator[31] |
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"Serial key already in use" error when starting a match
Check game's serial key registry entries[32] |
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- It is a very rare issue.
- This can also be done intentionally by running the game with the
-quickstart
command line argument to speed up initial loading.
Run the game in compatibility mode for Windows XP SP2 (only if not using GenTool)[citation needed] |
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Other information
API
Technical specs | Supported | Notes |
---|---|---|
Direct3D | 8.1 | |
OpenGL | OS X only. | |
Shader Model support | 1.4 | [citation needed] |
Executable | PPC | 32-bit | 64-bit | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Windows | ||||
macOS (OS X) | Install the version 1.0.4 patch for Intel support for the origin port. 32-bit only as a planned 64-bit update was cancelled in May 2020 with the MacOS-version being delisted from stores by Aspyr. |
Middleware
Middleware | Notes | |
---|---|---|
Audio | Miles Sound System | |
Cutscenes | Bink Video (Windows), QuickTime.framework (macOS) | Bink Video version 1.5.10.0 |
Multiplayer | GameSpy | Server inaccessible since July 2014; see Online play for a community server replacement. |
Command line arguments
- For these to work in The Ultimate Collection release, see Restore mod support.
Command[34] | Description |
---|---|
-win | Runs the game in windowed mode |
-mod [path to .big file] | Runs the game with the selected mod |
-xres [number] | Sets resolution width |
-yres [number] | Sets resolution height |
-nologo | Skips the EA Games logo; when using GenTool, it skips the tool's splash stripe on startup |
-noshellmap | Disables the shellmap in the main menu |
-quickstart | Disables the intro and shellmap in the main menu |
Official extra map and mission
- For Generals, EA Los Angeles released an official extra map and mission that were not included in the game.
Download and install the extra map and mission[citation needed] |
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Restore mod support
- The Ultimate Collection on Origin/EA app was released with no support for mods or command line arguments.
- Also incorporated in GenPatcher.
- These changes can be simply reverted by using the
repair
option in Origin/EA app for each game in The Ultimate Collection.
Replace the executables of the games[citation needed] |
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Use Medstar's fixed launchers (The Ultimate Collection)[35] |
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Uncensoring the German release
Combat Cards
Is a singleplayer digital card game of user against AI opponent that was released in 2003 to promote Generals. The gameplay is based on the classic card game Top Trumps. The cards feature units from Generals, with each unit having the four attributes firepower, speed, cost, and build time. One of these attributes is selected at random and the player of which the value of the attribute is highest, wins the round and receives the other's players card. Whoever runs out of cards first, loses.
Thyme
- Open-source community-project to use reverse-engineered code of the original Zero Hour expansion pack to completely re-implement this code, while keeping true to the original game. The intention of Thyme is to allow the fixing of bugs, implementation of new features and porting to platforms unsupported by the original.
- Only supports the original disc-based 1.04 versions. If any other version is used, the executable can be patched. Make sure that the executable of the game hasn't been altered by GenTool, GenPatcher or replaced the executables by hand as it will cause patching to fail.
- Still in active development and not fully reverse-engineered yet. Expect it to contain several (severe) bugs.
System requirements
Windows | ||
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Minimum | Recommended | |
Operating system (OS) | 98 | ME, 2000, XP |
Processor (CPU) | Intel Pentium III 800 MHz AMD Athlon 800 MHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 128 MB | 256 MB |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 1.8 GB | |
Video card (GPU) | Nvidia GeForce 2 ATI Radeon 7500 32 MB of VRAM DirectX 8.1 compatible | Nvidia GeForce 3 DirectX 9.0c compatible |
macOS (OS X) | ||
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Minimum | ||
Operating system (OS) | 10.9.5 | |
Processor (CPU) | Intel 2.2 GHz | |
System memory (RAM) | 4 GB | |
Hard disk drive (HDD) | 5 GB | |
Video card (GPU) | ATI Radeon HD 3870 Nvidia GeForce 330M Intel HD 3000 256 MB of VRAM |
- OS X requirements are for the Mac App Store version
Notes
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[6] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[7]
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[8] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[9]
- ↑ Legionnaire and Xezon from the CnC community brought these issues to light.
References
- ↑ EA ANNOUNCES PUBLIC TEST FOR COMMAND & CONQUER GENERALS - Blue's News - last accessed on 2016-9-12
- ↑ GameSpy: Command & Conquer: Generals - Page 1 - last accessed on 2016-9-12
- ↑ Aspyr: Command & Conquer Generals hits beta - Macworld - last accessed on 2016-7-23
- ↑ Aspyr Media Inc. Ships Electronic Arts' `Command & Conquer Generals' for Macintosh - Business Wire - last accessed on 2016-7-23
- ↑ Players Choice - Mod of the Year 2021 feature - last accessed on 2023-05-30
- ↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑ Not Loading in Windows 10; this will break thousands of - Microsoft Community - last accessed on 2017-01-16
- ↑ Microsoft - MS15-097: Description of the security update for the graphics component in Windows: September 8, 2015 - last accessed on 2018-02-16
- ↑ MacOS Catalina, 64-bit, 32-bit, and related Questions - last accessed on 2022-07-09
- ↑ Command Conquer Generals Deluxe Edition 1.1.2 changelog - last accessed on 2022-07-09
- ↑ Aspyr Support Center - last accessed on 2011-08-27
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-10-14
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-10-14
- ↑ GenTool widescreen resolution - last accessed on 2019-10-19
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-10-14
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10
- ↑ Novo Milênio, 22/09/2003 (archived)
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-12-23
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-10-14
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-10-14
- ↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2022-08-09
- Checked in the past: happens especially when the game is set to resolutions it originally didn't support, like set through the ini-file or through GenTool
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-01-13
- ↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2022-08-09
- ↑ https://answers.ea.com/t5/C-C-The-Ultimate-Collection/READ-FIRST-Common-Issues-and-Solutions/m-p/222060/highlight/true#M687
- ↑ neowin.net - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2022-08-10
- ↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2022-08-09
- Succesfully fixed this issue for me in the past
- ↑ CnC Zero Hour Serial Key not valid - last accessed on 2022-08-09
- ↑ Verified by User:Mrtnptrs on 2022-08-09
- My registry entries still miss the "-", while I'm not getting any of the errors and in the past had this fix not working for me.
- ↑ C&C Generals: Zero Hour: Command Line Arguments - C&C Labs - last accessed on May 2023
- ↑ Verified by User:Plok on 2021-10-14