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This is a sub-page of Proto:Command & Conquer: Generals/Build 98 Alpha/Models.

Buildings#

The prototype contains some interesting civilian models which aren't found in the final game. It appears these models were dropped early in development since they don't have snow, damaged, night or garrisoned condition models by the time the build was compiled. Other buildings also don't have these conditions but these were later created for the final game. Two of these buildings appear in some of the earliest released screenshots of the game.

The weathervane on the Barn model is animated.

The Monument Office has an animated outside elevator.

Towers#

The tower models in this prototype are significantly different from those in the final game. Judging by their file names, these towers were originally props and not garrisonable buildings.

The wooden tower uses a different texture, has thicker support beams, lacks the searchlight on top and is bigger than the final game model.

The concrete tower also uses a different texture, has a pointy roof, slightly lower in height, bigger window frames, and is shaped like a cone.

Prototype

Final Game

Prototype

Final Game

Vehicles#

Blue Van#

Gens_Alpha_BlueBus.png

A model of a blue van with lowpoly tires.

Convoy#

Gens_Alpha_Convoy03.png

The final game has three convoy models but this one is absent from the game. Of interest is the radiation barrels on the trailer and the lowpoly, conjoined tires.

Props#

Various prop models are in this build, most of which never survived into the final game. Some of them can be seen in a number of prerelease screenshots.

Planters#

The Planters models seen in some screenshots are available in this prototype.

Statue#

Gens_Alpha_Statue.png

Statue of a heroic male figure, seen in one screenshot. This model is also found in the files of Zero Hour.

Park Bench#

Gens_Alpha_PrkBench.png

A lowpoly model of a park bench, the green part was retextured gray/black for the final game.

Wine Barrel#

Gens_Alpha_WineBrl.png

A small prop model of a wine barrel.

Gas Pumps#

Gens98_GasPump01.png Gens98_GasPump02.png Gas Pumps models, to accommodate the Gas Mart building up there.

Civilians#

Placeholder Civilian Models#

The prototype has some of the civilian models that appear in the final game, but also untextured barebones civilians with no animations. These were either never got modelled and removed from the final game, or had their names changed when the developers got to creating them.

Street Vendor#

GensAlphaVendor.png

A model of a street vendor with a very barebones texture and a single animation, which consists of 100 frames of pure nothing.

This model is also found in Zero Hour.

"CX" models#

The prototype contains six strange models all prefixed with "CX". While "C" could stand for civilian, it's unknown what the X means. These models can be found in Zero Hour too, but they're missing their temporary textures there. It seems these were used very early in development as placeholder assets before the final art was made.
The model named CXPowrPlnt, which stands for Power Plant, was used in the GDF files for the factions' Power Plants.
The model named CXSupAirs could stand for Supply Air Strip. Its runway was used in the Iron Dragon mission.
The other four models CXSupAirp, CXSupCent, CXSupChpr and CXSupTruck could potentially stand for Supply Air Plane, Supply Center, Supply Chopper and Supply Truck, respectively.

Age of Mythology Greek Fortress#

Gens98_GreekFortress.png

The build contains the Alpha Greek Fortress model from Age of Mythology.

One can't help but wonder how the developers managed to get their hands on a model that was seen for the first time in 2001. The game, which was released on October 31st, 2002, almost three months before Generals, doesn't have the model in its files and the Multiplayer Test held for Age of Mythology ran from June 21st to June 30th, 2002, and the developers may have taken it from there. However, metadata for all files from the prototype, including this Greek Fortress model date back to April 2002, two months before the test which makes it impossible for the developers to have taken from there.

Unless Ensemble Studios gave the developers the model, there is no way they could've gotten it.