New Version of OpenHV is Out. Free RTS Based on C&C Red Alert's Foundation Recieved New Maps
A new version of freeware RTS OpenHV has been released. The update introduced a sizable set of fresh maps and one additional single-player mission.
OpenRA is an unofficial project developed to give the first two installments of Command & Conquer a more modern engine. However, some fans have decided to use it to develop their own games. One of them is the freeware RTS OpenHV, which has just received a new version.
The update is numbered 20240908 and brings many bug fixes and gameplay balance improvements. Most importantly, however, it introduces eight additional maps for multiplayer and skirmish mode (Ixnay On The Hombre, Slippery Tensions, Twin Lakes, Supercharged, Processing Station, Split Three, War Playground, and Weldyn Channel), as well as one new singleplayer mission called Infiltration Commando
OpenHV does not use any graphical elements from the Command & Conquer series, so the developers were able to make it available as a standalone free game. The production is based on the Hard Vacum project, which was being developed in the 1990s but was abandoned before its release. Its creator was artist Daniel Cook, known from modern indie classics like Alphabear or Road Not Taken.
In 2005 Cook released all the elements of Hard Vacum that he had managed to complete, as well as provided documentation describing what the gameplay was supposed to look like. A group of modders gathered all this, filled in the missing elements, and used it to build their own game on the OpenRA engine. OpenHV is the result of their work.
The game is an RTS that focuses on fast-paced battles. It allows you to play in multiplayer, a skirmish mode that allows you to fight solo battles against AI, and a handful of story missions. The project provides a ton of fun and is constantly evolving - updates with new content are released practically every month.
