That shiny mod that vilifies the use of bloom and edgy lighting since 2010.
The definitive version release of the mod with 1.0.0a hotfix included. Unfortunately, quite a lot of people couldn't install it with the normal versions as they were mostly designed around the CD game version in mind. This version should be an absolute no-brainer to install even for monkes for all game versions (no mod launcher needed.) This comes at a cost which is you can't easily customise the mod without reading the Manual Mod Launch guide and changing the files yourself.
*** IMPORTANT ***:
This mod has been and always be free. No pay wall, EVER. Mod by the people for the people!
If you wish to donate, please visit the mod's page at Moddb.com and find the donate button.
"EA has not endorsed and does not support this product."
"No copyright infringement intended towards the respective owner and creator".
"Please don't sue me, I'm poor lol."
Index:
-Installation
-Requirements
-Features
-Known issues.
-FAQ.
-Credits.
-Contacts.
Requirements:
-The mod should now work with all game versions i.e. 1.00, 1.01, 1.02, 1.03, 1.04
-PC specifications beyond the recommended for the original game (the mod adds more system demanding stuff)
Installation:
Mod Installation:
1. Backup your Data folder and Install_Final.bmp (or just the entire game folder)
2. Install Zero Hour Enhanced 1.0.0a by copy and pasting files in the extracted folder into your game folder that is where your generals.exe is located
2.1. (Optional) Install the Karisma.ttf and RussellSquare.ttf fonts
3. Right click to properties on your "generals.exe". Go to "Compatibility", check "Run this program as an administrator", then click "OK" to apply the settings.
4. Right click to properties on your game folder ("Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour"). Go to "Advanced", uncheck "Allow files in this folder to have contents indexed in addition to file properties", then click "OK" to apply the settings.
5. Start the game using generals.exe
6. ???
7. Enjoy!
ReShade Installation:
1. Copy the files from Plugins\ReShade
2. Paste them into the game folder
To uninstall or revert the change, simply remove the files
ReShade+DXWrapper Installation (Optional & experimental, results may vary):
1. Copy the files from Plugins\ReShade+DXWrapper
2. Paste them into the game folder where the d3d8.dll and the like are located
To uninstall or revert the change, simply remove the files and copy new files from Plugins\ReShade
Features:
-Reworked general game balances
• Machine guns are effective against infantry and unarmoured vehicles.
• Heavy machine guns are effective against infantry, unarmoured vehicles and attack helicopters.
• Auto-cannons are effective against infantry and light vehicles. When mounted on aircraft, they're also effective against vehicles and tanks.
• Rifled guns and smoothbore guns are effective against infantry when using HE rounds and vehicles, tanks when using HEAT rounds.
• Light anti-tank weapons are effective against light vehicles while dedicated anti-tank weapons are effective against vehicles and tanks.
• Anti-air weapons are effective against light vehicles, attack helicopters and low-flying aircraft.
• Fragmentation grenades and mines are effective against infantry and unarmoured vehicles.
• Anti-tank grenades are effective against vehicles and not so much tanks while anti-tank mines are effective against both.
• Incendiary weapons are effective against infantry, light vehicles and base defenses. Not particularly effective against buildings but will slowly destroy them.
• Explosives are effective against pretty much most things given they hit their targets. Often more expensive and limited to deploy. This ranging from satchel charges, high explosive rounds to artillery and tactical long-range missiles to close air support missiles and bombs to nuclear bombs.
• Toxins and radiations are pretty much the same like previous ZHE version.
• ECMs when deployed are effective against guided munitions. ECM rays are pretty much the same like previous ZHE version.
• Microwaves when deployed and in rays form are effective against infantry in different ways. When deployed, microwaves will deter infantry from advancing and in rays form, microwaves will slowly cook infantry until they catch fire.
-Reworked smoke screens: Smoked units cannot fire weapons or be a target of fire
-Introduced strategic points: A new way to gain supplies by capturing and securing like take and hold
-Revamped bullet system, way less curve bullets!
-Revamped propaganda and Chinese troops cohesion system: They no longer heal units but make them fight even harder!
-Fully destructible and repairable bridges
-Crossable river: Obviously only on shallow waters duh!
-Revamped stealth detection: Camouflage tactics is overpowered!
-Tiered combat phase: Technology divided into 3 separate phrases
-War doctrines: Unlock special units, upgrades and bonuses in respect to the doctrine
-Reworked General's Power: They're even deadlier and great to look at!
-Performance & AI improvements
-Infantry squad training system: Like the original Red Guard training but shared among many troops!
-Infantry prone system: Stances will apply passive modifiers, change loadout and also look super cool!
-Infantry suppression system: Infantry can be forced to change their stance to prone when under heavy fire. No more charging at the enemy in mass number!
-Infantry classes: Like Battlefield 2 in RTS format. Confusing to new players but fun to those who study them!
-Emphasis on building capturing: Capturing building is no longer an upgrade. Almost every infantry can capture buildings
-Grenade system: Introduction of grenades across the infantry line completed with custom animations! (For sweaty players only)
-Revive critically wounded system: Much like Battlefield 2 in RTS format, infantry can become wounded instead of just dying. Medics must be deployed with AEDs to revive them back into the battlefield!
-Preattack & reload system: All units now have an aiming and reloading period
-Transport vehicle weapon firing filter system: Large weapons can no longer be fired from within vehicles except for the Overlord Bunker
-Armour penetration system: Glorified PDL system with the laser. Looks super cool!
• IFV armour can relatively deflect light anti-tank and mortar shells. Other warheads, not so much.
• MBT armour can easily deflect light anti-tank and mortar shells while relatively deflect anti-tank and tank shells. Others, not much.
• Super-heavy Tank armour can easily deflect light anti-tank, mortar shells, anti-tank and tank shells and relatively high caliber tank shells. Cannot deflect artillery shells, rocket artillery or high explosives.
• Aircraft munitions can't be deflected by any vehicle since they always hit the top part of vehicles (generally the weakest part)
-Anti-air & CIWS deployment system: I ran out of weapon slots so now you have to deploy anti-air in anti-air mode to use the anti-air weapons!
-IRL accurate-ish & individualised upgrades: Individual upgrade options for various units such as HMG gunner, anti-tank missiles, armour skirt, etc.
-Minor air rework: Air works more accurate to real life but still looks 2003.
• Air Superiority Fighter - These are stealthed fighters specialised in fighting other aircraft in order to establish air superiority meaning friendly close air support and bombing run campaign can be carried out more effectively.
• Close Air Support Attack Aircraft - Aircraft specialised in ground attack missions alongside friendly troops utilising a wide range of armanents including bombs, missiles, rockets, autocannons, machine guns or directed-energy weapons.
• Stealthed Attack Aircraft - Aircraft specialised in ground attack missions much like close air support except rather than getting in close, instead missions are carried out further away to avoid enemy retaliation.
• Super-Sonic Attack Aircraft - Aircraft specialised in ground attack missions equipped with advanced super-sonic capable engines enabling them to reach their targets intact deep within enemy territory.
• Multirole Combat Aircraft - Jack of all trades. Can be refit into variety of roles i.e. attack aircraft, fighter, reconnaissance, etc.
• Attack Helicopter - The helicopter version of the close air support aircraft. This class isn't required to return to airbase for replenishment of payloads like vZH.
-Vehicle smoke generators & smoke dischargers: Vehicles and tanks come with smoke generators and dischargers making them a bit harder to take out in the right hand!
-Vehicle mine clearance upgrades: Options for the GIN Marauder and Ravager to clear mines in front of them
-Full-salvo & half-salvo rocket artillery: Fire full-salvo for full or half-salvo for shorter reload time
-Reworked crusher level: "Just stand in wall formation bruh.. the vehicles can't get pass lol" -Sun Tzu
-New and reworked special abilities:
• Deploy listening devices with Secret Service squad, allowing you to detect movements in the shadows without alerting the enemy
• Disguise as [spoiler] with Secret Service squad, allowing you to infiltrate enemy bases without alerting the enemy
• Jump jet across difficult to navigate terrain with the Rocketeers, allowing for unorthodox path of reaching enemy position
• Be a martyr for the anti-imperialist cause with Terrorist's "For The Cause!" charge, allowing them to reach their objectives with great speed
• Bring the imperialist's war machine to a grinding halt with Saboteurs. Sabotaging enemy bases now do not consume the Saboteurs upon activation
• Hijacking vehicles with Hijackers will now visually look more convincing
• Deploy Demo Traps with Combat Engineer squad packed with powerful explosives that can bring down any imperialist war machine
• Protect the motherland at all cost with Red Guard's "For The Motherland" charge, allowing them to bayonet charge at the enemy position with great speed
• Spread communism with the Enthusiast squad inspiring troops to fight even harder against the capitalism
-Integration of ReShade in place of ENB: Enables the game to gain working modern anti-aliasing and customisable SSAO, bloom and post-process filter options
-"Volumetric" sunrays and fog: Visually 3D-fied environmental effects eliminate the old clipping issue when zooming in. Zoom away!
-Improved reflective water: Water looks more like water with even more variety
-Static water caustics: While the original unused animated caustics can't be implemented in conventional ways, the static version is here. Looks great when you're not focusing at them for extended period of time
-Brand new terrain textures: The terrain looked good for its time but it's time for a change!
-Particle FX rework: FXs look even better with greater performance!
-Ground, water, hit particle FX: FXs will now react to the terrain or objects they're fired at!
-AI upscaled textures: Perhaps the most enthical way of using AI. They're the same textures but look slightly more detailed
-Better materials in buildings: More shiny materials, neon lights, accurate lighting effects, etc. Like Cyberpunk without needing RTX cards
-Revamped fountains: The most important update of all; fountains now look like actual fountains!
-Snow particle effects: SNOW FXs are back once again working alongside the new ground, water, hit particle FX feature (only in snow maps)
-SFX rework: SFXs don't destroy your ear drums anymore while sounding more impactful than the original game
-GUI elements rework: Interface isn't a blurry mess anymore if you want to
-Brand new mod launcher: Works better and faster than before! Also looks nicer
Known Issues:
-Moving trees (moving slowly across the map like a unit) can cause mismatch in multiplayer
-Deploying units too close to another units (i.e. deployed unit overlapping with destroyed vehicle wreckage or trees) can cause mismatch in multiplayer
-Line cutting through screen in foggy map with reflective water
-Trees don't appear in fog of war
-Setting options in game requires a restart since it usually forces the game back into 4:3 screen or messes up the DoF effect
-There's bound to be water leaking in the maps somewhere due to how the new FX stuff works which will be slowly addressed over time
FAQ
Q: Can't install the mod?
A: Youtube.com
A2: Youtube.com
Q: Using Origin version?
A: Youtube.com
A2: Youtube.com
Q: The game crashed via engine error at start-up?
A: Make sure you have a clean install i.e. nuke everything
Q: The game crashed via engine error mid-game?
A: Try this Forums.cncnz.com
A2: Try lowering texture resolution and UI quality in the mod launcher, settings menu
Q: The game crashed via engine error mid-game in large maps?
A: Try turning 3D shadows off
Q: The game crashed via engine error 10-15 minutes in?
A: Try turning on/off compatibility mode and run as admin
A2: Try a clean reinstall i.e. nuke everything
A3: Try a different game copy
Q: The game mismatched?
A: Make sure you and your friend(s?)? Have the exact copy of the game and the mod version without any additional addons or mods which doesn't support ZHE
A2: Sometimes it's the mod's fault whenever you see a sliding tree. Reporting where in what map is very welcome so I can fix it
Q: ReShade doesn't work as it should?
A: Graphics card driver update or check whether if you accidentally use a resolution screen size which doesn't exist via your own graphics card
Q: AI just stands still?
A: Make sure that you don't have scripts in Data/Scripts from other mods and that they're from the latest ZHE version only
A2: Using custom maps not supported by the mod will always yield this result. You need to edit the map to support ZHE if you wanna play on it
Credits:
VectorIV - Creator
Charlie Lockwood - Music composer
DARKozDARKA - AI scripter. Tester
acousticdonut - Voice-over for NATO Riflemen, NATO Rocketeer, NATO Agent, GIN Partisan, GIN Ambusher, GIN Anarchist
James Littlewood - Voice-over for NATO Fusillade, NATO Pioneer, NATO Field Commander, GIN Combat Engineer
TimeLord259 - Voice-over for NATO Seneschal, NATO Steward, NATO Vindicator
SgtGrunt - Voice-over for PLA Guard, PLA Keeper, PLA Enthusiast
Faiz441 - Voice-over for PLA Guard(Unused), PLA Sharpshooter, PLA Tank Predator
Muhammadonov - Voice-over for GIN Bombardier, GIN Maniac, GIN Nihilist. Tester.
Karias - Voice-over for PLA Field Commander, GIN Field Commander, GIN Combat Medic
GDIZOCOM - Voice-over for PLA Blitz, PLA Ward, PLA Sapper
Haubibban - Voice-over for PLA Zhuge, GIN Stinger
HuskyVoiceActor(นักพากย์เสียงแหก ) - Voice-over for PLA Huntress, PLA Combat Medic, NATO Combat Medic
crosire, ReShade contributors - ReShade
Euda - ReShade shaders
crosire - d3d8to9
elishacloud - Experimental DxWrapper
sgtmyers88 - Additional models and textures. Tester
Saite240mt - Additional graphical enhancement techniques
Trailhog250 - System obj lag fixes
GogoYubari - Palm shrubbery set
Keksz - Additional model
GamingRoach - Additional model
Taran - Additional model
Fritz - Additional model
Cold War Crisis team - Some coding replication
The_Hunter - Additional textures and sounds
GuNsHiP_MK_II - Additional sounds
Fincer - Additional sounds, models and textures
moddingrocks - Additional models and textures
n5p29 - Additional units and modeling advisor
Zeke_Dlyoung - Modeling advisor
Stalker - Additional textures, models, HD-UI images and tracer system template
MP - Modeling advisor
Fire11 - Additional model
neistovuy - Tester
pWn3d - HD-UI coding
xezon - HD control bar textures
Soundsnap - Additional sounds
benjsperry - Additional icon texture
Naomi Atkinson - Additional icon textures
David - Additional icon texture
iconix user - Additional icon texture
Dmitry Baranovskly - Additional icon texture
Christopher T. Howlett - Additional icon texture
Rafeal Farias Leao - Additional icon texture
Marat - Additional icon texture
Bluetip Design - Additional icon texture
Pedro Santos - Additional icon texture
Adrien Coquet - Additional icon textures
SHAHAREA - Additional icon texture
Nathan Grealish - Additional icon texture
JohnnyZi - Additional icon texture
Maciej Swierczek - Additional icon textures
Colourcreatype - Additional icon textures
shashank singh - Additional icon texture
cataicon - Additional icon texture
IronSV - Additional icon texture
Nubaia Karim Barsha - Additional icon texture
Cody Foss - Additional icon texture
Ervin Bolat - Additional icon texture
Marie Van den Broeck - Additional icon textures
AFY Studio - Additional icon texture
rasendria - Additional icon texture
kareemovic - Additional icon texture
Juicy Fish - Additional icon texture
Creative Stall - Additional icon texture
Travis Avery - Additional icon texture
Alice Design - Additional icon textures
corpus delicti - Additional icon texture
Gregor Cresnar - Additional icon texture
Ziyad Al junaidi - Additional icon texture
zidney - Additional icon texture
Doodle Icons - Additional icon texture
prasong tadoungsorn - Additional icon texture
Davo Sime - Additional icon texture
If I had missed your work, you can send a message and I'll add it.
Special Thanks:
DeathMetalMarine PCMR - Awesome gameplay videos!
Content Usage Policy:
If you wish to use content in this mod, contact me first so I could tell you what you could use as I don't own all 100% of the content.
And I'm not responsible for your usage of our content.
Contacts:
Find me at:
Moddb.com
Youtube.com
Facebook.com
Find Charlie Lockwood at:
Charlielockwoodmusic.com
Soundcloud.com
Hey bro, great work.
Look can you make this mod for red alert 3? i mean making this c&c generals zero hour enhanced mod with red alert 3 engine.
This god damn game zero hour is really unstable, though i bought the ultimate collection of c&c from steam today, but it no longer stable on now OSs, never was neither pirated nor legal one.
I think, since you are puting a lot of efforts to make such a great job, why you don't try red alert 3. Actually i am not a modder, and i don't know anything about it. But every time i want to play and enjoy generals zero hour with a mod in long duration, seeing that it crashes, it really makes me cry. Actually i know something about these moddings that there are always limitations in making them. Very aweful feeling.
there is a mod called generals evolution for red alert 3, also if your game crashes a lot you should use gen launcher and gen tool, I tried them both on steam version both windows 10 and 11 and they work, in my 8 hours of steam version the game didnt crash , and twice in pirated due to my friends spamming units like crazy( we where playing with mods). here is the command for steam launch options "path to steam common\Command & Conquer Generals - Zero Hour\GenLauncher.exe" %COMMAND%
it should look like this "your drive alphabet:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Command & Conquer Generals - Zero Hour\GenLauncher.exe" %COMMAND%
make sure you have genlauncher installed in the steam game folder.
if gen launcher doesnt open with gentool the first time, close the game and reopen it, if that doesnt work, you will have to manually install gentool in the steam game folder.
if the game still crashes after this, delete everything related to the game including generals zh data folder located in documents (make sure to backup your saves).
if all these dont work then I am sorry I said everything I know to help you
(this mod works with both gentool and launcher but it wont have reshade if you use one of them)
How can i change the resolution? I tried putting 1280x1024 in the options inin in the documents folder but it did nothing. Can't change it in the options menu either.
Anyone else getting technical error mid game?
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Same here technical error, mod is not working
I am having issues running the mod. I get the windows serious error. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to fix this?
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Hi dear
I installed and ran this mod easily and I am shocked by the quality and changes
Currently the only disappointing thing about Zero Hour with or without the mod is the slowness of the game in network mode, which I couldn't find any way on the internet to solve this problem :/ It is interesting that many people have had problems with the slowness of the game in network or online mode.
In skrimish mode, there is an option to increase the game process (Game Speed). If you can solve this structural problem of Zero Hour in the next version of your mod, there will be nothing left to say but awesome :)