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Artificial intelligence is increasingly appearing in the world of gaming, but it is not always met with a positive reception. This time, however, AI was used for something that might delight fans of classic titles. One of Google's managers used the Claude model to port the cult RTS to Apple devices. As a result, Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour runs natively on iPhones, iPads and Macs. Importantly, this is neither emulation nor cloud streaming.
Classic RTS runs natively on Apple devices
The project is the work of Ammar Reshi, director of product and design at Google. The creator used the Claude model and earlier community work based on source code released by Electronic Arts. The result is a native build compiled for the ARM64 architecture. That means Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour runs without emulation and does not require a connection to cloud services. Porting the game proved very demanding. The original engine was designed for Windows and the classic file system. On Apple devices it was necessary to rebuild the way data, configuration and cache are written. Graphics were an equally big challenge. The old DirectX 8 renderer was adapted to run using Vulkan and Metal via the DXVK and MoltenVK layers. This lets the game keep its original visuals while running on modern Apple hardware.
AI also helped adapt the controls for touchscreens
The port also required a complete overhaul of the control system. The original game relied solely on mouse and keyboard, so new solutions had to be designed for smartphones. The project added support for touch selection of units, dragging to create a selection box, two-finger scrolling, pinch-to-zoom and long press to trigger additional actions. According to the author, artificial intelligence significantly sped up work on adapting the code to the new platforms. He also emphasises that the project would not have been possible without earlier community work and the source code made available by EA. It is an example of using AI not to create mass-market, simple mobile games but to preserve and refresh classic titles. For many players this may be one of the more interesting examples of practical applications of artificial intelligence in the games industry. For now the project remains a community initiative and is not an official release from Electronic Arts.
Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour has received a native port for Apple devices, and the AI Claude assisted in its creation. The project demonstrates that AI can help preserve classic games and make it easier to adapt them to modern hardware.
Source: Digital Trends
