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Artificial intelligence is appearing more and more often in the world of gaming, but it isn't always met with a positive response. This time, however, AI was used for something that may 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
Behind the project is Ammar Reshi, product and design director 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 of the game compiled for the ARM64 architecture. That means Command & Conquer: Generals - Zero Hour runs without emulation and doesn't require a connection to cloud services. Porting the game, however, proved very demanding. The original engine was designed for Windows and the classic file system. On Apple devices it was necessary to rebuild how data, configuration, and cache are stored. 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 retain its original visuals while running on modern Apple hardware.
AI also helped adapt 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 developed for smartphones. The project added support for touch-based unit selection, drag-selecting with a selection box, two-finger scrolling, pinch-to-zoom, and long-pressing the screen to trigger additional actions. According to the author, AI significantly sped up the work of adapting the code to the new platforms. He also stresses that the project would not have been possible without earlier community work and the source code released by EA. It’s 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 AI use in the games industry. For now, the project remains a community initiative and is not an official Electronic Arts release.
Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour has received a native port for Apple devices, with the AI Claude assisting in its development. The project shows that AI can help preserve classic games and make it easier to adapt them to modern hardware.
source: digitaltrends
