The Let's Play Archive

Command & Conquer: Red Alert

by Jobbo_Fett

Part 67: Intro (Literally this post)




RANGE: Short
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: M-16 Rifle
Armed with an M-16, this Infantry unit is at its best against other Infantry and Tanks (when in groups).



RANGE: Short
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: M-60 Machine gun
Fast and lightly armored, this unit is ideal for scouting an area quickly. Used as a support unit for an infantry squad, the Ranger can soften up the enemy before a direct confrontation occurs.



RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Dual Colt .45s & C-4 explosives
Armed with two .45s, Tanya can mow through infantry like they weren’t there. Her C-4 Explosives can destroy buildings… if you can get her to them. Unlike other units, Tanya can never be put in guard mode – you must manually target all enemies that you wish attacked.



TENT BARRACKS
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Trains Infantry units
The Tent Barracks is where all Allied infantry are trained. Some advanced / special infantry units may not be available until other structures are built.

Author's Note: The Allied infantry building. Its called TENT Barracks because the Soviet building is also called the Barracks.


PILLBOX
ARMOR: Medium
PURPOSE: Anti-infantry defense
Armed with a rapid fire vulcan cannon, the Pillbox is ideal for defending your base from enemy infantry attacks.

Author's Note: Your basic defense building against infantry units.


POWER PLANT
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Provides power for base structures The standard Power Plant. Power output is directly related to the Power Plant’s condition, so protect them during battles.

Author's Note: The regular Power Plant generates 100 Power.


ORE REFINERY
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Smelts, stores, holds, and converts ore into spendable credits. The Refinery smelts ore into its component elements. Building the Refinery immediately deploys an Ore Truck. The Refinery can store up to 2,000 credits of smelted ore.

Author's Note: I never really noticed the "Light Armor", but the 2,000 credit storage is nice. That's twice more than in TD!


SANDBAG BARRIER
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Passive defense
The Sandbag Barrier is good for stopping non tracked vehicles and infantry. All tracked vehicles can run right over this barrier.

Author's Note: No more sandbag exploits .


ORE SILO
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Holds smelted ore
This Silo can hold up to 1,500 credits of smelted ore. Guard it carefully. If destroyed or stolen, the amount stored is deducted from your account.

Author's Note: The only change is that it's now a 1-tile building, instead of 2.


Construction Yard
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Allows construction of all other base structures The Construction Yard is the foundation of a base and allows the construction of other buildings.

Author's Note: Nothing to say, really. It is the building you want to keep alive, at all costs.


MCV*
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: None
The Mobile Construction Vehicle allows creation or expansion of a base. Although expensive, the MCV is useful to have around if the original Construction Yard (a favorite target of the enemy) is destroyed or captured. As with any other construction facility, the more of them you have, the faster construction will proceed.

Author's Note: An MCV costs half as much as its Tiberian Dawn counterpart, $2500. With such a decrease in cost, its now much easier to expand.


MEDIC
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Bandages
Any friendly infantry near the Medic will automatically be healed to full health. Although a Medic cannot heal himself, Medics working in teams make excellent additions to any infantry force.

Author's Note: One of the best additions to the Allied arsenal. Barring one-hit kills, the Medic can extend the value of an infantry force by a large amount.


ROCKET SOLDIER
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Dragon TOW rocket
Capable of rapidly damaging armored units, these infantry make up for their lack of speed with a powerful punch. In addition to dealing with ground targets, their missiles are also effective against airborne attackers.

Author's Note: The only thing Rocket Soldiers do poorly is attacking/damaging infantry units.


ORE TRUCK
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: None
The Ore Truck collects raw, unprocessed ore. Although slow, it is heavily armored, able to withstand a hammering and still escape intact.

Author's Note: Named "Harvesters" in the rules.ini file, they get one great upgrade from Tiberian Dawn. They have the Mammoth Tank's self-healing ability, again up to half their HP.




ARTILLERY
RANGE: Long
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: 155mm Cannon
Very effective, if somewhat inaccurate, Artillery can devastate infantry and structures from afar. Its slow speed and light armor require that it be protected.

Author's Note: Faster than in Tiberian Dawn, I still regularly skip out from using it. Its handy against infantry.



ENGINEER
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: None
An Engineer can fully repair any of your damaged buildings instantly. When sent to enemy buildings, an Engineer can damage or capture it.

Author's Note: Engineers get a huge nerf in Red Alert, with the loss of the ability to capture a building alone. Now, each engineer does damage to a building and, once it is "in the red", it becomes capturable. The player must rely on destroying bases rather than capturing them.



CAMOUFLAGED PILLBOX
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Anti-infantry defense
Identically equipped as the Pillbox, this defensive structure has the advantages of better armor and near-perfect camouflage. It blends with the surrounding terrain, making it virtually invisible.

Author's Note: While the manual states the camo pillbox as having more armor, I did not see this to be true in the rules.ini file, most likely due to patches after the manual was released.



RADAR DOME
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Provides radar
The Radar Dome gives you an overhead view of the battlefield when fully powered.

Author's Note: Nothing too special about the allied Radar Dome. It unlocks higher tech levels, but otherwise isn't remarkable.



SERVICE DEPOT
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Repairs & reloads vehicles The Service Depot repairs any damaged vehicle that you move onto it. Mine Layer units can be re-loaded by driving them onto the pad. (Repairing a vehicle is much faster than building one, and costs a fraction of the original price. This is a worthy investment.)

Author's Note: As with Tiberian Dawn, if you can stomach the long repair times, it IS a worthy investment. The fact that you can queue units allows for less headaches when repairing a large force in one go.



TURRET
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Anti-tank defense
A Turret-mounted 105mm cannon. Heavily armored with good range, this Turret is effective against armored threats.

Author's Note: The standard Allied anti-tank defensive structure.



WAR FACTORY
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Constructs vehicles
This structure is responsible for the building of all ground -based Allied vehicles. Building multiple War Factories decreases the amount of time required to create a vehicle.

Author's Note: The only thing I can say about the War Factory is that it feels extremely slow to build.



LIGHT TANK
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: 75mm Cannon
The standard Allied Tank. Fast, with decent armor, the Light Tank works well in mixed groups, and also in large divisions. What it lacks in firepower, it makes up for in speed and rapid fire.

Author's Note: In small numbers, these things aren't worth the cost once/if you get access to better tanks.



AT MINE LAYER
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: AT Mines
The Anti-Tank Mine Layer is one of the most effective units on the Allied side. Able to destroy most units with just one mine, a savvy commander can neutralize an enemy force before they get near a base. The Mine Layer carries 5 mines, and can be reloaded at the Service Depot.

Author's Note: I don't care all that much for this unit, but it is handy. Its more of a personal thing. Great for traps and murdering ore trucks or mining mineral fields.



MEDIUM TANK
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: 105mm Cannon
The higher-grade Allied Tank, this unit is just as well armored, faster, and less costly than the Soviet Heavy Tank, though armed with only a single barrel. Used in groups with Light Tanks, the Medium Tank can draw fire while the Lighter Tanks destroy the threat.

Author's Note: While the suggestion from the manual on how to use Medium tanks isn't bad, I'd still rather just have more Medium tanks.


SPY
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Information
Master of disguise, the Spy can slip by enemy forces undetected. A versatile unit, the Spy can gather many kinds of information on an enemy player – what they’re building, how much money they have, how many units they have, etc. Beware – Attack Dogs are not fooled by the Spy’s appearance.

Author's Note: While great against AI, I don't think the spy would do too well vs another player, unless they weren't paying attention. That being said, the usefulness of the spy is iffy, based on how frequently you'll see dogs randomly strewn about in an AI's base.



APC
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: M-60 Machine gun
With the Armored Personnel Carrier, the Allies can transport up to 5 infantry units quickly across land. A tracked vehicle, the APC is the lightest unit with the ability to crush Sandbag and Barbed Wire Barriers. The Turret-Mounted M-60 helps keep infantry at bay while it goes about its mission.

Author's Note: I don't think I ever voluntarily chose to build this. I blame the engineer nerf.



AA GUN
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Anti-aircraft defense
Although its range is not great, any enemy aircraft flying over these are guaranteed to be heavily damaged, if not destroyed. They are accurate and deadly.

Author's Note: Power-hungry, the AA gun is the Allies air defense building, and performs quite well in that tasking.



NAVAL YARD
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Constructs & repairs naval vessels
The Naval Yard builds and launches all Allied naval vessels. Damaged sea craft docked at the Naval Yard can be repaired. Building multiple Naval Yards decreases the amount of time required to create a naval vessel.

Author's Note: The structure with which all the Allied naval power stems from, I always feel like this building has a build range far outside the norm, but maybe that's how it used to be?



GUNBOAT
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: 2-inch deck gun & depthcharge launcher
The fastest and lightest of the Allied naval vessels, the Gunboat is good at scouting naval routes, and detecting Submarines before they can cause any mischief. Its depth charge launcher will automatically fire at any Submarine that is detected nearby.

Author's Note: The basic Allied warship, it has the speed advantage over the other, larger boats, but is pretty much only useful as a meat shield once those better options become available.



TRANSPORT
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: None
The Landing Ship Transport allows transportation of up to 5 ground-based units across the water. Transports can only be loaded / unloaded on shore terrain, and they are at their most vulnerable while unloading.

Author's Note: The player gets to control these now! They are not a headache to use, most times, thanks to the queuing when loading multiple units at once.



DESTROYER
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: Stinger missiles & depthcharge launchers
The mid-level naval vessel, the Destroyer is effective against land, air, and sea-based threats. Its fast-firing stinger missiles can hit air targets easily, and can also decimate nearby ground targets. If it detects a Submarine, its dual depth-charge launcher ensures that the Sub will be rapidly taken out of commission.

Author's Note: Basically, this is the best naval unit in the game. There's not a lot of competition, granted, but it excels at everything except move speed. It has a deceptively long range and can be devastating in numbers.




ADVANCED POWER PLANT
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Provides power for base
structures
This large, high-yield structure handles the energy strains of some later, more power intensive structures and defenses.

Author's Note: Takes as much space as two power plants, but costs less, while still providing twice the power output as a regular powerplant. So, yeah, these are worth building now.



CONCRETE BARRIER
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Passive defense
More effective than the Sandbag Barrier, Concrete Walls are not crushable and block tank ordnance.

Author's Note: Concrete Barriers are the only barriers that can't be driven over, but that hardly means anything when you don't see much in the way of engineer rushes.



GAP GENERATOR*
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Creates shroud
The Gap Generator allows the Allies to hide associated base from enemy sight. Any enemies scouting the area will only reveal around themselves. The Shroud will immediately close up once the invading unit is destroyed or leaves the area.

Author's Note: Useful for hiding your forces from prying eyes, they effectively generate FoW in a radius around the building, but require power to keep the area concealed.



CRUISER
RANGE: Extreme
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: 8-inch artillery cannons
Slow moving death. What the Cruiser lacks in speed, it makes up for in firepower and range. Able to lob destruction onto targets incredible distances away, this ship can decimate an enemy base in minutes. A favorite target of Submarines, these ships have no sea-based defenses, relying on the faster moving Destroyer and Gunboat to protect them.

Author's Note: The longest-ranged unit in the game, the cruiser can absolutely devastate an enemy base in mere moments. What it has in firepower, however, it lacks in speed and anti-air defenses. It can still attack subs, but probably not in the intended way.



HELIPAD
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Constructs & reloads
helicopters
The Helipad allows construction of all helicopters and will reload any that are in need. Each new Helipad comes with an Apache.

Author's Note: Your standard fare building. Can't say there's anything special to talk about.




APACHE LONGBOW
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: Hellfire missiles
The Allies attack helicopter is loaded with hellfire missiles, allowing it to destroy armored targets with ease. Used in conjunction with naval or ground attacks, the Longbow is an ideal support aircraft, able to rapidly inflict additional damage to a target – usually with little or no return fire.

Author's Note: Longbow's are pretty nice vs buildings/tanks, but I rarely use them. Considering the lack of anti-air the Soviets have, its a decent option to use.




TECHNOLOGY CENTER
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: GPS Satellite launch &
construction of high-tech structures
In addition to allowing the construction of hightech units like the Cruiser and Gap Generator, building a Tech Center also starts construction of the GPS Satellite. When finished, the satellite will automatically launch.

Author's Note: The GPS Satellite is worth the price of admission, always.




GPS SATELLITE
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: N/A
WEAPON: Satellite imagery
When launched from the tech center, the Global Positioning System (GPS) Satellite will provide free, unpowered radar to the player that launched it. In addition, because the Satellite can see much more of the battlefield, the entire map will be revealed when it reaches orbit.

Author's Note: A free, permanent radar, just for building a necessary building? Yes, please! Nothing can stop the GPS Satellite from reaching orbit once it launches.




THIEF*
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Fast fingers
Any Thief that enters an enemy Ore Silo or Refinery will steal half the credits in that structure.

Author's Note: There you have it, the last unit reveal in the Campaign. The Thief doesn't have spy powers, so getting them into an enemy base to even steal cash in the first place is hard. I could see the argument being made for their use against other players in multiplayer, but otherwise, hard pass on ever building these.



CHRONOSPHERE
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Allows chronoshift
The evolution of the Philadelphia Experiment, the Chronosphere allows the Allied player to move a unit from one location to an other without having to cross the space in between. However, the unit will only exist in its new location for a brief time before returning to its point of origin. This technology is still a bit unstable. Using it on certain units or using it constantly could produce unusual side effects.

Author's Note: The Chronoshift ability is a single target ability, that allows a unit to be teleported from one location to another, as long as its land/land or water/water. It also does not allow for the teleportation of infantry, and transport vehicles.
Additionally, the teleported unit will return to its original location after a set amount of time. Sadly, its use is very situational, which is disappointing considering how expensive and power-hungry it is.




YAK
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: Twin machine-guns
Sometimes called the “Infantry Eraser,” the Yak fires in strafing runs, swooping down on groups of marching infantry, potentially destroying them all in a single run. The Yak is not that fast, making it an easy target for Allied Rocket Soldiers – those that actually survive the first strafing run.

Author's Note: The basic aircraft for the Soviets, they suffer from issues regarding targeting in this engine, meaning that, when possible, its better to target something in the middle of a group to maximize effect.



BADGER BOMBER
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: Dropped bombs &
paratroopers
The Badger Bomber is the transport plane used for dropping Paratroopers and Parachute Bombs onto a designated target. It is somewhat slow, and its lack of armor can make it a snack for any enemy AA-guns that may be guarding the target.

Author's Note: A unit that can never be built or selected by the player. They do, however, paradrop Soviet units into combat.



AIRFIELD
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Builds & reloads airplanes
The Airfield allows construction of MIG and Yak planes, and allows access to Paratroopers, Parachute bombs, and Spy Planes. Only one plane is allowed per Airfield that has been constructed. If an in-use Airfield is destroyed while its associated plane is still in the air, the plane will crash.

Author's Note: A solid building that should ALWAYS be built if possible. We won't see some of these functions for a little bit, but they vastly increase the amount of harassment a player can do with them.




KENNEL
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Trains attack dogs
The Kennel trains Attack Dogs.

Author's Note:



ATTACK DOG
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Sharp teeth
Attack Dogs are the only unit that can detect Spies that are trying to infiltrate the base. Although unarmored and easy to kill, Dogs make the perfect in-base guard unit against sneak attacks by Engineers, Spies, and Thieves. They also make fine pets.

Author's Note: It's comforting that Attack Dogs also make great companions



FLAME TOWER
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Fire-based defense
The Flame Tower targets and destroys approaching enemy ground units by shooting balls of fire. It is best used against large groups of infantry; it is effective against armored units as well. Since there are volatile fuels used in the Flame Tower, it damages nearby units and structures if destroyed.

Author's Note: Not quite so effective against armor, they are only better than Tesla Coils in a few circumstances. Oh, and they take way less power.



PARATROOPERS
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: AK-47 Rifle
Dropped from the Badger, this squad of 5 infantry soldiers are in every way similar to regular ground based infantry. Paratroopers can be dropped anywhere on the map, even in areas not yet explored.

Author's Note: As I said in the video, it sucks that you ONLY get rifle infantry for this, even though we've clearly seen that it is possible to airdrop varied groups. Regardless, a free squad of infantry that can drop anywhere on the map is pretty handy, so long as you don't drop them in spots covered in anti-air fire... or anti-infantry stuff when they land.




V2 ROCKET LAUNCHER
RANGE: Long
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: V2 Rocket
The V2 Launcher can destroy most buildings with just two rockets. Factor in its incredible range, and it is easy to see why the Allies fear this weapons platform. Its drawbacks are its light armor, long reload time, and inability to hit fast-moving targets.

Author's Note: The longest ranged ground unit, the extreme distance at which they can fire does come at the expense of defensive stats. In the same vein, they require time to launch their munitions at the enemy, and their reload time is rather high.




AP MINE LAYER
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: AP Mines
The AP mine layer deploys Anti-Personnel Mines to thwart the Allied heavy infantry ranks. This Mine can destroy entire groups of infantry with one explosion. The Mine Layer carries 5 mines, and can be reloaded at the Service Depot.

Author's Note: The Anti-Personnel version of the mine layer, it has the same functions as the Allied version.




SUB PEN
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Constructs & repairs naval vessels
The Sub pen builds and launches Submarines and Transports. Damaged Submarines and Transports docked in the Sub Pen are repaired

Author's Note: The same as the Allied Naval Yard, with the addition that a spy infiltrating this gives the spy's team the Sonar Pulse, capable of revealing all submerged units on the map.




SUBMARINE
RANGE: Long
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: Torpedo
Silent and stealthy, Submarines can attack ships from afar. Subs must surface to fire, giving away their position, and opening themselves up to any nearby units that can hit them.

Author's Note: The only combat ship for the Soviets, the submarine is submerged until it attacks, and is rather vulnerable to most things.



TECHNOLOGY CENTER
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Construction of high-tech
structures
The Soviet Tech Center allows the construction of high-tech units like the Mammoth Tank and Tesla Coil.

Author's Note: Not different from the Allied version, just in what in unlocks.




FLAME INFANTRY
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: None
WEAPON: Flame-thrower
These soldiers are slower and more susceptible to damage than other infantry (due to the large tanks of flammable chemicals they carry). The Flame Soldier can decimate structures and infantry in seconds with his flamethrower.

Author's Note: A sad evolution from its Tiberian Dawn days. The flamethrower infantry lost its characteristic speed, but remains just as soft, and just as deadly. There's ways to make them work in the player's favor, but I'd rather go with Grenadiers.


TESLA COIL
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Lightning-based defense
The Tesla Coil automatically directs bolts of lightning at enemy ground units, reducing men to ash and tanks to molten steel in seconds.

Author's Note: Much like the Obelisk of Nod, the Tesla Coil offers its own brand of auditory warning to the unlucky target. They are rather easy to destroy, however.



PARACHUTE BOMBS
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: N/A
WEAPON: High-explosive yield
Dropped from Badger Bombers, these explosives fall in a line over their target, removing the object targeted and anything in the area around it. Troops can see these falling and will attempt to leave the targeted area.

Author's Note: While powerful if you can line them up properly, Para Bombs are horrible as they require luck or the AI to lack AA defenses. Also recharges twice as slowly as the paratroopers.



SAM SITE
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Anti-aircraft defense
SAM Site automatically launches longranging missiles at enemy aircraft. Slower moving or hovering aircraft will fare the worst against this defensive structure.

Author's Note: Not quite as great as the AA gun from the Allied side, it does a decent job. They're changed from Tiberian Dawn by not going underground, drastically increasing their response time, and consequently their lethality.



MIG
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: Heat-seeking missiles
This fast-attack craft carries a limited number of powerful and accurate missiles. Used in hitand-run tactics, the MIG can remove armored craft before they can become a threat.

Author's Note: Fragile but fast and dangerous, a group of well-controlled MiGs can take out anything on the map in the blink of an eye. They trade such firepower for a high cost and small health pool, so use them wisely!



HELIPAD
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Constructs & reloads
Helicopters
The Helipad allows construction of helicopters, and will reload any that are in need. Each new Helipad comes with a Hind.

Author's Note: The soviet version of the helipad.



HIND
RANGE: Short
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: Vulcan chain-gun
Large and armored, the Hind uses its highvelocity Vulcan chain-gun to tear apart enemy units and structure. Equipped with a large ammo supply, the Hind will follow its target for quite some time, all the while wearing away at its defenses.

Author's Note: A not-so-bad unit, but I rarely see a point in getting any. It does complement the MiG well, it should be said.



MAMMOTH TANK
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: Heavy
WEAPON: Twin 120mm Cannons & missile packs.
Tanks don’t come any bigger. The largest land-based weapons platform, the Mammoth Tank can take and dish out a lot of punishment. Its twin cannons are unmatched in power on land, and its missiles make it effective against infantry and air units as well.

Author's Note: My favorite unit in the series, and only changed for the better in RA vs Tiberian Dawn. It still suffers from issues if swarmed by many units from many directions, but in the land of tanks it reigns supreme!



IRON CURTAIN
ARMOR: Light
PURPOSE: Temporary invulnerability defense
The Iron Curtain renders a vehicle or building invulnerable for a short period of time.

Author's Note: Frankly, the Iron Curtain is as situational as the Chronosphere. VS a human opponent, its rather easy to just... target something else. That being said, its still useful, if you have the cash and power to spare.




TRANSPORT HELICOPTER*
RANGE: N/A
ARMOR: Medium
WEAPON: None
Able to transport 5 infantry-type units through the air, the Transport Helicopter is ideal for landing engineers and other assault squads in an enemy base.

Author's Note: There's no change here since Tiberian Dawn.



MISSILE SILO
ARMOR: Heavy
PURPOSE: Launches atomic missile
Once built, the Silo readies an Atomic Bomb that can be launched onto the battlefield, causing massive destruction to structures and infantry. The more heavily armored units will fare better, but not by much.

Author's Note: A soviet exclusive, if the rules.ini file is to be believed, this weapons allows the player to deploy the incredibly powerful nuke. Wanna know something funny? A nuke takes 13 minutes to charge; Parabombs take 14.



MOBILE GAP GENERATOR*
RANGE: Medium
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: Shroud generator
The mobile version of the Gap Generator functions in much the same way the stationary one does. Although it projects a smaller gap field, you can hide several units under its cover, blocking the enemy from seeing what you’re sending against them.

Author's Note: A mobile, gap generator. Exactly what it says it does. Only useful against other human players.




MRJ*
RANGE: Long
ARMOR: Light
WEAPON: White-noise generator
The Mobile Radar Jammer (MRJ) disrupts enemy radar functions, shutting down transmissions and display. The range of this unit allows it to hide a good distance away from the enemy base while other forces use the radar blackout to attack.

Author's Note: Effective up to 15 cells away, the Radar Jammer kills the radar, rather than creating Fog of War. Confusingly, its listed as an allied piece of tech in the rules.ini, which must be an error. Interestingly, the MRJ is a tracked vehicle, while the gap generator is not.





Prerequisite=atek
Primary=APTusk
Strength=350
Armor=light
TechLevel=12
Sight=5
Speed=5
Owner=allies
Cost=2400
Points=25
ROT=5
Tracked=yes

The APTusk is the same as the Mammoth Tank's secondary. No, seriously, same damage, spread, rate of fire, everything. 2400 credits for a light-armored vehicle is a HUGE investment, but the fact that they are, almost, the perfect hit-and-run weapon in Red Alert, means they had to nerf it somehow and the cost + armor reflects that.

Edit: By everything I mean "and also not the infantry damage*



; Demolition Truck
[DTRK]
Prerequisite=mslo
Primary=Democharge
Strength=110
Armor=light
TechLevel=13
Sight=3
Speed=8
Owner=allies,soviet
Cost=2400
Points=5
ROT=5
Explodes=yes


You better believe a nuke is going to cost a lot of money! Oddly enough, I can't find any listing for a Nuke's damage, but the Demo Truck does do 500 damage. We've seen plenty of the Demo Truck already, suffice it to say that it can be very powerful when they can detonate against their intended target. It is an offensive weapon only, as it drops in effectiveness against air and (some) ground vehicles, and its cost far outweighs the value of using them against infantry only, unless you can get very large groups.

Edit: the nukr does 1000 damage but its labelled ATOM not NUKE




; field mechanic
[MECH]
Prerequisite=fix
Primary=GoodWrench
Strength=60
Armor=none
TechLevel=7
Sight=3
Speed=4
Owner=allies
Cost=950
Points=15

Called Mr. Goodwrench in the rules files, the Mechanic is the same as the medic, although he only operates on vehicles. He heals 100 damage per "shot", and is rather invaluable in keeping a mechanised force combat capable over long periods of time. It irks me a little that the Allies are the ones with all the healing units, however, but that's just my opinion.



------- Cut Content -------


; Carrier
[CARR]
Prerequisite=hpad,atek
Strength=350
Primary=AirAssault
Armor=heavy
TechLevel=-1
Sight=6
Speed=6
Owner=allies,soviet
Cost=1200
Points=25
ROT=7
Passengers=5

Costs 1200 buckaroos for a water-locked helipad that has no attack of its own. While it can carry 5 helicopters and reloads them when landed, it doesn't offer any repair services. It also doesn't come with any helicopters to begin with, and, as far as I know, all units counted as passengers die if the helicarrier is destroyed. The only video I've ever seen of it (which was today as of this post) led me to the same conclusion as its author. Why not just invest in a Cruiser, which doesn't carry the vulnerability, and cost, of the helicopters which will be shot down by any anti-air in the area.






; Missile Submarine
[MSUB]
Prerequisite=stek
Primary=SubSCUD
Strength=150
Armor=light
TechLevel=9
Sight=6
Speed=5
Owner=soviet
Cost=1650
Points=45
ROT=7
Cloakable=yes
Inaccurate=no

With a range of 14, the Missile Submarine is outclassed by the Cruiser, but it should be noted that it only does 400 damage vs the cruiser's 500. The fact that they are invisible (minus glitches, sonar, or some quirk I've yet to figure out) means that the Soviets present a very real threat from the water, and also allows for the spy to have a little more use than he initially had.




; Shock Trooper
[SHOK]
Prerequisite=tsla
Primary=PortaTesla
Strength=80
Armor=none
TechLevel=7
Sight=4
Speed=3
Owner=soviet
Cost=900
Points=15
Explodes=no
NoMovingFire=yes
Crushable=no

While they are expensive, being something like the 2nd most expensive infantry, after Tanya/Commando, the fact that they are immune to being crushed is a huge boon in light of the speedy tanks and APCs of the Allied arsenal. They are as fast as flamethrowers and rocket soldiers, which does mean that, bunched with other units, they will tend to filter into the back of your forces. And, while they are powerful, they don't render anti-infantry weapons like the Artillery or V2 obsolete.



; Tesla Tank
[TTNK]
Prerequisite=tsla
Primary=TTankZap
Strength=110
Armor=light
TechLevel=8
Sight=7
Speed=8
Owner=soviet
Cost=1500
Points=30
ROT=5
Tracked=yes
Crewed=yes
NoMovingFire=yes

The Tesla Tank has a range of 7 going by the attack type in the .ini file, which is 1 further than Artillery, but deals less damage. The 1500 credit cost is high, similar to a Mammoth Tank, and considering its low survivability, its fair to see why you wouldn't want an army of these without something to act as a meat shield.