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Kabssss's avatar
Kabssss
4 years ago

Exciting Fresh New Ideas for Red Alert Update / Expansion / So Much Potential

Red Alert EA suggestions/ Exciting ideas for an update / Expansion – Building the RA community, creating player retention/ bringing more players back / attracting new commanders.

Hello I’m kabssss! I am a long-term Red Alert / Command and Conquer passionate player and I’ve been thinking a lot recently about rough ideas how we can add to an already amazing update to Red Alert.

These are only ideas and I know that to add these ideas into the game would require a huge amount of time but just imagine how amazing Red Alert would be if these ideas were implemented!

Please have a read and comment! It would be great to know what people think about these ideas.

  • Larger maps: x 4 in size = 504 x 504 or even bigger!
  • Units taking damage looked damaged (similar to buildings) after lower than 75%, 50%, 25% and 10% health.
  • Multiplayer main room lobby which shows all the players who are online and also has a chat function which you could use to advertise games and talk about the game in general (similar to CnC Universe).
  • Red Alert in- game friends list with personal messaging (similar to CnC Universe).
  • Player ranks shown in lobbies of an indication of what skill level the player is for matchmaking teams and fair games. (Please read below on an idea for a new ranking system).
  • Player profiles. Each player will have a profile showing Rank (How many overall wins they have), Win to lose ratio (represented by the medals they have) and achievements (Showing which achievements they have acquired).
  • New units for the Soviets – Volkov and Chitzkoi: Volkov costs $20,000 and Chitzkoi costs $7,500. You can only have one of each of the units at one time. Both Volkov and Chitzkoi are immune to one shot by dogs. Volkov and Chitzkoi are made more balanced by having less HP (-30%) then they do in the Soviet mission. Volkov’s grenade launcher does more damage (50% more) and has a larger splash damage radius similar to Allied Cruisers. Volkov takes ages to build as does Chitzkoi (About half the time of Volkov).
  • The original Tanya is replaced by the Commando from the original Command and Conquer game, for both Allied forces and the Soviets. Commandos can C4 Concrete walls, Sandbags and Barbed Wire.
  • Commandos, Tanya, Volkov and Chitzkoi are parachuted into the battle and are now classed as super weapons. They automatically parachute out of the transport plane if it is about to be destroyed.
  • Tanya is only available for the Allied forces, she also has boosted stats – More HP (150% more), slight run speed increase (20% increase), can C4 vehicles (Tanya automatically tries to avoid being run over by vehicles like an automatic disperse key binding but is not immune), can swim, can C4 naval units, can cross rivers. You can only have one Tanya at any one time. Tanya can C4 Concrete walls, Sandbags and Barbed Wire. Tanya costs $5,000 and has a very long building time, about a 1/3 of the time it takes to build Volkov.
  • A-bombs have a larger damage radius (50%) and do more damage to vehicles and buildings (500% more), but cost resources to build each missile ($10,000 per missile) once you have bought the missile silo. After building an A-bomb the cool down to launch the missile is a lot longer.
  • Artillery and V2 Rockets have the same range, but their range is increased by 20% (new range from 10 to 12) of the current V2 rocket range making long range land / siege warfare more viable.
  • Allied Artillery damage upgrade (30%).
  • New unit skins and wraps – Heavy tanks, Medium Tanks, Migs, Cruisers, V2 Rockets, Destroyers or any other units but I was thinking about the most commonly built. These skins could be bought from EA on an online shop or unlocked by acquiring medals and achievements.
  • More player colours available, Greys, Browns, Whites, Golds, Black, Silvers, variations of the current colours.
  • Vehicles leave tracks.
  • Allied Ranger unit speed and sight range upgrade for scouting.
  • Allied Spy Infantry are able to attack with a silenced sub machine gun (slightly longer range than machine gunner infantry, can 1 shot normal infantry. They are able to infiltrate multiple buildings without disappearing. They now cost $2000.
  • Soviet Attack Dogs have 50% more HP and a 50% passive speed increase, increasing to 75% when they are ordered to attack a unit. Instead of being 1 shotted by machine gun infantry they can take 2 shots.
  • Soviet Tesla Tanks have 50% more armour.
  • Soviet Missile Subs share the same range as Cruisers (22)
  • Soviet Subs have a 50% range increase (14) and do 50% more damage.
  • Allied Destroyers have a larger sonar radius, being able to detect Soviet Subs at (14) range and do 25% more damage using depth charges (2 shot subs).
  • Allied Gunboats have a 25% speed increase and can now use depth charges (same damage and range as the old Allied Destroyers) and have a sonar radius being able to detect Soviet Subs at (10) range.
  • A whole new ranking system judged by how many wins a player has playing multiplayer matches and what their win to lose ratio is:

Wins will be a stat that just keeps going up and Medals shown will be an indication of the highest win to lose ratio a player has achieved.

  • Rank – This will always be show on the player’s name. Example: (insignia) Major General ‘Player Name’. The player will also have a military rank insignia before their name. I have come up with some ideas on insignia design based on current day military rank insignia and will get round to posting some interface ideas of what it will look like in the lobby soon.

Rank 1 – Lieutenant – 5 matches won

Rank 2 – Captain – 10 wins

Rank 3 – Major – 15 wins

Rank 4 – Colonel – 20 wins

Rank 5 – Brigadier – 25 wins

Rank 6 – Brigadier General – 30 wins

Rank 7 – Major General – 35 wins

Rank 8 – General – 40 wins

Rank 9 – 5 Stars General – 45 wins

Rank 10 – Field Marshal – 50 wins

  • Medals: There will be 5 medals, one for each landmark Win to Lose Ratio. See image of basic designs.

1-1 win-loss ratio basic circular medal

2-1 win-loss ratio circular with 4 tip star medal

3-1 win – loss ratio circular 8 tip star medal

5-1 win – lose ratio circular advanced 8 tip star medal

10-1 win – lose ratio circular 16 tip star medal

  • Ideas for Achievements:

500 units killed in one game

1,000 units killed in one game

50 structures destroyed in one game

100 structures destroyed in one game

10,000 units killed overall

100,000 units killed overall

1,000,000 units killed overall

100 buildings destroyed overall

1,000 buildings destroyed overall

10,000 buildings destroyed overall

100 tanks built in one game

200 tanks build in one game

75 naval units build in one game

150 naval units built in one game

50 air units built in one game

100 air units built in one game

500 land units destroyed in one game (vehicles and infantry)

1000 land units destroyed in one game

100 naval units destroyed in one game

200 naval units destroyed in one game

50 air units destroyed in one game

100 air units destroyed in one game

100 structures built in one game

200 structures build in one game

  • Bridges can be repaired by an engineer entering one side of the ruins (similar to how engineers can repair buildings to full health).
  • Trees and be destroyed
  • When units are killed debris or corpses could create a slowly degrading visual effect on the terrain creating more atmospheric environment.
  • New Desert and Tropical terrain types similar to Temperate and Winter for the game and map editor.
  • New map tiles, scenery objects for the map editor and game: new trees tiles, mountain tiles, vehicle debris, building ruins, more civilian buildings (Office buildings, sky scrapers, shopping malls, houses, city roads, petrol stations, government buildings, cars.
  • Civilian buildings can be garrisoned by infantry.
  • You can Chrono shift up to 5 Chrono tanks at a time.
  • The Soviets get Para Bombs on cool down once you have a Tech Center built.
  • You can Chronosphere Demo Trucks safely now.
  • Multiple vortexes can be spawned the more times the Chronosphere / Chrono tanks are activated, with no limit to their numbers! The more you Chronoshift the more you mess around with time and space, the more vortexes adding a bit of rng and the potential for players to be defeated by the map in the late game.

Thanks for reading, please comment, let’s start a conversation!

kabssss

6 Replies

  • JohntheRestorer's avatar
    JohntheRestorer
    4 years ago

    You have many great ideas! 

    A number of them can already be done by changing the rules in the main rules.ini or  changing the rules in specific maps, *.ini for single player missions, and *.mpr for multiplayer maps. For example:

    - Armor upgrades to vehicles mentioned

    -Weapon ranges

    -Nuke spread and damage levels

    -Terrain edit so units can cross rivers, etc.

    The multiplayer lobby upgrades would sure be nice. I would also like to have the ability for teams to communicate by voice mic instead of trying to type. That is way too slow (for me) when you are already busy building and moving units. Player rankings would be nice also to help balance out some matches. Everyone likes to win so they play the same maps over and over until they are unbeatable almost. Not very fun for the lambs led to the slaughter. I would also like to see the ability to set unit type limits for each player and team totals that actually work. Currently, unit set limits in the *.mpr file gets overridden by rules.ini so the fastest builder always wins thereby eliminating strategy from a strategy game.

    I don't think the RA1 engine would be able to run all these upgrades, and currently there are not enough global players for EA to make a big investment. One problem with the Command and Conquer series is that there are too many different games dividing up the community. RA2 is not anything like RA1. It is a completely different game so there isn't any flow between games. I would have liked to see a series of expansion packs and engine upgrades to the original RA instead. But, I am fan and not in the gaming business to make money.

    If someone knew how to move all the original RA buildings and units to the RA3 engine, and then keep open the ability to change rules in Notepad++ and expand rule change ability even further, there would no limit to what the community could produce. It could be done. Check out this RA3 mod using RA1 buildings and units:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_Bz_GTvrgM&t=1624s

  • Kabssss's avatar
    Kabssss
    4 years ago

    Hi, thank you and the new ideas just keep coming. If only there was a way to feasibly fully implement them all I'm sure it would revive RA bringing back many old and new players.

    Is it really easy to edit the rules in both ways you described? Do I need to be a coder and does this have something to do with creating a mod? If so I thought you could not use mods in multiplayer? In terms of editing the actual game source code would this be possible and such a huge task?  I've already spent a huge amount of time and really enjoyed it, creating incredibly detailed maps, similar in quality to the official maps (Steam Community :: kabssss :: Workshop Items), and I would consider looking into creating an expansion / mod, something similar to the example where that dude has created a RA mod for RA3 which looked pretty decent. Would also look into changing the *.mpr but it would not be the same if I could not implement all of the ideas I've spent time thinking about. 

    In terms simple things EA could which I don't think would require much time do to make RA so much better, would be to add in a main game lobby room, friends list. I'm sure the original Red Alert had this feature and so does CnC Universe so I am really confused why EA left these really important social/community features out/ did not introduce them in any of the previous patches. 

    And I agree with you in some way of using an automatic voice chat for team games would hugely enhance the gaming experience.

    Also a couple of other things I forgot to mention, like ping and also a feature which detects how powerful a players PC is so you know if a player is going to lag out a game on huge 8 player maps. This is maybe a bit harsh but its blooming annoying when one player slows down the game for the other 7 players.

    I could go on and on, maybe we could find some coders and game developers with a similar passion for RA, setup a project and crowdfund!? That would be awesome!

    Thanks for your reply, lets keep this conversation going!

  • JohntheRestorer's avatar
    JohntheRestorer
    4 years ago

     

    "Is it really easy to edit the rules in both ways you described? Do I need to be a coder and does this have something to do with creating a mod? If so I thought you could not use mods in multiplayer?"

    I have a min to address this part of your post. You do not need to be a coder or create any mods. Mods change .dll and other game files on your computer as I understand it. I am simply talking about changing the rules for one specific map, whether it be a single player mission (*.ini) or a multiplayer skirmish (*.mpr).

    There really isn't an easy way to explain how to do this, but I'm sure you can figure it out if you put some time into it. First, go here and download the original rules.ini with instructions: (Top one)

    INI Files - Red Alert Archive (afraid.org)

    Save it to desktop or anywhere you want. Just don't put it in the Red Alert Folder. Open with Notepad. Spend some time learning each section. (You don't need to memorize it. Just get familiar with it because you will refer to it often when making your own maps. Same with next step.)

    Also, go here and read this great instruction guide to making missions: (It is mainly for single player missions, but multiplayer maps are very similar)

    Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Single Player Mission Creation Guide - PC - By AGriffin - GameFAQs (g...

    Learning software and programming can be taxing and boring. Like learning a foreign language. I have recently finished making the most modified multiplayer map I've ever seen. You can download it and open the *.mpr file to see all the changes I made. Seeing an example I think would make the learning curve faster. It is Battle Island 2.2 on my Steam Workshop page. Subscribe and it will download to you, though it might take hours or days to actually show up. (Steam Issue)

    Play the Battle Island map (Skirmish with AI or something) and you can see all the changes. Try building everything and see the units unlocked and weapons and how they work. When done playing you can open the rules.ini (above) and my .mpr file side by side and see how I made all that happen vs the original. The .mpr file will be in your "Local Custom Maps" Folder. It will start with UGC. It should the last, most recent, .mpr file in that folder. I grouped everything together, Structures, Vehicles, Ships, Infantry, Aircraft, Weapons, Projectiles, Warheads, and Terrain. The Triggers and Team Types will make more sense when you open the .mpr file in the Map Editor. Settings - Triggers. Settings - Team Types. (Triggers and Team Types are how you make the enemy send reinforcements, play speeches, sound effects, etc.)

    Examples of what you will see:

    -Land units can now cross rivers, and ships can sail thru them also

    -The Yak is now a bomber

    -Iron Curtain fires long range heat seeking cannon

    -Hospital is buildable and heals infantry that are near it

    -All structures and units can be built, regardless of country

    -Bio Research Lab creates a toxic area for enemy units and structures

    -Heavy Tank now fires TeslaZap

    -Medium Tank has machine gun secondary weapon

    -Mobile Gap Generator now repairs your other vehicles (force fire to repair)

    -Edyie, a civilian you can build, is cloaked and has Covid. Put him near enemy and select to infect them, or guard mode. (Works like Medic in reverse)

    -Changed values for Power Plants and Silos. (Big power now is +800, Silos store $50k)

    -Submarine now fires missiles with nuke warhead

    -Construction Site, Ore Refineries, and Weapons Factories have built in AA Guns for air defense

    -Camo Pillbox now has snipers and they are deadly for infantry and tanks

    -Forward Command Center unlocks the "General." Like Shocktrooper in Aftermath

    -Technology Center unlocks Agent Delphi, a suicide bomber

    These are just a few things off the top on my mind. I adjusted, altered, or outright changed almost everything in the game. You may not like the map, but it is a thorough example of what can be done in the rules. If you've never done this before it might seem overwhelming at first but stick with it and it will make sense. Once you get a grip on these things you can make the game almost whatever you want it to be. Hope this helps. John

  • JohntheRestorer's avatar
    JohntheRestorer
    4 years ago

    "Is it really easy to edit the rules in both ways you described? Do I need to be a coder and does this have something to do with creating a mod? If so I thought you could not use mods in multiplayer?"

    I have a min to address this part of your post. You do not need to be a coder or create any mods. Mods change .dll and other game files on your computer as I understand it. I am simply talking about changing the rules for one specific map, whether it be a single player mission (*.ini) or a multiplayer skirmish (*.mpr).

    There really isn't an easy way to explain how to do this, but I'm sure you can figure it out if you put some time into it. First, go here and download the original rules.ini with instructions: (Top one)

    INI Files - Red Alert Archive (afraid.org)

    Save it to desktop or anywhere you want. Just don't put it in the Red Alert Folder. Open with Notepad. Spend some time learning each section. (You don't need to memorize it. Just get familiar with it because you will refer to it often when making your own maps. Same with next step.)

    Also, go here and read this great instruction guide to making missions: (It is mainly for single player missions, but multiplayer maps are very similar)

    Command & Conquer: Red Alert - Single Player Mission Creation Guide - PC - By AGriffin - GameFAQs (g...

    Learning software and programming can be taxing and boring. Like learning a foreign language. I have recently finished making the most modified multiplayer map I've ever seen. You can download it and open the *.mpr file to see all the changes I made. Seeing an example I think would make the learning curve faster. It is Battle Island 2.2 on my Steam Workshop page. Subscribe and it will download to you, though it might take hours or days to actually show up. (Steam Issue)

    Play the Battle Island map (Skirmish with AI or something) and you can see all the changes. Try building everything and see the units unlocked and weapons and how they work. When done playing you can open the rules.ini (above) and my .mpr file side by side and see how I made all that happen vs the original. The .mpr file will be in your "Local Custom Maps" Folder. It will start with UGC. It should the last, most recent, .mpr file in that folder. I grouped everything together, Structures, Vehicles, Ships, Infantry, Aircraft, Weapons, Projectiles, Warheads, and Terrain. The Triggers and Team Types will make more sense when you open the .mpr file in the Map Editor. Settings - Triggers. Settings - Team Types. (Triggers and Team Types are how you make the enemy send reinforcements, play speeches, sound effects, etc.)

    Examples of what you will see:

    -Land units can now cross rivers, and ships can sail thru them also

    -The Yak is now a bomber

    -Iron Curtain fires long range heat seeking cannon

    -Hospital is buildable and heals infantry that are near it

    -All structures and units can be built, regardless of country

    -Bio Research Lab creates a toxic area for enemy units and structures

    -Heavy Tank now fires TeslaZap

    -Medium Tank has machine gun secondary weapon

    -Mobile Gap Generator now repairs your other vehicles (force fire to repair)

    -Edyie, a civilian you can build, is cloaked and has Covid. Put him near enemy and select to infect them, or guard mode. (Works like Medic in reverse)

    -Changed values for Power Plants and Silos. (Big power now is +800, Silos store $50k)

    -Submarine now fires missiles with nuke warhead

    -Construction Site, Ore Refineries, and Weapons Factories have built in AA Guns for air defense

    -Camo Pillbox now has snipers and they are deadly for infantry and tanks

    These are just a few things off the top on my mind. I adjusted, altered, or outright changed almost everything in the game. You may not like the map, but it is a thorough example of what can be done. If you've never done this before it might seem overwhelming at first but stick with it and it will make sense. Once you get a grip on these things you can make the game almost whatever you want it to be. Hope this helps. John

  • Kabssss's avatar
    Kabssss
    4 years ago

    HI mate, thanks for the awesome reply, sorry its taken so long to reply.

    I will have a look at what you have said. 

    I've also come up with some new ideas on vehicle and structure upgrades adding an extra element of strategy to the game. 

    • Vehicle and building upgrades.

    The ability to upgrade both vehicles and buildings would be made available through building a Soviet Tech Centre of an Allied Tech Centre. When building either a new upgrades tab would appear on the building tab. Having more Tech Centres speeds up the research process the same way in which having more Construction Yard, War Factories, Barracks etc…

    • Vehicle Upgrades:
    • Tank weapon damage upgrades: Light Tanks, Medium Tanks, Heavy Tanks, Mammoth Tanks + Turrets.

    Armour Piercing Shells + 10 % damage to tank armaments: Cost $10000. Research time: 3 minutes.

    High Impact Shells + 10 % damage to tank armaments: Cost $15000. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Depleted Uranium Shells + 10 % damage to tank armaments: Cost $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Advanced Range Finder + 10% range to tank armaments: Cost $15000. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Visual effect on the tank: With each level there will be a slight visual tweak to the tank’s cannon, it will grow in size and length.

    • Vehicle Armour upgrades: All land vehicles

    Composite Armour + 10 % Armour to all vehicles: Cost $10000. Research Time: 3 minutes

    Reactive Composite Armour MK1 + 10 % Armour to all vehicles: Cost $15000. Research Time: 5 minutes.

    Reactive Composite Armour MK2 + 10 % Armour to all vehicles: Cost $20000. Research Time: 8 minutes.

    Visual effect on vehicles: Additional armour and plates are added.

    • Vehicle Speed / Engine Upgrade: All Land Vehicles

    Compact Turbine Engine + 15% speed to all land vehicles: Cost $20000. Research Time: 10 minutes.

    • Machine Gun upgrades (Allied Only): Rifle Infantry, Pillboxes, Rangers, APC, AA guns

    Hardened Machine Gun Bullets + 15 % damage to Machine Guns: Cost $10000. Research Time: 5 minutes.

    Rapid Fire Machine Gun + 15 % damage, + 15 % range to Machine Guns: Cost $20000. Research Time: 10 minutes.

    • Tesla Coil upgrades (Soviets Only): Tesla Coil, Tesla Tank, Shock Troopers,

    Resonant Transformer + 10% damage to Tesla Coils: Cost $10000. Research Time: 5 minutes.

    Inductance High Capacitance Circuits + 15 damage, + 15% range to Tesla Coils: Cost $20000. Research time: 10 minutes.

    Visual effect on Tesla Coil. More intense lightning bolts.

    • Missile Upgrades: Rocket Trooper, Sam Sites, Chrono Tank, Missile Sub, Destroyer, MiGS, Mammoth Tanks, Attack Helicopter.

    Advanced Missile Propulsion +10 % damage to all missiles: Cost $10000. Research time: 3 minutes.

    Advanced Targeting System +10 % damage to all missiles: Cost $15000. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Advanced Missile Tracking System + 10 % damage, + 15% range to all missiles: Cost $25000. Research time: 10 minutes.

    • Infantry upgrades: All infantry, including dogs but not including Commandos, Tanya, Volkov & Chitzkoi

    Combat Training + 10 % damage for all infantry: Cost $7500. Research time: 3 minutes.

    Advance Infantry Training + 10 % damage for all infantry: Cost $10000. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Elite Unit Training + 10% damage, + 10% range for all infantry plus infantry will automatically move out the way of vehicles trying to run them over: Cost $15000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Endurance training + 10% infantry movement speed: Cost $7500. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Ballistic Plate Body Armour + 20 % infantry armour: Cost $15000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    • Soviet Air Force

    MiG upgrades

    Evasive manoeuvres + 20 % armour: Cost $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Hyper Afterburner + 20% speed upgrade: Cost $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Advanced Target Acquisition Missiles + 20% damage: Cost $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Hind upgrades (Armour and Speed upgrades also effect Chinook Helicopter.

    Reinforced Armour + 20 % armour: Cost $12500. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Fuel Injection Engine + 20 % speed upgrade: Cost $12500. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Hyper Speed Chain Gun + 30 % damage: Cost $15000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    • Allied Air Force

    Attack Helicopter

    Reinforced Armour + 20 % armour: Cost $15000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Fuel Injection Engine + 20 % speed upgrade: Cost $15000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Advanced Target Acquisition Missiles + 20% damage: Cost $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    • Soviet Navy – Submarines, Missile Submarine.

    Nuclear Reactor + 20% speed: Cost $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Advance Submarine Weapons Systems + 15% damage, +15% range: Cost $20000. Research time: 10 minutes.

    • Allied Navy – Gunboats, Destroyers, Cruisers.

    Protective Plating + 10 % armour: Cost $10000. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Advance Weapons Systems + 10 % damage, + 10 % range: Cost $20000. Research time: 10 minutes.

    Building upgrades:

    Reinforced Building Fortifications + 10% armour: Cost $10000. Research time: 3 minutes.

    Advance Building Fortifications + 10% armour: Cost $15000. Research time: 5 minutes.

    Composite Cladding + 10 % armour: Cost: $20000. Research time: 8 minutes.

    Thanks again, will get back to you.

  • Kabssss's avatar
    Kabssss
    4 years ago

    I'm guessing it would be impossible to add these changes to the current game without editing the original game code?

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