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Chris Hopkins's Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC)
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| [February 9, 2007 11:50:48 PM]
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I just finished up playing an 8-way RA2 battle… and I won! It’s good to know that after all these years, I still seem to have the touch.
The level I played was an extra-large frozen wasteland called “Arctic Circle,” one of the many excellent maps included with the game. (The game also includes the ability to play custom maps, but they often aren’t as high of quality as those designed by Westwood Games.) The map is a ring of smaller arctic islands surrounding a central landmass; the 8 players all start on their own individual island region.
I played against 7 computer opponents, each with their nationality (different countries have different special abilities / units) randomized, and each on the highest difficulty setting: “Brutal.” I chose to play as the United States, arguably the most balanced and fair nationality, and found myself matched up against some Iraqis, Russians, French, Germans, et al. Strange match-up, but the game was on.
I immediately set up walls around my base, which I found was located in the northeast corner of the map after a minute of exploring. By now, I’ve learned that the RA2 AI is not above sneakster tactics like engineer rushes; engineers are low-level units that can be built en masse almost immediately after the start of the game, and although they lack attack or defense, they have the unique ability to “capture” buildings from opponents forever simply by walking into them. By surrounding my base with even-cheaper cement walls, I could close that program loop and focus on the AI’s other algorithms.
After building up to an Air Force Command Center within the first few minutes of game play, I deployed my first squad of paratroopers, they being the Americans’ special units. They secured the south corner of my base, and I began to build more ore miners as I slowly built up my Tech Center. Once I could build Prism Tanks, the game should’ve been just about over, but…
Kirov Airships! Two separate Soviet bases to the east simultaneously sent fleets of Kirov Airships, and I had nowhere near the necessary air defense, as they were all off protecting a land site for my Mobile Construction Vehicle (MCV) on the center island. Luckily they shredded my Prism Tanks and not my Construction Yard, so when my backup arrived and finished cleaning up, I snuck a peak at the Soviet bases to the east and planned my invasion.
I waited until Paradrop reinforcements were ready, rebuilt up critical amounts of power units, and took base after base until the game was over. It was about an hour and a half long, and it was very, very fun.
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| [February 9, 2007 09:24:55 PM]
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Yesterday I pulled out my old CD-ROM sleeve and decided this GameLog would be all about another one of my favorite games: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2.
Released in 1998, RA2 is my favorite real-time strategy (RTS) game. Prior to this game, I had very limited experience with the genre, so I learned a lot about strategy and multitasking when I first played it almost a decade ago. The wacky plot is creative but not extremely relevant, since the addictive gameplay overshadows it. In RA2’s alternate reality, Einstein invents time travel, and the Soviet Union travels back in time to turn the tide of World War II.
Accordingly, the games units are interesting takes on real-life weaponry, albeit some more plausible than others. The Allies’ Grizzly Tanks are essentially Abrams M1 Battle Tanks, and Prism Tanks lug around powerful long-range focused light beams, useful in sieges against enemy bases. However, the Allies also employ to great effect Rocketeers – literally flying infantrymen with Southern accents.
On the Soviet side, Conscripts march with AK-47s in hand alongside “Tesla Troopers,” strange B-movie monsters wielding deadly Tesla Coils. All the units share some degree of quasi-Cold War charm, and the standard RTS “structure tree” (the order in which structures can be built) consists of futuristic, sleek buildings for the Allies and grungy, smoggy European factories for the Soviets.
Graphically, the game does not disappoint. The menu system emulates old analog radar consoles, from flashing red lights to security panels. Game entities are colorful and detailed, regardless of whether they’re driving, idling, shooting, taking cover, or defending. Many game entities feature multiple “joints,” places where separate parts of the model can hinge and rotate around each other.
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Chris Hopkins's Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 (PC)
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Current Status: Playing
GameLog started on: Thursday 8 February, 2007
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