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Red Alert 2 FAQ
August 24, 2000
This is an FAQ that answers question posed to us by the fans and the press. For more information about Red Alert 2, visit www.westwood.com and head over to the Red Alert 2 section. Thanks!
General Questions:
1. When did Westwood first decide to make a sequel to Red Alert?
We first began pre-production in May of 1999. The idea was pretty obvious when we started it about a year ago. We wanted to capture the essence of Red Alert 1 and take it a step forward. We started wondering about what the Soviets would be doing after the war and where the next war would be. The idea of a world war being fought on American soil and having the United States call on the allied nations of Europe for rescue was too good to pass up.
Moving forward, ideas for the wonderful off-beat technologies both the Allies and Soviets would invent just started flowing. Mind-control and psychic warfare were perfect for the Soviets. The United States and the European Allies invented Prism technology and a weather control device. Our imaginations ran wild.
Once we had our design direction, we were excited about the game we knew we could build. It's great when key ideas merge and take on a life of their own. It's as if the game makes itself and your job is make sure it becomes the game it wants to be.
2. What role does Brett Sperry play in the RA2 process?
Brett has and always will be the driving force behind all of the Command & Conquer games. Heís challenged the team to come up fresh new ideas for units and gameplay that the genre has yet to expand on. Brett has also contributed his own ideas and design flare to make RA2 a top quality title.
3. What type of game are you trying to make with RA2?
RA2 will play a lot like the original ñ fast-paced and full of action. However, there will be a number of key differences that are a result of changes to our interface and choice of units and tactics.
First, we're creating a huge variety of units with multiple purposes, which leads to a huge array of tactics. We stayed away from creating "mirrored unit" lists where each side had basically the same units with different colors.
Next, we're balancing the game "high". With this roller coaster style of game play, at any moment, you could be one step away from an amazing victory or a crushing defeat. One way to easily see this philosophy is that super weapons like the nuke or the Allied Weather Control Machine do a TREMENDOUS amount of damage when you fire them off at your enemy.
Finally, we're making the interface more powerful, yet easier to use. We've switched to a tab interface for unit creation and have added the advanced command bar to bring some of the more complex interface elements to the surface.
4. At what point completion is the game in right now?
We hate to give percentages since they mean very little to most people. I'll try and describe it for you. All the units and structures are in the game and functional. We are playing network/Internet games everyday. This is a huge plus when it comes to play balancing and polishing. All the game functionality for the shell screens, the game editor, etc is all in. We are looking very good and it gives us time when we can just play the game to see what works and what doesn't.
5. Is Kane in Red Alert 2?
Hmmm, good question.
6. What is the release date?
We are set for an October 2000 release.
7. What are the minimum System requirements for RA2?
Operating System: Windows 95,98, NT 6.0, 2000, and Millennium
CPU Speed: PII 266 or Higher
Memory: 64 MB
Video Card: 4 MB that supports 16bit color
CD-ROM Speed: 4X or Higher
Sound Card: Direct Sound compatible
Head to Head Multiplayer Games: Same as above +56kbps modem
Multiplayer games 3-8: PII 450, 128 MB Ram, 56Kbps modem
Game Play and Story
1. How does Red Alert 2 fit into the Command & Conquer universe story line wise? Why Red Alert 2 and not C&C 3, or is that in development as well?
The original Red Alert Universe was created when Einstein changed the past in hopes of creating a better future. Weíre continuing that branch of the historical time line with Red Alert 2 so it is rapidly diverging from the C&C universe.
2. What game play changes are players going to see going from RA to RA2?
The RA2 team has created a real-time strategy game that's fast-paced, in your face and visceral, just like the first Red Alert. When we started designing, we took a long, hard look at the real-time strategy form, and agreed that, more often than not, the genre usually involves a slow war of attrition -- sometimes you've pretty much lost the game in the first ten minutes, and the next two hours is spent playing it out. We've picked up the pace, and made the game a real roller coaster ride in which the tides can turn at any moment -- without sacrificing deep, strategic game play, and make it a real blast to play right out of the box.
3. What features will the game have that separate it from the rest of the RTS pack?
With Red Alert 2, we have a healthy mix of units that are unusually powerful and add a lot of intensity to game play. RTS games are judged by their units, tactics and balance. Take a look at the units we've created for the game and you can see that this has been a focus for us. Thatís what makes RA2 fun, always knowing there are more units to experiment with and tactics to try.
Beyond that, we have a very compelling story element. For the first time, the war happens in North America, in its cities, which we have filed with recognizable landmarks. For gamers in U.S., itís interesting to explore the idea of being invaded. For gamers in the U.K., it will be great fun to save us poor yanks from the Soviet hoard.
Lastly, and most importantly, weíre taking great pains to make the game a huge amount of fun. Weíre playing each mission over and over again, polishing, polishing, and polishing. As I said before, because we have a stable technology platform, weíre able to have just about everyone at Westwood play the game and give feedback. Because we donít have to ship until October, we have the time to use those suggestions to make the game even better. Weíre building the game weíd want to play.
4. What style of play is being emphasized, and what design factors have gone into making the game play this way?
In RA2, players will find the game play fast, fun, and deep. Weíve introduced a second level of strategy into the game that adds a whole new realm of tactical possibilities. It's one thing to use different units in concert with each other, but in Red Alert 2, you can use units in a much richer, defined way. For instance, the Soviet Tesla coil can shoot only so far, but if you make three Tesla Troopers force-fire on the coil, you can give it a super-charge so it has a huge range. Or you can have the Soviets demolitions specialist, Crazy Ivan, plant an explosive on an unsuspecting cow, and use your psychic Yuri to send the hapless cow into the U.S. base.
5. What Type of game engine does Red Alert 2 utilize?
RA2 uses an enhanced version of the Tiberian Sun engine. The first thing players will notice is that everything in the game is about 25% larger. We've also spent time making the units look better by reworking the voxel system. Other areas we've reworked include the AI system, issues relating to fighting in urban settings and of course the network play to add the co-op campaign mode. With all of this work though, our focus has been on creating a great game rather than creating technology for technology sake.
6. How did Westwood choose the art direction of the game?
We wanted to focus on a fast and furious game. The art direction developed from this. We wanted a game that just said ìfunî when gamers saw it. We choose to go for larger, more highly detailed structures that would ìpopî off the screen. Darker colors tend to obscure all the art weíve done so we went for a brighter type of look that really supported the overall atmosphere of the game. We love it and we hope the fans do to. Our intent is to capture the feel of the original and we think the art direction we choose supports this.
7. What interface changes have you made from previous C&C games?
So far, lots of them. We wanted to keep the same game play but make sure players spend a lot more time on the battlefield rather than the Command Bar. We want the UI to be very easy to use. The real fun is playing with the toys (units) in the sandbox (game). Hereís a quick initial list.
• Tab System: We have changed the Command Bar so that there are typically only 2 button clicks to arrive at the unit/structure you want to build. There are 4 tabs Infantry, Arsenal (Includes specials and defenses), Structures and Vehicles. This makes for fast navigation and not much scrolling of the buttons.
• Rally Points: Our ìRally Pointî only requires a double click on any production building. The rally line appears and you can set it anywhere on the map
• Advanced Command Bar: We implemented an optional command bar on the bottom of the screen that allows for many commands like ìdeployî, ìteamsî, ìbeaconsî, etc.
• Diplomacy Button: This button appears on the top of the screen and allows players to ally, know who belongs to which color, etc.
• Planning Mode: A very robust waypoint system, it allows players to coincide their own units to execute actions together easily.
8. When does Red Alert 2 take place?
RA2 takes place roughly 20 years after RA1.
9. Will you have an outside beta test?
Probably not.
10. In previous C&C games, credit unloading has been very different. In Red Alert, ore was dumped instantly; will this remain the same as RA1?
Itís a dump and go system. No waiting around for the miner to unload
11. In RA, the Chronospheric effects didn't last forever. Was the same true for the time machine Einstein used to remove Hitler from the continuum? Could he return in the midst of everything?
In RA2 we donít hold anything back with the Chronosphere (or any other super weapon). It lasts forever. As far as the story line goes, I highly doubt heíd return. After all, Einstein spent so much effort getting rid of him and it made for such an exciting RA world!
12. What is planning mode?
Itís an enhanced waypoint system that is accessed via the advanced command bar.
13. How do you execute a ìcow rushî?
First, find some cows. Next take a Crazy Ivan and bomb the cows, move fast as the bombs have a 30 second timer. Then use a few Yuri units to mind control the cows. You will now have control of their movements. Walk the cows up to a player base (they are not recognized as enemies) and use Crazy Ivan to blow them all up! Its udder madness!
14. How do you garrison a building?
In RA2 Conscripts and GIs can enter civilian structures and ìgarrisonî them. Many soldiers can enter and this essentially becomes a safe house. They can fire out of the buildings and the structures themselves are boarded up with barbed wire. These garrisoned buildings protect the infantry inside and enhance their firepower. They are great to command/hold points on the map and to create pinch points.
15. How will you handle veterancy?
Our objective with veterancy is to make sure itís obvious and important in the game. That means a player should gain elite status for his unit relatively quickly (in the scheme of game pacing) and the elite ability he gets should be way cool. The unit should get something that makes it very worthwhile to protect and care for that unit while trying to attain elite status. Currently V3 rockets gain small tactical nukes, the Tesla Trooper gets an EMP bolt, etc. This may change as we balance the game but we want to make sure the reward is there for players who want vet units
16. Where did Premier Romanov come from?
Romanov is a vengeful man. After seeing the Allies crush Russia he pledged his life to seeing that this crime would be set right. Feeling that Stalin led his homeland down the road to ruin, he sees his destiny as fulfilling the Soviet Unionís rightful position as THE world power. Evidence of his lineage to the original Tsars is tenuous at best. He is a proud man that has spiraled down into the world of paranoia and treachery. His trust lies in Yuri till the end but no one else has been deemed worthy of this ìhonorî. Now the only country that truly stands in his path to world domination is America.
17. Who decided to put psychic powers into Red Alert 2?
Why, the Soviets of course! Those pesky Reds were (and some say still are) experimenting with a lot of strange technology during the 20th Century. Psychic power is just one tech path they chose to follow.
18. Will the Soviet Side have MIG aircrafts in RA2?
Currently they aren't planned for. When the Soviets lost the last war 90% of their air force was dismantled. The treaty they signed restricted further development of MIG technology. Knowing this, Romanov challenged his engineers to design an aircraft powerful enough to level a city with one single swoop, and at the same time avoid alarming the Allies of any major unit build-up. After a period of time and many design revisions the Kirov airship was born. Considered the Apocalypse tank of the sky, this slow moving airship could deliver the damage and destruction Romanov so wants to inflict on his enemies. To appear legit, Romanov approached the Allies and received approval on the new Soviet cargo airship (wink, wink) Kirov production began soon after. When a player sees his enemy trudging slowly across the battlefield with a few of these, he absolutely must address this threat. If not he'll be blown to smithereens.
22. Isn't it a bit unbalancing for the Allies to be able to see everything on the map and have their bases hidden?
Ahh, play balancing. We are continuing to "balance high" which means that our game play should be very exciting, fun and volatile. Most games are "balanced low" where there are minimal differences between units. We're making sure that our units are powerful and worth the money/time to build. As far as Gap Generators and the Spy Satellite, they are proven play mechanics from the original RA1. The Allies are all about information while the Soviets are all about brute force.
23. They're probably obsolete because of surface ships, but will missile subs make a return?
We want to make sure we introduce lots of new tactics, units and structures. Missile subs are cool but we may want to try something fresher. We do have subs in now though.
24. How has the ìeconomic modelî or the gathering of ore changed in RA2 from previous C&C games?
While we still have Ore Trucks like before, there are a few things weíve altered in RA2 with regard to the economics. 1) We added Oil Derricks that can be captured by engineers in many of the maps. These provide the occupying player with a steady stream of cash. 2) The Ore Trucks themselves have special abilities. The Allied Ore Truck (Chrono Miner) can chrono itself back to the refinery to avoid threats and speed the collection process up. The Soviet Ore Truck (War Miner) has a turret on top that can repel small threats ñ especially the Terror Drones. We will specifically watch out for making the War Miner an offensive unit though. 3) The Allies have a purchasable structure called the Ore Purifier that increases the worth of ore collected. 4) Weíve improved the ore collection logic for the miners so that they collect ìsmarterî. Theyíll go after the closest ore patch, return ore to the closest Refinery, etc.
Unit and Structure info:
1. Who is Yuri?
Yuri is Premier Romanovís #1 guy. He has a very checkered and mysterious past. He is the leader and most powerful of the Psychic Corps. These genetically enhanced soldiers were originally part of Stalinís experiments during the first Red War. Since Stalinís death they have been dormant as far as most Sovietís are concerned. Few knew of their existence but during Romanovís drive for power he recognized the worth that they could bring to the Russian military. Yuri can control the mind of most beings ñ although he has trouble with dogs. He canít mind control robotic beings, like Terror Drones or Miners, either. Yuri has been instrumental in helping Romanov choreograph the Russian invasion into the US. He can also use his mind attack to deploy a psychic wave around himself, frying the brains of other infantry. Some say that Yuri has lots of connections to underground technology and that his staring into his gaze is to give away your will.
2. What is the Psychic Sensor?
The Psychic Sensor is a Soviet structure that enables the player to actually ìseeî where his enemy is going to strike. It allows players to plan for attacks and be ready for an onslaught ñ before they happen. Its wide radius protects any structure or unit within the radius. If Tanya decides to attack a playerís War Factory, that player will now before she gets there.
3. Whatís new with the Allied Spy?
One of the directives for the team when making RA2 was to make sure all the units were critical and useful. We felt that the Spy in RA1 could use an upgrade so we made him fairly powerful. Currently he can take the identity of whomever he wants. He will appear as this unit to the enemy. He can also enter lots of buildings to wreak havoc. If he goes into a Tesla Plant he will shut down the enemyís power for a while, if he enters a super weapon he will reset the enemyís timer for the special, if he goes into the Radar Tower he resets the enemyís shroud. One of the great new things is that when he enters an enemyís Battle Lab he will use the enemy technology and his own to develop a new unit. That unit is a combo unit and is constructible from then on. One example at this time is the Chrono Commando. This unit can chrono anywhere and bomb buildings. The farther he chronoís the longer it takes for him to ìphase back inî or become active. Generally these units are very powerful.
4. Giant Squid?
Thanks to the Soviet experimentation with mind control, they have been able to utilize this research to take advantage of the ìlesserî forms of life. Earlier in the 20th Century Russian marine scientists began searching for this elusive real-life sea monster. At 100 feet long they had been dragging Russian fisherman to their deaths for years. Eventually, a Psychic Corp research vessel was able to find and capture one of these creatures. They found that the beings were fairly intelligent and psychic powers worked wonders to tame them. Recognizing their stealth abilities as well as their ferocity would work well for them, they began to breed them for their own ends. The Giant Squid is useful to drag down enemy ships and limit offensive powers. They also like to munch on Dolphins, although these trained Allied units are difficult to match with their sonically enhanced fin-packs.
5. How many units are in the game? Structures? Infantry?
Give or take a fewÖ
15 infantry
26 vehicles (air, sea, land)
40 structures (includes defenses)
None of these are duplicates and each has specific strengths/weaknesses depending on the playerís strategy. You can acquire new units by getting a spy into a War Factory, Battle Lab, etc. Also, multiplayer teams all have something unique too.
6. Whatís the Desolator do?
Those rotten Soviets have no morals. Apparently their infatuation with atomic tech has manifested itself into this super soldier. The Desolator is one bad apple. He carries a radiation rifle that snuffs out most infantry quickly and can also deploy. When he deploys he spreads radiation all over the terrain. Anyone who wanders into it melts away. He can be used to protect against SEAL's and other infantry. Often SEALís will try to sneak in the back door but if the Desolator is watching, they wonít be able to get near the base. He doesnít have too many friends since the very air around the Desolator makes Geiger counters explode.
7. What will a Cloning Vat do for me?
The Cloning Vats are a great new Soviet tech that basically gets them a ì2 for 1î whenever they train infantry. Since infantry are important in RA2, this is a big help. Thatís fun but the real trick is to use this in conjunction with other Soviet units. If a player uses Yuri to mind control an Allied unit, he can send that unit into the Cloning Vat. For this effort heíll get lots of cash and will also be able to build that unit from then on. Nothing like using the enemies own units against him.
8. Whatís new about the Iron Curtain?
The Soviets felt that the Iron Curtain tech as fine conceptually but it needed further refinement on the execution side. The new Iron Curtain makes 9 units max invulnerable. It will also kill infantry and protect buildings. If the enemy gets this, watch out.
9. Whatís new about the ChronoSphere?
The Allies felt the same way about this as the Soviets did about the Iron Curtain. They liked it but it needed a little more kick. The ChronoSphere will transport up to 9 units at once to anywhere on the battlefield. Players can also pick up enemy ships and drop them onto the land, destroying them or pick up tanks and throw them in the water.
10. What does the Chrono Legionnaire do?
This Allied unit never walks anywhere ñ he just warps to anyplace he wants. The farther he moves, the longer it takes him to ìchrono-shiftî back into our reality. He has a gun that slowly removes his target from history. While the target is being shot it canít be affected by anything since itís not in our reality. Heís very sneaky can get into the enemy base easily. The trick is staying in there safely. Another thing he can do is protect the playerís base. Suppose a nuke is about to slam into the Allied Con Yard. The Chrono Legionnaire can shoot his own Con Yard and it gets taken out of our time ñtemporarily. When the nuke lands the Chrono Legionnaire dies but the nuke has already exploded. The Con Yard comes back into our reality and sits safely in the middle of an irradiated nuke field, living to fight another day.
11. Whatís new about the Nuke?
Thereís nothing like hearing that air raid siren and knowing that someone in the game is about to take it on the chin. Our nukes are pretty powerful and will pretty much wallop the enemy base. Not only that but they leave a deadly radiation mess after theyíre gone. Although the nuke is a game ender, we give opponents plenty of chances to go take it out. Once one is built (or any super weapon) all opponents get an audio cue, a ping on the radar map, the silo gets unshrouded and the countdown begins. Playerís better go after that quick when it pops up.
12. Beacons? What are beacons?
Beacons are tools in multiplay that allows players to communicate with their Allies. Essentially a player will be able to left click on the Advanced Command Bar, the cursor turns into a beacon, this flashing beacon can be dropped onto the battlefield and then a player can type in messages to Allies. These messages could be like ìAttack Hereî, ìMineî, ìYoursî, etc. They make coordinating attacks and things easier.
13. Two words: Oil Barrels? (Will they be in RA2?). If so will they still be as destructive as in RA?
Yes, absolutely. They play a part in single player missions and multiplayer maps.
14. Approximately how many seconds does it take for a Chrono Legionnaire to eradicate a building from existence?
Well, it all depends on the size and armor rating of the structure.
15. Are the Allies going to have an artillery unit?
Yes. We refer to them as ìsiegeî units rather than artillery since this term sort of pigeon holes us into a ìhigh arcingî sort of vehicle. The Allies have the Prism Tank that has a long range and is great at attacking bases. It shoots a beam that spreads out in a wide arc after making contact with the primary target. Itís very cool. The Soviets have the V3 Rocket (a nephew of the Red Alertís V2 Rocket) that shoots a long distance and rains a lot of trouble down on enemies.
16. Does the transport carry people or vehicles and how many?
Both the Soviets and Allies have a Hovercraft that can traverse land and sea. These carry vehicles and infantry. Weíre not sure how many but we concentrated on making sure the player can launch a substantial force over water. We donít like too much micromanagement and the nature of water transports sort of forces us down this road. Weíve minimized this by making sure players can load a good number of units into these Hovercraft so they can transfer them efficiently. That way players will be able to attack from the sea and have it be a strong tactic.
17. Will the AI build and use naval units? In the first RA it never even touched in multiplay.
Good question. They never did, did they? The RA2 AI use the water to launch a Dreadnought attack (with 2 Sea Scorpions as cover) but they also sent various tank teams up to simultaneously attack me by land. Our units will use land, sea and air.
18. Does the Intruder plane come out of the Aircraft Carrier or is it a separate plane?
The Intruder is available on the Allied side after the player has made and Air force Command. This is basically like a radar tower that allows gamers to make 4 planes per structure. The Aircraft Carrier planes are called Hornets. These are not the same and are automatically replenished from the Aircraft Carrier if destroyed.
19. Will the AI actually be able to build and use the ChronoSphere and Iron
Curtain?
Yes, thatís the plan!
16. Will Tanya have a build limit?
Nope. No plans for one.
21. Are the civilians clever now, are they armed?
Civilians still contain the civilian mentality, but players will be able to mind control them and put bombs on them just like cows. 
Oh, did I mention we have polar bears and alligators that love to eat infantry units for snacks.
22. Can you explain how Elite units work?
Sure. We want to make sure that any Elite earned by the player becomes worth the effort. To this end weíve made it so that they become fairly powerful when they attain the rank. They attain the rank by killing other units. One example is the V3 Rocket. Once its gained Elite status it gets the following abilities: Faster, Stronger, Firepower, Scatter, Rate of Fire, Self Heal, Radar Invisible. It also gains a new missile that looks visually upgraded from the original. This one fires a small tactical nuke!
23. Will Yuri and/or Crazy Ivan be featured in any of the Red Alert 2 cut-scenes?
Yes. Yuri is a very prominent player in the whole story. Crazy Ivan also gets in a well-placed lick on the US high command.
24. Will more than two Barracks or War Factories give a build speed increase?
Yes! But we are going to limit to three.
25. How many playable units total are currently in Red Alert 2?
Right around the 50 mark. This doesnít include the many structures and civilian units.
26. Is the Tesla Tank going to be in the game?
Yes, the Soviets use it in the multiplayer game.
27. How will engineers work?
They'll work like they did in traditional C&C games.
28. About how many maps will come with RA2 and how big will the large maps be in comparison to Tiberian Sun's maps?
We expect around 30 multiplayer maps. The size will differ. We tend to go smaller than Tiberian Sun since it keeps the action heated.
Multiplayer:
1. Will Multiplayer be similar as in Tiberian Sun, a 'built in' gaming system? Or will you use Westwood Chat?
Itíll be similar to Tiberian Sun. Weíre also including a more accessible ìQuick Matchî button that will hopefully encourage more inexperienced players to try online games.
2. Will there be a function to just talk to your allies during 8 player games and not manually message them?
Yes,†players will be able†to team chat through the diplomacy screen. We'll release more details about this later...
3. What multiplay teams are currently planned for?
On the Allied side we are planning on the USA, France, Britain, Germany and the Republic of Korea. On the Soviet side we have the Russians, Libya, Iraq and Cuba. Each team will have a specific emphasis (the Russian vehicles cost 15% less, France has strong walls, etc.) Beyond this, each team has a unique unit that can only be built by them. Britain gets a Sniper, the Russians get the Tesla Tank, France gets the Grande Cannon, etc.
Red Alert 2 FAQ
August 24, 2000
This is an FAQ that answers question posed to us by the fans and the press. For more information about Red Alert 2, visit www.westwood.com and head over to the Red Alert 2 section. Thanks!
General Questions:
1. When did Westwood first decide to make a sequel to Red Alert?
We first began pre-production in May of 1999. The idea was pretty obvious when we started it about a year ago. We wanted to capture the essence of Red Alert 1 and take it a step forward. We started wondering about what the Soviets would be doing after the war and where the next war would be. The idea of a world war being fought on American soil and having the United States call on the allied nations of Europe for rescue was too good to pass up.
Moving forward, ideas for the wonderful off-beat technologies both the Allies and Soviets would invent just started flowing. Mind-control and psychic warfare were perfect for the Soviets. The United States and the European Allies invented Prism technology and a weather control device. Our imaginations ran wild.
Once we had our design direction, we were excited about the game we knew we could build. It's great when key ideas merge and take on a life of their own. It's as if the game makes itself and your job is make sure it becomes the game it wants to be.
2. What role does Brett Sperry play in the RA2 process?
Brett has and always will be the driving force behind all of the Command & Conquer games. Heís challenged the team to come up fresh new ideas for units and gameplay that the genre has yet to expand on. Brett has also contributed his own ideas and design flare to make RA2 a top quality title.
3. What type of game are you trying to make with RA2?
RA2 will play a lot like the original ñ fast-paced and full of action. However, there will be a number of key differences that are a result of changes to our interface and choice of units and tactics.
First, we're creating a huge variety of units with multiple purposes, which leads to a huge array of tactics. We stayed away from creating "mirrored unit" lists where each side had basically the same units with different colors.
Next, we're balancing the game "high". With this roller coaster style of game play, at any moment, you could be one step away from an amazing victory or a crushing defeat. One way to easily see this philosophy is that super weapons like the nuke or the Allied Weather Control Machine do a TREMENDOUS amount of damage when you fire them off at your enemy.
Finally, we're making the interface more powerful, yet easier to use. We've switched to a tab interface for unit creation and have added the advanced command bar to bring some of the more complex interface elements to the surface.
4. At what point completion is the game in right now?
We hate to give percentages since they mean very little to most people. I'll try and describe it for you. All the units and structures are in the game and functional. We are playing network/Internet games everyday. This is a huge plus when it comes to play balancing and polishing. All the game functionality for the shell screens, the game editor, etc is all in. We are looking very good and it gives us time when we can just play the game to see what works and what doesn't.
5. Is Kane in Red Alert 2?
Hmmm, good question.
6. What is the release date?
We are set for an October 2000 release.
7. What are the minimum System requirements for RA2?
Operating System: Windows 95,98, NT 6.0, 2000, and Millennium
CPU Speed: PII 266 or Higher
Memory: 64 MB
Video Card: 4 MB that supports 16bit color
CD-ROM Speed: 4X or Higher
Sound Card: Direct Sound compatible
Head to Head Multiplayer Games: Same as above +56kbps modem
Multiplayer games 3-8: PII 450, 128 MB Ram, 56Kbps modem
Game Play and Story
1. How does Red Alert 2 fit into the Command & Conquer universe story line wise? Why Red Alert 2 and not C&C 3, or is that in development as well?
The original Red Alert Universe was created when Einstein changed the past in hopes of creating a better future. Weíre continuing that branch of the historical time line with Red Alert 2 so it is rapidly diverging from the C&C universe.
2. What game play changes are players going to see going from RA to RA2?
The RA2 team has created a real-time strategy game that's fast-paced, in your face and visceral, just like the first Red Alert. When we started designing, we took a long, hard look at the real-time strategy form, and agreed that, more often than not, the genre usually involves a slow war of attrition -- sometimes you've pretty much lost the game in the first ten minutes, and the next two hours is spent playing it out. We've picked up the pace, and made the game a real roller coaster ride in which the tides can turn at any moment -- without sacrificing deep, strategic game play, and make it a real blast to play right out of the box.
3. What features will the game have that separate it from the rest of the RTS pack?
With Red Alert 2, we have a healthy mix of units that are unusually powerful and add a lot of intensity to game play. RTS games are judged by their units, tactics and balance. Take a look at the units we've created for the game and you can see that this has been a focus for us. Thatís what makes RA2 fun, always knowing there are more units to experiment with and tactics to try.
Beyond that, we have a very compelling story element. For the first time, the war happens in North America, in its cities, which we have filed with recognizable landmarks. For gamers in U.S., itís interesting to explore the idea of being invaded. For gamers in the U.K., it will be great fun to save us poor yanks from the Soviet hoard.
Lastly, and most importantly, weíre taking great pains to make the game a huge amount of fun. Weíre playing each mission over and over again, polishing, polishing, and polishing. As I said before, because we have a stable technology platform, weíre able to have just about everyone at Westwood play the game and give feedback. Because we donít have to ship until October, we have the time to use those suggestions to make the game even better. Weíre building the game weíd want to play.
4. What style of play is being emphasized, and what design factors have gone into making the game play this way?
In RA2, players will find the game play fast, fun, and deep. Weíve introduced a second level of strategy into the game that adds a whole new realm of tactical possibilities. It's one thing to use different units in concert with each other, but in Red Alert 2, you can use units in a much richer, defined way. For instance, the Soviet Tesla coil can shoot only so far, but if you make three Tesla Troopers force-fire on the coil, you can give it a super-charge so it has a huge range. Or you can have the Soviets demolitions specialist, Crazy Ivan, plant an explosive on an unsuspecting cow, and use your psychic Yuri to send the hapless cow into the U.S. base.
5. What Type of game engine does Red Alert 2 utilize?
RA2 uses an enhanced version of the Tiberian Sun engine. The first thing players will notice is that everything in the game is about 25% larger. We've also spent time making the units look better by reworking the voxel system. Other areas we've reworked include the AI system, issues relating to fighting in urban settings and of course the network play to add the co-op campaign mode. With all of this work though, our focus has been on creating a great game rather than creating technology for technology sake.
6. How did Westwood choose the art direction of the game?
We wanted to focus on a fast and furious game. The art direction developed from this. We wanted a game that just said ìfunî when gamers saw it. We choose to go for larger, more highly detailed structures that would ìpopî off the screen. Darker colors tend to obscure all the art weíve done so we went for a brighter type of look that really supported the overall atmosphere of the game. We love it and we hope the fans do to. Our intent is to capture the feel of the original and we think the art direction we choose supports this.
7. What interface changes have you made from previous C&C games?
So far, lots of them. We wanted to keep the same game play but make sure players spend a lot more time on the battlefield rather than the Command Bar. We want the UI to be very easy to use. The real fun is playing with the toys (units) in the sandbox (game). Hereís a quick initial list.
• Tab System: We have changed the Command Bar so that there are typically only 2 button clicks to arrive at the unit/structure you want to build. There are 4 tabs Infantry, Arsenal (Includes specials and defenses), Structures and Vehicles. This makes for fast navigation and not much scrolling of the buttons.
• Rally Points: Our ìRally Pointî only requires a double click on any production building. The rally line appears and you can set it anywhere on the map
• Advanced Command Bar: We implemented an optional command bar on the bottom of the screen that allows for many commands like ìdeployî, ìteamsî, ìbeaconsî, etc.
• Diplomacy Button: This button appears on the top of the screen and allows players to ally, know who belongs to which color, etc.
• Planning Mode: A very robust waypoint system, it allows players to coincide their own units to execute actions together easily.
8. When does Red Alert 2 take place?
RA2 takes place roughly 20 years after RA1.
9. Will you have an outside beta test?
Probably not.
10. In previous C&C games, credit unloading has been very different. In Red Alert, ore was dumped instantly; will this remain the same as RA1?
Itís a dump and go system. No waiting around for the miner to unload
11. In RA, the Chronospheric effects didn't last forever. Was the same true for the time machine Einstein used to remove Hitler from the continuum? Could he return in the midst of everything?
In RA2 we donít hold anything back with the Chronosphere (or any other super weapon). It lasts forever. As far as the story line goes, I highly doubt heíd return. After all, Einstein spent so much effort getting rid of him and it made for such an exciting RA world!
12. What is planning mode?
Itís an enhanced waypoint system that is accessed via the advanced command bar.
13. How do you execute a ìcow rushî?
First, find some cows. Next take a Crazy Ivan and bomb the cows, move fast as the bombs have a 30 second timer. Then use a few Yuri units to mind control the cows. You will now have control of their movements. Walk the cows up to a player base (they are not recognized as enemies) and use Crazy Ivan to blow them all up! Its udder madness!
14. How do you garrison a building?
In RA2 Conscripts and GIs can enter civilian structures and ìgarrisonî them. Many soldiers can enter and this essentially becomes a safe house. They can fire out of the buildings and the structures themselves are boarded up with barbed wire. These garrisoned buildings protect the infantry inside and enhance their firepower. They are great to command/hold points on the map and to create pinch points.
15. How will you handle veterancy?
Our objective with veterancy is to make sure itís obvious and important in the game. That means a player should gain elite status for his unit relatively quickly (in the scheme of game pacing) and the elite ability he gets should be way cool. The unit should get something that makes it very worthwhile to protect and care for that unit while trying to attain elite status. Currently V3 rockets gain small tactical nukes, the Tesla Trooper gets an EMP bolt, etc. This may change as we balance the game but we want to make sure the reward is there for players who want vet units
16. Where did Premier Romanov come from?
Romanov is a vengeful man. After seeing the Allies crush Russia he pledged his life to seeing that this crime would be set right. Feeling that Stalin led his homeland down the road to ruin, he sees his destiny as fulfilling the Soviet Unionís rightful position as THE world power. Evidence of his lineage to the original Tsars is tenuous at best. He is a proud man that has spiraled down into the world of paranoia and treachery. His trust lies in Yuri till the end but no one else has been deemed worthy of this ìhonorî. Now the only country that truly stands in his path to world domination is America.
17. Who decided to put psychic powers into Red Alert 2?
Why, the Soviets of course! Those pesky Reds were (and some say still are) experimenting with a lot of strange technology during the 20th Century. Psychic power is just one tech path they chose to follow.
18. Will the Soviet Side have MIG aircrafts in RA2?
Currently they aren't planned for. When the Soviets lost the last war 90% of their air force was dismantled. The treaty they signed restricted further development of MIG technology. Knowing this, Romanov challenged his engineers to design an aircraft powerful enough to level a city with one single swoop, and at the same time avoid alarming the Allies of any major unit build-up. After a period of time and many design revisions the Kirov airship was born. Considered the Apocalypse tank of the sky, this slow moving airship could deliver the damage and destruction Romanov so wants to inflict on his enemies. To appear legit, Romanov approached the Allies and received approval on the new Soviet cargo airship (wink, wink) Kirov production began soon after. When a player sees his enemy trudging slowly across the battlefield with a few of these, he absolutely must address this threat. If not he'll be blown to smithereens.
22. Isn't it a bit unbalancing for the Allies to be able to see everything on the map and have their bases hidden?
Ahh, play balancing. We are continuing to "balance high" which means that our game play should be very exciting, fun and volatile. Most games are "balanced low" where there are minimal differences between units. We're making sure that our units are powerful and worth the money/time to build. As far as Gap Generators and the Spy Satellite, they are proven play mechanics from the original RA1. The Allies are all about information while the Soviets are all about brute force.
23. They're probably obsolete because of surface ships, but will missile subs make a return?
We want to make sure we introduce lots of new tactics, units and structures. Missile subs are cool but we may want to try something fresher. We do have subs in now though.
24. How has the ìeconomic modelî or the gathering of ore changed in RA2 from previous C&C games?
While we still have Ore Trucks like before, there are a few things weíve altered in RA2 with regard to the economics. 1) We added Oil Derricks that can be captured by engineers in many of the maps. These provide the occupying player with a steady stream of cash. 2) The Ore Trucks themselves have special abilities. The Allied Ore Truck (Chrono Miner) can chrono itself back to the refinery to avoid threats and speed the collection process up. The Soviet Ore Truck (War Miner) has a turret on top that can repel small threats ñ especially the Terror Drones. We will specifically watch out for making the War Miner an offensive unit though. 3) The Allies have a purchasable structure called the Ore Purifier that increases the worth of ore collected. 4) Weíve improved the ore collection logic for the miners so that they collect ìsmarterî. Theyíll go after the closest ore patch, return ore to the closest Refinery, etc.
Unit and Structure info:
1. Who is Yuri?
Yuri is Premier Romanovís #1 guy. He has a very checkered and mysterious past. He is the leader and most powerful of the Psychic Corps. These genetically enhanced soldiers were originally part of Stalinís experiments during the first Red War. Since Stalinís death they have been dormant as far as most Sovietís are concerned. Few knew of their existence but during Romanovís drive for power he recognized the worth that they could bring to the Russian military. Yuri can control the mind of most beings ñ although he has trouble with dogs. He canít mind control robotic beings, like Terror Drones or Miners, either. Yuri has been instrumental in helping Romanov choreograph the Russian invasion into the US. He can also use his mind attack to deploy a psychic wave around himself, frying the brains of other infantry. Some say that Yuri has lots of connections to underground technology and that his staring into his gaze is to give away your will.
2. What is the Psychic Sensor?
The Psychic Sensor is a Soviet structure that enables the player to actually ìseeî where his enemy is going to strike. It allows players to plan for attacks and be ready for an onslaught ñ before they happen. Its wide radius protects any structure or unit within the radius. If Tanya decides to attack a playerís War Factory, that player will now before she gets there.
3. Whatís new with the Allied Spy?
One of the directives for the team when making RA2 was to make sure all the units were critical and useful. We felt that the Spy in RA1 could use an upgrade so we made him fairly powerful. Currently he can take the identity of whomever he wants. He will appear as this unit to the enemy. He can also enter lots of buildings to wreak havoc. If he goes into a Tesla Plant he will shut down the enemyís power for a while, if he enters a super weapon he will reset the enemyís timer for the special, if he goes into the Radar Tower he resets the enemyís shroud. One of the great new things is that when he enters an enemyís Battle Lab he will use the enemy technology and his own to develop a new unit. That unit is a combo unit and is constructible from then on. One example at this time is the Chrono Commando. This unit can chrono anywhere and bomb buildings. The farther he chronoís the longer it takes for him to ìphase back inî or become active. Generally these units are very powerful.
4. Giant Squid?
Thanks to the Soviet experimentation with mind control, they have been able to utilize this research to take advantage of the ìlesserî forms of life. Earlier in the 20th Century Russian marine scientists began searching for this elusive real-life sea monster. At 100 feet long they had been dragging Russian fisherman to their deaths for years. Eventually, a Psychic Corp research vessel was able to find and capture one of these creatures. They found that the beings were fairly intelligent and psychic powers worked wonders to tame them. Recognizing their stealth abilities as well as their ferocity would work well for them, they began to breed them for their own ends. The Giant Squid is useful to drag down enemy ships and limit offensive powers. They also like to munch on Dolphins, although these trained Allied units are difficult to match with their sonically enhanced fin-packs.
5. How many units are in the game? Structures? Infantry?
Give or take a fewÖ
15 infantry
26 vehicles (air, sea, land)
40 structures (includes defenses)
None of these are duplicates and each has specific strengths/weaknesses depending on the playerís strategy. You can acquire new units by getting a spy into a War Factory, Battle Lab, etc. Also, multiplayer teams all have something unique too.
6. Whatís the Desolator do?
Those rotten Soviets have no morals. Apparently their infatuation with atomic tech has manifested itself into this super soldier. The Desolator is one bad apple. He carries a radiation rifle that snuffs out most infantry quickly and can also deploy. When he deploys he spreads radiation all over the terrain. Anyone who wanders into it melts away. He can be used to protect against SEAL's and other infantry. Often SEALís will try to sneak in the back door but if the Desolator is watching, they wonít be able to get near the base. He doesnít have too many friends since the very air around the Desolator makes Geiger counters explode.
7. What will a Cloning Vat do for me?
The Cloning Vats are a great new Soviet tech that basically gets them a ì2 for 1î whenever they train infantry. Since infantry are important in RA2, this is a big help. Thatís fun but the real trick is to use this in conjunction with other Soviet units. If a player uses Yuri to mind control an Allied unit, he can send that unit into the Cloning Vat. For this effort heíll get lots of cash and will also be able to build that unit from then on. Nothing like using the enemies own units against him.
8. Whatís new about the Iron Curtain?
The Soviets felt that the Iron Curtain tech as fine conceptually but it needed further refinement on the execution side. The new Iron Curtain makes 9 units max invulnerable. It will also kill infantry and protect buildings. If the enemy gets this, watch out.
9. Whatís new about the ChronoSphere?
The Allies felt the same way about this as the Soviets did about the Iron Curtain. They liked it but it needed a little more kick. The ChronoSphere will transport up to 9 units at once to anywhere on the battlefield. Players can also pick up enemy ships and drop them onto the land, destroying them or pick up tanks and throw them in the water.
10. What does the Chrono Legionnaire do?
This Allied unit never walks anywhere ñ he just warps to anyplace he wants. The farther he moves, the longer it takes him to ìchrono-shiftî back into our reality. He has a gun that slowly removes his target from history. While the target is being shot it canít be affected by anything since itís not in our reality. Heís very sneaky can get into the enemy base easily. The trick is staying in there safely. Another thing he can do is protect the playerís base. Suppose a nuke is about to slam into the Allied Con Yard. The Chrono Legionnaire can shoot his own Con Yard and it gets taken out of our time ñtemporarily. When the nuke lands the Chrono Legionnaire dies but the nuke has already exploded. The Con Yard comes back into our reality and sits safely in the middle of an irradiated nuke field, living to fight another day.
11. Whatís new about the Nuke?
Thereís nothing like hearing that air raid siren and knowing that someone in the game is about to take it on the chin. Our nukes are pretty powerful and will pretty much wallop the enemy base. Not only that but they leave a deadly radiation mess after theyíre gone. Although the nuke is a game ender, we give opponents plenty of chances to go take it out. Once one is built (or any super weapon) all opponents get an audio cue, a ping on the radar map, the silo gets unshrouded and the countdown begins. Playerís better go after that quick when it pops up.
12. Beacons? What are beacons?
Beacons are tools in multiplay that allows players to communicate with their Allies. Essentially a player will be able to left click on the Advanced Command Bar, the cursor turns into a beacon, this flashing beacon can be dropped onto the battlefield and then a player can type in messages to Allies. These messages could be like ìAttack Hereî, ìMineî, ìYoursî, etc. They make coordinating attacks and things easier.
13. Two words: Oil Barrels? (Will they be in RA2?). If so will they still be as destructive as in RA?
Yes, absolutely. They play a part in single player missions and multiplayer maps.
14. Approximately how many seconds does it take for a Chrono Legionnaire to eradicate a building from existence?
Well, it all depends on the size and armor rating of the structure.
15. Are the Allies going to have an artillery unit?
Yes. We refer to them as ìsiegeî units rather than artillery since this term sort of pigeon holes us into a ìhigh arcingî sort of vehicle. The Allies have the Prism Tank that has a long range and is great at attacking bases. It shoots a beam that spreads out in a wide arc after making contact with the primary target. Itís very cool. The Soviets have the V3 Rocket (a nephew of the Red Alertís V2 Rocket) that shoots a long distance and rains a lot of trouble down on enemies.
16. Does the transport carry people or vehicles and how many?
Both the Soviets and Allies have a Hovercraft that can traverse land and sea. These carry vehicles and infantry. Weíre not sure how many but we concentrated on making sure the player can launch a substantial force over water. We donít like too much micromanagement and the nature of water transports sort of forces us down this road. Weíve minimized this by making sure players can load a good number of units into these Hovercraft so they can transfer them efficiently. That way players will be able to attack from the sea and have it be a strong tactic.
17. Will the AI build and use naval units? In the first RA it never even touched in multiplay.
Good question. They never did, did they? The RA2 AI use the water to launch a Dreadnought attack (with 2 Sea Scorpions as cover) but they also sent various tank teams up to simultaneously attack me by land. Our units will use land, sea and air.
18. Does the Intruder plane come out of the Aircraft Carrier or is it a separate plane?
The Intruder is available on the Allied side after the player has made and Air force Command. This is basically like a radar tower that allows gamers to make 4 planes per structure. The Aircraft Carrier planes are called Hornets. These are not the same and are automatically replenished from the Aircraft Carrier if destroyed.
19. Will the AI actually be able to build and use the ChronoSphere and Iron
Curtain?
Yes, thatís the plan!
16. Will Tanya have a build limit?
Nope. No plans for one.
21. Are the civilians clever now, are they armed?
Civilians still contain the civilian mentality, but players will be able to mind control them and put bombs on them just like cows. Oh, did I mention we have polar bears and alligators that love to eat infantry units for snacks.
22. Can you explain how Elite units work?
Sure. We want to make sure that any Elite earned by the player becomes worth the effort. To this end weíve made it so that they become fairly powerful when they attain the rank. They attain the rank by killing other units. One example is the V3 Rocket. Once its gained Elite status it gets the following abilities: Faster, Stronger, Firepower, Scatter, Rate of Fire, Self Heal, Radar Invisible. It also gains a new missile that looks visually upgraded from the original. This one fires a small tactical nuke!
23. Will Yuri and/or Crazy Ivan be featured in any of the Red Alert 2 cut-scenes?
Yes. Yuri is a very prominent player in the whole story. Crazy Ivan also gets in a well-placed lick on the US high command.
24. Will more than two Barracks or War Factories give a build speed increase?
Yes! But we are going to limit to three.
25. How many playable units total are currently in Red Alert 2?
Right around the 50 mark. This doesnít include the many structures and civilian units.
26. Is the Tesla Tank going to be in the game?
Yes, the Soviets use it in the multiplayer game.
27. How will engineers work?
They'll work like they did in traditional C&C games.
28. About how many maps will come with RA2 and how big will the large maps be in comparison to Tiberian Sun's maps?
We expect around 30 multiplayer maps. The size will differ. We tend to go smaller than Tiberian Sun since it keeps the action heated.
Multiplayer:
1. Will Multiplayer be similar as in Tiberian Sun, a 'built in' gaming system? Or will you use Westwood Chat?
Itíll be similar to Tiberian Sun. Weíre also including a more accessible ìQuick Matchî button that will hopefully encourage more inexperienced players to try online games.
2. Will there be a function to just talk to your allies during 8 player games and not manually message them?
Yes,†players will be able†to team chat through the diplomacy screen. We'll release more details about this later...
3. What multiplay teams are currently planned for?
On the Allied side we are planning on the USA, France, Britain, Germany and the Republic of Korea. On the Soviet side we have the Russians, Libya, Iraq and Cuba. Each team will have a specific emphasis (the Russian vehicles cost 15% less, France has strong walls, etc.) Beyond this, each team has a unique unit that can only be built by them. Britain gets a Sniper, the Russians get the Tesla Tank, France gets the Grande Cannon, etc.
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