| Revision as of 09:41, 14 September 2005 editRakumend (talk | contribs)34 editsmNo edit summary← Previous edit | Revision as of 12:43, 16 September 2005 edit undo211.30.205.254 (talk)No edit summaryNext edit → | ||
| Line 9: | Line 9: | ||
| |modes = ] ] | |modes = ] ] | ||
| |ratings = ]: Teen (T) | |ratings = ]: Teen (T) | ||
| |platforms = ], ] | |platforms = ], ] | ||
| |media = ] (2) | |media = ] (2) | ||
| |requirements = Windows 95/98 or higher, 75Mhz ] Processor (120Mhz recommended), 8Mb RAM (16Mb recommended), 4x ], 1Mb video card | |requirements = Windows 95/98 or higher, 75Mhz ] Processor (120Mhz recommended), 8Mb RAM (16Mb recommended), 4x ], 1Mb video card | ||
| |input = ], ] | |input = ], ] | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''''', is a ] ] in the '']'' series by ]. The game is an ] where ] defend ] against an aggressive ]. It was available for PC (] & ] versions included in one package) and was subsequently ported to ]. The ''Command & Conquer: Red Alert'' series is also certified by the ] as the best selling Real-time strategy game in the world, with over 35 million units sold. | '''''Command & Conquer: Red Alert''''', is a ] ] in the '']'' series by ]. The game is an ] where ] defend ] against an aggressive ]. It was available for PC (] & ] versions included in one package) and was subsequently ported to ]. The ''Command & Conquer: Red Alert'' series is also certified by the ] as the best selling Real-time strategy game in the world, with over 35 million units sold. | ||
| == Story == | == Story == | ||
| Line 22: | Line 22: | ||
| In ''Red Alert'', world-renowned physicist ] invents the ''Chronosphere'', a device which he uses to go back in time and ] ]. This upsets the entire balance of world power, causing the Soviets led by ] to start a massive invasion of European countries (The actual game involves the player fighting on one side of the resulting battles). Following a European victory, a period of approximately twenty years passes, during which the defeated USSR secretly begins building up high-tech military forces. Around twenty years after the end of the first war, the USSR embarks on a major invasion of the continental ], but are ultimately defeated by the Allied forces. | In ''Red Alert'', world-renowned physicist ] invents the ''Chronosphere'', a device which he uses to go back in time and ] ]. This upsets the entire balance of world power, causing the Soviets led by ] to start a massive invasion of European countries (The actual game involves the player fighting on one side of the resulting battles). Following a European victory, a period of approximately twenty years passes, during which the defeated USSR secretly begins building up high-tech military forces. Around twenty years after the end of the first war, the USSR embarks on a major invasion of the continental ], but are ultimately defeated by the Allied forces. | ||
| The concept of the Chronosphere, used both in the game's premise and during the game as a teleportation device, is based around the conspiracy theories regarding the ] - indeed, an ingame cinematic shows the USS Eldrige vanish, only to reappear after a few moments. | The concept of the Chronosphere, used both in the game's premise and during the game as a teleportation device, is based around the conspiracy theories regarding the ] - indeed, an ingame cinematic shows the ] vanish, only to reappear after a few moments. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Line 63: | Line 63: | ||
| ''Red Alert'' battles have 3 domains of fighting: air, land and sea. Each side (Allies or Soviets) can train naval units, aircraft, and land forces. Each side also has its unique capabilities, although in ''Red Alert II'' they were balanced so that each unit's ability was countered by a similar one on the other side. For example: in Red Alert 2, the ultimate Soviet ] defensive towers were matched by the Allies' "Prism tower". | ''Red Alert'' battles have 3 domains of fighting: air, land and sea. Each side (Allies or Soviets) can train naval units, aircraft, and land forces. Each side also has its unique capabilities, although in ''Red Alert II'' they were balanced so that each unit's ability was countered by a similar one on the other side. For example: in Red Alert 2, the ultimate Soviet ] defensive towers were matched by the Allies' "Prism tower". | ||
| Notable units for the Soviet side includes the Heavy ], the ] launcher, the ], the ] attack helichopper, submarines, the ] as well as the ] attack aircraft and anti-infantry minelayer. The Allied faction has the Light Tank, the Medium Tank, commando unit Tanya, anti-tank minelayer, the Ranger jeep, ]s, ]s as well as ]s and also the ] attack chopper. | Notable units for the Soviet side includes the Heavy ], the ] launcher, the ], the ] Hind attack helichopper, submarines, the ] as well as the ] attack aircraft and anti-infantry minelayer. The Allied faction has the Light Tank, the Medium Tank, commando unit Tanya, anti-tank minelayer, the Ranger jeep, ]s, ]s as well as ]s and also the ] Longbow attack chopper. | ||
| === Game Balancing === | === Game Balancing === | ||
| This represents an interesting ] between the strengths of the Allied and Soviet armies. The Soviets are formidable because of their brute force: their weakest tank is still more powerful than the best Allied equivalent even though it is only marginally more expensive and this, coupled with the fact that the Allied anti-tank defensive structure (the ]) is inferior to the Soviet ] (powerful and extremely accurate, like a bug zapper), means that the Allies are at a significant disadvantage during land based combat. This status quo is repeated in the field of aerial engagements where the Soviets have various specialised planes. For short powerful strikes, there is the ] for dispatching infantry and light buildings and the ] for armour and heavy buildings alike, while the ] chopper is for staying power against both armour and infantry. The Allied army simply has one chopper, the ] which is best suited to anti-armour work. | This represents an interesting ] between the strengths of the Allied and Soviet armies. The Soviets are formidable because of their brute force: their weakest tank is still more powerful than the best Allied equivalent even though it is only marginally more expensive and this, coupled with the fact that the Allied anti-tank defensive structure (the ]) is inferior to the Soviet ] (powerful and extremely accurate, like a bug zapper), means that the Allies are at a significant disadvantage during land based combat. This status quo is repeated in the field of aerial engagements where the Soviets have various specialised planes. For short powerful strikes, there is the ] for dispatching infantry and light buildings and the ] for armour and heavy buildings alike, while the ] chopper is for staying power against both armour and infantry. The Allied army simply has one chopper, the ] which is best suited to anti-armour work. | ||
| Naval warfare, however, is another matter. The Allies have three ships: notably the ] (modern guided missile destroyer) which is a good all-around vessel that can deal with aircraft, submarines, and land targets; and the ] (some aptly call it a battleship) whose massive and (extremely) long-range guns can bombard an enemy base to rubble within minutes. In comparison the Soviets only receive the ] that only exists to counteract Allied naval activity rather than provide a threat to the enemy's base. Considering that virtually all Red Alert maps contain various bodies of water this makes the Allies a much more credible threat. The Allies' second strength is their ability to indulge in acts of ]. Allied commanders can build units and structures to recreate the "fog of war" effectively blinding the enemy. They themselves can launch a ] into space to see the whole battlefield. Other Allied units can jam radar, plant mines, steal money, spy on the enemy and |
Naval warfare, however, is another matter. The Allies have three ships: notably the ] (modern guided missile destroyer) which is a good all-around vessel that can deal with aircraft, submarines, and land targets; and the ] (some aptly call it a battleship) whose massive and (extremely) long-range guns can bombard an enemy base to rubble within minutes. In comparison the Soviets only receive the ] that only exists to counteract Allied naval activity rather than provide a threat to the enemy's base. Considering that virtually all Red Alert maps contain various bodies of water this makes the Allies a much more credible threat. The Allies' second strength is their ability to indulge in acts of ]. Allied commanders can build units and structures to recreate the "fog of war" effectively blinding the enemy. They themselves can launch a ] satellite into space to see the whole battlefield. Other Allied units can jam radar, plant mines, steal money, spy on the enemy and plant explosive charges on buildings (]). This means that Red Alert was a much more dynamic game than many of its time and stood in stark contrast to games such as ] in which both sides had units with practically identical abilities. | ||
| Unlike the 'rock-paper-scissors' balancing of more recent games, Red Alert requires each player to make best use of their side's strengths to compensate for the weaknesses. | Unlike the 'rock-paper-scissors' balancing of more recent games, Red Alert requires each player to make best use of their side's strengths to compensate for the weaknesses. | ||
| Line 87: | Line 87: | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| *] | *] | ||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 12:43, 16 September 2005
1996 video game| Command & Conquer: Red Alert | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Westwood Studios |
| Publisher(s) | Virgin Interactive |
| Platform(s) | PC, PlayStation |
| Release | October, 1996 |
| Genre(s) | Real-time strategy |
| Mode(s) | Single player multiplayer |
Command & Conquer: Red Alert, is a real-time strategy computer game in the Command & Conquer series by Westwood Studios. The game is an alternative history where Allied Forces defend Europe against an aggressive Soviet Union. It was available for PC (DOS & Windows 95 versions included in one package) and was subsequently ported to PlayStation. The Command & Conquer: Red Alert series is also certified by the Guinness Book of Records as the best selling Real-time strategy game in the world, with over 35 million units sold.
Story
- Main article: Command & Conquer: Red Alert Series Story
In Red Alert, world-renowned physicist Albert Einstein invents the Chronosphere, a device which he uses to go back in time and chronoshift Adolf Hitler. This upsets the entire balance of world power, causing the Soviets led by Joseph Stalin to start a massive invasion of European countries (The actual game involves the player fighting on one side of the resulting battles). Following a European victory, a period of approximately twenty years passes, during which the defeated USSR secretly begins building up high-tech military forces. Around twenty years after the end of the first war, the USSR embarks on a major invasion of the continental United States, but are ultimately defeated by the Allied forces.
The concept of the Chronosphere, used both in the game's premise and during the game as a teleportation device, is based around the conspiracy theories regarding the Philadelphia Experiment - indeed, an ingame cinematic shows the USS Eldrige vanish, only to reappear after a few moments.
Counterstrike & Aftermath (1997)
In 1997, two expansion packs for Red Alert were released, Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Counterstrike, and Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Aftermath. New units, missions, and music were included in the expansions. While the Counterstrike add-on adds many more multiplayer maps, it lacks in originality as its single player missions appeared to have been scrapped from modified units (Red Alert 1 units can be modified by editing the game's internal text files) and bundled together to give a feel of new and more powerful units than its predecessor. Of particular note is the addition of the secret Ant Missions to this add-on which the player must unlock in order to play against giant red ants with super weapon capabilities.
The add-on Aftermath however added many new units available in single and multiplay modes, with Soviet units like the Missile Sub, the Mutually Assured Destruction Tank (MAD Tank, for short), the infantry Shock Trooper, the Demolition Truck as well as the Allied units like the battlefield mechanic, the Chrono Tank and more. The add-on also includes hundreds of new maps as well as maps with huge map sizes.
Music
All the music in the Red Alert was composed by Frank Klepacki. Among his most famous songs from the series is the theme of Red Alert, titled "Hell March", which accents the style of the game with adrenalized riffs of electric guitar and synthesizers to the dramatic chant of "We want war, wake up!" It alone has enlisted itself as a staple in the Red Alert series (i.e. a second version of Hell March was even created for Red Alert 2).
Tracklist for Red Alert soundtrack CD:
- Hell March
- Radio
- Crush
- Roll Out
- Mud
- Twin Cannon
- Face the Enemy
- Run
- Terminate
- Big Foot
- Workmen
- Militant Force
- Dense
- Vector
- Smash (hidden track at end)
When playing the single-player campaign, a limited number of tracks are initially available, and more are unlocked as the player progresses through missions. When playing a multiplayer or 'skirmish' game, all tracks are available from the start.
Gameplay
Red Alert is a real-time strategy series in which the player commands an army and is responsible for gathering resources, building bases, training units, and fighting the enemy's army.
Red Alert was praised for its user interface, which was much more developed than other games at the time. For example, there are no limitations on the number of units one can select. One also can give a unit many orders at once, which it can execute in sequence.
Red Alert battles have 3 domains of fighting: air, land and sea. Each side (Allies or Soviets) can train naval units, aircraft, and land forces. Each side also has its unique capabilities, although in Red Alert II they were balanced so that each unit's ability was countered by a similar one on the other side. For example: in Red Alert 2, the ultimate Soviet Tesla coil defensive towers were matched by the Allies' "Prism tower".
Notable units for the Soviet side includes the Heavy Tank, the V-2 rocket launcher, the flamethrower, the Mil Mi-24 Hind attack helichopper, submarines, the Mammoth Tank as well as the MiG attack aircraft and anti-infantry minelayer. The Allied faction has the Light Tank, the Medium Tank, commando unit Tanya, anti-tank minelayer, the Ranger jeep, Gunboats, Destroyers as well as Cruisers and also the AH-64 Apache Longbow attack chopper.
Game Balancing
This represents an interesting game balance between the strengths of the Allied and Soviet armies. The Soviets are formidable because of their brute force: their weakest tank is still more powerful than the best Allied equivalent even though it is only marginally more expensive and this, coupled with the fact that the Allied anti-tank defensive structure (the turret) is inferior to the Soviet Tesla coil (powerful and extremely accurate, like a bug zapper), means that the Allies are at a significant disadvantage during land based combat. This status quo is repeated in the field of aerial engagements where the Soviets have various specialised planes. For short powerful strikes, there is the Yak for dispatching infantry and light buildings and the MiG for armour and heavy buildings alike, while the Hind chopper is for staying power against both armour and infantry. The Allied army simply has one chopper, the Longbow which is best suited to anti-armour work.
Naval warfare, however, is another matter. The Allies have three ships: notably the Destroyer (modern guided missile destroyer) which is a good all-around vessel that can deal with aircraft, submarines, and land targets; and the Cruiser (some aptly call it a battleship) whose massive and (extremely) long-range guns can bombard an enemy base to rubble within minutes. In comparison the Soviets only receive the submarine that only exists to counteract Allied naval activity rather than provide a threat to the enemy's base. Considering that virtually all Red Alert maps contain various bodies of water this makes the Allies a much more credible threat. The Allies' second strength is their ability to indulge in acts of subterfuge. Allied commanders can build units and structures to recreate the "fog of war" effectively blinding the enemy. They themselves can launch a GPS satellite into space to see the whole battlefield. Other Allied units can jam radar, plant mines, steal money, spy on the enemy and plant explosive charges on buildings (Tanya). This means that Red Alert was a much more dynamic game than many of its time and stood in stark contrast to games such as Total Annihilation in which both sides had units with practically identical abilities.
Unlike the 'rock-paper-scissors' balancing of more recent games, Red Alert requires each player to make best use of their side's strengths to compensate for the weaknesses.
Connections to the Tiberian Series
Command & Conquer: Red Alert was designed as a prequel to the first C&C game Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn. During the Soviet campaign Kane makes infrequent appearances as an advisor to Stalin. Kane, it seemed, instigated the battles of Red Alert, in order to secure a power base for his Brotherhood of Nod. Indeed, Nadia (one of Stalin's advisors) asks the player to 'keep the peace' until Nod becomes active. Kane shoots her, and informs the player that he is the future. During the Allied Campaign, a news announcer reporting on the Allies' loss of Greece also announced that the United Nations had create a special military task force to deal with future global conflicts. It was assumed that this group was the Global Defense Initiative (GDI).
A debated theory to resolve the apparent timeline error is to consider Red Alert as the genesis of two parallel stories. If the Soviet campaign is played in Red Alert, Russia emerges as the dominant power and Kane and the Brotherhood Of Nod take control of this new empire. This leads directly into Tiberian Dawn. On the other hand, if the Allied campaign is played in Red Alert, the Allies emerge victorious, and the timeline leads directly to Red Alert 2. Of course, this is not without consistency flaws. As mentioned above, during the Allied campaign in Greece, the newscast refers to the formation of a "Initiative of Global Defense" to combat Soviet militarism in any form, a clear reference to the military alliance of the same name in Command & Conquer, yet if the Allied campaign is played, C&C never takes place, and Red Alert 2 contains no mention of GDI. The problems arise mainly because, of course Red Alert was originally conceived solely as a prequel to Tiberian Dawn, and only after its mass popular success was a separate sequel planned, muddying the timeline.
An example of the connections with the C&C chronologies is displayed (difficult to be noticed) in Command & Conquer: Renegade. In the last mission where Havoc infiltrates the Temple of Nod there are various portraits of Nod posters. One of the portraits shows two Soviet Apocalypse Tanks from Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2. This could mean that the events of Red Alert did happen and Nod was involved somehow.
See also
External links
- The XWIS server - an alternative server to Westwood Online (WOL) created by Olaf van der Spek and sponsored by the EA Germany Community Team.