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Added by Jeff on Oct. 4, 2008 77 comments
Electronic Arts Los Angeles dropped by our offices earlier this week with a couple of travel-friendly PCs containing the practically-finished-might-as-well-be-final version of Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3. This was our first time getting an up-close look at the campaign and how it will play out in a co-operative fashion.

It's really cool, actually. The entire campaign can be played by two players simultaneously over the Internet. If you're playing alone, the game doesn't scale down to a smaller solo-style campaign. Instead, it plugs the hole with an AI-based commander. This means that the missions have been built from the ground up with co-operation in mind, so some missions will have the two forces starting out with bases in different areas on the map, letting you plan out attacks thatt hit your enemies from both sides, or quicking working your way up the tech tree by building structures inside each others' build radius, and so on. I got a chance to sit down with two of the game's producers, Amer Ajami and Greg Kasavin, to get a run-through of how it's all going to work by playing through the third mission of the Allied campaign.

Check out this video for more on that and just about everything else we learned about Red Alert 3.

  


I have to admit, I played pretty poorly and probably would have gotten wiped out if Greg hadn't built some stuff in or near my base. If you want to play efficiently, then there's definitely a lot to consider at any given time. Every unit in Red Alert 3 has a secondary mode that you can toggle by clicking a button on-screen or by pressing the F key. Since that seems pretty important, my antiquated Red Alert 1-era tactics of "create a mixed force of units and roll around the map mindlessly blowing stuff up as one big mess of dudes" probably won't fly too well when things get hectic and specific mode changes (such as a handy lockdown mode that can stop those pesky Soviet tesla coils from firing) are required.

That also probably means that I don't stand any chance at all online. I don't know if you went out and downloaded the multiplayer beta that was released, but it was a potent reminder that the people who have continued to play real-time strategy games over the years are total savages in multiplayer matches. I'd be barely making my way up the tech tree only to succumb to hastily thrown-together rushes in minutes. Dudes are good. Scratch that. I am not very good.

But I'm not too worried about my multiplayer skills, as this brief brush with the campaign has me really excited to play the final product. The cast appears to be terrific and the cutscenes that I've seen so far appear to be exactly the sort of "taking it seriously because that makes it way funny" stuff that the game needs. Watching how this new, completely reset story unfolds and the personality of the different units and factions will be at least half the fun for me.

While they were here, we pulled Amer and Greg into our audio studio (you know, the tables around back?) and recorded a little Bonus Bombcast with them to talk about the development of the game and the roles they played in its creation. Be sure to check that out to receive the full effects of our Red Alert 3 coverage. The game is scheduled to hit shelves on 10/28 for PC and 11/11 for the Xbox 360.

77 Comments

squallws
on Oct. 4, 2008
Greg  Kasavin!!!!!!!!

solidskorpion
on Oct. 4, 2008
Hey! Kasavin!

Buck
on Oct. 4, 2008

woooooooooooooooooooooot! :D


guiseppe
on Oct. 4, 2008
Greg! And good lawd the acting is crap.

AlucardaLaCarte
on Oct. 4, 2008
I loathe the concept of "rushing." It kinda takes the strategy out of real-time strategy and is all about pumping up your win-ratio. There should be a mode where neither side can attack for a fixed amount of time (either a barrier across the middle of the map, or just make all the units invincible until time runs out) which I know Warcraft 3 tried to do with "neutral" units...except the fell asleep allowing unlimited units to sneak right by.

Jimbo_N
on Oct. 4, 2008

Yea, I cant really say anything smarter. GREG KASAVIN!! (added caps)


dcpc10
on Oct. 4, 2008
greg was on OTS show 2 days ago and now hes showing off the game to GB

Steve_C
on Oct. 4, 2008
I used the pretty much same strategy when it came to Red Alert 1. I'd get tons of heavy tanks and a few v2 rockets and just blow up every building and vehicle, and just swarm over and crush any infantry i came across.

I'm looking forward to check out this coverage.

Scratch
on Oct. 4, 2008
OMG! Greg long time no see! :D

Tarsier
on Oct. 4, 2008
Ugh the mic is really annoying to listen to, it sounds like there is a cup over it or something..

sionweeks
on Oct. 4, 2008
Loved it when Jeff said nice to meet'cha to Greg!

Begemot
on Oct. 4, 2008
@AlucardaLaCarte

Funny you "know" thats what WC3 tried to do. Even though the creeps were meant to give a new way to level up your hero. It sure as hell wasnt a anti-rush system.

Destroyeron
on Oct. 4, 2008
Yah War3 never tried to implement an anti-rush system lol, the creeps were so your hero didn't get destroyed in their first battle.

BlackHawk3422
on Oct. 4, 2008
lol its greg

StarFoxA
on Oct. 4, 2008
Yay, the cheesy acting is still in there!

Oy
on Oct. 4, 2008

Congrats on the game Greg! Good to see ya, can't wait to hear the bonus bombcast.


jyurakyumihawk
on Oct. 4, 2008
@AlucardaLaCarte

I would consider rushing as a type of tactic in itself. As cheap as it is, it works well against low-level AI, unskilled opponents, and can even catch experienced players off-guard. It would be foolish not to prepare your base for a swarming early in the game sir.
 



Scroll
on Oct. 4, 2008
You know what I hate?

People that complained about rushing in RA3 Beta. Rushing is supposed to allow you to get recon on the enemy base and slow them down.  If you have any idea about what you're doing then you can defeat a rush force easily.

Not moaning at Jeff though, that's fine but when loads of rooms in the beta were labeled "No rush PLZ" It kinda got on my nerves.

MichaelBach
on Oct. 4, 2008
Great vid, podcast and post. Looking forward to this game.. don't have anyone to co-op with though :/

Paul
on Oct. 4, 2008
I highly approve of Vinny's mind-cavities in the backround. 



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