Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 - bit-tech.net Forums

Tim S · 5th Nov 2008, 08:38

http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2008/...-red-alert-3/1

It's been a long time coming, but finally one of the most revered RTS games of all times is getting a sequel. It's kept the tongue-in-cheek unit design and the full-motion video, but has it managed to keep the playability and sense of humour too? Let's see...

liratheal · 5th Nov 2008, 09:17

I've been playing it for a few days now - I'm enjoying it.

I must say, I was dubious about some of the actors and actresses that're appearing in the mission briefings, but damn. I'm really impressed with Gemma Atkinsons performance (And Autumn Reeser is just outright hot). I'm very happy with the game, even if the Japanese are annoyingly over powered.

And, well. Bear cavalry is all that's needed (IMO), and that's sure to be only a mod away.

Yemerich · 5th Nov 2008, 09:29

After i finish far cry 2 and fallout 3 I'll give it a try.
But i have to admit the review was not what i expected. Perhaps C&C franchise is showing it's age and it's time for something really new.

Anyway, I'll give it a try and see it for myself.

BentAnat · 5th Nov 2008, 09:32

Quote:

...This isn’t exactly Command and Conquer: Red Light District 3...

DAMN!

yakyb · 5th Nov 2008, 09:40

yeah i was slightly disapointed by the tech tree but then again i would have been very happy if they had made an exact clone of RA2 and put it in the new engine however i can see myself playing this alot

Nictron · 5th Nov 2008, 10:14

I have not started playing it yet, but have played the tutorials, I like the fact that there are differences in build order and construction and I think the game will develop into a good Multipayer game with some more balancing. I

t just depends if EA supports the game at all, they have a shocking support record to be honest.

In the graphics section regarding shadows; I for one do not like how the shadows are done, they have a kind of blocky look to them, you can't really see it in screen shots, but in motion they irritate the living daylight out of me, why they do not have better soft shadows I don't know.

Have you noticed the blocky shadows when zoomed in?

Jamie · 5th Nov 2008, 10:51

Tim Curry is a legend.

Dreaming · 5th Nov 2008, 11:25

The support is going to get worse than it already is.

EA is cutting 6% of jobs across all sectors. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7706383.stm

Smart decision: save the money, get StarCraft 2 when it comes out next year. EA just don't have the same... je ne sais qois as other RTS developers. They rush production and leave games unfinished.

C&C Generals Zero Hour - awaiting 1.05
Return of the witch king - awaiting patching
C&C3 TW - awaiting 1.10
C&C3 TW:KW - awaiting 1.02 (bear in mind it took 3 months for the 1.01 'hotfix' to come out - yet it still desyncs)

I really used to love C&C games thanks to Westwood's brilliance, but just past experience of expectations being dashed because of EA cutting costs / corners (they produce about 1 rts game + expansion a year compared to other game developers taking several years for one) I just can't bring myself to waste anymore money.

In some senses it's like the doting parent whose kid is stealing money off them for drugs, and they *really* want to believe the kid has changed... but they never do

and it's heartbreaking everytime.

AndyFielder · 5th Nov 2008, 11:26

Red Alert 3 is brillent. http://www.ra3.co.uk and http://www.ra3.co.uk/blog make good reading.

Bauul · 5th Nov 2008, 11:36

Out of interest, are the typical games 20 minutes or 2 hours? C&C of old was always about long games, but they've changed it now, and not for the better if you ask me.

Also, when you start a map, can you see all the landscape, or is it totally black around you? I personally hated the fact the whole map, if not the units, were visible at the start of every game in C&C3.

phuzz · 5th Nov 2008, 11:47

Ahh, RA3, good show but come back after FC2 and L4D and the3n I'll think about giving you a go, eh?

I mean, thanks games industry, but what made you put about 6 of the most eagerly anticipated pc games out in just a couple of months?

CardJoe · 5th Nov 2008, 11:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dreaming

Smart decision: save the money, get StarCraft 2 when it comes out next year.

I don't think that'll be a money saver as essentially you have to buy the game three times.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bauul

Out of interest, are the typical games 20 minutes or 2 hours?

Depends. The early levels I was getting done in about twenty minutes to half and hour, but mid and later levels were taking an hour to an hour and a half minimum - but maybe I just suck as the Soviets.

When you start a game you can see the entire landscape of the battlefield on your map, but the units are all hidden by fog of war obviously. As you explore you push that fog back, but if you lose a unit then the fog will close back around it after about ten seconds.

Saying you can see the whole battlefield though is a bit tricky. In the singleplayer game there are several missions where you'll accomplish an objective and the battlefield will then get expanded as you're given a new objective or a new opponent afterwards. There are some missions where the battlefield will triple in size at certain points.

Deadwolf · 5th Nov 2008, 12:26

Two grips...
#1 Co-Op sucks if you ask me, Being a lover of the big base defense, build crushing forces attack kind of guy, Red Alert 3 is not to kind to my style of play. The Co-op AI always seems to take out the base i am building my attack rush for before i get there... kind of takes away the hole point of the game. You can keep telling the Ai to go do something else while you work to get your stuff together. But then it compinsates and still finds a way to go attack. Would have been nice to include the NO CO-OP MODE AT ALL along with your mission choices.

#2 To fast of a Game. It forces you to be super efficient in the units your build first since it take so long to build a base or get all the tech needed to build that super tank or ship. The Enemy AI starts attacking you Or some random event happens telling you to go do this in minutes after you just start building your base..

I miss the "Turtle"!

The boy 4rm oz · 5th Nov 2008, 12:31

I'm not a big fan of the RTS genre but I have played and thoroughly enjoyed the entire C&C series along with the entire Dawn of War series.

Bauul · 5th Nov 2008, 12:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by CardJoe

When you start a game you can see the entire landscape of the battlefield on your map, but the units are all hidden by fog of war obviously. As you explore you push that fog back, but if you lose a unit then the fog will close back around it after about ten seconds.

Saying you can see the whole battlefield though is a bit tricky. In the singleplayer game there are several missions where you'll accomplish an objective and the battlefield will then get expanded as you're given a new objective or a new opponent afterwards. There are some missions where the battlefield will triple in size at certain points.

Piss, that's what I was afraid of. In the original games, you started surrounded by nothing but blackness, and you had to explore the map yourself. You had no idea where the enemy was, how big their base was, where the ore/tiberium was, where the chokepoints or strategic areas on the map were, anything. Now though, you start the game and oh look, it's all there. Turns it from a strategic game into a rush-fest as everyone knows straight away what the map looks like. I might just go back to Red Alert 1.

UrbanMarine · 5th Nov 2008, 12:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by yakyb

yeah i was slightly disapointed by the tech tree but then again i would have been very happy if they had made an exact clone of RA2 and put it in the new engine however i can see myself playing this alot

+1

BentAnat · 5th Nov 2008, 13:05

I WILL probably give this a whirl.
However, primary question for me: is the view further "out" now? i.e. i am a slut for SupCom, and my BIGGEST problem in the last C&C was that i couldn't zoom out enough to feel like i have any overview at all...

salesman · 5th Nov 2008, 14:27

Quote:

The past has been irreparably altered. This is a world without Hitler and Einstein; a world where Tim Curry is the most powerful man on the planet and where women in the British Intelligence wear skirts that could be best described as belts.

Sure, that last bit doesn’t sound do bad, but let us repeat; Tim Curry is in charge! God help us all.

My thoughts exactly. God that made me laugh good review guys.

naokaji · 5th Nov 2008, 15:01

RA3 is great, but yes, the Japanese are overpowered, but that holds true for captured buildings as well, also the lobby is horrible, but once you actually get a mp game going its great.

Anyway, I'm loving RA3, sure it does have flaws, but eventually they will be patched (atleast we can hope so).

Jaguar_Infinity · 5th Nov 2008, 15:44

I was actually disapointed with the co-op campaign when me and a friend found you couldnt play co-op over a network only via online. I think it would have been nice to allow networked co-op as well.

I do get that 'stuck to close to the ground' feeling at first but i've gotten used to it again now. Overall i'm not completely won over but i do think its still a good game

5th Nov 2008, 09:29	#3
Yemerich What's a rebimboca da parafuseta? Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sao Paulo - Brazil Posts: 712	After i finish far cry 2 and fallout 3 I'll give it a try. But i have to admit the review was not what i expected. Perhaps C&C franchise is showing it's age and it's time for something really new. Anyway, I'll give it a try and see it for myself. __________________ Bit Tech is more than games and hardware - check out the mods too. Don't let modding die in Bit-Tech.net.

5th Nov 2008, 09:40	#5
yakyb CK is God!!! Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,061	yeah i was slightly disapointed by the tech tree but then again i would have been very happy if they had made an exact clone of RA2 and put it in the new engine however i can see myself playing this alot __________________ Gaming Box:: q6600 @3.0 :: 9800gtx :: Abit IP35 :: 4gb :: 1.4TB :: akasa eclipse :: Win7 Development:: PhenomII 955BE @3.2 :: 4200 :: asus M4A785 M Evo :: 1.25TB ::Win7 Media Centre :: q6600 @3.0 :: x1950pro :: asus p35 epu :: 8gb :: 320 GB :: Lc17B :: Win7 server:: I7 860 :: p55 gd65 :: 3450 :: 8 TB :: 8gb :: Rebel 12 :: server 2008 R2

5th Nov 2008, 10:51	#7
Jamie bit-tech Staff Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Oxford, UK Posts: 7,620	Tim Curry is a legend. __________________ bit-tech hosted by tsohost.co.uk twitter \| flickr \| xbox live \| last.fm \| moot

5th Nov 2008, 11:25	#8
Dreaming Supermodder Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: The University of York Posts: 501	The support is going to get worse than it already is. EA is cutting 6% of jobs across all sectors. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7706383.stm Smart decision: save the money, get StarCraft 2 when it comes out next year. EA just don't have the same... je ne sais qois as other RTS developers. They rush production and leave games unfinished. C&C Generals Zero Hour - awaiting 1.05 Return of the witch king - awaiting patching C&C3 TW - awaiting 1.10 C&C3 TW:KW - awaiting 1.02 (bear in mind it took 3 months for the 1.01 'hotfix' to come out - yet it still desyncs) I really used to love C&C games thanks to Westwood's brilliance, but just past experience of expectations being dashed because of EA cutting costs / corners (they produce about 1 rts game + expansion a year compared to other game developers taking several years for one) I just can't bring myself to waste anymore money. In some senses it's like the doting parent whose kid is stealing money off them for drugs, and they really want to believe the kid has changed... but they never do and it's heartbreaking everytime. __________________ Dreaming C2D E6300 @ 2.8 \| \| Abit IP35 Pro \| \| 4GB Corsair XMS2 800 \| \| BFG 8800GTS OC2 320MB \| \| 500GB Western Digital for OS + 1500GB Seagate for Storage \| \| Antec NeoHE 550 \| \| Lian Li PC A05B \| \| Samsung 226BW 22"

5th Nov 2008, 11:26	#9
AndyFielder Supermodder Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: West London Posts: 337	Red Alert 3 is brillent. http://www.ra3.co.uk and http://www.ra3.co.uk/blog make good reading. __________________ Netbooks Red Alert 3 Clio Forum [img=http://www.hwbot.org/signature.img?t=1&uid=7000&iehack=.png][/img]

5th Nov 2008, 08:38	#1
Tim S Pewlius Caesar bit-tech Staff Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Ascot, Berks Posts: 18,021	Command and Conquer: Red Alert 3 http://www.bit-tech.net/gaming/2008/...-red-alert-3/1 It's been a long time coming, but finally one of the most revered RTS games of all times is getting a sequel. It's kept the tongue-in-cheek unit design and the full-motion video, but has it managed to keep the playability and sense of humour too? Let's see... __________________ Tim on Twitter \| Tim's Blog \| Tim's Flickr The bit-tech Blog \| bit-tech on Twitter \| Join the bit-tech & Custom PC folding team (#35947)

5th Nov 2008, 09:17	#2
liratheal Just got a great book on tape Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: High Wycombe, UK Posts: 3,552	I've been playing it for a few days now - I'm enjoying it. I must say, I was dubious about some of the actors and actresses that're appearing in the mission briefings, but damn. I'm really impressed with Gemma Atkinsons performance (And Autumn Reeser is just outright hot). I'm very happy with the game, even if the Japanese are annoyingly over powered. And, well. Bear cavalry is all that's needed (IMO), and that's sure to be only a mod away. __________________ Gigabyte MA790FX, X4 9950 Black Edition, 8gb Geil Black Dragon, 2x4870 512mb, Antec TruePower Quattro 850w I game, Do you?

5th Nov 2008, 10:14	#6
Nictron Multimodder Join Date: Feb 2007 Posts: 98	I have not started playing it yet, but have played the tutorials, I like the fact that there are differences in build order and construction and I think the game will develop into a good Multipayer game with some more balancing. I t just depends if EA supports the game at all, they have a shocking support record to be honest. In the graphics section regarding shadows; I for one do not like how the shadows are done, they have a kind of blocky look to them, you can't really see it in screen shots, but in motion they irritate the living daylight out of me, why they do not have better soft shadows I don't know. Have you noticed the blocky shadows when zoomed in?

5th Nov 2008, 11:36	#10
Bauul Sir Bongaminge Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Godalming, near Guildford Posts: 1,553	Out of interest, are the typical games 20 minutes or 2 hours? C&C of old was always about long games, but they've changed it now, and not for the better if you ask me. Also, when you start a map, can you see all the landscape, or is it totally black around you? I personally hated the fact the whole map, if not the units, were visible at the start of every game in C&C3. __________________ Pentium 4 CPU 3.4 Ghz \| 1Gb + 2x512Mb Corsair DDR2 667 Mhz Sapphire Radeon HD 4770 512Mb\| WD Raptor 36Gb, Seagate 300Gb \| Asus P5LD2 SE Ibanez RG 470 Japanese Edition \| 1991 Japanese Lo-TRS Tremolo \| V7 S1 Custom V8 HSH Pickups

5th Nov 2008, 11:47	#11
phuzz Hypermodder Join Date: May 2004 Location: Bristol, UK Posts: 955	Ahh, RA3, good show but come back after FC2 and L4D and the3n I'll think about giving you a go, eh? I mean, thanks games industry, but what made you put about 6 of the most eagerly anticipated pc games out in just a couple of months?

5th Nov 2008, 12:26	#13
Deadwolf Minimodder Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 24	Two grips... #1 Co-Op sucks if you ask me, Being a lover of the big base defense, build crushing forces attack kind of guy, Red Alert 3 is not to kind to my style of play. The Co-op AI always seems to take out the base i am building my attack rush for before i get there... kind of takes away the hole point of the game. You can keep telling the Ai to go do something else while you work to get your stuff together. But then it compinsates and still finds a way to go attack. Would have been nice to include the NO CO-OP MODE AT ALL along with your mission choices. #2 To fast of a Game. It forces you to be super efficient in the units your build first since it take so long to build a base or get all the tech needed to build that super tank or ship. The Enemy AI starts attacking you Or some random event happens telling you to go do this in minutes after you just start building your base.. I miss the "Turtle"!

5th Nov 2008, 13:05	#17
BentAnat Software Dev Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Windhoek, Namibia Posts: 1,374	I WILL probably give this a whirl. However, primary question for me: is the view further "out" now? i.e. i am a slut for SupCom, and my BIGGEST problem in the last C&C was that i couldn't zoom out enough to feel like i have any overview at all... __________________ CHIRP? My Upcoming Site

5th Nov 2008, 15:44	#20
Jaguar_Infinity Just some guy Join Date: Oct 2003 Location: On the edge of nowhere UK Posts: 335	I was actually disapointed with the co-op campaign when me and a friend found you couldnt play co-op over a network only via online. I think it would have been nice to allow networked co-op as well. I do get that 'stuck to close to the ground' feeling at first but i've gotten used to it again now. Overall i'm not completely won over but i do think its still a good game