Also, don’t miss our Exclusive Interview with the creators of the game!

All right C&C fans, we’ve spent quite some time with the Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 beta (arriving sometime Monday reportedly to the first 2,000 people who checked in their Kane’s Wrath offers), and we’ve got great news: it’s the most Command & Conquer the series has been since Red Alert 2 and Yuri’s Revenge.

That’s right; the game feels like Red Alert 2. Not like Generals or C&C 3 (though some of the same elements are intact). This time around, the pacing, the balancing, and the focus on point-counterpoint strategy set it clearly apart from the last few iterations the series has seen. In this article, which is the first of a two-part series, we’ll be exploring the things that make Red Alert 3 the purest Command & Conquer evolution you’ll have seen since the Westwood days.

I won’t be focusing too much on things like secondary abilities and power points in article as, quite honestly, I haven’t delved deeply enough into those topics over the course of my five or six hours of gameplay just yet. Stay tuned to part 2, coming very soon, for more information on all of that. Regardless, however, I think you’ll find a very eye-opening overview of what to expect in this write-up. Comments, of course, are always welcome—at DigitalChumps, we’re all just regular gamers like yourself.

First off, let’s talk about what’s in the beta. As you might expect, it’s pretty thin on actual content. There is no single-player mode to choose from, and in online play, you can only challenge other humans; the AI hasn’t yet been implemented (though we hear it is absolutely vicious—it’ll “micro you to death” says one EA employee). But here, things are pretty straightforward. Log on with your EA Account and choose an online handle (which can be different each time if you so choose) and you’re taken straight into the beta chat lobby, which, in our case, was rarely filled with more than eight to ten people. From here, you can either create your own game or join someone else’s (if one exists, heh) through either an automatic match or a custom selection of the available games.

Next, the host chooses the map—there are only two available in the beta. The second map, which I won’t be covering too heavily in this article, is designed primarily for four-player action. It’s a small land mass surrounded by a series of other scattered, smaller islands that play home to capturable resources such as naval yards and oil derricks. A central raised location separating all the bases also provides capturable Communication Posts which provide a view of your enemies’ bases if you’re lucky enough to secure them.

The other map, however, is a large, two-player, standard-type island map with a bordering sea around its edges. The two base locations are at the bottom-left and bottom-right of the map on the beach, and you can select which one you wish to claim when creating a game. The key to victory here is to quickly expand your base with the usual Ore Refinery and Barracks, and then immediately walk Engineers to the two Oil Derricks on the map (both on the mid-north side). Once you’ve captured those, it’s a good idea to take some dogs along and position them outside of both derricks to ensure opposing engineers meet with little success (it also helps to place some dogs in the other passes nearby, as they’re fairly narrow, to pick off engineers headed to other locations). If you’re playing as the Soviets, you can take some comfort in the fact that your Combat Engineers are “men of science” packing iron; they carry pistols to protect them from such threats as enemy dogs, which is, of course, extremely helpful.

The Ore Refineries, as you might know, are now most ideally constructed directly in front of a nearby ore node, which is where the harvesters (er… Ore Collectors and Prospectors) now must go to collect the ore. They basically ping-pong back and forth between their two destinations, collecting the ore and depositing it in your refineries until the ore node is dry (which takes probably a solid fifteen to twenty minutes of typically uninterrupted collecting). Once an ore node is dry, you have no choice but to go and find another one. It’s best to set up a refinery directly in front of it to minimize the collectors’ commute to and fro, but that requires you to take an MCV to the area, which is both slow and worrisome (however, it’s worth noting that in RA3, MCVs can be purchased either from the War Factory or the Naval Yard, yielding either land- or water-based units). This is where it helps to play as the Soviets, who have their Sputnik units, which can set up expansion bases (in other words, they’re the same as an MCV except they cost just $1,200 versus $5,000 and they don’t open up another structural production queue). Rolling out a few of these babies toward the two Ore Nodes at the top center of the map and then also to the other two closest to your base will improve your cash flow dramatically. Of course, the Allies can also use their Prospector's secondary ability to deploy a temporary outpost as well (thanks stephanovich).  Or, if you’re playing as the Japanese, all of your structures begin as mobile vehicles , so you can simply drive them to the unused Ore Nodes and set up Refineries wherever is convenient.

At first, I was a little concerned about the Ore Node mechanic, as I, like most Command & Conquer purists, have always truly enjoyed the ore/Tiberium field harvesting and the extra depth that such elements provide, such as the presence of precious gems. However, after having played several matches on the RA3 beta, I have to admit that I rather like the new arrangement. The nodes do indeed run dry, and when they do, your collectors will go hunting for the nearest untapped Ore Node… meaning that, contrary to popular concern, you actually can still plan and attack stray harvesters/collectors to severely crimp your opponent’s supply chain management routine.

Of course, through all of this, you also have to concern yourself with expanding your base and its defenses. Chances are, if the other player is decent, you’ll have already seen some flying units pass overtop your base to help with reconnaissance. If you’re concerned about your privacy, it wouldn’t hurt to roll out some inexpensive anti-air infantry, such as Javelin Soldiers (essentially rocket infantry), Rocket Angels, Flak Troopers, or perhaps a Flak Cannon or two (the allies also have a turret that can fire on either land or air-based threats, depending on its status). That way, at least you can take out the airborne threats before they start to become a nuisance. It also wouldn’t hurt to take a nice mass of infantry toward the center of the map at the bottom, where a small city is located providing plenty of garrison-able buildings. Here, you’ll also find a Hospital, which, if captured, allows your infantry to auto-heal. If you’re planning on using lots of Tesla Troopers and Rocket Angels (a flying unit similar to a Rocketeer available only to the Rising Sun army), you’ll want to spend the $500 for an engineer, capture this baby, and guard it with your life.

Some other helpful units at this juncture include the Guardian Tank, whose secondary ability allows it to focus more intensely on infantry defenses, along with the Jet Tengu / Mecha Tengu from Japan, which can guard against land or sky attacks depending entirely upon which ability—primary or secondary—is currently selected. If you’ve noticed any naval activity brewing in your opponent’s base, you’ll of course find solace in a respectable group of Dolphins, Akula Subs, or Yari Mini-Subs, which all essentially serve the same basic purpose.

Meanwhile, hopefully you’ve dug reasonably deep into the tech tree by this point and you’ve got some interesting units to choose from. For the allies, that means you will have to purchase Security Clearance, of which there is two levels, both providing another layer of selectable units and structures. After you’ve reached Security Clearance Level 2 (which means you’ll have purchased it twice), you’ll want a Tech Center, which provides, among other things, the ability to purchase Mirage Tanks and Athena Cannons, the latter of which harnesses power from above to focus a laser on a single target, utterly destroying it (much like a Soviet V2 Rocket Launcher, but cooler). Mirage Tanks in RA3 no longer possess the vehicle-busting penetrating shells that they did in RA2; now, instead, they’re equipped with the recently-retired Prism Tank’s laser cannon, which produces a beam that is quite devastating to structures and still mostly effective on vehicles, though not quite as outrageously devastating in large numbers as it once was. This will also open up the Cryocopter, which, as you might know by now thanks to our massive interview with the developers, has the unique ability to freeze units in their tracks, or even shrink them if you resort to its secondary ability.

If you’re playing as the Soviets, gaining your most technologically-advanced units is simpler; you must only purchase a large Super Reactor (which provides massive amounts of power -- thanks, Yuuzan and stephanovich for a reminder of the proper name) and then another structure that I believe is called a War Center. After gaining the ability to do so, you’ll want to build up a nice welcoming party of Apocalypse Tanks, which are easily the best tank unit in the game. These babies are as powerful as they come, and they sport a cool secondary ability called a magnetic beam, which draws any unit fired upon toward them and the rest of the friendly gang. Dreadnaughts and Kirovs are also very helpful, though both need to be accompanied by the usual force of protective allies. The Soviet unit structure is fairly straightforward; very few units are amphibious, and most of them are very powerful with specific weaknesses, much like in the previous games. However, they do have a couple of mid-range units as well to help protect you at a lower cost (especially as the base is being built), such as the $1000 Hammer Tank.

Finally, the Rising Sun’s tech structure is also very different. You can upgrade Nanotechnology on your Barracks, War Factory, or Naval Yard here to produce more powerful units, and if you want to unlock the Nanoswarm ability (which sends a swarm of nanobots to a certain area for a short period of time, effectively rendering it useless), you’ll need a Nanoswarm Hive (similar to the Soviets’ Iron Curtain or the Allieds’ Chronosphere). The Japanese are unique in their versatility; basically every major unit type contains at least one entry that can battle in sky as well, meaning that provided you’re paying attention to what’s happening on all fronts, you can adjust your army to meet most threats. One thing I haven’t mentioned in the King Oni unit, but if you’ve been following the game, you’ll already know all about this one. Hit up EA’s unit profile for more information on it—and know that this is easily the most formidable ground-based unit in the game when properly used.

What about the Commando-type units? Well, we’ve already seen all there is to know about the Soviets’ Natasha and the Empire of the Rising Sun’s Yuriko Omega. One unit that hasn’t yet been discussed, however, is the Allieds’ Tanya. She isn’t that much different from RA2, but she does have a secondary ability which allows her to use her belt to go back several seconds in time—what?! Yes, she can revert herself to seconds prior to the introduction of a dangerous situation if you manage it properly. However, if she’s killed, of course, you can’t use this any longer, so it isn’t much use unless you’re paying very close attention.

Some other items of note which I was not able to organize well into this spur-of-the-moment report include the multiple production queue implementation, which provides for a Generals-like secondary production queue once a new construction structure (Con Yard, War Factory, etc.) is purchased. Don’t worry, though; this is managed in such a way that it actually works very closely to the way it did in RA2. You can’t open up multiple production queues without massive amounts of cash on hand and quite a bit of time, so in the end things end up working out very much the way they did in the older games. I actually quite like the implementation in RA3. Something else worth touching upon briefly is the difference in construction regimens between the three factions. The Allied faction builds in the traditional C&C fashion, meaning you pay for the building as you wait for it to be prepared, then you place it on the map and it’s immediately available. The Soviets require you to place the building initially and then wait as it’s built in place on the map (a la Generals). Finally, the Empire of the Rising Sun, as previously mentioned, possess entirely mobile construction units for every structure, making it possible to build anywhere on the map, and not just in close proximity to the Construction Yard itself. This makes for quite a unique feel when playing with any of the different factions, and I like that.

And, of course, I couldn’t go without commenting on the game’s music. Keep in mind this is a beta, so there’s much work to be done at that end of the spectrum… and thus these impressions may mean very little. But I’ll make them regardless for those who are curious. The menu music I’m sure is due to be changed, probably to Frank Klepacki’s upcoming Hell March 3—but right now, it’s Grinder from Red Alert 2, which rocks hard regardless. In-game, as you probably know, there is no jukebox option. Instead, the music is fully dynamic, starting off slow and fairly ambient and ramping up quickly in times of action. I will say that the music is at least more closely resemblant of the older titles, and the battle music, in particular, rocks (pure guitar and drums, and it’s a live recording, too). However, I’d still love to see a jukebox option made separate, if even it included only songs from the previous games. If this were implemented, I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed with the song selection.

Overall, these first several hours with Red Alert 3 have been shockingly positive for me. We’ve had a blast playing the game, and while there are obviously still some minor balancing issues and a few bugs to work out, things are looking very good in light of the release in a few months. I can’t wait to get back to playing at the moment, in fact. 

On the next page, you'll find detailed descriptions of nearly every unit, structure, and "Top Secret Protocol" (special power) in the game.

And now for the in-depth information. First, let's take a look at the Empire of the Rising Sun:

• Engineers are amphibious.
• So are their Sudden Transports, which can assume the identity of other vehicles to fool enemies into thinking a transport full of Engineers is actually something different.
• The Japanese also must upgrade tech levels (1 and 2 for each type of unit--infantry, land-based, and sea-based--there are no aircraft for the Japanese army, as their other units often double as such) before they can build many of their units.  These are the aforementioned nanotech upgrades.
• Descriptions of the Japanese's Top Secret Protocols:
  • Fortified Fleet makes your naval units faster with stronger defense and better naval scanners.
  • Point-Defense Drones provide extra defense to any area of the map, absorbing some enemy fire.
  • Final Squadron sends a swarm of Sunburst Drones to an area to cause significant damage.
  • You can also upgrade Final Squadron to Final Squadron X and Final Squadron Omega for added effect.
  • Honorable Discharge straps explosives to your infantry that detonate after they've been damaged heavily.
  • Emperor's Rage slows your forces but emblazons their sense of strength.
  • Emperor's Revenge and Emperor's Retribution provide added effect.
  • Robotic Assembly reduces build times for all production structures.
  • Advanced Rocket Pods provide stronger, more deadly rockets for any unit that attacks using them.
  • Sleeper Ambush brings Tankbusters out of the soil to attack where desired.
  • Balloon Bombs sends small bombs raining out of the sky.
  • Balloon Bomb Blowout and Barrage provided added effect.
• Some primary/secondary abilities of Rising Sun troops:
  • Tankbusters slice through enemy armor, specifically meaning tanks and other vehicles, of course; secondary ability burrows them into a spider hole to avoid being crushed and provide additional defense.
  • Burst Drones provide reconnaissance and can also detect cloaked or disguised units nearby; secondary ability performs a sort of apoptosis of sorts--the unit self-destructs and creates minor collateral damage as well.
  • Japanese Engineers' secondary ability allows them to run with "Shameful Abandon" for a short while, which provides them with extra (very dangerous) speed.
  • Imperial Warriors' (Japanese basic infantry) secondary ability is Banzai Charge, which allows them to power on a beam katana to quickly slice through nearby infantry.
  • Defender-VX turrets can switch on the fly from anti-air to anti-surface defense via their secondary ability.
  • Shinobi can throw a smoke bomb with his secondary ability to vanish briefly from enemy sight (lasts for around 10 seconds).
  • Wave-Force Towers (Japan) can fire powerful superheated blasts at foes, or secondarily, they can initiate a Premature Discharge to fire rapidly but less powerfully.
  • The Tsunami Tank can traverse land or sea, and its secondary ability, Nanodeflectors, expels numerous nanobots from its cannon to protect it with higher defensive strength for a short period
  • Yari Mini-Subs can execute a secondary ability called Last Voyage, which sends them barreling Kamikaze-style toward an enemy structure with intent to destroy it.
  • Japanese Ore Collectors can flip their cargo hold to reveal a defensive gun.
  • Rocket Angels' Secondary Ability: Paralysis Whip, which disables a target temporarily.
  • Naginata Cruisers target other naval units; their secondary ability sends a fan of torpedoes out in front of them.
  • Shogun Battleships fire from respectable distances with stunning effect; secondary ability Ramming Speed provides just that.

• The Allies are a very versatile army, with many units amphibious and multitalented combinable units such as the ever-present IFV and the mannable Multigunner Turret structure.
• They seem to be well-rounded in most regards, with only their selection of aircraft overpowering that of their opponents.
• Walls can be built up to ten spaces away in a single click, which makes them much easier to construct than in previous games.
• Descriptions of the Allies' Top Secret Protocols:
  • Advanced Aeronautics improves defenses, scan range, ammo capacity, and reload times of your planes.
  • Surgical Strike bombs a target.
  • Time Bomb, Deluxe Time Bomb, and Supreme Time Bomb do just what they say they do.
  • Surveillance Sweep briefly reveals a large area of the map for you to see.
  • Chrono Rift, Chasm, and Fissure make units within a small radius vanish temporarily.
  • Free Trade gives you more credits for each load of ore.
  • High Technology powers up your Dogs, Guardian Tanks, Cryocopters, and Aircraft Carriers.
  • Chrono Swap switches any two of your units instantly.
  • Cryoshot, Cryoblast, and Cryogeddon freeze units in a small radius temporarily.
• Some primary/secondary abilities of the Allied troops:
  • Peacekeepers sport shotguns and have a secondary ability, Riot Shield, which can repel weaker enemy fire.
  • Attack dogs, as before, can easily maul infantry, and have the ability to locate spies.  Their secondary ability, Amplified Bark, stuns nearby infantry.
  • Javelin Soldiers are your basic rocket infantry, which makes them strong against vehicles, structures, and aircraft.  Their secondary ability, Laser-Guided Mode, makes their missiles hit faster and harder, but requires a longer preparation time in-between shots.
  • Engineers' secondary ability is First-Aid Tent, which unpacks into a small structure that heals nearby infantry much like the Field Medic in Red Alert.
  • The Riptide ACV is an all-purpose transport unit (ground and sea) that is also armed with machine guns and anti-ship torpedoes.
  • Loading units into the IFV, as with Red Alert 2, results in different abilities:
    • Peacekeepers provide anti-infantry fire
    • Javelin Troopers provide anti-vehicle and anti-structure fire
    • Engineers provide repair ability for nearby units
    • Spies provide the ability to detect enemy's spies
    • Tanya provides long-range sniping ability
    • Dogs provide a deafening bark ability that stuns nearby infantry
  • Loading infantry into the Multigunner Turret provides the same abilities.
  • Guardian Tanks are your typical tank, sporting a secondary ability, Targeting Laser, that reduces the enemy's damage resistance.
  • Mirage tanks now have laser cannons rather than the tank armor-piercing bullets of RA2, but their secondary ability allows them to cloak nearby units within a small radius, which is quite useful.
  • The Athena Cannon links with satellites to provide a focused beam of extreme strength.  Secondarily it provides an Aegis Shield, which repels incoming fire for a short ten or so seconds.
  • Apollo Fighters are perhaps the premier air-to-air fighters in the game.  They're fast and effective.  Their secondary ability, like all planes, is to simply return to base.
  • Vindicators are planes that excel at air-to-ground fighting.
  • Century Bombers can bomb enemy bases and then drop paratroopers on them--and any kind of infantry can be carried and dropped.  Their secondary ability is Paradrop.
  • Cryocopters, as previously reported, can either freeze units with their primary ability or shrink them with their secondary ability.
  • Assault Destroyers are ships that can move onto land to attack as well.  Their primary attack is very powerful on buildings and vehicles, while their secondary ability, Black Hole Armor, absorbs all enemy incoming fire.
  • Hydrofoils are anti-aircraft ships with a secondary ability beam, Weapon Jammer, that prevents enemies from firing.
  • Aircraft Carriers sport the usual squad of tiny planes, but now they have a secondary ability, Blackout Missile, that temporarily disables any electrical systems in the target it hits.
  • Dolphins have the typical ability to tear apart ships and naval structures (what dolphin can't?), and now also have a secondary ability that leaps them out of the water to quickly travel and avoid fire.
• The Allies also still have an equivalent Prism tower unit, whose name I cannot currently recall.

And that's it for the Allies.  Next up is the Soviets... stay tuned.

• Tech progress is achieved by purchasing the Super-Reactor and then a Battle Lab, which enables the production of all high-tech units.
• The Soviets pack a lot of power and not as much versatility as their opponents.  They're easier to learn to play with, however.
• Descriptions of the Soviet Top Secret Protocols:
  • Grinder Treads equips your vehicles with treads that repair them as they crush enemies.
  • Toxic Corrosion poisons an enemy vehicle, seeping away at its armor and leaving a trail of toxins behind it.
  • Orbital Drop, Dump, and Downpour send varying amounts of space junk crashing into the desired target area.
  • Cash Bounty allows you to designate a target and then destroy it for monetary reward.
  • Magnetic Satellite and its two upgrades suck enemies into space.
  • Mass Production allows for unit building at reduced cost.
  • Terror Drone Surprise provokes an occasional outpouring of Terror Drones from your defeated vehicles.
  • Magnetic Singularity drags nearby vehicles toward a selected point.
  • Desolator Airstrike and its two upgrades drop poisonous packages in a specified area.
• Here are some Soviet unit profiles:
  • Conscripts pack machine guns and can toss Molotov Cocktails as a secondary ability.
  • At least the Flak Troopers "have job", they say.  They excel against aircraft and armored vehicles, and can throw anti-vehicle explosives at targets which detonate if the Flak Troopers is crushed.
  • War Bears are pretty much the same as Dogs.
  • Combat Engineers can fire a pistol as well as take over structures and repair things.  Secondarily, they can construct a tempting bunker that can only be garrisoned by infantry after payment is collected.
  • Tesla Troopers have a secondary ability that produces a small EMI field which shuts down any mechanical enemies nearby.  But their primary ability sports the best description in the game.  When the secondary ability is activated, the button to reactive the primary ability reads "Did you miss being able to shoot terrible bolts of lightning at your enemies?"
  • Natasha, like all Commando units, excels against infantry.  She also has a secondary ability, Pilot Snipe, which can dispose of the driver of a vehicle and leave the vehicle capturable to any nearby friendly infantry.
  • Sputniks are faster and cheaper than MCVs and can set up expansion bases, meaning you don't get the extra production queue, but you can build nearby nonetheless.
  • The Soviet Ore Collectors have a secondary ability called Ceramic Armor which covers the cargo hold and makes them slower, but protects them well until help can arrive.
  • Sickles are bizarre walkers with triple machine guns that can mow down infantry like nobody's business.  Secondarily, they can Flea Jump into or out of battle, or even onto higher/lower ground or into infantry.
  • Hammer Tanks are respectable mid-range units that can also siphon enemy vehicles' armor away from them.
  • Bullfrogs are amphibious transport units that are effective against aircraft and eject their passengers into the air to parachute back down.
  • Terror Drones, as always, are good against infantry and can bore into vehicles' innards to wreak all sorts of havoc. Their secondary ability freezes approaching vehicles.
  • V4 Rocket Launchers are powerful long-range units as always.  Secondary ability is Multi-warheads, which is a special rocket that splits apart in the air for spread out damage.
  • Stingrays are not animals; they're anti-surface strike craft that possess Tesla-based weaponry.  Their secondary ability, Tesla Surge, briefly immobilizes them, but electrified the surrounding water in the process.
  • Akula Subs surface only when firing and are very powerful. Their secondary ability, Ultratorpedoes, fire straight ahead and are even more devastating.
  • Dreadnoughts pack V4 rockets and are a formidable foe.  They can also use Sacrifice Launchers to fire faster, but they sustain damage in the process.
  • Twinblades are attack helicopters with both machine guns and rockets.  They can also transport troops (5 total).
  • MiG Fighters are air-to-air fighters with burst missiles.
  • Kirovs, of course, bomb the heck out of anything below them, and now have a secondary ability that improves their speed at the cost of their armor.
• The Soviets also still have the usual Flak Cannons, Sentry Guns, and Tesla Coils.

That just about does it for the Soviets.

Still have questions?  That's what I'm here for.  Drop me a line and I'll do my best to answer them for you.  Sure, it's the weekend... but "work" never stops when you're a chump.

I hope you’ve found something of use in this preliminary write-up of mine; if there’s anything you’d like to know, you can contact me by clicking my name above.

Until then, stay tuned to DigitalChumps. We might be a bunch of regular guys, but we sure as hell love our Command & Conquer.

-Steve "OtherSteve" Schardein