Command & Conquer: Red Alert Mini-Strategy Guide
Command & Conquer: Red Alert can get pretty tough! After many hours of hard
labor (well, sort of), here are my impressions of the various units and some
of the basic strategies I used to win. Please note that these are intended
for use against the computer. There's no right answer in Red Alert except
the final result, and hopefully, I can provide some ideas to help with the
tougher scenarios.
Generic Strategy
Always try to build your base near an ore field. Short supply lines mean
faster income and enable you to better defend your ore truck. The computer
will have two or three preferred methods of attacking your base, so learn
its routes and tactics and build appropriate defenses at the appropriate
locations. The computer sometimes will coordinate its attacks, so it's a
good idea to station units at its favorite attack points rather than trying
to move them as necessary; you may set yourself up to be overrun.
Don't hesitate to blow up bridges if it stops the enemy from attacking or
cuts off their ore supply. You can always build transports later. In many
of the Red Alert maps, the computer will have two or more construction yards.
Capture one of them and use it to build whichever enemy units might help your
cause. Blowing up the computer's ore truck(s) will stop its army buildup and
replacement of destroyed buildings, but be prepared for a retaliatory strike
and remember that power is a precious resource. And finally, don't underestimate
the power of infantry units. They're more dangerous than they look.
The Soviets
Soviet units are intended for a brute-force approach. Heavy tanks, Mammoth
tanks and grenadiers are melee-superiority units, and the Allies can't
survive head-on confrontations without a serious numbers advantage. So as
a Soviet commander, your job is simple: build as many of these things as
possible. The only Allied unit worth building from captured construction
yards, in my opinion, is the cruiser, since it can blast enemy bases at
ridiculously long ranges. Watch out for cruisers, by the way. They can lay
waste to your base in a matter of minutes, and if you don't have any MIGs
or submarines handy during a cruiser attack, you're in deep trouble.
Tank, heavy and Mammoth: the backbone of the Soviet military. These things
crush Allied armor, and the Mammoth is reasonable against infantry and air
targets. When attacking, be sure to back them up with troops, since large
numbers of bazooka soldiers can ruin their day. The Mammoth will heal itself
back to 50% health when damaged, but it's also a good idea to build a service
depot to keep your tanks healthy, as replacing them is costly.
Rifle infantry: a cheap and effective counter to Allied troops. Decent footspeed.
Large numbers of these guys can be startlingly effective against armor, too,
ripping up Allied tanks and structures. Beware of pillboxes.
Grenadiers: extremely dangerous against enemy troops, particularly against
groups, since a well-placed grenade can kill everyone in a square. Be careful,
though: when killed, grenadiers explode and may kill those around them. Grenadiers
are fast-moving, relatively cheap and reasonably effective against Allied
armor and structures, although Soviet tanks and MIGs are preferred for heavy
bombardment.
V2 Rocket: the V2 is excellent against slow-moving troops and stationary
targets such as turrets, and its long range means it can wipe out most threats
from a safe distance. However, its light armor and long reload time make it a
sitting duck in a melee. Good for base defense, but an escort is recommended
for forays outside friendly walls.
Submarine: a good unit when used with care. They're excellent scouts, since
you can pull them up to an enemy-held shoreline without detection. They need
a numbers advantage to go up against groups of Allied gunboats or destroyers,
since subs are slow, clumsy, stupid and relatively fragile. When heavily damaged,
they surface intermittently; destroyers and gunboats can also detect them if they
get too close. Try to get the element of surprise when engaging. Note that cruisers
are helpless against subs.
MIG attack plane: one of the best Soviet units, enabling you to decimate enemy
defenses without getting your hands dirty. In groups, these things are devastating,
taking out enemy turrets, cruisers, gunboats, tanks, ore trucks (with several
attacks) and even AA guns and destroyers if you have enough planes. Useless
against troops and vulnerable against heavy concentrations of AA guns, destroyers
and rocket soldiers. It's generally not a good idea to fly these over unrevealed
terrain. That's what the spy plane is for.
Ore truck: this has massive armor and a peculiar talent for running over enemy
troops. Keep an eye on your ore field. The computer rarely will specifically
attack your ore truck, but if an AT minelayer appears, it might be a good idea
to move to another field. Like Mammoth tanks, the ore truck gradually repairs
itself to 50% health when damaged. Note that ore trucks are driven by guys who
failed tank training, so they get lost easily and will blunder into enemy forces.
Paratroopers: save cost and build time when preparing an attack. Also good for
scouting remote areas of the map. Be careful where you drop them in, because the
Badger bomber that delivers them is extremely vulnerable to AA fire and can easily
be destroyed before it delivers its human cargo.
Parabombs: inaccurate and slow. Decent against non-bazooka troops -- particularly
in large groups, where accuracy isn't all that important -- who are usually too
dumb to move out of the way. A well-placed parabomb attack can wipe an advanced
power plant, but their inaccuracy usually precludes targeting specific objects.
Again, the Badger bomber can be destroyed before it delivers the bombs, so dictator
discretion is advised.
Spy plane: invaluable. The wait between recon missions is brief, and it's too fast
to be hit by AA fire.
Units I Don't Bother With:
Flamethrower soldiers: psychos with no respect for human life, these guys aren't
particular about who they toast -- enemies, other Soviet troops, or themselves.
More explosive than grenadiers. Flamethrower troops have been responsible for some
of my funnier C&C moments (in retrospect, they weren't funny at the time). If you
build them, keep them away from grenadiers, or you may get a small-scale reenactment
of the Big Bang.
AP minelayer: the Soviets have more convenient ways to get rid of enemy troops. It
is fun to send Allied rifle infantry into orbit, however.
Dogs: too vulnerable and best in groups. Not really needed against the computer.
Yak attack plane: good against troops on a one-at-a-time basis, but too slow to take
out large groups of enemy soldiers. Attacking groups of bazooka soldiers with a Yak
isn't recommended.
Hind: better ammo payload and accuracy makes them more effective against enemy
troops than the Yak, but their slowness makes them vulnerable to AA fire. Can
be effective against armor, assuming time isn't of the essence.
The Allies
With the exception of the cruiser, Allied units lack the Soviets' firepower. A lot
of the Allied commander's time is spent trying to cope with the superior Soviet armor,
and strategy and patience are required to wage a successful Allied campaign. Capturing
a Soviet construction base and war factory is always a good idea, and remember that
infantry can hurt tanks when properly deployed.
Tank, light and medium: these units' primary advantage is speed. Dangerous in groups
but no match for equal numbers of Soviet tanks. Sometimes you can get heavy tanks and
Mammoths to key on one of your light tanks while the rest of your group bombards the
Soviet armor; if you keep the LT moving, you might be able to avoid serious damage.
Another trick is to complement your armor with rocket soldiers or Longbows. Generally,
though, it's best to avoid tank battles with the Soviets.
AT minelayer: the Allies' most valuable unit. Build three to four AT minelayers and
spread the mines around generously. It doesn't take long to figure out which routes
the computer will take to attack you, so cover all roads the computer has shown interest
in and watch with satisfaction as its columns are wrecked trying to follow them.
Another good technique is to mine the computer's ore field. The ore truck will explode
as its escort looks on dumbly, and since the computer won't replace lost ore trucks,
its repair efforts and unit production cease and enable you to destroy the Soviet base
at your convenience. Mining is preferable to attacking the ore truck directly, since
directly attacking an ore truck offends the computer and triggers a counterstrike. And
since that means you're about to be flooded by heavy and Mammoth tanks, you better hope
A) that field in front of your base is chock full of mines or B) you saved the game
recently.
Or you can use The Moron Trick, good for getting rid of sentries. Load up a
pass/field/bridge full of mines, leaving only a narrow path for your minelayer. After
you're done mining, drive your empty minelayer within range of the sentry and scream,
"Hey, moron!" The sentry will go berserk and attack. Turn around and go back through
the minefield. The minelayer is fast enough to avoid most damage (make sure you keep
it moving, though) and will automatically follow the mine-free path. With luck, the
sentry will plow through the minefield and be blown to smithereens. C'est la vie. Note
that the trick doesn't work if you don't scream.
Rocket soldiers: these are extremely effective against tanks. A group of 10 or so of
these guys can take out a heavy tank with frightening speed. They work well for Mammoths,
too, but you have to be careful of the Mammoth's side-mounted rocket launcher, which
chews up soldiers like crazy (and the Mammoths deploy them much more efficiently in
Red Alert than in the original C&C). It's better to distract the Mammoth with medium
or light tanks and bring the rocket soldiers in from behind.
To prevent your bazooka guys from getting run over during tank attacks, station two
groups of them at equal distance from the tank. Usually, the tank will get confused
and begin pecking away at them with its main gun -- a poor weapon against troops --
and the bazookas should have plenty of time to dispose of the tank while taking little
damage themselves.
Rocket soldiers are also an excellent defense against airborne attacks, so it's good
to have a few stationed around your base. Remember that bazooka soldiers are extremely
vulnerable to grenadiers and rifle infantry, so be sure to escort them with rifle
infantry or APCs. Rocket soldiers don't get along with flametowers, either.
Rifle infantry: identical to the Soviet rifle infantry. Watch out for flametowers,
since rifle infantry only work uncooked.
Medic: the healer. The medic can save money in the long run by keeping infantry units
healthy. However, he is defenseless, and getting him to damaged units (and vice versa)
can be time-consuming and troublesome.
Spy: useful for one purpose: the sonar pulse. When a spy enters an enemy sub pen, you
gain the use of the sonar pulse, which periodically shows the location of all
submarines on the map.
Artillery: useful against troops but fragile. Artillery won't last long against
Red tanks. Good for long-range bombardment and good damage potential against
structures. Questionable accuracy, though.
APC: as in the original C&C, the APC is a tough and fast scout vehicle.
Cruisers: expensive but worth it. Build them whenever possible because they can
destroy a Soviet base from a safe distance. Note that they're helpless against
air and submarine attacks, so always escort a cruiser with three to four destroyers.
Fortunately, submarines are often too stupid to realize their base is being destroyed
and won't react until your ships are actually within detection range.
A good tactic is to destroy Soviet power plants. A cruiser can take out an advanced
power plant in two shots, and the loss of power lowers Allied defenses and cripples
production capability. Be careful with cruisers, though, if you need a surgical strike:
their accuracy is poor.
Destroyers: preferable to gunboats, destroyers are good against submarines and have
rockets to cope with air attacks. Higher cost than gunboats but with the commensurate
higher value. An excellent escort for cruisers.
Gunboats: a low-cost antisubmarine unit. Lighter-armored than destroyers and vulnerable
to air attacks.
Longbow: an excellent antitank and antistructure weapon. The Longbow has to stop to
aim, though, so it's more vulnerable to AA fire than the Soviets' planes. Groups of
Longbows have the potential to wreak major havoc against armor and buildings (even
SAM sites, if you've got enough copters) in groups, but their missiles aren't effective
against infantry. Also excellent in combined attacks with Allied armor and infantry.
Units I Don't Bother With:
Ranger: cheap but inferior as a scout and infantry support vehicle to the APC. Tank
fodder, and even grenadiers can waste a ranger pretty fast.
Hopefully, this is enough info to start you in the right direction if you're just
beginning, or to help out with the more troublesome missions.
