Data4
Arcane
I saw Gamespot's 8.0 review. Anyone try it yet?
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So... about that Red Alert 3
- Thread starter Data4
- Start date
Meh, I think I'm gonna sail the seven seas for it, out of a sheer sentiment for the RA series and a hidden, small hope that it won't suck.
inwoker
Arcane
will torrent to see
Arrr.
So far it definitely doesn't suck, although the engine clearly shows it's age, however much they may have tried to add some layers of polish and blooming things. I've only played the tutorials , but from what I can see things got a lot more complex and interesting in a good way. They introduced some new mechanics which are definitely going to make for fun game situations, actually even encouraging you to keep fighting instead of having both sides turtle up and trying to kill each other with a 1 million tanks "rush" 2 hours into the game. Considering a purchase, but then again - EA is not exactly known for great longterm support. Instead, multiplayer tends to be hack-ridden and broken after a few months, while EA doesn't give a shit - might thus be a better idea to save up for SC2. If RA3 was a Blizzard game, I'd buy it for the multiplayer.
So far it definitely doesn't suck, although the engine clearly shows it's age, however much they may have tried to add some layers of polish and blooming things. I've only played the tutorials , but from what I can see things got a lot more complex and interesting in a good way. They introduced some new mechanics which are definitely going to make for fun game situations, actually even encouraging you to keep fighting instead of having both sides turtle up and trying to kill each other with a 1 million tanks "rush" 2 hours into the game. Considering a purchase, but then again - EA is not exactly known for great longterm support. Instead, multiplayer tends to be hack-ridden and broken after a few months, while EA doesn't give a shit - might thus be a better idea to save up for SC2. If RA3 was a Blizzard game, I'd buy it for the multiplayer.
inwoker
Arcane
Screenshots look worse than ra2.
hm, I guess I'll start preparing myself for an uberdisappointment. Positive user reviews on gamespot are outnumbered like 10:1, and each of the negative ones says that EA has utterly butchered the RA franchise.
Data4
Arcane
I've heard that it's campy as all hell, but the gameplay itself remains largely unchanged from RA2. That's okay by me. I liked RA2, so I'll probably buy it with my OMFG bonus now that this @#%#$ strike is over.
Annonchinil
Scholar
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
- Messages
- 844
Well I bought it, some impressions.
Its rather campy, but in a fun way that does not make me cringe.
The single player missions are your typical RTS stuff but well done and give you a unique map, situation, unit, objective or enemy to keep you interested.
The Skirmish AI at this point seems rather good, not sure if it will remain so after you play for a bit and become better.
The economy seems simplified than from the past C&C games.
The best part of the game are the units, you can't just spam one type and hope to win and will have to manage balanced forces properly.
So far its rather fun. I really have not played a C&C game since RA2 and am glad I purchased this one.
Its rather campy, but in a fun way that does not make me cringe.
The single player missions are your typical RTS stuff but well done and give you a unique map, situation, unit, objective or enemy to keep you interested.
The Skirmish AI at this point seems rather good, not sure if it will remain so after you play for a bit and become better.
The economy seems simplified than from the past C&C games.
The best part of the game are the units, you can't just spam one type and hope to win and will have to manage balanced forces properly.
So far its rather fun. I really have not played a C&C game since RA2 and am glad I purchased this one.
Data4
Arcane
Got a couple of questions:
1. How large are the skirmish maps, and is there a decent variety of them?
2. How far can you zoom out? I've read that it's not all that far, lending a claustrophobic feel.
I'll usually play one or two of the campaigns, but replay value for me is in the skirmishes. I'm not big on multiplayer, but I do like to kill some time with a little me vs. ai every once in awhile.
1. How large are the skirmish maps, and is there a decent variety of them?
2. How far can you zoom out? I've read that it's not all that far, lending a claustrophobic feel.
I'll usually play one or two of the campaigns, but replay value for me is in the skirmishes. I'm not big on multiplayer, but I do like to kill some time with a little me vs. ai every once in awhile.
Annonchinil
Scholar
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
- Messages
- 844
1. There seem to be lots of maps with varied design. The green temperate setting seems to be the most popular and the more 'desert' look does not stand out as much. But there are also ice maps and one that reminds me of a StarCraft space platform. Most 1v1 maps range from small to medium size while some of the 3v3 maps are rather large. Oh and the max amount of players seems to be 6 and not 8.
2. The two times I had camera issues was;
-In single player you would have significantly more units than in MP (since you can turtle) and in a big naval engagement I wish the camera could zoom out farther. It only happened once though.
-When managing aircraft, since they move so fast it is possible to loose track of them. Having the option ala CC to go to an overview map and see where your units are would have been great.
Other than that I feel that the camera in this game is fine when it comes to managing your troops and when a battle is in progress I can see all of it. The only time it feels claustrophobic is when I have a late game base that’s tightly packed, but I suggest you look at the screenshots to get a feel of it. Gameplay wise other than a few small instances it works.
Several other points:
-The soundtrack in this game is fantastic, a nice mix of rock/metal, Japanese and Russian sounding songs. For the Japanese songs think more along the lines of Chinese theme from BF2 than Jpop.
-Surprisingly I enjoyed all the skirmish maps that I have played. There is no favorite like Angoville (in CoH) that stands out as above the rest. I also have not run into any maps that I really hate to play on.
-As of now I can beat medium AI with no problems. The biggest flaw seems to be that they are not aggressive enough or do not follow early aggression up into anything that can destroy you. For example one of the Allied AIs builds early bombers and sends them after you, and their effectiveness is rather startling. However there is no land army to take advantage of the harassment. Another soviet general goes for an early sickle/terror drone rush but if you counter it there does not seem to be any follow up. One thing that the AI does do well (most of the time) is built solid counters, I just played a game where I sent unprotected Kirovs in only for the AI to spot them and build the correct units rather quickly to destroy them.
-One thing that I do enjoy is the fast pace of the games, if I roll the AI at Tear 2 the game would last 7-8 minutes. This makes it perfect for when I want to enjoy myself and just have a quick game.
-The whole economy/base management aspect of the game seems more limited than the past C&C games. Not sure if I miss it but for some factions there seem to be only two viable builds (at this point)
-In regards to what Tom Chick wrote:
I do not feel that managing your troops in this game is that hard, for one the hot keys are consistent (ie. E is the main building que for all the factions, F activates the special ability for all your units) and hence are easier to remember than other rts games. You also have less units than the previous C&C games and there are usually visual clues as to what mode your unit is in. For example the Allied Javalin trooper in secondary mode has a giant red laser sight that is clearly visible while the Japanese Tengu switches from Jet to robot. The one issue that does bother me is the path finding and keeping track of air units. However I was able to solve both of those problems, but keeping better hotkeys on my air force and by queuing movement orders. Overall its easier to micro than in StarCraft and does not have the frustrating moments I had in CoH with babysitting units.
As it stands now I am rather happy that I purchased the game especially since I did not care for C&C games since the last Red Alert. While it does not seem to be as complex as SupCom there is enough strategy and variety there to keep players entertained and go beyond rock/paper/scissors. One thing that surprised me coming from CoH is how important movement and mobility are in the game, especially since harassment is a more viable option and the movement differences between the units are larger.
2. The two times I had camera issues was;
-In single player you would have significantly more units than in MP (since you can turtle) and in a big naval engagement I wish the camera could zoom out farther. It only happened once though.
-When managing aircraft, since they move so fast it is possible to loose track of them. Having the option ala CC to go to an overview map and see where your units are would have been great.
Other than that I feel that the camera in this game is fine when it comes to managing your troops and when a battle is in progress I can see all of it. The only time it feels claustrophobic is when I have a late game base that’s tightly packed, but I suggest you look at the screenshots to get a feel of it. Gameplay wise other than a few small instances it works.
Several other points:
-The soundtrack in this game is fantastic, a nice mix of rock/metal, Japanese and Russian sounding songs. For the Japanese songs think more along the lines of Chinese theme from BF2 than Jpop.
-Surprisingly I enjoyed all the skirmish maps that I have played. There is no favorite like Angoville (in CoH) that stands out as above the rest. I also have not run into any maps that I really hate to play on.
-As of now I can beat medium AI with no problems. The biggest flaw seems to be that they are not aggressive enough or do not follow early aggression up into anything that can destroy you. For example one of the Allied AIs builds early bombers and sends them after you, and their effectiveness is rather startling. However there is no land army to take advantage of the harassment. Another soviet general goes for an early sickle/terror drone rush but if you counter it there does not seem to be any follow up. One thing that the AI does do well (most of the time) is built solid counters, I just played a game where I sent unprotected Kirovs in only for the AI to spot them and build the correct units rather quickly to destroy them.
-One thing that I do enjoy is the fast pace of the games, if I roll the AI at Tear 2 the game would last 7-8 minutes. This makes it perfect for when I want to enjoy myself and just have a quick game.
-The whole economy/base management aspect of the game seems more limited than the past C&C games. Not sure if I miss it but for some factions there seem to be only two viable builds (at this point)
-In regards to what Tom Chick wrote:
I do not feel that managing your troops in this game is that hard, for one the hot keys are consistent (ie. E is the main building que for all the factions, F activates the special ability for all your units) and hence are easier to remember than other rts games. You also have less units than the previous C&C games and there are usually visual clues as to what mode your unit is in. For example the Allied Javalin trooper in secondary mode has a giant red laser sight that is clearly visible while the Japanese Tengu switches from Jet to robot. The one issue that does bother me is the path finding and keeping track of air units. However I was able to solve both of those problems, but keeping better hotkeys on my air force and by queuing movement orders. Overall its easier to micro than in StarCraft and does not have the frustrating moments I had in CoH with babysitting units.
As it stands now I am rather happy that I purchased the game especially since I did not care for C&C games since the last Red Alert. While it does not seem to be as complex as SupCom there is enough strategy and variety there to keep players entertained and go beyond rock/paper/scissors. One thing that surprised me coming from CoH is how important movement and mobility are in the game, especially since harassment is a more viable option and the movement differences between the units are larger.
Data4
Arcane
Thanks. I've since gotten the game since I posted and can pretty much agree with all your points. I love the soundtrack, too. During one skirmish, the music was like modern jazz fusion, and as odd as that sounds, it worked. I also noticed that whenever I'd lay a devastating blow on the enemy base, the music would kick up in speed and intensity. Nice touch.
Like I said in another thread, the game is pretty fun for what it is, but the gameplay isn't anything you haven't seen in RA2.
Like I said in another thread, the game is pretty fun for what it is, but the gameplay isn't anything you haven't seen in RA2.
Annonchinil
Scholar
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
- Messages
- 844
Yeah I always leave the main menu screen for a few minutes so I can hear some of the songs. I also believe that some of the maps have unique 'mood' music to them… wish there was a jukebox.
As for the gameplay, I haven't played C&C games in so long that it 'feels' new to me even if its not. The game also struck me as more fun than Generals or Tiberium Wars, not sure why though. It might be because some the units and their special abilities are simply 'fun' to use, like landing a sickle in the middle of an infantry mob.
As for the gameplay, I haven't played C&C games in so long that it 'feels' new to me even if its not. The game also struck me as more fun than Generals or Tiberium Wars, not sure why though. It might be because some the units and their special abilities are simply 'fun' to use, like landing a sickle in the middle of an infantry mob.
CrimsonAngel
Prophet
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2007
- Messages
- 2,258
I like it.
Its Cheesy and over the top in a god way.
Solid music. Solid Voice acting, Great FMV's and Great Strategic.
Its a most have for me.
Its Cheesy and over the top in a god way.
Solid music. Solid Voice acting, Great FMV's and Great Strategic.
Its a most have for me.
Annonchinil
Scholar
- Joined
- Mar 12, 2007
- Messages
- 844
I wish I got the premier edition just for the soundtrack.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rda1Uq9ATig
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rda1Uq9ATig
Data4
Arcane
Hm, just started this, and so far it seems pretty fun (although I'm just in the second mission so far), the units' voices are kind of irritating though but there's also some cool shit thrown in (like an 'orbital bombardment' that sends a sattelite down on the enemies' heads :D ).
It's all really damn over the top too, I'd even say 10 times as much as the previous Red Alerts, but it's not eye-hurting over the top either, which is gud.
It's all really damn over the top too, I'd even say 10 times as much as the previous Red Alerts, but it's not eye-hurting over the top either, which is gud.
Hie Dard
Novice
The vids I've seen of this game look really fun. I like how they did the naval base building this time round. It's something different.
Overall it's meh. The resource system is terrible, the harvesters are all amphibious and have the worst AI ever. A resource mine (no ore here) will run low and they'll automatically try crossing a sub infested ocean to go to the one in the enemies base... Harvesters have always been dumb, but this just takes the piss. It's also far too easy to fuck someone's economy with the support powers. One magnetic twister can utterly fuck someone's game, depending on how early it's used and whether their initial refineries/mines are close enough for it to sweep all the harvesters shuttling between them.
There's no defence against these, so it can get frustrating fast. Game speed is also stupidly fast considering the level of micro needed, esp for the Japs. Games end up being about who has the best support powers and who can spam them first, rather than who can actually run a good tactical battle/economy.
The single player starts out quite fun (Tim Curry ftw), with the FMV being nicely done, but beyond the first couple of missions for each faction they nose dive, with no effort seemingly put in. The campagins dead ended a lot sooner than I expected, with there being only half a dozen for each faction.
There's no defence against these, so it can get frustrating fast. Game speed is also stupidly fast considering the level of micro needed, esp for the Japs. Games end up being about who has the best support powers and who can spam them first, rather than who can actually run a good tactical battle/economy.
The single player starts out quite fun (Tim Curry ftw), with the FMV being nicely done, but beyond the first couple of missions for each faction they nose dive, with no effort seemingly put in. The campagins dead ended a lot sooner than I expected, with there being only half a dozen for each faction.
Phalanx01
Novice
- Joined
- Jan 22, 2008
- Messages
- 12
RA3 is definately not worth the buy. I can't believe they're gonna release a Xpack for it. Doesn't make sence either the way they describe it: picks up after the main campaign. Question is: Which of the 3 sides actually had the main campaign?
I finished all 3 of em and they all end differently without any clear victor really. And as above post said, gameplay is terrible.
RA3 is like taking the RTS gaming, making it uber retarded and warping it back 10 years ago, maybe even pre-C&C 1. If you're in the mooth for a super easy RTS game with a lot of repetitive missions, try it out.
Only + is the vid scenes with the chicks. But don't expect much action like in Tiberium Sun tho, pretty much static mission briefings. And TERRIBLY overacted as well, like watching a comedy sitcom.
I finished all 3 of em and they all end differently without any clear victor really. And as above post said, gameplay is terrible.
RA3 is like taking the RTS gaming, making it uber retarded and warping it back 10 years ago, maybe even pre-C&C 1. If you're in the mooth for a super easy RTS game with a lot of repetitive missions, try it out.
Only + is the vid scenes with the chicks. But don't expect much action like in Tiberium Sun tho, pretty much static mission briefings. And TERRIBLY overacted as well, like watching a comedy sitcom.
kingcomrade
Kingcomrade
It's actually pretty good, and fun.
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