Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 announced

[Martok]

A couple sizable previews from IGN and Gamespy, as well as a 15-minute video showing gameplay footage.


Items of possible interest:

Units will (supposedly) be more specialized, and have both a primary and secondary ability.

The Empire of the Rising Sun will have a Japanese schoolgirl with psychic powers as their Tanya-type unit.

Units that are at a higher elevation will be "invisible" to enemy units and cannot be fired upon by them.

A new Soviet unit called the Bullfrog can shoot infantry and armored bears out of its "man-cannon" from a distance onto enemy units & structures.

Allied units will now be tougher yet less powerful (not sure what this means exactly).

Ore fields have been replaced by indestructible ore "nodes".

Around 70 units in the game total (divided amongst the 3 factions).


My thoughts on the gameplay video:

Pretty cool to watch, although I dislike the game's cartoonish, overly-colorful look. (Apparently this was a deliberate design choice by EALA, as they wanted to distinguish it from the "darker" Tiberium half of the C&C series.) Watching the Soviet engineer automatically deploy a raft to reach a neutral-party structure out in the water was pretty neat.

One thing that especially worried me: Units seemed to have trouble detecting and/or reacting to enemy units. I saw several instances where Allied tanks didn't seem to notice Soviet vehicles practically under their noses; and when they did finally notice them, they still seemed awfully slow to pursue and engage them.

[Abokasee]

The Empire of the Rising Sun will have a Japanese schoolgirl with psychic powers as their Tanya-type unit.

Typical of most anime cartoons then... however the RA2 soviet squid may have some to say... (Tentacles... )

Ore fields have been replaced by indestructible ore "nodes".

awww... at least we won't have our harvesters wandering into enemy bases anymore

Allied units will now be tougher yet less powerful (not sure what this means exactly).

Better Armour/HP less damage?

Pretty cool to watch, although I dislike the game's cartoonish, overly-colorful look.

After many years of playing RTW, MTW2, C&CTW (Tiberium Wars) and other fairly serious and heavy hearted stragety games, I'd like something to cheer me up

Around 70 units in the game total (divided amongst the 3 factions).

Maximum of 75 units and minimum of 69 as far as my MS-Calculator is concerned, meaing that if each faction has equal numbers of units, it will be either 25 maximum or 23 minimum.

Units that are at a higher elevation will be "invisible" to enemy units and cannot be fired upon by them.

Should be harder to hit, and have longer range, small unitst right under would have no chance to fire back, whilst those big Japanese Mecha will have no problem..., although the height at which that unit was in the video, yeah lets go with can't see it from the ground.

[Martok]

Better Armour/HP less damage?

That's about the only thing I could think of, yeah. Allied units will probably be harder to kill, but their weaponry will be less powerful compared to the Soviets and ERS.

After many years of playing RTW, MTW2, C&CTW (Tiberium Wars) and other fairly serious and heavy hearted stragety games, I'd like something to cheer me up

Oh, so do I, absolutely. Don't get me wrong. Given the campy nature of the Red Alert series, I fully expect the 3rd iteration to bright and cheery like the rest. Still, I think EALA might've gone a little overboard in that department.

Yes, it's only a minor complaint and not really that important in the grand scheme of things. I guess I'm just worried that looking at the game for very long will give me a migraine. (I wish I were kidding.)

Should be harder to hit, and have longer range, small unitst right under would have no chance to fire back, whilst those big Japanese Mecha will have no problem..., although the height at which that unit was in the video, yeah lets go with can't see it from the ground.

I'm all for units with a height advantage having a longer firing range and better line of sight, and I don't even have a major problem with them being immune to weapons fire from below. But to be actually be invisible? I don't know about that.

Ah well, guess we'll just have to wait and see.

[Veho Nex]

I will have EA's un wanted love child if this game is as good as it looks. Please EA don't screw up IM COUNTING ON YOU!!