Okay, I realize I'm coming to this party late, but I want to say that I'm really liking Red Alert 2. I suppose I should put in a disclaimer at this point: Ahem...anyone who loved that Sarge thread last week about hardcore wargaming or who has any idea what the word "grognard" means should stay away from this post. There.

I've been noodling around with Red Alert 2 for the last few days--single player skirmish mode only--and this is the first time I've been able to play the game where I could really explore some of its parameters. My only experience with it heretofore was at Shoot Club, and for a novice like myself that is really just about frenetic survival. It's hard to learn how to enjoy the game that way. Don't get me wrong, I think that ultimately it's a better game against humans, it's just tough to get to be any good at it that way. Certain people there just create a score of Grizzley Tanks and mow on over you. Not that I'm bitter or anything, it's just that now that I'm goofing around with it alone I've discovered the charms of Tanya. Man, does she ever kick ass. I was always afraid to spend money on her on the LAN.

I have a question though. With all this talk about Special Forces and their role in our current war/action I have to wonder why there are no attack helicopters in Red Alert 2. I mean I know there is a transport helicopter, and that is useful, but why no cool attack 'copter like the Apache or something that can be an attack platform for soldiers like the Black Hawk? Anybody know why?

Amanpour

It pisses me off that one attack dog can kill Tanya though, if you're not careful. You'd think she could woo it peacefully with her teats by bending over the battle map one more time.

Tanya 4 evr,

Hiroshi Webster
Nippon Game Guide

"Certain people there just create a score of Grizzley Tanks and mow on over you."

Actually, they're Rhino Tanks. Not that I'd know anything about that...

Any of you guys playing with the Yuri's Revenge exansion? It really does some nice things to Red Alert 2.

As for why there are no attack helicopters, I'd have to say that's because there are Harriers, which have the same effect. They just don't actually *look* like helicopters. There are Siege Choppers in Yuri's Revenge, which you can buy if you feel like throwing ore away.

Speaking of helicopters, I got to sit in the cockpit of a Blackhawk at the Arkansas State Fair last weekend! I let the pilot explain stuff to me that I already knew ("This is the cyclic, which tilts the disc of the spinning rotors...") just so I could have maximum seat time. The cyclic and collective sticks are *huge* and festooned with buttons and even hat switches. There were no targeting avionics, since it was rigged as a medical chopper, but everything else looked pretty familiar to me from helicopter sims I've played! I don't imagine I could actually fly it, but I knew exactly what I was looking at. It was really a rush just sitting there, so I can imagine how it must feel to actually take one of those things up in the air...

-Tom

I have been umm'ing and aah'ing about picking up the expansion pack but I think I have well and truly been C&C'ed to death. Too many other good games I am currently playing at the moment.

Between D2:LOD, Flashpoint, Sub Command, and getting back in to Janes F/A-18 I am pretty much in gaming heaven.

My next purchase will likely be IL2 Sturmovik and maybe Silent Hunter II if it receives good reviews.

Xtien:

"With all this talk about Special Forces and their role in our current war/action I have to wonder why there are no attack helicopters in Red Alert 2. I mean I know there is a transport helicopter, and that is useful, but why no cool attack 'copter like the Apache or something that can be an attack platform for soldiers like the Black Hawk? Anybody know why?"

Alternate timeline. No Vietnam, no Korea, no Afghanistan. Probably didn't bother to pursue the development of 'em because they didn't see the value. All kinds of pseudo reasons, but I like that one best, so I'm sticking to it.

"Alternate timeline. No Vietnam, no Korea, no Afghanistan. Probably didn't bother to pursue the development of 'em because they didn't see the value. All kinds of pseudo reasons, but I like that one best, so I'm sticking to it."

I like the one where the elf got stuck in the time machine.

That wasn't an elf Bruce. That was a hammy actor in an Einstein wig.

-Andrew

Honestly, after Emperor Battle for Dune (or whatever it was called), I have lost the last shred of faith I had in Westwood to make an RTS.

Never again shall my pocketbook be lightened by their rehashes of C&C 1 (which was just a rehash of Dune). There are plenty of Me-Too RTS games out there that I can pick up for $5 in the bargain bin that are more inovative than Westwood has been these past 8 years or so.

On a side note: I enjoyed Red Alert II and played it all the way through from both sides. Played the computer on single player scirmishes for a few weeks. Yet, I still regret paying $50 for it. Strange

Perhaps you just feel guilty Jim? I do it was an uninspired clone and we bought it instead of a game more deserving of are money. That said I did enjoy it for the better part of a month. Multiplay was a joy partly because it was the second computer game I ever played against other people. Also if it tells you anything about how horrid the balance was I obtained and maintained a rank in the top 180 for two weeks (thank god for rocketeer, engineer and libyan truck rushes)

In a reply to your side note: Ack skirmish? I played that about a dozen times then I realized on the hardest possible difficulty you could beat the computer everytime with a three man air rush.

"Actually, they're Rhino Tanks. Not that I'd know anything about that..."

HAH! The "Grizzley" trap worked!

Surrender now, and you shall live...

Amanpour