12 replies to this topic

[0r30]

Hey Daz, I've noticed your mods shaping up to be a very great mod indeed. I haven't had time to install RA2 and YR and install your mod so I only have screenies to go by, but I am quite interested anyway. In fact I got an urge to install RA + CS + AM and wizzed through the campaigns. I suddenly remembered how many units where totally useless...

Ok its mainly the allied side, but still, they always were the weakest and they need as much help as they can get, and so I'm wondering this, are you keeping to the original RA? i.e. Using original unit attributes?

If you are that's great, I love TC mods keeping to thier original games and if that is the case I would like to humbly request your permission in making a 'mini mod'. Don't worry, my mod will only really consist of editing the .INI file. I don't want to ruin the balance by adding real stupid attributes, just tweaking them to how they should have been, if you'll let me.

I realised how certain units in RA were underpowered or never worked right at all, And what I would plan to do is to 'tweak' or fix thier attributes. I'm still not sure if I would add some of these things detailed below as I don't want to go overboard, I may even make two different versions, one to fix RAs 'broken' units, and one for better 'balance' (in my eyes). i.e.


RA fixes version (basically what RA should have been)

Allies
-Radar Jammer (I think you've fixed this though in the RA2 engine) - bigger range, actually work
-Artillery (Slow turning, weak armoured, weak weapon, shorter range than most tanks) - longer range
-Mobile Gap Generator (radius too small) - better gap radius
-Spy (stole useless information) - Would show more detailed information, *maybe super weapon timers
-Longbow (long wit between volleys of rockets) - slightly quicken firing time between volleys of rockets)

Soviet
-Yak (still crap vs infantry) - Increase effectiveness against infantry
-Mammoth (expensive for what they are) - decrease cost slightly
-Para bombs (terrible accuracy) - improve targeting




Better balance version (would include features above)

Allies
-Thief (pretty useless) - cloak ability (sorta makes sense if you think about it, dogs would counter)
-Guard dog (weak, only good vs spys) - sensors ability to seek out the cloaked thief
-Tanya (keep as a 'build one at a time' unique unit)
-AP mine layer (who uses anti PERSONNEL mines anyway) - AT mines
-Sonar Pulse (only in crates) - available after tech center is built 9 min charge
-Crono-sphere (only shift one unit) - shift multiple units, reduce time

Soviet
-Stavros (have as a counter to tanya) prob not include due to balance reasons
-Parabombs (only available in crates) - available from air field
-Badger Bomber (weak, only one for paradrop and parabomb) - change armour to Heavy
-Iron curtain (only one unit) - increase range of effectiveness, i.e. multiple invincible units, as a balance, make nuke trucks and MAD tanks immune to the Iron curtain



Other ideas
-Make the MAD tank have a better weapon fx - like a shockwave when detonated
-Tesla tanks when destroyed blow up like the bombs elite Kirov's drop (the sparks fx)
-Flame towers when destroyed explode or go up in flames - prob the latter
-Nuke Silo when destroyed goes up like small nuke explosion


Anyways Its just an idea, all I ask is if I may have permission to edit your .INI file. I do plan to distribute it out (somehow) to the ICFRA community and get feedback from the people on the forums. Anyways, keep up the good work.

Cheers, r34ch (0r30)

[Jeeves]

Allies
-Radar Jammer - bigger range, actually work - Works
-Artillery - longer range - Agree only if outranged by base denfences. Think gameplay would be better if theres a unit that outranges defences, otherwise arty outranges all but the V2 on land anyways
-Mobile Gap Generator - better gap radius - Mobile gapgen's unsupported by RA2 engine
-Spy - Would show more detailed information, *maybe super weapon timers - Entirely different logic under RA2, limited only to building veterans if infiltrating warfac or barracks, resetting SW timers, cutting power, or stealing cash. IIRC ICFRA just does the last 3 (?)
-Longbow - slightly quicken firing time between volleys of rockets

Soviet
-Yak (still crap vs infantry) - Increase effectiveness against infantry - YAK ineffectve against infantry?!?
-Mammoth - decrease cost slightly - Disagree entirely. With no real weakness, the ability to heal, and effectiveness against everything the mammoth should cost a lot, but commanders should definately worry about loosing them...
-Para bombs - improve targeting - Can't recall Daz's method, but could be better or worse

Better balance version (would include features above)

Allies
-Thief - cloak ability - Made obsolete by spy, who can disguise. Also, cloak is just a pain, you can spend hours just trying to track down one man...
-Guard dog - sensors ability to seek out the cloaked thief - Disagree because of above
-Tanya (keep as a 'build one at a time' unique unit) - Aww, whats wrong with Tanya spamming? Just remember she needs micromanagement without autotargetting so can't effectively control two anyway. But do agree... Sorta...
-AP mine layer - AT mines - wtf?
-Sonar Pulse - available after tech center is built 9 min charge - Buggy in RA2, but
-Crono-sphere - shift multiple units, reduce time - Think it might be in ICFRA. Time and multi is a definate inbalance, especially as RA2 can't unwarp

Soviet
-Stavros - Both sides having Tanya in RA is dumb... Volkov!
-Parabombs - available from air field - Played lately?
-Badger Bomber - change armour to Heavy - Only a problem if you send it the wrong way
-Iron curtain - increase range, make nuke trucks and MAD tanks immune to the Iron curtain - Imunity impossible

[Jeeves]

Yeah, but giving a AP minelayer AT mines seems a little against the point

[MCV]

Allies have AT mines, Soviets have AP mines...

Stavros is Greek, i.e. Allied.

Only the Demo Truck should be Immune to the Iron Curtain. But it would be cool if Daz gave the Demo Truck a special armor type (RA used 5, RA2 has 11) that takes killing damage from the Chronoshpere targeting animation. Can't do the same to the Iron Curtain which only affects the Demo Truck for a 1/60 of 45 seconds.

[0r30]

Allies have AT mines, Soviets have AP mines...

AP mines, yea realised i mixed them up the wrong way round, allies did indeed have AT mines and soviets AP. At first I thought AP mines were dump, and well, they are, but its better if the soviets have a pointless mine and the allies a good mine to defend against the soviets armour.

Stavros is Greek, i.e. Allied.

Lol sorry, yea a few discrepancies, I couldn't remember the soviets cyborg commando, Volkov? - as I haven't played that mission again in the original yet.

Only the Demo Truck should be Immune to the Iron Curtain. But it would be cool if Daz gave the Demo Truck a special armor type (RA used 5, RA2 has 11) that takes killing damage from the Chronoshpere targeting animation. Can't do the same to the Iron Curtain which only affects the Demo Truck for a 1/60 of 45 seconds.

In the original, the demo truck when Iron curtained, would be immune for a split second, rendering the iron curtain useless on it, M.A.D. tanks were however able to be 'curtained' (?). Thing is if i made the iron curtain, 'curtain' more than one vehicle, a player could simply iron curtain 9 M.A.D. tanks and destroy a whole base in one go... so If i made the iron curtains range bigger, I would either have to make M.A.D. tanks immune to this as well somehow, or not last as long...

Allies
-Artillery - longer range - Agree only if outranged by base denfences. Think gameplay would be better if theres a unit that outranges defences, otherwise arty outranges all but the V2 on land anyways

So you propose to make it slightly longer range, longer than tanks, but not longer than base defenses? The artillery has weak armour, slow mobility, and its crap against vehicles. It excels against buildings, so I would have thought it would make a bit more sense having it rival the V2, because as it stands, the artillery isn't exactly an 'artillery' if it doesn't out-range base defences, that's the point of artillery, just somehow in RA it was Uber Nerfed, if it doesn't out-range defences why bother having that unit?

-Mobile Gap Generator - better gap radius - Mobile gapgen's unsupported by RA2 engine
-Spy - Would show more detailed information, *maybe super weapon timers - Entirely different logic under RA2, limited only to building veterans if infiltrating warfac or barracks, resetting SW timers, cutting power, or stealing cash. IIRC ICFRA just does the last 3 (?)

Ah right, Mob gap gen was a dumb idea anyway...
Point. They would have been the three I would have went for.

-Yak (still crap vs infantry) - Increase effectiveness against infantry - YAK ineffectve against infantry?!?
-Mammoth - decrease cost slightly - Disagree entirely. With no real weakness, the ability to heal, and effectiveness against everything the mammoth should cost a lot, but commanders should definately worry about loosing them...
-Para bombs - improve targeting - Can't recall Daz's method, but could be better or worse

Well, the yak was a bit crap at killing infantry, In a group of five men packed together it would mow down one... and since in RA2 men don't stand as close I would suppose it would be worse? unless the damage spread increased

The mammoth in RA was never built in MP as it was slow and a heavy tank was better and cheaper, so by lowering the cost -a bit- it might pose as a viable option, In fact as a wacky idea for the other version, since a mammoth tank was meant to be huge, it'd be cool if it could run over small vehicles like jeeps and walls, but nothing bigger.. using the Battle fortress idea.

Lol worse than RA targeting ;p

Better balance version (would include features above)

Allies
-Thief - cloak ability - Made obsolete by spy, who can disguise. Also, cloak is just a pain, you can spend hours just trying to track down one man...
-Guard dog - sensors ability to seek out the cloaked thief - Disagree because of above
-Tanya (keep as a 'build one at a time' unique unit) - Aww, whats wrong with Tanya spamming? Just remember she needs micromanagement without autotargetting so can't effectively control two anyway. But do agree... Sorta...
-AP mine layer - AT mines - wtf?
-Sonar Pulse - available after tech center is built 9 min charge - Buggy in RA2, but
-Crono-sphere - shift multiple units, reduce time - Think it might be in ICFRA. Time and multi is a definate inbalance, especially as RA2 can't unwarp

Ok thief obsolete, good point on the cloak con, same for dog.
Yea mine thing cleared above
Yea would have to playtest the chrono time and multi to see if a balance can work. Same for Iron Curtain.

Soviet
-Stavros - Both sides having Tanya in RA is dumb... Volkov!
-Parabombs - available from air field - Played lately?
-Badger Bomber - change armour to Heavy - Only a problem if you send it the wrong way
-Iron curtain - increase range, make nuke trucks and MAD tanks immune to the Iron curtain - Imunity impossible

Stavros meant Volkov, again balance issues
LOL no haven't played at all yet.
Can you direct Badger Bombers in ICRA?? In RA a few AA and they were history. lol it was 9 min charge for a one off run after finding a crate only to find it managed to fly in off screen over your enemy's concentrated AA...
Even with RP? can the time values be edited somehow for these individual vehicles? i.e. only lasts a split second?



Anyway thanks for the feedback guys! Much appreciated!

Would any of you be interested in even trying this little mini mod? (if I get the go ahead), it only involves sticking one file into the YR directory

cheers again

Edited by 0r30, 10 March 2007 - 04:50 PM.

[blackheartstar]

Yak in RA1 mow down only one out of five? I believe you might not be remmembering correctly.
Mammoth Tank never produced in MP? Who where you playing?
The Artillery is alright how it is. Allow afew Light and/or Medium Tanks to soak up some damage (there shorter range makes them naturaly move in closer) while three or so Artillery bombard from the rear (there longer range keeps them in the back) and see how fast a good base deffence can be taken down quick and cheap.

Sonar Pulse is a good one.
Mobile Gap it would be nice to atleast have a deployer styled Mobile Gap in ICFRA :(
I say the mines should stay as is.
I agree about Tanya not being for Soviets and below is the unit graphics I suggest be used in her place. Same stats just new graphics.



Could be Volkov or Spetsnaz either or other.

Here is another one Ive cooked up guess who



I love RA1 tiny infantry all infantry should be so tiny

[0r30]

Well If you like the arty as it is then I suggest avoiding this mod hahaha

[rant]
The same could be said for the soviets, but the soviet attack would of course be more effective, a few heavy tanks to soak up a little damage while the V2's wayyy in the back decimate the base defence. Sounds like allies get stuffed on that one with their short range 'artillery'

And yes the only people that built mammoth tanks in multiplier that I came across where total noobs, mammoths vs heavy thanks mammoths loose every time. £1500 for a lab, then $1700 for each mammoth where as $950 for a heavy, available from the word go.


Who where you playing?



Ok Ok I admit though, I was wrong, on average it is 'three' men killed out of 5 packed together, 5 if grenadiers. It depends on the angle of attack. So In RA2 where the men are spread out, would that fall to what, 1 per run? 2? the more runs, the more vulnerable the yak to AA...

A quick run down of stats

Heavy tank $950, damage 30, range 4.75, HP 400
Medium tank $800, damage 30, range 4.75, HP 400
Mammoth $1700 (+ $1500 for the tech centre and $300 for power) damage 40, range 4.75, HP 600

I've not included ROF, not to make the results seem more favourable to the allies but simply I am lazy... basically the allies have betetr ROF to try and compensate but that doesnt really work to well

Anyway mammoths have slower rate of fire and only do an extra 10 damage, and have an extra 200Hp compared to Heavies, and are $750 moren so basically two heavies for one mammoth. They are slower in speed with slower ROF and more expensive, they are less bang for the buck.

Allies medium tank is just a cheaper version of the heavy with one barrel, therefore the Heavy > Med (and i'm not talking one on one here, in general. £8000 of allied tanks vs £8000 and usually the soviets will win)

Artillery has a range of 6, where tanks have a cell less. damage is 150, if the shell hits, ok it out ranges tanks. Barely.
V2s have a range of 10, damage is 600.

Besides the arty has to get up close with only 75Hp and slow turning speed etc and fire a few shots, where as the V2 can hide from the action and even if it does get attacked, guess what? It has twice the Hp of an artillery, and its only $100 more than artillery.

Soviets 1 - Allies 0
[/rant]

Sorry I get quite personal over the crap-ness of the artillery...


As for the shps nice work! only gripe I have is the bottom one shoots normally the blue mussel fire - pretty cool, but its different to when its prone - the normal yellow mussel fire, should that not be blue too?

And I agree on the size of the infantry

Edited by 0r30, 11 March 2007 - 12:02 AM.

[Jeeves]

erp - my error. Agree only if outranging base denfences.
Arty should outrange base defences.
It already outranges all but V2 on land.
So unless its currently outranged by base defences, it doesn't need improving.

Chronomidget has wrong color anim for firing down. But I love the little dance routine at the end XD

Edited by Jeeves, 11 March 2007 - 09:52 AM.

[blackheartstar]

Heavy tank $950, damage 30, range 4.75, HP 400
Medium tank $800, damage 30, range 4.75, HP 400
Mammoth $1700 (+ $1500 for the tech centre and $300 for power) damage 40, range 4.75, HP 600
[/rant]

Sorry I get quite personal over the crap-ness of the artillery...

As for the shps nice work! only gripe I have is the bottom one shoots normally the blue mussel fire - pretty cool, but its different to when its prone - the normal yellow mussel fire, should that not be blue too?

And I agree on the size of the infantry

Radar jammer does work in multiplayer RA just tested to make sure

I happen to have the ra1 rules.ini in hand and:

Heavy Tank does 60 damage remmember burst=2 doubles damage
Medium does 30 damage
Mammoth does 80 damage remmember also burst=2 as is the 150 to infantry and aircraft.

ROF does go down as damage goes up though.

Ive never played anyone who hasent massed produced mammoths mid to late game. Rocket Soldiers with Gun Turret based deffence ward off heavy tanks to easily to be useful early game

Your right the same is true for the V2 and it does work better

Thanks for the praise. The Chrono Trooper is based on the Chrono Leg concept and thus I never made fire prone attack frames. I could add them very easily though

To Jeeves: The Artillery has the exact same range as the Gun Turret and is only out ranged by the Tesla Coil as far as base deffences go.

[0r30]

erp - my error. Agree only if outranging base denfences.

Ah got you now

Radar jammer does work in multiplayer RA just tested to make sure

But the range is crap, sorry should have said that. I plan to increase the range

Heavy Tank does 60 damage remmember burst=2 doubles damage
Medium does 30 damage
Mammoth does 80 damage remmember also burst=2 as is the 150 to infantry and aircraft.

ROF does go down as damage goes up though.

yes should have pointed that out, The stats I gave where per barrel, sorry. The reason I argue that the heavy is better than the medium btw is beacause it deals more damage over time than the medium. For them to be completely balanced, the ROF of the medium tank would have to be exactly half of the heavy, I don't plan to touch this btw) currently, The medium tank takes (50) 5 seconds between shots (if playing on normal speed), where as the Heavy only takes two seconds longer. But this is why the price deference is there to even up the balance a bit.

Ive never played anyone who hasent massed produced mammoths mid to late game. Rocket Soldiers with Gun Turret based deffence ward off heavy tanks to easily to be useful early game

Ok I lied, I do see people do the Mommoth/tesla coil glitch but really not many people I play spam Mammoths...

Your right the same is true for the V2 and it does work better

I just think that the soviets defences are better yet the allies have a crap, short ranged unit to deal with them, where as the allied defences are weak (as in fire power), but the soviets get a far better anti 'base defence' unit, so by increasing even just the range, if not the speed or armour, it at least fairs a bit better as a unit

Thanks for the praise. The Chrono Trooper is based on the Chrono Leg concept and thus I never made fire prone attack frames. I could add them very easily though

Would be nice

Edited by 0r30, 11 March 2007 - 11:27 AM.

[Gosho]

I'd like to see those infantry for RA2 blackheartstar. They're cool