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Jeez, Louise! It sure did!
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May 8, 2020 21:18
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PurpleXVI posted:The main problem with RTS navies and air forces is that they rarely have a varied selection of units, like, the number of units and mechanics on the ground in RA2 is twice or more that of the units in the air or at sea. This tends to make the sea gameplay of many games feel like just a simplified/cut down version of the land gameplay, rather than a legitimate option of its own. An article I dug up a year or two back went into detail on RTS navies (specifically: what happened to them?) and beyond the above some of the other things they mentioned that I thought were interesting included: -If the game presents flying units as basically ground units + noclip; the restricted terrain and mapbuilding demands naval units operate under become even more relatively annoying. -A navy adds another thing to make a decision based around 'how much of this do I need right now' vs 'will building this just get my rear end kicked' early in the game. One of the conclusions it comes to is that bigger-scale gameplay works better for RTS navies. If your game has a zillion unit types, a diverse navy is more likely. If your game expects you will field a sprawling army and huge base, it's not asking much to devote some amount of that to water gameplay. If your game has huge maps, water is easier to include in the terrain - and ships can have disproportionately giant ranges to help them bombard from a distance.
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May 9, 2020 02:23
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Slavvy posted:Didn't the Stalin brick cutscene at the end of ra1 have two American gi's with m16's? Still love that ending cutscene to this day, just that little personal YES moment after Stavros entombs Stalin is amazing.
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May 9, 2020 08:42
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Allied 08: Operation: Free Gateway https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpilX1R-8N4 Operation: Free Gateway  With the defense of Hawaii completed, the US has been able to refocus its troops, retaking Washington and Oregon from the Reds. The Soviets have been busy, however, constructing yet another Psychic Beacon in an attempt to convert the general population to their cause. Even the strongest of wills is no match for such dreadful technology, and nothing can be spared in preventing the Soviets from achieving their goal in Missouri. Tanya and an elite team will be paradropped into the area. Destroy the Beacon at all costs!   St. Louis, Missouri.  Location: St. Louis, Missouri, USA Objective: Destroy the Psychic Beacon! Briefing: Even as we cleanse America of Soviet forces, they continue to play with their psychic technology, desperately hoping that their little toys will destroy us. We have discovered a Psychic Beacon in St. Louis. Take special agent Tanya in and destroy the beacon. Author's note: An interesting map with easy cheese potential. I missed some resource crates you get by repairing the Arch, and I never reveal the entire area of the abandoned base to the bottom-left of the map.   Name: Unknown Aliases: None Affiliation: Allies Occupation: White House Aide Voiced/Played by: Ann-Marie Lazaroff Aide to the President of the United States of America. Stenographer.  Name: Ben Carville Aliases: General Thorn Affiliation: Allies Occupation: Leading General of the US Forces. Voiced/Played by: Barry Corbin Top military official for the United States of America's armed forces. Reports directly to the president. Enjoys antagonizing Tanya. Was temporarily subverted by the Soviet Union due to mind control weapons. Impressed by the Commander's ability to befriend Tanya.  Name: Lt. Eva Aliases: None Affiliation: Allies Occupation: Tactical and Communications officer for the Commander Voiced/Played by: Athena Massey Lt. Eva is the Commander's tactics and communications officer, providing a vital supporting role in the Commander's control of his forces, and the battlefield.  Name: President Dugan Aliases: None Affiliation: Allies Occupation: President of the United States of America Voiced/Played by: Ray Wise President of the United States of America. Helped install Premier Romanov in Soviet Russia. Defected to the Reds. Rehabilitated after the destruction of the Psychic Beacon in Washington D.C. Is willing to authorize lethal force in urban areas... provided you don't harm any of his constituents.  Name: Tanya Aliases: Widowmaker Affiliation: Hired Gun Occupation: Special Agent / International Gun For Hire Voiced/Played by: Kari Wuhrer Agent Tanya is a renowned mercenary who plays by her own rules. It has been suggested that the name "Tanya" may be a codename, similar to Agent 007. Responded to the crisis and helped recapture the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, after having dealt with the Soviet invasion in New York. Sent to Poland to destroy the forward Soviet nukes used to deter European involvement in the ongoing Third World War. Sometimes uses an AK-47, sans top cover, as her primary weapon.   Prism Tank RANGE: Medium-Long ARMOR: Light WEAPON: "Comet" Laser Weapon COST: 1200 This powerful Allied tank uses a weapon similar to the Allied Prism Tower. The powerful and deadly beam of light launched from the Prism Tank’s cannon radiates from the target to hit other nearby enemies, allowing this vehicle to single-handedly destroy entire groups of enemy units. The range of dispersal depends on how close the Prism Tank is to its initial target. Author's Note: Unlike the Prism Tower, the tank version does not "connect" or merge beams for a stronger attack. I don't recall using this too much, but I can't say why - the Prism Tank isn't a bad option. Aftermath: Faster than Par Time: "You saved Saint Louis before her citizens could come to any harm." Slower than Par Time: "Saint Louis was saved, but thousands of American citizens were permanently turned to the Soviet cause." Jobbo_Fett fucked around with this message at 21:17 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 12, 2020 19:45
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haha yessss time for PRISM TANKS, best unit on the allied side. man i loved getting these guys up to max veterancy and they'd just spit beam splinters everywhere.
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May 12, 2020 19:50
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The prism tank really only has two major drawbacks: it's expansive and has terrible armor. They're perfectly designed to function more like short range artillery than a straight tank but that's not necessarily a bad thing.
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May 12, 2020 20:12
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Prism tanks are really powerful to the point of being broken in my opinion. Sure they are slow and have the usual allied armor plating (none) but the damage and the range makes them just melt anything and everything before it gets close enough for that to matter. The only thing the soviets have that can match the range is V3 rockets which are too slow to hit something that is as quick and nimble as an elephant in a shopping trolley. I really wonder how they expected 45 minutes to be a reasonable time for such a short mission. The Soviet base is really small, poorly defended, they have barely any resources and you start the mission by crippling it.
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May 12, 2020 20:12
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Prisms are cool. I'd say they are the second coolest Allied tank, although I'll grant that they are probably the most powerful. e: I like how in the intro cutscene, Tanya is shown reloading a very American AK. I guess they didn't really have the choice of plastic guns with their budget? anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 20:18 on May 12, 2020 |
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May 12, 2020 20:14
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anilEhilated posted:Prisms are cool. I'd say they are the second coolest Allied tank, although I'll grant that they are probably the most powerful. Its also missing the top/dust cover for reasons.
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May 12, 2020 20:20
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Poil posted:Prism tanks are really powerful to the point of being broken in my opinion. Sure they are slow and have the usual allied armor plating (none) but the damage and the range makes them just melt anything and everything before it gets close enough for that to matter. The only thing the soviets have that can match the range is V3 rockets which are too slow to hit something that is as quick and nimble as an elephant in a shopping trolley. Its a tougher mission if you don't cheese it like I did. And I think the PAR times are meant for Hard Difficulty.
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May 12, 2020 20:21
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When Prism Tanks reach elite veterancy their beam splits will also split, leading to hilarious situations where you fire on a conscript and half the enemy's base explodes  .Also, the parking lot where the Devastators were executing civilians is the location of St. Louis' Old Courthouse of Dred Scott fame. You'd think of all the monuments in the US they'd leave up the one where we decided black people are property and have no rights, even in "free" states and territories.
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May 12, 2020 20:38
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aww yeah, this is one of my favourite Allied units as well. When I first played the game and this unit got introduced my reaction was "oh yay, they finally made their own version of the Tesla Tank"
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May 12, 2020 21:52
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There's a little cutscene with Tanya if you let the time run out.
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May 12, 2020 22:22
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Jobbo_Fett posted:Its a tougher mission if you don't cheese it like I did.  quote:And I think the PAR times are meant for Hard Difficulty.
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May 12, 2020 22:37
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Laughing Zealot posted:There's a little cutscene with Tanya if you let the time run out. Sadly its only a "mini" cutscene. I'll try to show them off, either at the end of each campaign or at the end of the game.
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May 12, 2020 22:41
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Poil posted:I usually don't cheese it that way and I still think it's too easy. And I'm not even that good at the game. Yeah par times tend to give you well enough time to explore the whole map for secrets. I never really had a problem hitting them. Maybe if I was a db kid that didnt think I needed more than 1 harvester?
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May 12, 2020 23:08
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Poil posted:Prism tanks are really powerful to the point of being broken in my opinion. Sure they are slow and have the usual allied armor plating (none) but the damage and the range makes them just melt anything and everything before it gets close enough for that to matter. The only thing the soviets have that can match the range is V3 rockets which are too slow to hit something that is as quick and nimble as an elephant in a shopping trolley. After the meatgrindy slog of the last two missions, this one is a much needed breather.
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May 13, 2020 07:20
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Kerning Chameleon posted:After the meatgrindy slog of the last two missions, this one is a much needed breather. If you don't cheese this one like in the video, the ai sends a poo poo ton of dudes at you and it's also a grinder. When I played it I used a stolen reactor and the hospital to build a beach head outside their mineral field before I could even advance.
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May 13, 2020 07:41
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Ahh Prism Tanks, pretty much the only ground unit I ever built once I had access to em in the campaign. Love these units, they are true glass cannons. Can't take a hit, but even in small numbers they just flatten almost any ground unit, and just devastate bases in seconds. Easily my favorite Allied unit. And yeah, never had much issue with this mission, given that you can easily cripple the Soviet base and can even get some income going if you recapture that southern base before your main forces arrive. As for Par Times, honestly found that they were hardest early on, and got easier and easier to meet as the campaign moved forward. Heck, the Par Time for mission 1 was like only 6 minutes and now they are like 45 min to an hour on average.
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May 13, 2020 08:22
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For some reason I kept hearing prism tanks as prison tanks.
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May 14, 2020 00:58
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There's a reason most mods heavily nerf Prism Tanks, usually by making them into a dedicated siege unit.
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May 18, 2020 06:26
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Mordja posted:There's a reason most mods heavily nerf Prism Tanks, usually by making them into a dedicated siege unit. They do it because they are bums. Prisms tanks are cool and precious as they are.
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May 18, 2020 14:29
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I'm always a proponent of buffing things up to the fun stuff's level, rather than destroying what's cool and good.
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May 18, 2020 18:43
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THE BAR posted:I'm always a proponent of buffing things up to the fun stuff's level, rather than destroying what's cool and good.
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May 19, 2020 15:07
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D. Ebdrup posted:It seems like almost every single game designer in the industry doesn't get this, though.
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May 19, 2020 15:31
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It's obviously impossible with physical media... Unless you sell new versions of the old stuff, of course! 
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May 19, 2020 15:48
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THE BAR posted:I'm always a proponent of buffing things up to the fun stuff's level, rather than destroying what's cool and good. Eh, I think game balance matters. Otherwhise why not just give the player a big red button to push right at the start that annihilates all enemies on the map, then let them choose to not use that if they want to win the 'hard' way? After all, what could be more 'cool' and 'fun' than massive explosions? Just sayin', there's a reason why that's not typically done.
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May 19, 2020 16:17
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Strategic Sage posted:After all, what could be more 'cool' and 'fun' than massive explosions? This message was approved by the MISTER TORGUE game design committee.
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May 19, 2020 17:13
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Strategic Sage posted:Eh, I think game balance matters. Otherwhise why not just give the player a big red button to push right at the start that annihilates all enemies on the map, then let them choose to not use that if they want to win the 'hard' way? After all, what could be more 'cool' and 'fun' than massive explosions? Just sayin', there's a reason why that's not typically done. It's supposed to go both ways, and not at all what I'm talking about. If a unit like the Prism tank is winning against more stuff than it was designed as a foil to, you help whatever's supposed to stop the Prism from doing its thing. Sacrificing the overperforming unit is the easy way to fix this, but I prefer a rejiggering of the bigger picture (both my own stuff and the games I enjoy) rather than smashing whatever's on top. Syndrome did nothing wrong. E: I didn't mean to come off like I'm bashing what you're saying. Yes, sometimes you do need to stop a game element that's clearly out of control or is being used in a way that's detrimental to the experience. But I will always take a step back first and see if the system can be changed, in case the unbalanced element is also fun to players, like Prism tanks. THE BAR fucked around with this message at 17:27 on May 19, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 17:20
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Strategic Sage posted:Otherwhise why not just give the player a big red button to push right at the start Funny you'd say that
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May 19, 2020 17:36
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One of the big problems with prism tanks is the dearth of air units in this game. Massed prism tanks take out both tanks and infantry, and any boats dumb enough to get close. The only hard counter is air, and the soft counter is not allowing a mass of prism tanks in the first place.
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May 19, 2020 20:05
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The other counter is the iron curtain since prism tanks will fold like wet tissue if their offensive power is neutralised
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May 19, 2020 20:33
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Also to be fair, Prism Tanks take a while to get to, are expensive, and do fold quickly when attacked, and need at least some decent numbers to reach death ball status, so forcing other units/defenses to be built instead of letting a straight run to said death ball uninterrupted is also a way to deal with them. But I do agree that their natural counter, air units, are lacking from what we have seen so far, and the Allies have shown to have a decent damage dealing and pretty quick anti-air in the form of the IFV.
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May 19, 2020 21:03
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The main benefit from Prisms is their ease of use; their long range means you can attack move and do reasonably well against the AI without much effort.
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May 19, 2020 21:46
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Have we seen any soviet air units so far? I think there's only one and we haven't seen it yet.
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May 19, 2020 22:01
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Radio Free Kobold posted:Have we seen any soviet air units so far? I think there's only one and we haven't seen it yet. Do launched missiles count as air units?
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May 19, 2020 22:04
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Also Prism Tanks can cause some major friendly fire. If you get a unit in between them, their splash will blow each other up.
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May 19, 2020 22:05
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Radio Free Kobold posted:Have we seen any soviet air units so far? I think there's only one and we haven't seen it yet. Do Paratroopers count?
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May 19, 2020 23:47
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Allied 09: Operation: Sun Temple https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLsTUZ0eN4c Operation: Sun Temple Soviet forces everywhere are on the run from their former holdings in the US! The only sizeable force that remains is in California, likely aided by access to the Pacific Ocean, despite our naval presence. Not all is well, however, as the Reds have managed to capture some Prism technology and are currently attempting to develop their own version. We can't let this happen! Use a strike force to attack the science facility on the Yucatan peninsula and put an end to whatever projects they have there.  On the eastern side of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Location: Tulum, Mexico Objective: Capture or Destroy the Soviet Prism tech, and destroy all Soviet forces in the area. Briefing: The Soviets captured one of our west coast bases and with it one of our Prism Towers. We believe they may be trying to replicate that technology at a secret Soviet research facility in the Yucatan. A SEAL strike team is standing by, Commander, awaiting your orders. Author's note: A rather annoying mission, you're supposed to get more Navy SEALS and an engineer if you capture a tower but it never triggered for me. Capturing the airport makes the AI send teams of engineers to recapture it until they are successful. Name: Lt. Eva Aliases: None Affiliation: Allies Occupation: Tactical and Communications officer for the Commander Voiced/Played by: Athena Massey Lt. Eva is the Commander's tactics and communications officer, providing a vital supporting role in the Commander's control of his forces, and the battlefield.  Navy SEAL RANGE: Medium ARMOR: Flak WEAPON: MP5 Submachine Gun COST: 1000 [There is no Manual entry for this unit] Author's Note: Essentially a male version of Tanya, they likely exist because you can't have multiple Tanya's, technically. The only real debate is who's voice lines and which gun(s) you prefer. Aftermath: Faster than Par Time: "Soviet Soldiers have nicknamed you "The Ghost" for your skills at stealthy destruction." Slower than Par Time: "Thanks to you, our technology has been recovered." Jobbo_Fett fucked around with this message at 15:26 on May 27, 2020 |
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May 19, 2020 23:57
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Wow, I don't remember this one at all.
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May 20, 2020 00:32
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