Red Alert 3

Seven years after the release of its predecessor, Red Alert 3 was officially announced on Battlecast Prime Time on February 14, 2008:

"It's been too long." said Chris Corry, Executive Producer at EALA. "Fans have been waiting for a new Red Alert game for seven years, and we’re working hard to ensure its well worth the wait. The team is staying true to the series' roots while adding new elements like a co-operatively played story-driven campaign, an astounding new faction that will shake-up the Red Alert universe as we know it, and units that will help make Red Alert 3 everything our fans have been waiting for."

Red Alert 3 will incorporate the best features of Red Alert 2, and will introduce a new faction, the Empire of the Rising Sun. Also, a new naval system was introduced, this naval system will be integral to the overall gameplay. The new single-player campaign will be co-op with either human friends or various AI partners. EA will also be carrying over "RTS as a Sport" support that was first introduced for C&C3: Tiberium Wars, such as the battlecast system and an internet TV show. Further details were released in the official press release.

Publisher: EA
Developer: EALA
Release Date: 28 October 2008
Factions: Soviets, Allies, & The Empire of the Rising Sun

Factions

Allied Forces
The allied forces will rely on speed, harassing and overwhelming their opponents with a combination of naval and air units. Suspected as having the best defenses, the players will be able to either play defensively or go on the...
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Soviet Forces
The Soviets are naturally the lowest tech faction in Red Alert 3 relying on updated technology from the past decades. Although these units are technologically pale in comparison to the Allied and Empire units they still...
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Empire of the Rising Sun
The Empire of the Rising Sun runs a strictly-disciplined military that takes great pride in its futuristic weaponry and ruthless tactics. Empire players will have a handful of effective units to choose from, but must focus on not losing them.
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Beta

By purchasing a copy of Kane's Wrath or a C&C Limited Collection players will be able gain a ticket into the Red Alert 3 beta test, set to being September 15, 2008. Read more about the beta test by visiting Red Alert 3's official Beta FAQ.

Facts, speculations and rumors

The numerous rumors about RA3 have only increased since the release of the game. The following is an explanation of features appearing in Red Alert 3 which were taken of several resources such as the Red Alert 3 Gameplay Demo, the Red Alert 3 Hell March Trailer, EA's official Red Alert 3 site, and various magazines.

Story
After the Allied drove the Soviets back to Moscow, and with their defeat is nigh, the Soviets decide to send several hitmen back in time to kill Einstein, the single person they see responsible for the Allied superiority. Although Einstein is successfully assassinated, Europe remains in a state of peace. This is because the Second World War never occurs. However, the assassination of Einstein alters the timeline. This causes a third force to appear, Empire of the Rising Sun. The Empire of the Rising Sun have plans for world domination and they begin to press forward with their plans, taking advantage of their technological advancements.

Campaign

• In Red Alert 3, the campaign will be able to played in a Co-op fashion. The other "player" will able to controlled by a friend via multiplayer or by the AI. If the AI choice is selected, its main goal will be to capture and defend strategic points. However, these points will vary from mission to mission. Also, you will be able to use the AI's structures for producing units. Unfortunately, the player will not be able to control the units of a teammate. This is because when developers tested such an idea, they deemed it too chaotic.
  Needless to say that you see the map-revealing progress of your ally. Both points count for AI-driven or human Co-op.
  
• Before the beginning of each mission, the player will be able to choose one of three commanders. Although each faction has commanders, all commanders and their abilities will be unique The commander featured in many of the magazines was an Allied commander who can call in Air Strikes.
• Although Yuri will not play a role in Red Alert 3, the writer of Red Alert 3 hinted that Yuri might make a return in the already planned expansion.

Maps

• Although not visible on the screens, weapons are going to leave their marks on the environment. Be sure to look for massive craters after battles.
• Amphibious ships/tanks can only land or leave shore from sandy beaches, so it will be crucial to capture and defend such areas
• The maps of Red Alert 3 will be larger then their CNC3 counterparts.
• The graphics are looking superior to those in CnC3. Even though the work on the graphics isn't finished, the animations and especially the water effects are stunning. The graphics are going to be very different from those in 'usual' games as they will have a cartoony style, which some people are partial to, while others have denounced it.
• The maps of Red Alert 3 are suspected to have much more water than in any other game. Mostly due to the fact naval gameplay should be an important factor in the game.

Gameplay

• Red Alert 3 will feature a slower pace then Command and Conquer 3 to lessen the impact of rushing and base crawling. The Soviets won't be able to instantly place their buildings after they are completed anymore, but will take some time to build while the scaffolding is visible. The Allied Forces are expected to have the old style intsa-pop mechanic, and the Empire may have yet another mechanic altogether.
• Sea battles will be crucial in Red Alert 3 as the importance of naval gameplay will be exaggerated in Red Alert 3 a lot. This mainly results from of the fact that Red Alert 3 will feature the ability to build a base on water. All buildings except for the Barracks and the War Factory can now be built on the sea.
• All units in Red Alert 3 will have secondary functions. For example, one of the Allied tanks will be able to focus its radar signals with other tanks to create an effective scouting unit. Even Ore Collectors are expected to have secondary abilities, which, used at the right time, can give the advantage to a player.
• Most of the units in Red Alert 3 will be amphibious, such as the Bullfrog, the MCV (Mobile Construction Vehicle) and the Engineer.
• The economy in Red Alert 3 will be totally different to the economy used in CnC3. In Red Alert 3 there are specific resource repositories scattered around the map, these buildings indicate the presence of ore. These Ore Nodes can then be mined by simply building a refinery, and letting the Ore Collector commute between the Ore Node and the Refinery, gathering resources. At the moment, only one Ore Collector at a time is able to harvest at one Ore Node, however, this could be subject to change.
• The economy in Red Alert 3 will also be extended to the sea. There will be several Ore Nodes on the sea as well, which can be harvested much like the ones on land. Players who don't focus on the sea will have a huge economic disadvantage against players who also expand their territory to the sea.
• Power will still be present in Red Alert 3.
• All units will have their place in the combat chain. For example, air units will preferable when attacking well defended positions, but can be countered easily by anti-air units, such as the Bullfrog. The Bullfrog itself is weak against all types of ground and naval units.
• Rather than having a free-form building system, buildings in Red Alert 3 will feature a grid system. The grid will be visible when a player tries to place a building. Buildings can be rotated in 90 degree conformations before placment though.
• Terrain will have a bigger effect in Red Alert 3 than in other games. One example is that units on higer ground (eg on a hill) are not visible to units skirting below.

Misc

• The Allied Prism technology will not return in Red Alert 3.
• Chrono technology will be available for the Allied forces, with the Cyro-Copter being the only definite proponent of this technology. The fate of the Chrono Legionnaire is unknown at this moment.
• Nuclear technology will not return in Red Alert 3.
• There will be superweapons in Red Alert 3. In fact, every faction will have two of them. Already known are the Chronosphere and Particle Cannon for the Allies and the Iron Curtain and Vacuum Bomb for the Soviets.
• Again there will be neutral buildings which can be captured by Engineers. The Observation Post has been revealed already, and Oil Derricks are expected to make a comeback. These will provide significant bonuses to the player who captures them.