The purpose of this guide is to detail the editing techniques which can be applied to Westwoods add-on to Red Alert, Counterstrike. This information can be used to improve your scenarios.
Note that any uses of 'CS' here is short for Counterstrike
If you intend to use quite a bit of this guide in your FAQ or similar text then I would quite like to hear from you, as I can create a reference to it in my guide. Also I want be credited if you use parts of this guide in your own.
Any use of information in this guide should credit the relevant author, (me in most cases), in such programs as utilities and editors.
If you have a contribution then please email it to the above address, it'll be more than welcome, and of course, you'll be credited for it, any help is appreciated.
Web Site Authors : You are welcome (and encouraged) to have my guide on your page(s), as long as you do not modify the HTML file in any way whatsoever, and also I request that you include a link on your site to my site at the address at the bottom of this document.
Enough of the legal crap, enjoy....
To unlock the Giant Ant Missions, hold down 'Shift' and click on the small round speaker at the top left of the main menu screen. Thanks a lot to Babak Soltani, also known as Killdog, of the Red Alert Madness team.
The following INI sections can be used to add to the original RULES.INI file to edit the stats of the ants. But these can also be used in scenario making, so you can create missions using ants, or you could put some neutral ants on a multiplayer map for some fun :) One last thing, remember these ants are treated the same as tanks/trucks, and are known as vehicles.
[ANT1] Image=ANT1 Name=Warrior Ant Primary=Mandible Strength=125 Armor=heavy TechLevel=-1 Sight=3 Speed=8 Cost=700 Points=40 ROT=8 Tracked=yes Crewed=no NoMovingFire=yes GuardRange=5 [ANT2] Image=ANT2 Primary=FireballLauncher Name=Fire Ant Strength=75 Armor=heavy TechLevel=-1 Sight=3 Speed=8 Cost=700 Points=40 ROT=6 Tracked=yes Crewed=no NoMovingFire=yes [ANT3] Image=ANT3 Name=Scout Ant Primary=TeslaZap Strength=85 Armor=light TechLevel=-1 Sight=3 Speed=7 Cost=700 Points=40 ROT=9 Tracked=yes Crewed=no NoMovingFire=yes GuardRange=5 [Mandible] Damage=50 ROF=15 Range=1.5 Projectile=Invisible Speed=100 Warhead=Super Report=ANTBITE [TeslaZap] Damage=60 ROF=25 Range=1.75 Projectile=Invisible Speed=100 Warhead=Super Report=ANTBITE Charges=no [Super] InfDeath=2 Wall=yes
The above ANT sections are quite obvious, ANT1 is the Warrior Ant armed with the new weapon called Mandible. ANT3 is the Scout Ant, armed with a Invisible Tesla Zap, you may run into problems if you have the ability to make tesla coils, as all zaps on that scenario will be invisible. Note that both ANT1 and ANT3 use a Super warhead which BTW does the same damage to whatever it is attacking, and of course, both 'projectiles' are invisible.
The ANT2, the Fire Ant is armed with the FireballLauncher, and doesn't really have anything else special.
[USSR] Allies=Ukraine,Germany [Ukraine] Allies=USSR,Germany [Germany] Allies=USSR,Ukraine
When you actually play the Giant Ant Missions, you'll notice that the ants are not all the same colour. This is because Westwood have done the following when designing the missions:
| Ant ID | Country ID Number | Country Name | Colour |
| ANT1 (Warrior Ant) | 2 | USSR | Red |
| ANT2 (Fire Ant) | 4 | Ukraine | Orange |
| ANT3 (Scout Ant) | 5 | Germany | Light Brown |
Where you'll apply the relevant Country names to the initial unit types, and the Country ID number to the Teamtype entries used.
You can now use the Name= part in rules sections, see the following example:
[ANT1] Image=ANT1 Name=Warrior Ant Primary=Mandible Strength=125 Armor=heavy TechLevel=-1 Sight=3 Speed=8 Cost=700 Points=40 ROT=8 Tracked=yes Crewed=no NoMovingFire=yes GuardRange=5
Where it is named Warrior Ant above, this can easily be changed in your scenario INI files, the RULES.INI file and any MPR files used. You could use this to make use of the C&C units left in RA much better, naming the Flame Tank as such when you replace a unit
Also, as mentioned, some old graphics from C&C1 have been left in, where you can make use of these by changing the Image= section in your RULES.INI file.
[ARTY] Image=FTNK Name=Flame Tank ...And Add Relevant Weapons
Note that you can only make use of this in RULES.INI, as graphics are only loaded in when RA is started up. INI and MPR files custom made can make use of Name= easily, but the Image= part will have NO effect whatsoever.
Here is a list of the Images found so far:
FTNK - Flame Tank STNK - Stealth Tank MLRS - SSM Launcher E5 - Chemwarrior Various Turret Images: WAKE TURR SSAM MGUN
This Image= tip can be used without the Counterstrike add-on
As you replaced the normal missions SCGxxEA.INI, the following missions can be replaced in the same way, in order to get your custom scenarios to appear on the 'New Missions' list
The Name= part in the [Basic] section is what is used on the 'New Missions' List, and use the [Briefing] section to make your own briefings up. Refer to my scenario creation guide for more on this.
SCG20EA - Allies CS Mission 1 SCG21EA - Allies CS Mission 2 SCG22EA - Allies CS Mission 3 SCG23EA - Allies CS Mission 4 SCG24EA - Allies CS Mission 5 SCG26EA - Allies CS Mission 6 SCG27EA - Allies CS Mission 7 SCG28EA - Allies CS Mission 8 SCU31EA - Soviet CS Mission 1 SCU32EA - Soviet CS Mission 2 SCU33EA - Soviet CS Mission 3 SCU34EA - Soviet CS Mission 4 SCU35EA - Soviet CS Mission 5 SCU36EA - Soviet CS Mission 6 SCU37EA - Soviet CS Mission 7 SCU38EA - Soviet CS Mission 8
As you may have gathered, you can only replace scenarios, not add to them. But if anyone knows otherwise, we'd all love to hear a solution.
As a lot of people suspected before CS's release, they are simply modifications to the rules sections of individual missions, as we all well know. Anyway, here are the rules of those new units, so you can use these in your own missions if needed:
Stavros [GNRL] Name=Stavros Primary=Sniper Sight=4 Speed=4 Infiltrate=no [Sniper] Range=3 Stavros (2nd Appearance) - No special [Sniper] or anything used here [GNRL] Name=Stavros Speed=8 Infiltrate=yes C4=no F-A Longbow [HELI] Name=F-A Longbow Speed=20 ROT=4 Ammo=10 Sight=5 [Hellfire] ROF=10 Range=7 Projectile=LaserGuided Speed=22 [LaserGuided] Arm=2 ATS (Advanced Tactical Sub) [SS] Prerquisite=spen,stek Name=ATS [TorpTube] Warhead=Nuke Range=10.5 MIG - One which drops the atom bombs - Westwood didn't change the name [MIG] Image=U2 Prerequisite=afld Primary=Parabomb Strength=2000 Armor=heavy TechLevel=-1 Sight=0 Speed=20 Owner=Allies,Soviet Cost=10 Points=5 ROT=7 Ammo=1 GuardRange=45 [ParaBomb] Warhead=Nuke Tesla Tank [MRJ] Prerequisite=weap,dome Primary=TeslaZap Strength=110 Armor=light TechLevel=12 Sight=7 Speed=9 Owner=allies Cost=600 Points=30 ROT=5 Tracked=yes Crewed=yes Powered=true Name=Tesla Tank Chitzkoi - The Wonder Dog [DOG] Sight=7 Speed=6 GuardRange=8 Strength=1000 Name=Chitzkoi [DogJaw] Range=6 Volkov - Elite Super Soldier [GNRL] Primary=Sniper Strength=2500 C4=yes Armor=heavy Sight=10 Burst=2 Name=Volkov Crushable=no [Sniper] Warhead=HE Damage=100 Range=6 ROF=25 SOME MORE HERE FOR COMPLETENESS: Alloy Facility [BIO] Name=Alloy Facility Control Center [ATEK] Name=Control Center Saboteur [GNRL] TechLevel=-1 Speed=8 Name=Saboteur Primary=none Secondary=none I haven't included those used in the 'Paradox Equation' mission, for obvious reasons.
Westwood for making the great game Chuck for hacking the CS INI's first, he did find the ants/new units first, but I just got CS a week before the first release of this text. Anyway, hats off to him for clearing up the facts of CS. Babak Soltani/Killdog (abi@crosslink.net) for decoding the morse code to find how to unlock the Giant Ant Missions. Anyone who thinks they deserve it.
Also, get the Scenario Creation Guide, and the RACK (Red Alert Construction Kit) too, if you're interested in all this scenario making, all from the site below.
Also, email me if you see anything that is wrong, or missing, or should be included, I'll give you credit for that particular part of course :)
You'll find the latest version of this text here:
Official Site Of The RED ALERT CONSTRUCTION KIT, The Scenario Editor For Red Alert.