What in the world in this!?

Its a map.

So what's so special about it? It looks just like the hjk map!

Its not the map itself is what makes it special. The map contains special coding which, when you play the map, you'll be able to use new units and new structures.

That's not possible. You can't just play the map and be able to use new structures and units!

It is possible. Just try out the map.

I've looked at the map in the RA editor! All it is is a 126x126 blank map!

Don't look at it in the RA editor. Try it out in skirmish.

Why would I use this map!? I can just use a rule.ini file!

You could get the same results as I did with making your own rules.ini file. But its difficult to distribute the rules.ini to people you want to play with. With this map, all you have to do is host a game. The map will be transmitted to your opponent automatically.

What about ultRA? It has several of the new units and structures, and more!

The point of this map's new unit and structure statistics is to be gamewised balanced. ultRA is definetly not balanced. It has buildiungs that shoot across the map, totally rearranged game mechanics, and other strange stuff. Its also difficult to find other willing ultRA players to play with.

What is hjk?

hjk is one of the most popular maps on kali. I used it only due to its popularity. The map has lots of ore and ridges, zero water.

Why did you do this!?

I thought RA had some stupid things in it. For example, the yaks are worthless. Not anymore in the map, yaks are now useful. The minelayers are also useful. It also adds some new units and structures to make RA more interesting and strategic.

Where can I get this map?

At the bottom of this page.

Will it screw up my Red Alert?

Permenantly, no. Temperary, yes. After playing the map, you will be unable to play 'normally' on any other map unless you restart Red Alert. Just start playing on any 'regular' map and RA should be fixed up.

How do I know if its changed my RA or not?

After playing the map, try starting the game. Now look at the ai options. If you can choose 5 AI options instead of 3, then RA has been 'changed'. You'll know when RA is back to normal when the AI options are at 3, not 5.

How did you do this!?

This is the only question I won't answer. (The reason is if everyone knew, then practically every custom map would be like this. People will and have used this technique to place 'cheating units' (invincible units that only they have) within the map. I fear if people knew how to do this, there would be an upsurge of cheating.)

 The point of this map was simple. I took a very popular map (hjk) made a few changes with the map and added the new unit statistics. I've tried to make it as bugless and gamewise balanced as possible. Please note that the map is still in its beta version, and comments on it are more then welcome at cataclysms@homtail.com

Beta#1- Talk about bugs! I had changed a few unit statistics and RA went crazy when I tried out the map! There were so many bugs, I couldn't keep track of them all...

Beta#2- Added more unit statistics. More bugs pop up. Typical.

Beta#3- Thought I solved the bugs but I was WRONG! I added more unit statistic changes...

Beta#4-Finally solved all the bugs. (Well, at least most of them :)

Beta#5-Allowed both the Allies and Soviets to create the same structures and units making the game more balanced...

Beta#6-More unit balancing.

Beta#7-Fixed a few more bugs. Added the 'Normal' Map. Added some new stuff.

Beta#8- Lots of new structures and units. Boats can now be built ON LAND!

Beta#8.5- Fixed many gamebalanced bugs. Added and modified some units.

Beta#9- Fixed some more game balanced bugs. Fixed the boats' weapons. Fixed some other units as well.

Beta#10- Changed the map some. Smoothed out some more bugs.

Final Version- Fixed the construction yard bug. The hospital has been removed (it was useless anyhow)

Changed the Country Statistics... This is how they normally are:

[Russia]

Cost-.9

Shotrate-1.0

Shot Power-1.0

Armor-1.0

Production-1.0

Speed-1.0

************************The New Country Statistics*****************************

[England]

Firepower=1.0

Groundspeed=1.0

Airspeed=1.0

Armor=1.2

ROF=1.0

Cost=1.0

BuildTime=1.0

[Germany]

Firepower=1.2

Groundspeed=1.0

Airspeed=1.0

Armor=1.0

ROF=1.0

Cost=1.0

BuildTime=1.0

[France]

Firepower=1.0

Groundspeed=1.0

Airspeed=1.0

Armor=1.0

ROF=1.0

Cost=1.0

BuildTime=0.8

[Ukraine]

Firepower=1.0

Groundspeed=1.2

Airspeed=1.0

Armor=1.0

ROF=1.0

Cost=1.0

BuildTime=1.0

[USSR]

Firepower=1.0

Groundspeed=1.0

Airspeed=1.0

Armor=1.0

ROF=0.9

Cost=0.9

BuildTime=1.0

Allies and Soviets can make the same structures and units

Here's the litsing of what all the units and structures can do.

MCV-Unchanged

Riflemen- Unchanged

Grenadiers-Unchanged

Engineers-Unchanged

Rocketmen-Unchanged

Civilian Scout- This is a unit that could not be made before. Its expensive, but its sight range is huge. Also, its invisible. This means your opponent won't see it, but the enemy units will. (Ex: if the scout wanders near riflemen, the riflemen will shoot and kill the scout.)

Light Tanks-A tad stronger

Medium Tanks-Now has a machine gun in addition to its normal gun.

Heavy Tanks-Unchanged

Mammoth Tanks-Unchanged

Ore Trucks- Unchanged

V-2 Rocket Launchers- Expensive, weaker armor. They have longer range and fire nukes now.

Artillery- Artillery now requires the new tech center, forward command center, hospital, and the bio lab. Its a bit more expensive. Artillery shots can now destroy structures in two hits. Although the power of the artillery is enourmous, its extremely weak.

Tanya- $100 or $200 has been added to the price

Special Agent #1- They are a bit more expensive and now shoot out Mammoth Tank bullets.

General- The general is a new unit and uses the Sniper Now has C4 explosives. Deadlier then Ms.Tanya :)

FlameThrower- Another new 'modified' unit. This person will throw gigantic fireballs at its target. However, there is a FIXED amount of ammo on the unit. When the unit runs out of ammo, it can't do anymore.(I'm not done modifying this unit.)

Spys- They now have a pistol and can be used as 'assassins' against dimwitted tanyas.

Thieves- are invisible. They are invisible only to human players. Your units will see a theif and attack it, but you won't.

Einstien- You can now make Einstien. You must build a cronosphere first. Einstien walks around with the vortexgun. The vortexgun will destroy ANY UNIT AND ANY STRUCTURE IN THE GAME. The weakness of einstien is that he's a fraidy cat and that he's infantry.

Mobile Gap Generators- These fire a machine gun and a light tank cannon so they can defend themselves. (I'm not done modifying this unit.)

Mine Layers- Mine layers still lay mines, but they also shoot out an awesome fireball. When they run out of ammo, take them to the service depot. They'll get their ammo refilled. (I'm not done modifying this unit.)

APC- Holds 7 now

Ranger- A bit more expensive and uses the Sniper weapon.

Mobile Radar Jammers- Expensive, but now they are tesla tanks. (I'm not done modifying this unit.)

Convoy Trucks- Holds 7 units. When it gets destroyed, the truck will erupt in a nuclear explosion. (I'm not done modifying this unit.)

Migs- Now a type of Super Mig. The range is long, the missle's power is intense, and their armor is heavy. But they are quite expensive.

Yaks- These now shoot out fireballs. They act in a similiar manner as the old migs did. Sometimes they miss small targets.

Spy Plane- Now a bomb plane. It will drop three parabombs wherever you want (The spy plane became obsolete by giving everyone the GPS satellite)

Paratroopers- You now get 10 paratroopers instead of 5.

Longbow- Faster now I think.

Hind- A bit more expensive and now a tesla chopper.

Chinnok- more expensive. Now when the chinook gets destroyed, it causes a nuclear explosion.

Dog- Unchanged

Boats- Yes, boats now can be used on land.

Joe- You can build Joe after making an Iron Cutrain. Joe has the Nuke gun! :) He walks around, and can nuke anything. He can only fire it fifteen times before he runs out of ammo. Also, be sure you don't accidently nuke joe. (duh) :)

STRUCTURES

Construction Yard- Unchanged

Powerplant- No bib (A bib is a little peice of road that is attached to the bottom of most structures. Due to how we must make lots of powerplants and somehow manage to fit them all in our base, I've removed the bib to make it easier.)

Advanced Power Plants- No bib

Ore refineries-Unchanged

Allied Tent Barracks- Unchanged

Soviet Barracks- More expensive and its a super pillbox.

War Factory-Unchanged

Camo Pill Box- Unchanged

Flame turret- Unchanged

Kennel- Unchanged

Tesla coil- unchanged

Gun turrets- require bio lab and new tech center. gun turrets are more expensive and they are not doublebarreled. They fire mammoth tank shots now.

Pillboxes- take as much energy as two advanced powerplants. They are now over $1000. They also fire (weakened and shorter ranged) cruiser shots.

Hospital- New structure. It supposedly heals any infantry within your base.

Forward Command Center- New Structure. It gives you more construction and unit options. It also is a gigantic ore silo. :)

Tech Center- More of a satellite center then anything else.

New Tech Center-New Structure.Build this and create a whole new messload of structures and units. Has a nice gun to protect yoour entire base with.

Bio Lab- Expensive and it'll allow you to make the newest and most advanced structures.

Gun turrets are made useful that they now shoot mammoth tank bullets.

Radar Dome- Unchanged

Cronolab-Unchanged

Missle Silo- Unchanged

Iron Curtain- Unchanged

Gap Generator- Unchanged

Naval Yard- Naval yards are expensive and can now be made on solid ground as well as boats

Sub Pen- Can now be made on land. This opens up a whole new list of construction options of walls and fake structures.

Air Feild- Unchanged

Helipad- Helipads are a bit more expensive. *Helicopters not included.* :)

Parabombs- Parabombs are now actually useful! :) Three planes will drop parabombs instead of one.

Note about Einstiens, Generals and the civilians-

You can make einstiens now. He now has the vortex gun :) Note: Be careful when placing einstiens (and other 'special infantry') in chinooks. The chinook will fly off screen once the einstien enters the chinook (this is something that chinnoks are programmed to do because of the missions). Make the chinook a group, and when it starts to fly away, call it back. Simple as that. Don't do what I did. I made five einstiens, placed them all in the chinook, and the chinook took off as if it had a mind of its own! I was so surprised by this, I wondered where the chinook was taking my einstiens. I watched the chinook dissapear off screen. I waited for a min, thinking it'd return. DOH!

Note: This is just all the stuff I HAVE remembered about changing. There is some stuff that I have forgotten to mention, and some stuff I'll let you discover on your own. Please email me comments and suggestions (its not the final version of it yet)

Many of the new units and structures don't have icons. Sorry, but I can't fix this.

Its hard to play this map with 4 people.

The map has become difficult to transmit to the other player due to its size. One problem is that the map always wants to send, even if the player already has the map! Don't know why this has happened...

Crates are now on water (this is curious because hjk is a LAND map). Boats can get crates though. There is no way to fix this bug.

Many bugs were fixed. The minelayer and the radar jammer (tesla tanks) armor was too strong. Now they're weaker. The boat's weapons have been fixed. The submarine is now nuclear. The gun on the new tech center's range is larger, so the gun can protect your base. The foward command center's ore storage was way too high (80,000) now it can hold up to (10,000). I've switched around the units of the special agent #1 and the flamethrower.

Chinooks don't blow up in nuclear explosion anymore. The map has undergone some major changes. (I can't think of anything else to change now. :)

The MCV bug is fixed. I took out the hospital, since I didn't see a purpose in having it around.

After all that said you now have an idea of what this map is. You can download hjkgoldedition here.

Although I'm done with the betas for this map, I still may change some unit properties. If you have any suggestions for it, email me.

Back to my Red Alert Page.