I've been playing around with ultRA for the past few weeks. It has been said 'to be much BETTER then regular Red Alert.' It 'adds strategy to Red Alert'. Also, 'its the best thing for Red Alert'. Many people play ultRA over wchat. Why does ultRA exist? Just look at ultRA's main text file and its obvious. ultRA's purpose is to end tank rushing. ultRA was made by a tank rush whiner, and the majority of players who ONLY play ultRA are tank rush whiners as well. (since they haven't figured out how to get around tank rushing in normal RA)
What is ultRA?
ultRA stands for Ultimate Red Alert. ultRA is program, once used in your RA directory, it will add rules.ini to RA. When you play you'll be able to use new units, new structures, and modified older weapons. The changes not only stop there. You can use 5 AI options instead of 3 on skirmish, plus ultRA changes the core of RA itself. For example, all ore in ultRA has more value (if you got $100 for one gem, now you get $200). Also, the powerplants give out a different amount of power. ultRA has changed the essence of Red Alert, and that has caused some unbearable consequences.
ultRA makes Red Alert more fun and strategic.
Upon my two weeks of playing and getting used to ultRA, I didn't really have 'more fun' with it. Too much weird stuff in there. The strategic part? Haha. I don't see why they put old C&C units into the game.
RA+C&C=More Fun
Many modified versions of RA put in old C&C units into RA. If you want to play with the old C&C units, why not play C&C Gold or something.
What else do you not like about ultRA?
Gamebalance problems
What gamebalance problems!?
Migs mostly. Migs are so easy to make and they're quite powerful. Also why would I want to make a $3000 advanced powerplant when I can make ten small ones at $300 each? The tesla tanks can cloak, that's pretty stupid. You can undeploy the construction yard into an MCV. This makes spider bases even easier. The hind is worthless. The Mig's fire range is too far. (They can fire and not get hit by AAguns and Sams) The spy plane (bomb plane) is ludicrous of that it drops an atom bomb whenever it flys by. Why make a $3000 missle silo then!? Flame tanks are way too powerful against other units and especially buildings. The Recon Bikes seem wothless to make. At the beginning of the game, when you first make a barracks, you can make a rilfemen, grenadiers, rocketmen, medics, engineers, flamethrowers, civilian scouts, and spys. Hmm. Which would I make to scout around the map? Riflemen? nope. Civilian scouts? They're worthless. I'd just make spys and send them everywhere. You can make spys too early in the game, and that's bad. Water Transports seem to be more powerful then destroyers! I think theres something wrong when a transport can level a base. :) Game isn't balanced much at all.
What about the new buildings?
The new buildings seem pretty silly. There is one that shoots stuff across the map to the enemy's base! That's ridiculous.
Well, what do you LIKE about ultRA?
A few units I like. The civilian scout is a nifty idea (the price of it needs to be raised since its sight range is HUGE and its invisible). I like the einstien, but he's too expensive to use. The bomb truck (convoy truck) I like a lot.
Overall, what's your opinion of ultRA?
Hmm. When I first played it, the new icons, weapons, and units overwhelmed me. After playing with it for a while, I realized the inconsistencies with the program and the game balance bugs. Once you get used to the 'new (old?) looking units', I started to realize that this pretty much sucked. (If I wrote what I thought about ultRA a day after playing, I would of put it was the Eighth wonder of the world or something like that :)