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Command and Conquer: Red Alert Soviet Building/Unit Guide
for PC
Written by acidslayer57
Version 1.00

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Table of Contents
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1) Introduction/Updates
2) The Standards
3) Soviet Building Guide
4) Soviet Unit Guide
5) Special Soviet Unit Guide
6) Multiplayer Tactics
7) Outro

If you are having any trouble finding a part of this FAQ, feel free to
press Ctrl + F and type in the number of the section you are looking for.

-*=====================================================================*-
1) Introduction
-*=====================================================================*-

The Command and Conquer series of games has come a long way. It has been
2D for quite some time now. Only in Command and Conquer:Renegade did it
become 3D, but that wasn't a strategy game it was a FPS. So, the
first truly 3D C&C game is Generals. That means that this game is 2D.
Although the Graphics look 3D, the game plays like a 2D game and that is
exactly what it is.

Even though this game doesn't have the graphical appeal of Generals, or
the old-school feel of Tiberian Sun, RA2 is my favorite game in the C&C
series.

This guide will explain to you the diverse units in the Soviet arsenal in
RA2. In doing so, I will explain to you not only what you require to
obtain these units, but also how the unit can be used effectively on the
battlefield and what the units should be used for. Every unit has it's
role and every unit is useful in certain situations.

The one, main general tip I will give you is to diversify your units.
Although in the original Red Alert, you could usually win by "tank
rushing" that may not work anymore even though you will want to build
a considerable amount of tanks.

Simply put don't just build tanks, build tanks and flak troopers or tanks
and ships. You will probably ending up needing them. Lastly, needless to
say, don't build tanks if your opponent has just rocketeers, you will
require some anti-air units to bring along with you.

Updates
*************************************************************************
06/02/04
Version 1.1
-----------
Fixed many spelling errors and added some more strategies and tips for a
few units, and added a ton to the strats.

07/26/03
Final V 1
---------
Added a few strategies into the guide.

07/06/03
Version .5
----------
Made everything including building and unit descriptions.
*************************************************************************


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2) The Standards
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All this small section will do is tell you how all of the units/ building
will be presented to you. It is in this quick, easy, and straight-forward
format:


Buildings
---------
Building Name: (Name of the building)
Cost: (Cost of the building)

Additional Notes/Tips: (More things on the building)


Units
-----
Unit Name: (Name of the unit)
Cost: (Cost of the unit)
Power: (How Powerful the unit is on a relative scale from 1-5)
Speed: (How fast the unit is on a relative scale from 1-5)
Prerequisites: What structures are needed in order for you to build this
unit.

Additional Notes/Tips: (More things on the unit)

-*=====================================================================*-
3) Soviet Building Guide
-*=====================================================================*-


Soviet Construction Yard
------------------------
Cost: One Soviet MCV which is $3000

The Construction yard is an essential part of your base. It is the most
important building you will ever have because without it, you will not
be able to build any other structures. You may build more MCV's and
therefore more Construction Yards when you build a Service Depot. I
suggest building wall around this structure immediatly to discourage
engineer rushes and such.

Tesla Reactor
-------------
Cost: $600

Tesla Reactors are the Soviet's main form of power. Without multiple of
these operating at once, your base will not run properly. Almost every
building uses a certain amount of power and you have to build these
according to your other building's needs. You can see your power output
to the left of the interface that has the red, yellow, and green bars on
it. The red represents how much power is needed to keep your base
running, while the yellow is just a warning that your power is getting
low. The green represents that your base is running smoothly. Side
effects of having your base underpowered are slightly damaged buildings,
major defensive structures offline, super weapons stop charging,
and everything takes longer to build. As you can see keeping your base
powered up isn't only helpful it's essential. When you build these
types of structures, I advise you not to group them into one area.
If you do they are susceptible to super weapons, Tanya raids, aircraft,
and spies. If a spy goes into one of your Tesla Reactors, your power will
go offline for a minute or so. This is not a fun expirience.

Ore Refinery
------------
Cost: $2000

Ore Refineries are yet another building that is essential for your
survival. What the Refinery does is make a drop of point for your ore
trucks when they need to drop off ore. It also creates a free truck upon
being placed on the map. I recommend having two of these structures so
you don't end up having a traffic jam at the first refinery. Also, a free
ore truck is a great addition along with the second refinery. These
structures have very weak armor, so I suggest you guard them well. They
are very likely to be targeted by aircraft if playing against a computer
opponent. (Not the this matters :b) Spies are also some units you want
to kill before they gain access to a Ore Refinery because if they get in
they steal half of your hard-earned credits.

Barracks
--------
Cost: $500

Barracks are traditionally the building that will create all of your
infantry. Infantry is a lot more useful in Red Alert 2 then it ever was
before, so I suggest you use infantry and use it well. Also, Barracks
are inexpensive and fast to build, so you can build them at additional
bases fast. Always build barracks as a third building, BEFORE the refinery.

War Factory
-----------
Cost: $2000

War Factories produce any vehicles you wish to have in your army, and
trust me, you will wish to have vehicles. Tanks will probably be the bulk
of what you build here, but other units are also great to have.

Naval Yard
----------
Cost: $1000

Naval Yards produce every type of boat available to the Soviets. Boats,
like tanks are extremely useful, but only if the map has a significant
amount of water on it. If the map does not have enough water to justify
building this, don't bother with it. This can repair damaged ships. Keep
in mind that the Allied naval units decimate yours if evenly matched.

Radar Station
-------------
Cost: $1000

The Radar is yet another important building. Without it you will not be
able to access your mini-map in the upper-right hand corner. This is
probably the most useful tool you have. So, you will want to have this
for the mini-map. It also allows you to go further along in the tech
tree which is always appreciated.

Service Depot
-------------
Cost: $800

The service depots are used to repair mechanical units in your army. It
repairs all land vehicles. It can also remove those pesky terror drones
from your tanks. The best reason for owning this building is because it
allows you to build additional MCVs for more bases. A problem with it is
that it is out on a limb in the tech tree and often overlooked.

Soviet Battle Lab
-----------------
Cost: $2000

The sole purpose of this building is to advance in the tech tree so you
can build the finest units of the Soviet empire. Build a wall around this
as to ward off any spies and tanyas. Spies will gain a new technology if
entered into this structure.

Nuclear Reactor
---------------
Cost: $1000

The Nuclear reactor is the ultimate power building. It adds roughly 13
times the power the Tesla Reactor gives you. Despite the uses of this
building, I suggest you to never build this because of the giant
explosion it makes when it is destroyed, It can take out units and weak
buildings around it. Also, since you really only need one of this per 5-6
bases(which you will probably never have) if it is destroyed, your power
demands will go through the roof.

Soviet Fortress Wall
--------------------
Cost: $100

The sole purpose of this building is to be used as a barrier to ward off
any units that might want to get into your base. You may build this
around the perimeter of your base if you desire, but it is needed around
the Construction Yard and the Battle Lab.

Sentry Gun
----------
Cost: $500

The sentry gun is only useful as quick temporary defense in an area, or
at the beginning of the game. Exceptions are when your opponent is trying
to Tanya you, or has a lot of infantry. Build these around tech building
so they aren't captured my an opposing side.



Flak Cannon
-----------
Cost: $1000

Flak cannons provide you with a stationary defense over a large radius.
These cannons are powerful and a few are very useful in backing up
your IFVs/Flak Troopers against air raids. If you build these near tech
buildings, it will provide a little resistence to air units that are
attacking.