Beowulf's Rules 2.1 - Released!

[Fenring]

Updated link - http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/bwrules21b.zip

An Introduction...
Beowulf's Rules is a modification for Red Alert 2 that aims to bring balance to both armies, while adding some extras to enhance gameplay even further. Every single unit in the game has been changed in some way to give it more purpose in battles or less overpowering to keep games more even. No longer are late games stack in favor of the Allies, nor are the other countries less appealing to use. Each country has bonuses to give them an edge in some fashion but at the same, a negative effect is in place to keep the bonus in check; additionally, each country will have certain trained at veteran.


AI
The AI has undergone a massive overhaul. No longer will it be the pathetic pushover it once was. No longer will a small contingent of one type of unit win games against an AI player. The AI attacks much harder and more viciously than before, and it defends itself well. In addition to the attack and defense, the AI builds more factories to boost its production and
also uses repair depots.


Miscellaneous Changes...
There are plenty of little changes here and there to expand the gameplay in multiplayer or spice up the look of the game itself. The main interface of the game has a brand new appearance to change things up a bit; the in-game font has been changed as well.

Here's a snippet of the title screen;
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/maingui.png

Another small change is the Soviet build clock. Instead of being yellow, it is a more suiting shade of red.
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/sovietclock.png

However, let's not forget skirmish and multiplayer, where the real meat of the game resides. While much of it is the same, many new game modes have been added and old ones updated. Game modes once only available online are now enabled for use in skirmish games. In addition to new modes, the two main types of play have been filtered and separated.
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/dmmodes.png http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/ffamodes.png

Countries
As mentioned previously, each country in the game has a positive effect and a negative effect, as well as certain units being automatically trained at veteran. Here's what each country has;

America
Positive: +20% more ore per drop
Negative: +10% structure construction speed
Veteran Units: GI, Grizzly Tank

Great Britain
Positive: +20% infantry armor
Negative: +10% vehicle & vessel construction speed
Veteran Units: Navy SEAL, IFV

France
Positive: +20% structure & armory armor
Negative: -10% vehicle & vessel movement speed
Veteran Units: Chrono Legionnaire, Harrier

Germany
Positive: +20% vehicle & vessel armor
Negative: -10% infantry speed
Veteran Units: Guardian GI, Light Tank

Korea
Positive: +15% aircraft armor, +10% aircraft movement speed
Negative: +15% construction speed on armory structures
Veteran Units: Rocketeer, Prism Tank

Russia
Positive: -20% vehicle & vessel construction speed
Negative: +5% structure & infantry construction speed
Veteran Units: Tesla Trooper, Apocalypse Tank

Cuba
Positive: -25% infantry training speed
Negative: +5% vehicle & vessel construction speed, -10% vehicle & vessel armor
Veteran Units: Conscript, Crazy Ivan, V3 Launcher, Kirov Airship

Iraq
Positive: +20% vehicle & vessel movement speed
Negative: -10% infantry armor
Veteran Units: Attack Dog, Psi-Corps Trooper, Apocalypse Tank

Libya
Positive: +20% weapon strength
Negative: +10% infantry, vehicle & vessel construction speed
Veteran Units: Flak Trooper, Flak Track


Units & Structures
Outside of unit tweaking, there are several new units and structures in game for the Allies and Soviets. And among the additions, several units and structures have an upgraded appearance.

Allied Structures
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/prerelallies.png
The Allied Barracks, Refinery and War Factory have a new design, closer to their prerelease versions.

Destroyer
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/destroyer.png
In addition to a new design, the Allied Destroyer has torpedoes for anti-submarine operations. The launch pad design has grown outdated so it has been replaced.

Soviet Vehicles
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/sovietvehicles.png
The Russian Tesla Tank and Soviet V3 Launcher have a full remap palette applied, reverting to their prerelease schemes.

Rhino Tank
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/rhinotank.png
The Rhino Tank, mainstay of Soviet armor columns, has a redesign. The new design resembles the mysterious 'Allied' vehicle pictured during installation in the mock schematics.

Demolition Truck
http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/demotruck1.png
Instead of being a civilian vehicle, the Libyan Demo Truck has a shiny new design.

Now on to the actual additions to each army, beginning with the Allies.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/guardiangi.png
Guardian GI
Requirements: Barracks
Cost: $400
Weapon: M60 pistol - anti-tank rockets
Purpose: anti-tank, anti-air
Instead of packing an anti-tank rifle, Guardian GIs pack anti-tank rockets. Able to fire at long ranges, they rip through heavily armored equipment with relative ease. Elite troopers have more explosive rockets that deal more damage to structures and have red-trails, as well.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/medic.png
Medic
Requirements: Barracks
Cost: $600
Purpose: infantry healing
Same as it ever was. Little has changed with the Medic or his abilities.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/assaulter.png
Assaulter
Requirements: Barracks, AFC HQ
Cost: $800
Weapon: portable Mini-Comet
Purpose: infantry-based siege, long-range assault
The Assaulter is the Allies' answer to the Tesla Trooper. They carry a portable version of the Prism Tank weapon, even capable of fragging like its tracked cousin. Like the Prism Tank however, the comet weapon is ineffective against tanks. Assaulters are most effective against clumps of infantry and structures.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/lighttank.png
Light Tank
Requirements: War Factory
Cost: $500
Weapon: 90mm cannon
Purpose: quick assault, assistance
A blast from the past comes back for another round. The Light Tank is just that - light. Nothing is really different about the latest incarnation.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/howitzer.png
Howitzer
Requirements: War Factory, AFC HQ
Cost: $800
Weapon: 155mm high-explosive cannon
Purpose: early base siege
Yet another blast from the Allied past, the Artillery, now named the Howitzer, makes an appearance. A few things have changed however. Accuracy has been drastically improved so the Howitzer almost always hits its target. Allied engineers altered the cannon shell to be less explosive so they would be less costly to produce.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/battleship.png
Battleship
Requirements: Naval Shipyard, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: 8-inch deck cannons
Purpose: naval-based siege
A blast from the past that haunts even the most experienced commanders. The Battleship works like it did in the previous conflict: bombard the enemy from extremely far away. Also like before, cannon blasts are wildly innaccurate.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/raptorpads.png
Raptor
Requirements: Airforce Command HQ, Battle Lab
Cost: $2000
Weapon: high-explosive Maverick missiles
Purpose: aerial base siege
Simply put, Raptors are base destroyers. They are most effective against static defenses like Tesla Coils and Grand Cannons but are equally effective at bombing factories into oblivion. While strong, Raptors are weakly armored and should be deployed with caution.

Allied Airpad
Requirements: Airforce Command HQ, Construction Yard
Cost: $500
Purpose: additional aircraft space
Instead of duplicating radar equipment for extra aircraft space, commanders are able to deploy these instead. The Airpad is essentially a stripped down AFC HQ with only the 4 landing pads.


http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/psicorp.png
Psi-Corps Trooper
Requirements: Barracks, Radar Tower
Cost: $1200
Weapon: mind-based assault, psychic pulse
Purpose: psychic-based assault
Essentially Yuri with a new name. He has the same abilities as before as little has changed among the psychic ranks.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/agent.png
Agent
Requirements: Barracks, Battle Lab
Cost: $1200
Purpose: infiltration, vehicle sabotage
The Agent is essentially the Soviet spy. He has the same abilities and performs the same operations as his Allied counterpart. However, Agents are able to hijack any enemy vehicle and even civilian ones.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/volkov.png
Volkov
Requirements: Barracks, Radar Tower, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapons: explosive Sniper rifle, C4 charges
Purpose: heavy base siege, Soviet hero
Long thought to be destroyed, Volkov comes back for another round in combat. He's as rough and tough as he was before, taking mountains of damage before finally collapsing in a pile of rubble. His sniper rifle makes short work of infantry and vehicles alike with its unique explosive properties and his C4 charges demolish structures in mere seconds.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/dragontank.png
Dragon Tank
Requirements: War Factory, Radar Tower
Cost: $800
Weapon: thermal cannon
Purpose: flame-based assault
Fire makes a glorious return to the Soviet arsenal. Instead of being stationary, its mobile this time around and mounted on treads. Like the flame weapons before it, the Dragon Tank excels at scorching squads of infantry.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/yaktrans.png
YAK-24K Transport
Requirements: War Factory, Radar Tower
Cost: $1000
Purpose: aerial troop deployment & transport
Think Nighthawk without the radar invisibility. That's the Yak Transport in a nutshell.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/migairfields.png
MiG
Requirements: Airfield
Cost: $1500
Weapon: dual HE missiles
Purpose: aerial-based assault
A cross between the Black Eagle and Raptor in terms of power, the Soviet MiG is as useful as it was in the previous conflict. Fast and nimble, the Soviets' aircraft can easily turn enemy vehicles and structures into scrap.

Soviet Airfield
Requirements: Ore Refinery, Construction Yard
Cost: $500
Purpose: MiG landing space
A simple runway with one purpose: allow MiGs to land and restock their ammunition. Very simple in usage, very simple in design.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/psychicbeacon.png
Psychic Beacon
Requirements: Battle Lab, Radar Tower, Construction Yard
Cost: $2000
Purpose: map reveal
No longer reserved for special purposes, the Soviets placed the Psychic Beacon into the regular construction queue. The beacon does nothing fancy, simply revealing the map in the same manner as the Allied SpySat.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/abramstank.png
Abrams Tank - American special
Requirements: War Factory, AFC HQ, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: heavy assault cannon, twin MG ports
Purpose: heavy base assault
Large and in charge, the American Abrams Tank is devastation on treads. It packs the strongest cannon in the game, even outdoing the mighty Apocalypse Tank. The shells tear through vehicles and structures with supreme ease... but the fun doesn't stop there, oh no! The Abrams Tank packs machine gunners to strike squads of infantry and even Terror Drones.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/avenger.png
Avenger - British special
Requirements: War Factory, AFC HQ, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: dual anti-air lasers
Purpose: high-tech base defense
The British have taken prism and laser technology to new heights with their new Avenger, and that's quite literal, as well. The British Avenger is a superb anti-air vehicle that will knock any aircraft out of the sky in mere seconds. While packing a strong defensive weapon, the Avenger has no ground attack ability and has armor that's no more durable than a Prism Tank, nor is it suited for anti-missile operations.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/chronomlrs.png
Chrono MLRS - French special
Requirements: War Factory, AFC HQ, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: high-explosive missiles
Purpose: sneak attacks
Like its counterparts, the Chrono MLRS zips about with little delay. Instead of packing a temporal displacement weapon, the French's new toy packs a missile launcher near the back of the vehicle. The missile it fires is special in itself as it fragments upon striking an infantry or vehicle, spraying the area with smaller missiles.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/panthertank.png
Panther Tank - German special
Requirements: War Factory, AFC HQ, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: heavy assault cannon, high-explosive cannon
Purpose: heavy base assault
The Panther Tank is capable of firing two very distinct tank shells. There's the usual that's excellent against armor columns but not so effective against infantry. However, the Panther uses special ammunition against structure targets that is much more explosive; the Panther's specialized shells can shatter any structure with just a few rounds.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/firehawk.png
Firehawk - Korean special
Requirements: War Factory, AFC HQ, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: heavy assault cannon, anti-air laser
Purpose: heavy base assault, anti-air
Despite being masters of the sky, the Koreans developed a new ground combat vehicle. While being a standard tank in design, the Korean's new Firehawk comes packed with anti-air lasers, similar to those used on the British Avenger. While not as strong, Firehawks are able to down heavy aircraft quite easily but due to cumbersome controls, they are unable to fire upon Rocketeers or Soviet rockets. The Firehawk's tank cannon performs like any standard tank, dealing good damage against armored taregts and not so well against infantry.


http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/tirhanov.png
Tirhanov - Russian special
Requirements: War Factory, Radar Tower, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: tesla-based cannon
Purpose: heavy base assault, infantry transport
The Russians with a heavy tank? No one ever thought up that one before! Anyway, the Tirhanov sports a 135mm tank cannon, which, in itself, is capable of tearing through heavy armor and structures rather quickly. Not even infantry are able to stand up to more than a couple blasts. However, the Tirhanov is more than just a tank, it is a transport as well. Up to five infantry can hunker inside, ready for a sneak attack.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/infernotank.png
Inferno Tank - Cuban special
Requirements: War Factory, Radar Tower, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: thermal-based cannon
Purpose: heavy base assault, suicide attacks
Continuing their fanatical devotion to explosives, the Cubans have developed the Inferno Tank. Big and bulky, the Inferno Tank lumbers across the battlefield, firing specially designed cannon shells that explode in a fiery haze. The explosion does significant damage to infantry, and even to armored targets such as tanks and defensive structures. When promoted to elite, Inferno Tank explosions leave fire behind. And in tradition with their
radar special, the Inferno Tank can be ordered to deploy, exploding violently.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/radartillery.png
Rad Artillery - Iraqi special
Requirements: War Factory, Radar Tower, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: nuclear-based cannon
Purpose: ranged base siege
The Iraqis continue with their deadly use of nuclear components. In this version, the Iraqis are using nuclear waste products inside of standard-fare tank shells. On contact, the shell releases the nuclear waste in a bionuclear cloud of death. Infantry will surely die but if not, the radiation left behind will do the job. Vehicles and structures are more resistant to the fallout and chemicals but repeated firing will surely wear down any vehicle.

http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/plug/deathshard.png
Deathshard - Libyan special
Requirements: War Factory, Radar Tower, Battle Lab
Cost: $2500
Weapon: high-explosive fragmentation cannon
Purpose: ranged base siege
While inaccurate, the Deathshard's mortar shots explode violently, sending shards of debris flying in every direction. Don't be fooled though. The debris is more destructive than it appears, causing substantial damage to infantry and even to tanks. However, unlike most Soviet units, the Libyan's new toy is not very heavily armored but is very speedy, making it an excellent hit and run unit.


Now here come the fun: getting the mod! Well, grab yourself a copy with this link! (http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/bwrules21b.zip) You should also take a peek at the credits list (http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/credits.html); see all who contributed (http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/credits.html) to this project! Oh, and if you're blind, have another link (http://www.freedomstudios.net/bwr/bwrules21b.zip)... on me. :p

[ALaRm2202]

k once i install it can u tell me how to get it off lol? i rly wanna play it :@ can u like get on right now and play? lol

[Fenring]

You simply launch the exe within, launch the game with it, play and when you exit, the mod is removed automatically. ;)

[ALaRm2202]

You simply launch the exe within, launch the game with it, play and when you exit, the mod is removed automatically. ;)

ye im an idiot i asked that before i installed it.

get online lets play some games :(

[truefeel]

Don't forget Tony, it's modification for RA2, not YR.

[nyarlathotep]

mmm, looks promising.... lots of generals in it tho.... not that I mind :)

[Avapodnaught]

most of the units remind me of mental omega, its pretty good for an raII tho, lol, all the coutries have 2500 dollar heavy tank

Pretty neat changes, if only a actually played Ra2....

[ALaRm2202]

Don't forget Tony, it's modification for RA2, not YR.

i play both =D


i only played 3 games vs comp and i already notice some frustrating changes :@


DOGS DONT EAT TESLA TROOPERS!
zomg >.<

no more radar for flak troops either =\

ill play more into it l8r and truefeel i play ra2 alot :P

[SgtRicko]

Great mod, but why so many heavy units for the Allies?

[truefeel]

i play both =D


i only played 3 games vs comp and i already notice some frustrating changes :@


DOGS DONT EAT TESLA TROOPERS!
zomg >.<

no more radar for flak troops either =\

ill play more into it l8r and truefeel i play ra2 alot :P


Why didn't you said that earlier ? :p

[Fenring]

DOGS DONT EAT TESLA TROOPERS!
zomg >.<

no more radar for flak troops either =\
Yeah... how in the hell does a dog chew through a METAL SUIT? :p
And yeh... barracks-tech Flak Troopers. Why would you need a radar for the Flak Trooper when you only need a barracks for the other versions?

Great mod, but why so many heavy units for the Allies?
They're all $2500 specials. If I'm paying $2500 for a single unit, it better damn well be good. :p

[ALaRm2202]

Yeah... how in the hell does a dog chew through a METAL SUIT? :p
And yeh... barracks-tech Flak Troopers. Why would you need a radar for the Flak Trooper when you only need a barracks for the other versions?


They're all $2500 specials. If I'm paying $2500 for a single unit, it better damn well be good. :p

im not saying its bad! i just lost bcuz they couldnt <.<

[Fenring]

You lost because of that? Goddamn. :p

[Zancloufer27]

Avengers? Migs? Raptors? Dragon tanks? Enough Generals stuff :p

Looks like a cool mod though, would it work with TFD?

[nyarlathotep]

got a tiny problem... when I start the game within the launcher he says it can't find the game. Is this due to not compatible with the hacked version or do I have to put it in a specific folder? (I did place the launcher just in my main game folder)

edit: oh yeah, just to be on the sure side; is it really a RA2 mod, or a yuri, because if you need the yuri, yhen it's logical I can't play...

[Fenring]

RA2 only... and it should work no matter what you run.

[Jester Kirby]

it looks like one of the best mods I'v seen. I'l definitly try it out if I get back into RA2.

Fenring did you contribute to it? (I know you gave a list but I couldnt find you on it)

[Fenring]

I am Beowulf. :p

[Jester Kirby]

oh.....I knew that...I uh....was just um...testing you....yea! That's it! testing you! :rofl:

but yea, cool, defnitly gonna try it soon now, always wanted to play one of your mods.

[Avapodnaught]

HAs that battle gone on yet?

[nyarlathotep]

did a re-install, works fine now :) So it could be it's not compatible with final-alert (was the only thing which is not original, exept for aftermath, but that aught not be the prob)

Anyhow, now it's time for some tankchewing ;)

[Tesla]

It sure is a huge file...It's taken a minute to download (and not finished yet) already, and I have a 54.0Mbps wireless connection.

[Fenring]

Of course it's huge. I have all of the voices from Yuri's Revenge included, some new maps and fixed up mod-friendly versions of the mission maps. And a ****load of graphics. :p

[nyarlathotep]

And best of all, It's a beauty! Exept for the friggin' f*$#ing hard AI :tantrum:

[Dracaveli]

AI is outstanding until it becomes bottlenecked (as always)....still great work...I've been playing RA2 mostly since I upgraded again to win 2000...too lazy:lol: to install yuri and finish my own work at the moment....great work though


is it me or is the repair depot logic better in RA2 then in yuri.....

[Fenring]

Seems fine for me usually. And yeah, when the AI bottlenecks itself, it's slow and ineffective but I really can't fix that without editing maps themselves.

[Jester Kirby]

edit the maps then? :chin:

[nyarlathotep]

just finished the allied campaign with the rules, and I must admit that in the campaigns the AI isn't that strong... Pity that the country-dependent units aren't included. Noticed also that GGI really eat Kirov's for breakfast:evil:

[Fenring]

What doesn't eat Kirovs like candy? :p

[apple23]

damn i wish i could play this mod.....
Its RA2 Only(right?) and my friend stole my only working copy....

Strangely enough, however, I have all of the CD files in a little folder. Could someone please tell me if i could use those to work instead of the CD?

Great work, anyway Fen. You kick ass

[Fenring]

If you have a no CD, it could work. At least, my no CD works. :p

[nyarlathotep]

Now it's time for a very lame question... How can I edit this mod so I can play against normal armies in skirmish mode, because I can get to to the last stage of my teching-up, but I lack the money to buy one of the new heavy vehicles... I've never seen them in action... not even the AI builds them...:mad: He just sends me a Volkov to whip my sorry ass... if he does that allready. Most of the time he just rushes me with 3 infantry troops, then 1 tankrush, again an infantry than a mixed oned...then I'm dead:scared:

[nyarlathotep]

OK, don't mind the above...found a solution... Huge map, 1 enemy & suddenly I find myself with a Rad-cannon :)

[Fenring]

Version 2.1b now available.

[apple23]

If you have a no CD, it could work. At least, my no CD works. :p

Like a No CD crack?

[KoTaPaK]

yeah , i wonder can i play skirmish game on easy or medium cuz in Brutal they keep sending in more and more attacks so if there's a way pls tell me :\:\

[Fenring]

Brutal is the easy...

[KoTaPaK]

Brutal is the easy...
so it cant get any easier :doped::doped::doped:

[KoTaPaK]

Can i play this mod + mooman's rules together? Is there a way?

[kyle]

Can i play this mod + mooman's rules together? Is there a way?
Its possible, iirc. But you'd spend hours upon hours combining files. IMHO its not worth it one bit.

[Fenring]

Can i play this mod + mooman's rules together? Is there a way?
Technically yes but it's not worth your time. I took a vastly different direction with my project than MooMan did.

[KoTaPaK]

Technically yes but it's not worth your time. I took a vastly different direction with my project than MooMan did.

I'll try to do it, if you tell me how... But if you don't want ti waste your time with it, it's ok. :color3:

[Fenring]

You'd need modding experience but I changed so many things, you wouldn't find as much fun as you wanted. If you want MMR, play MMR. If you want BWR, play BWR. Trust me. They're not meant to mix.

[draculmaulkee]

Hi, I just wanted to say liked this mod alot. I don't play online really so the improved AI was a great addition.

[anthony_g4i]

Is it works with yuri revenge 1.001 too???

[Fenring]

No. It's Red Alert 2 1.006 only. A Yuri's Revenge version is underway though.

[apple23]

I gotta ask you, fen, how did you make the AI so dman hard? I have been trying to beef up the AI myself for my own mod but I can't seem to get it right.

The best i've gotten so far has made the AI noticeably smarter, but not a whole lot more aggressive.

Does most of the AI's difficulty come from the bonuses in the Rules.ini section or from triggers in the AI.ini?

[Fenring]

I added a lot of extra triggers, and beefed up the usual rules values.

[apple23]

The thing is, I have added (only a few, but some) triggers of my own, edited all the taskforces to include my units and just overall stronger taskforces, and beefed up the rules values to roughly match yours, but the main problem I have is that the AI's attacks are infrequent, thier bases are generally smaller than usual (can't seem to figure out why since i gave them so much more money), and the AI tends to use only a couple types of different attacks, even though they have many many different attack options.

What could help better the AI here?

[Fenring]

Gazillions of triggers. It forces the AI to be extremely active... and digging into the [AI] section helps quite a bit too.

[winddomino]

:color3::color3:
k once i install it can u tell me how to get it off lol? i rly wanna play it :@ can u like get on right now and play? lol

[Fenring]

You run the EXE and it launches the game. When you exit, it's removed automatically.

It works in skirmish. Give the AI a run. It's not easy. Trust me. :p

[Thingo]

I discovered this mod and started a war several times, it looks very promising so far. But I got immediately confronted with a weird problem, I discovered it when the first enemy engineers (and it also happened to some kind of agent). My units shoot at them, their health bar drop towards what looks like almost zero, but then the drop stops, the enemy stops moving, but doesn't disappear (so not killed) and my units keeps shooting on it. So the game becomes quickly a mess, my units are constantly shooting at an increasing number unkilled deads (or how should I name it?) and I need to move them away to stop it, which quickly leads to my defeat, as new enemies then pass through unhampered because my units focus on the ghosts. The game also tends to suddenly exit where I'm throwed back to windows without any error. Another question, I want to modify rules.ini, then I have some more pleasure than being slaughtered after a minute in the easiest setting, but Beowulf's Rules doesn't use a separate rules.ini, it is inside the expand98.mix file it creates when running, I can't find any mix editor that works on my win 98, I get an error regarding missing export in kernel.dll when I try to run them. Is the Beowulf's Rules rules.ini separately available somewhere, or does someone know a mix editor (version) that works for me? Thanks in advance. And how do I get a next line on this forum lol, it throws everything on one line.

[Fenring]

You have to get the rules file yourself though I'd prefer it if people didn't modify it. I have put a lot of time into this and don't like seeing it changed. The AI can be beaten but it just takes patience.

As for your other problem, I have never encountered this for anything but Rocketeers and I changed those enough to circumvent the issue entirely. There must be something else in the way or you have a really weird copy. I'd ensure that RA2 1.006 is installed since that's what I was using while developing the mod.

Being tossed to Windows... that's a question of running out of memory. There is nothing I can do to fix that. The only thing you can do is minimize the amount of players and map size, upgrade your RAM or play on a machine with more RAM. Nothing I can do about that at all...

Funny... I developed the entire mod on Windows 98 and never ran into any of these issues...

[Thingo]

Thanks for the reply. Well, I understand that you don't like to see things changed, but it's not that I have the intention to make changes and then put the modified version on the internet. My sole intention is to have at least some fun in a game, I like some challenge but if I set everything to easiest in the first try attempts, then I don't expect being thown off in the first minutes by a couple enemy taskforces that kill all my units and buildings, outnumbering me, outrunning me, and with longer ranged weapons than the available units I have available at that stage of the base buildup. Anyway, I'm RA2-mod experienced enough to change units properties by hexediting the temp file your .exe creates and copy them to the main folder. I already updated RA2 after installation to 1.006. Regarding memory running out, I don't have that problem when playing native RA2 against 8 enemies and so many units that they constantly move themselves in the way. I can play using this mod, being thrown out, then load a saved game in such game situation without the problem (it just all happens more sluggish). This makes the memory running out reason abit unlikely, I guess? I'll try to find out more about the sudden exit, though. See ya maybe a next time. Good job anyway on this mod. As said, it looks very promising, so I'm not unwilling to do some effort to get it to work.

[Thingo]

Regarding that not-killing problem, I can add this: it seems to happen to most infantry units I saw so far (since I'm always defeated after a short time or that sudden exit happens, I didn't see them all), and when their health bar is almost zero and my units keep shooting, it's like the enemy units are killed numerous times, so I get the funny situation of 10 of my units that reach veteran status due to shooting for a minute at an engineer that seems to die enough times to make my whole current army veteran. It allows thus a kind of cheating, not that it helps much, the enemy is far too powerful, take for ex that 4 crazy ivan's team, they arrive, stop abit outside range of my units, then start throwing grenades until I have nothing left, veteran army or not. :P

[Fenring]

Thanks for the reply. Well, I understand that you don't like to see things changed, but it's not that I have the intention to make changes and then put the modified version on the internet. My sole intention is to have at least some fun in a game, I like some challenge but if I set everything to easiest in the first try attempts, then I don't expect being thown off in the first minutes by a couple enemy taskforces that kill all my units and buildings, outnumbering me, outrunning me, and with longer ranged weapons than the available units I have available at that stage of the base buildup. Anyway, I'm RA2-mod experienced enough to change units properties by hexediting the temp file your .exe creates and copy them to the main folder. I already updated RA2 after installation to 1.006. Regarding memory running out, I don't have that problem when playing native RA2 against 8 enemies and so many units that they constantly move themselves in the way. I can play using this mod, being thrown out, then load a saved game in such game situation without the problem (it just all happens more sluggish). This makes the memory running out reason abit unlikely, I guess? I'll try to find out more about the sudden exit, though. See ya maybe a next time. Good job anyway on this mod. As said, it looks very promising, so I'm not unwilling to do some effort to get it to work.
You can get my modified rules file if you think hard enough about it. I didn't LeechKill my mod so getting in isn't a problem. It's a question of deductive reasoning. IE - it has nothing to do with the XCC Mod Launcher EXE for launching the mod.

The mod dropping out to Windows is memory related. You have to keep in mind exactly how much I added that vanilla RA2 does not have like animations, effects and especially the AI. I have about 3 times the amount of AI the vanilla game has and it's processing quite a lot of additional data.

Regarding that not-killing problem, I can add this: it seems to happen to most infantry units I saw so far (since I'm always defeated after a short time or that sudden exit happens, I didn't see them all), and when their health bar is almost zero and my units keep shooting, it's like the enemy units are killed numerous times, so I get the funny situation of 10 of my units that reach veteran status due to shooting for a minute at an engineer that seems to die enough times to make my whole current army veteran. It allows thus a kind of cheating, not that it helps much, the enemy is far too powerful, take for ex that 4 crazy ivan's team, they arrive, stop abit outside range of my units, then start throwing grenades until I have nothing left, veteran army or not. :P
There must be something else left in your directory to prevent the infantry from being dying properly. I could test and retest for months and not run across that issue. In fact, this particular mod was tested online and over LAN weekly for 18 months and not once did any of us run across this. Four entirely different computers and the same results - no issues. Either you have a residual art file laying around or you have an illegal copy of the game. Either way, I can't fix this problem.

The AI can be beaten. It just takes patience. I made the AI difficult on purpose so skirmish players had a more engaged experience. You cannot play my AI like the vanilla AI...

[Thingo]

In fact, shortly before trying Beowulf's rules, I renamed the current folder, reinstalled the game, updated again online to 1.006. How would such a 'residual art file' be named? Regarding memory problem, when it runs and I swap back to windows, RA2 doesnt affect the free memory much. I know windows (even until Vista) has some old problem, the desktop heap size, which has, considering the amount memory pc's have nowadays, a ridiculous low default. Could that be the problem? Frankly, I doubt it. It's about the windows desktop - icons/windows/etc, and if that really was the case, then rebooting and not run other applications, and immediately run RA, should not cause the dropout anymore. And it does. What is also remarkable is that the dropout always happens around the same early-game stage/moment, if I start 5 times the same game, it happens around same time, alike its caused by the 1st creation/or becoming active, of a particular unit. It doesn't happen in the visible area of the map though, so I can't tell much about it. Maybe I should give my Construction Yard a Spysat=yes, but with hexediting I can only overtype, since inserting would cause eventual hardcoded offsets to become wrong, not sure though, in the end, this is a data file, it depends on how the program deals with it. Anyway, pinpointing specific cause of sudden dropouts, with not any error, can be very time consuming.

[Fenring]

In fact, shortly before trying Beowulf's rules, I renamed the current folder, reinstalled the game, updated again online to 1.006. How would such a 'residual art file' be named?
Conventional wisdom points to art.ini since the infantry not dying issue is likely a completely ****ed set of infantry sequences. Of which, I only modified a handful.

Regarding memory problem, when it runs and I swap back to windows, RA2 doesnt affect the free memory much.
If you don't have much, you'll already be overloaded. My additions to the game could easily affect your machine negatively, especially with a low amount of memory or virtual memory.

I find it odd since I developed the bulk of BWR on an old P3 with 256MB RAM and played monster games for hours at a time WITH Winamp playing music, MSN running, etc.

I know windows (even until Vista) has some old problem, the desktop heap size, which has, considering the amount memory pc's have nowadays, a ridiculous low default. Could that be the problem?
Unlikely unless you're maxing out your physical memory and CPU, and have a tiny page file limit.

Another thing to consider is overheating. If you're on much older hardware, which I believe you said you were, your hardware could be overworked. Consider a can of compressed air and cleaning your components. If all else fails, wash them with water and let them dry thoroughly.

Another possibility in an error that the exception handler missed entirely.

What is also remarkable is that the dropout always happens around the same early-game stage/moment, if I start 5 times the same game, it happens around same time, alike its caused by the 1st creation/or becoming active, of a particular unit. It doesn't happen in the visible area of the map though, so I can't tell much about it.
There would be very little you could discern even from seeing the map itself unless something very specific triggered it. Even then, no guarantees on that being the culprit.

Anyway, pinpointing specific cause of sudden dropouts, with not any error, can be very time consuming.
Most of the time, there is no specific cause and no fix.

However, I would suggest removing Red Alert 2 and all associated files in the game directory, rebooting, doing a clean reinstall and updating from your computer with a downloaded patch. It seems like updating through the web is possibly causing adverse effects. That or it's just voodoo.

[Thingo]

Under all this I would note the following: I never had a problem when running RA2. It's 10 years ago I bought it. In meantime I had 2 times a new pc. I don't know how many hours I played it. Sometimes I leave my pc on for the night and let the computer players fight it out for like 8 hours. I never saw infantry that doesn't die and I never saw sudden exits. The only problem I saw a couple times in whole that period was that after 5 sec or so, all my units explode. That was due to windows registry corruptions that wiped my code, reinstalling the game and entering the code from the manual solved it. You really think then my PC overheats/has dust/not enough memory, and so on? RA2 was designed for PC's 10 years ago. My current has 4 times the clock speed and 4 times the memory as the one I had then, and I run the same OS, so that doesnt grab more like newer windows versions always do. The only thing that windows 98 (and maybe all windows versions) suffer is degradation over time running. But a reboot solves that. The game wouldnt exit after a fresh reboot if that was the reason. To my belief, these two problems have specific causes, since they remain and are reproducable. If I would start elimination method, disabling unit after unit, I'm sure I would finally end up with a specific unit or building causing this. And besides all this, I just mention these two problems on this forumsection dedicated to this mod. This doesn't let the world come to an end. If you claim the problem is not the mod, I interprete that as that there is little to do about it. And there it ends for me. Because tell me, why would I dust-etc-inspect a computer that runs all the time, encodes video whole nights, plays video's and games, because of one mod for one game that exhibits two specific reproducable problems?

[Fenring]

Under all this I would note the following: I never had a problem when running RA2. It's 10 years ago I bought it.
One tiny problem with that statement, RA2 is not a decade old game. Tiberian Sun now is, but RA2 is on at nine years. Minor things aside, I get your point.

In meantime I had 2 times a new pc. I don't know how many hours I played it. Sometimes I leave my pc on for the night and let the computer players fight it out for like 8 hours.
This is a minor, irrelevant point. Here's why - you were playing the vanilla game as it was designed, probably on a lower version. When you have on BWR, you're increasing tenfold what the game has. So. This. Is. Entirely. Inconsequential.

I never saw infantry that doesn't die and I never saw sudden exits.
I've experienced sudden exits, but that was Yuri's Revenge with RP voodoo installed.

The only problem I saw a couple times in whole that period was that after 5 sec or so, all my units explode. That was due to windows registry corruptions that wiped my code, reinstalling the game and entering the code from the manual solved it.
That's the anti-piracy measure. Not sure what triggers it in a fully legal copy but I did that once but it's the game performing a function as intended.

You really think then my PC overheats/has dust/not enough memory, and so on?
Well excuse me to pieces for not magically knowing your hardware. I'll make sure to read your damn mind before I make a suggestion next time, you pompous ass.

My current has 4 times the clock speed and 4 times the memory as the one I had then, and I run the same OS, so that doesnt grab more like newer windows versions always do.
Then I would imagine the choice of operating system is probably a faulty one. However, I cannot say that since I developed the mod cleanly on old hardware made for Windows 98 SE. The fact that I never once experienced either issue leads me to believe the problem is relegated solely to your setup, whatever it may be.

The only thing that windows 98 (and maybe all windows versions) suffer is degradation over time running. But a reboot solves that. The game wouldnt exit after a fresh reboot if that was the reason.
For the vanilla, unmodified Red Alert 2, I would likely agree. But I have to reiterate, as I have several times since it's not getting into that steel barrier you call a skull, that I have more than tripled the amount of processing necessary for a quick AI skirmish. Much, much more is being processed than previously so if you're opting to blame your OS for mismanaging resources as well, then you must take into account the sheer amount of additional pathfinding the game now requires.

To my belief, these two problems have specific causes, since they remain and are reproducable. If I would start elimination method, disabling unit after unit, I'm sure I would finally end up with a specific unit or building causing this.
And I am forced to relegate this your setup and not my project work. I have been entirely unsuccessful in reproducing either problem. Easily, I could let the AI have at each other for a full two days and experience NEITHER issue. More importantly, I almost did exactly that, playing very, very long games with 7 AI players on my old, outdated hardware without one single problem.

You have been the only person to report this so it is entirely isolated to your machine.

And besides all this, I just mention these two problems on this forumsection dedicated to this mod. This doesn't let the world come to an end. If you claim the problem is not the mod, I interprete that as that there is little to do about it. And there it ends for me.
The only way to test the problem fully is a complete reinstall of the game. If the problem does not persist, there was a problem with the install. If it does, there is a larger issue at work.

Because tell me, why would I dust-etc-inspect a computer that runs all the time, encodes video whole nights, plays video's and games, because of one mod for one game that exhibits two specific reproducable problems?
I merely give suggestions for things to try. Whether or not you heed them, or even think they're valid, is really none of my concern at all. It was only an idea, nothing more.

The problem is not reproduceable. You have an entirely isolated incident. If it were more than just you, then yes, it would be a reproduceable error. Given that I have not had a single report about this beyond you, the problem cannot be classed as such.