RA3 Unit Profile: Soviet Ore Collector

[Sonic 296]

A new unit profile has been posted on the Official Red Alert 3 Site. Its a look at an essential Soviet unit, the Ore Collector. As always, this profile has a short in game video, concept art and extra information. Here is a sample....

 

One can barely begin to imagine the hodgepodge of spare parts from other vehicles used to assemble each ore collector: Their cockpits are based on the same bubble canopies used in flak towers and in Kazminov Design Bureau's own KDB-2 Bullfrog transports; their collapsible pontoons are taken from resold Sputnik exploration vehicles; their reactive-armor coats are composed of sheeted alloys smelted from Hammer- and Apocalypse-class main battle tanks; their cargo bins are made from the recycled fuselages of downed MiG fighters, and so on. Each ore collector is machine-crafted with great care, and each collector's designated driver is given a framed, commemorative list of names and addresses of all the loyal soldiers whose vehicle parts were used to create that particular unit. Ironically, in spite of the rather conservative original design principle behind the ore collector, each one turns out to be fairly costly to manufacture, in part because of all the formality and ceremony around the respectful use of recycled vehicle parts.

Click here for the full Soviet Ore Collector profile.

[Nmenth 291]

Oh yes, it is time for another technology-bashing from Nmenth.

 

Reactive Armor -- If attacked, ore collector drivers are wise to take advantage of their reactive armor, which envelops the vehicle in a thick metal coat. However, they are discouraged from using this defensive measure because it prevents them from fulfilling their primary responsibility of collecting ore.

 

Apparently they don't know what reactive armor is. Reactive armor is not really armor, but a layer of explosives. When hit by a HEAT shell, the reactive armor explodes, weakening the HEAT shell's effects.

The reactive armor, because it is explosive, cannot be mounted at all times, as when it explodes, it is dangerous to any friendly troops near the tank.

It is not a thick metal coat.

[Luk3us 63]

Yeah, they most likely just mean, reactive, as in you reactive by click the button.

[Saracen 16]

Instead of calling it straight out an ore collector. EA should have thought just a little and called this a Scarab as a code name. Scarabs are collectively known to collect dung balls, and transport it back to their nest so they can feed or live on their collection. Plus looking at this collector it's beetle shape in design, and we all know Beetles have protective armour coatings, so it just makes sense!

 

Furthermore the USSR used a short range tactical ballistic nuclear Missile called the SS-21. NATO named this weapon the Scarab. Since there are no nuclear weapons in Red Alert 3, this would have played a great testimony to the weapon.

 

Oh well, I'm a sucker for details. I believe they add a cleverly hidden depth to games like C&C. But I'm not an EALA employee, am I?

[Gben 20]

This was a good idea Saracen. We all appreciate a good homage.

 

I've been studying the KW units and I've been despairing over the high number of unimaginative names many things have... for instance the three GDI harvesters (MG, Rocket Bunker) could each have been given new separate names.

 

At least the engineer, saboteur, and assimiliator have different names but I would have enjoyed seeing more diversity and uniqueness to the naming of units and structures over their 'class' descriptions, tank, anti-infantry etc.

 

(reviewing 5 pages of news I've avoided!)