Beowulf's Rules 2.1 - Released!

Doctor Destiny · August 25, 2007

For those out of the loop, here you go!

Udpated 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;

Another small change is the Soviet build clock. Instead of being yellow, it is a more suiting shade of red.

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.

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

The Allied Barracks, Refinery and War Factory have a new design, closer to their prerelease versions.

Destroyer

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

The Russian Tesla Tank and Soviet V3 Launcher have a full remap palette applied, reverting to their prerelease schemes.

Rhino Tank

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

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.

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.

Medic

Requirements: Barracks

Cost: $600

Purpose: infantry healing

Same as it ever was. Little has changed with the Medic or his abilities.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Abrams Tank - American special