“The primary theme in all the Red Alert games is time travel and the unintended consequences that always seem to arise from it,” remarks Ott. “That separates the Red Alert series from most other games: we’re not really bound to any of the storylines in our previous titles since every game is its own alternate reality. As a developer, this is really liberating because it allows us to explore whatever unique and playful worlds we can create, including outrageous experimental weaponry that just might work in our alternate realities.”

While some fans have assumed that the Red Alert universe has ties to the other Command & Conquer series, which was most recently visited in C&C 3: Tiberium Wars, Ott clears the air: “The ways in which we’ve advanced the stories have made that all but impossible.” (Command & Conquer: Generals has always been clearly established as a separate game world.)

The New World Wars

The Red Alert saga begins in 1946 with Albert Einstein’s creation of a device he dubbed the Chronosphere. He travels to the year 1924 and greets Adolf Hitler upon the future Fuhrer’s release from a prison in Landsberg, Germany. A simple conversation and a handshake creates a ripple in the time-space continuum that eliminates Hitler from existence and wipes World War II from the history books.

Without an aggressive Germany to hold it in check, however, the USSR seizes parts of China and invades eastern Europe, eventually leading to a new 1950s era World War II between the Soviets and the Allies. The Allies prevail and install Alexander Romanov in place of the deceased Joseph Stalin, but Romanov proves to be no mere puppet: he rebuilds the Soviet military under the pretense of defense needs and begins a psychic technology program led by his top aide, Yuri.

In 1972, the Soviets launch a surprise attack on the United States, hitting both coasts with land invasions and bringing troops over the border from Mexico. Their coup de grace, however, is a psychic beacon that they deploy near Washington, D.C. It allows them to control the minds of the President and members of Congress, forcing them to surrender without ordering a counter-attack.

American troops, however, mount a guerilla campaign against the Soviet forces, striking key blows that include the destruction of the psychic beacon. The freed U.S. government is able to bring European allies into the war and begin to turn the tide. Meanwhile, Einstein develops a new Chronosphere that can teleport a large invasion force into Moscow. The project is successful and the Soviets lose control of their capital.

A Twist in the Space-Time Continuum

Romanov is taken away by the Allies, leaving the Soviets on the brink of defeat once more as the events at the beginning of Red Alert 3 play out: the Soviets had been working on their own time machine under the direction of Anatoly Cherdenko (Tim Curry), with Dr. Gregor Zelinsky (Peter Stormare) developing the technology. General Nikolai Krukov (Andrew Divoff) is surprised to learn of the project, but with his country broken, he has no choice but to go along.

Zelinsky also expresses misgivings when he discovers Cherdenko’s plan: to travel back to the Solvay physics conference held in Brussels in 1927. Ironically, Cherdenko is able to eliminate Einstein the same way Einstein had earlier disposed of Hitler: with nothing but a handshake. Traveling back to the present, the three Soviets discover that not only has their country been restored to prominence but Cherdenko is now premier, a twist that does not please Krukov, who must now take orders from the man he previously outranked.

However, Einstein’s removal from the timeline also causes the world’s nuclear arsenal to vanish, a fact that becomes even more painful when Cherdenko is informed that the Empire of the Rising Sun has invaded Soviet territory. Without nuclear missiles to defend them, the Soviets rely on their new Tesla technology, which provides weapons with shocking results.

Meanwhile in the new timeline, Emperor Yoshiro (George Takei) had built up a high-tech military while the Soviets and Allies were busy fighting each other. Without nuclear weapons to keep him in check, Yoshiro believes the Empire of the Rising Sun is destined to rule the world. His son, Prince Tatsu, directs Japan’s military efforts, but the young man wants to modernize the country, unlike his father, who believes in strict adherence to the ancient code known as bushido, the way of the warrior.

This new threat leads the Allies to propose a partnership with the Soviets, given their common enemy. The move angers American President Howard T. Ackerman (J.K. Simmons), who doesn’t trust the Soviets. However, British Field Marshal Robert Bingham (Jonathan Pryce) feels otherwise, much to Ackerman’s consternation. Bingham’s stoic style also clashes with Ackerman’s bluster.

• Speed and multi-tasking are key during multi-player matches. Quickly get your infrastructure up and running and scale up your production facilities as much as possible, so you can pump out more units in a shorter period of time. Constantly click between your production queues to make sure they’re full. You can bind groups of units and buildings to specific keys by selecting the ones you want, holding down the Control key, and pressing a number. That lets you quickly cycle through those groups to make sure they’re busy.
• From there, your particular style of play will dictate what to do next. Should you turtle, which involves building up your forces to the point that you can wear down opponents who attack, or should you rush your nearest opponent as soon as possible, hoping to catch her off-guard? You could even combine the two by turtling while sending out small groups of expendable forces to attack an opponent and goad them into launching a counter-offensive.
• Crates sometimes show up on the map. Those with crosses heal your units, ones with dollar signs give you more credits, and crates with chevrons promote your units to a higher rank.
• Each unit can attain three ranks, each giving it more firepower, defensive capabilities, and speed than the previous rank. In addition to finding crates with chevrons, units earn new ranks by destroying units and buildings equal to their current rank.
• All three factions feature engineers who offer a variety of useful tactical abilities, including taking over neutral and enemy buildings and repairing friendly ones. Use them to your advantage.
• The same goes for all three factions’ scouts: the Allies’ dogs, the Soviets’ robot bears, and the Empire’s mechanical dragonflies. They’re helpful for removing the fog of war from enemy territory and gauging what you’re up against, so that you can plan your production accordingly.
• Multiple scouts, each bound to a different number key, will allow you to quickly see most of the map as you switch between them. Don’t forget to continuously scout the map during a match, since you’ll only be able to see what your opponent was doing the last time you scouted him.

• The number of refineries in use by your opponent will give you a key clue to her intentions. The fewer you see, the more likely it is that she’s sacrificing an ample supply of credits for more units, or vice-versa.
• To trick an enemy’s scouts, tuck powerful units into out-of-the-way spots where they’re less likely to be seen. Your opponent may think your forces are inadequate and launch an attack, only to be surprised by the resistance they’ll meet.
• You should also kill any enemy scouts as soon as you see them, to ensure your opponents learn as little as possible. Your own scouts are often the best weapon against opponents’ spies, particularly if yours outnumber theirs, since all scouts have special attacks, such as the Soviet bear’s roar.
• Allied spies and Imperial Shinobi can be turned into snipers by placing them in buildings.
• Spend cash constantly. Don’t worry if your credit balance is close to zero — just keep building units. Thousands of credits in the bank won’t help if an opponent shows up at your door with a massive army. You won’t be able to build units fast enough before he starts destroying your facilities.
• Target units with high damage-to-health ratios (i.e., the unit can dole out plenty of damage but doesn’t have strong defenses) first, since you can kill them faster and they’re more capable of seriously harming your forces. In addition, concentrate as much firepower as possible on one unit at a time, without overdoing it, rather than spreading out your attack across multiple units. By keeping those two strategies in mind, you’ll be able to quickly eliminate an enemy’s most powerful units, reducing his ability to deal lots of damage to your forces.
• If you find yourself frustrated by a campaign mission, GameFAQs features a trio of walkthroughs that should come in handy.