[align=center]-The New Player's Guide to OpenRA By Nuke'm Bro-[/align]
[align=center]Hello All![/align]
[align=center]Welcome to the wonderful world of OpenRA![/align]
Intro
This is a Guide to explain HOW TO PLAY OpenRA if you are just a starting novice or a very skilled player.
Backstory:
OpenRA Is a Clone of the old-school popular RTS Command & Conquer Red Alert. I won't go into explaining it, but if you haven't played Red Alert you probably should because you've missed out on an amazing piece of gaming history and you have also yet to understand the history of the Command & Conquer Universe from it's beginnings.
Gameplay:
Yes, If you have played old-school Red Alert or Aftermath and have come to OpenRA to play, you will notice MANY things are different.
Don't Fret!
OpenRA was set to balance the Online gaming universe of Command&Conquer. Basically, Allies have certain Units/Infantry/Building/SuperWeapons that the Soviets don't have, and vice-versa.
You will also notice different units that were not included in the Original RA such as the Flak Truck and Supply Truck. Many units are also missing, To name a few, Chronotank, M.A.D. Tank, Demo Truck, etc.
Game-play is also a bit tricky and difficult to understand if you haven't Played OpenRA at least a couple times, Which I recommend if you haven't already.
Well, Lets get crackin' on how to make you an overall better player and team player in OpenRA.
Chapter one: Game Theory
When you get right down to it, the entirety of Game-play can be sub-categorized into two parts:
Micro -the ability and capacity to command and control many units,aircraft,infantry,naval vessels, etc. at different times in an controlled and strategic manner.
http://imgur.com/nwbR5
Look at this picture, could you imagine how difficult to a novice player it would be to Micro all of these units into battle? Most novice players would get so overwhelmed with the size of their army believing that size is everything and will throw these units into battle without any real strategic thought. There are few players that actually do this since, If you are a great player and are able to get an army of massive size, you should be able to micro them equally as well.
Macro -the Ability to build and construct buildings, defenses, and ore refineries in strategic places that serve your economy and base defense.
http://imgur.com/SOIW6
Now, look at this. Could you imagine how difficult it would be to a novice player trying to Macro all of these ore trucks efficiently? Although Macroing is difficult to get down at first, it is way easier to understand how to Macro your building and defense's placement than Microing your troops efficiently into battle.
Mapping theory, Expansion, Economic building placement
Mapping Theory
Basically, When starting or in a multiplayer lobby about to play a game, examine the map your about to play on, check spawn points, geometry of the map (Rivers, Lakes, Mountains, Ore placement) Check to see which spawn is situated closest to the most ore.
(for the sake of this chapter we assume this is an Free For All match and will cover teamplay later)
Determine where other players are situated if possible, understand their motives, goals, and objectives. There are a number of questions you want to ask yourself:
"Which spawn has the most ore?"
"Are any of these players next to me better than I? Should I be worried If they attack?"
"Does the player next to me want the same ore pile that I want? Would I be willing to fight him for it to gain the upper-hand?"
"Is this mostly a land or a water map?" Should I be worried if adjacent player where to get a naval army?"
"How would I go about taking the adjacent player down? Do I want to attack him fast? (3-10 Minutes in-game) Or do I attack him later? (10 Minutes - ~ )"
Those are all great questions to ask your self. Remember, If you know you cannot beat the adjacent player next to you, it is a good idea to either not spawn next to him, or don't attack him in-game. (maybe he won't attack you)
Expansion
One of the best strategies to use in OpenRA.
http://imgur.com/Wptnw
Look at this picture, say you have a base situated at your starting point and have a ample amount of ore to sustain you for a little while. When that ore runs out, what will you do? You will have no ore to build units! You will not even be able to defend your base effectively, let alone attack.
There is a solution!
Expanding - the Ability to expand the boundaries of your base through the action of either MCV Movement (Mobile Construction Vehicle) or through building placement for strategical advances or for economical purposes.
http://imgur.com/ukioC
Most intermediate-Veteran players use Expansion for either three main reasons:
-Expand their base's borders to reach an area of greater ore.
-Expand to Give a strategical advantage in that map
I.E. Claiming most of the ore deposits to force the opposing player(s) into Economical declination or Cutting off others Expansion by creating a Battle Front.
-Expand to move into enemy player's base while building defense structures to Attack the opposing players. Also known as "Base-walking"
Expansion is a very great tactic to use and mainly in most games is needed to win.
Most maps that are played with large scale teams (8-12 players) Actually have no starting ore to give. You must fight for all of your (and your team's) ore!
Very Seldom does a non-expanding player win any games because he will have a lack of ore, No strategic positioning, etc.
Remember always to Expand and Expand with your teammates!
http://imgur.com/zhR5W
Economic Building Placement & Expansion
Doesn't it seem like common sense to place an ore refinery CLOSEST to an ore pile? Doing so will improve faster Ore truck path time, higher income of money, AND less overcrowding of your base. ( I only mention because some new players that play 45min- hour long game produce really overcrowded bases)
At the start of a match, after deploying MCV, You should already understand where you want certain buildings to be placed.
I.E. Ore refinery should be placed closest to ore pile, Barracks should be situated where most of the opposing players might attack from, power plants in a safer place until enough time passes where you can build defenses.
Upon Expansion Ore refineries should be placed closest to ore with CARE
You never know who is on the other side of the ore pile hiding in the Fog Of War trying to take the ore too, Could be a Veteran player, could be the whole team, who knows? Always remember to defend the advancing path of your expansion with defenses or units, Use team chat ( Shift+Enter in-game) To inform your fellow teammates about your expansion goals and motives, Team-chat is Vital for Victory!
Expansion Also comes with a price, Expanding too early before setting up at-least a base Economy will cause you to suffer minutes later, Be it you run out of Money, or you get attacked very soon 2-4 minutes into the game. Remember to think about expanding before you do it and think of all outcomes, and remember, let your teammates know what is up!
In conclusion, Expansion and Economic building placement is vital for Macroing and for Victory!
Chapter Two: Time, Build orders, and shortcuts!
In theory, Time is the single most game-winning aspect of OpenRA.
Time determines everything. Whether it is how fast you built your base, how fast you micro'd your army into battle, or how fast you constructed a Nuke. It Determines the entire outcome of the game.
http://imgur.com/FsNLf
Look at this picture. Which player do you think will win first?
At about 3 minutes, The Blue Player has expanded to two different ore fields and has a secure base with a Yak. The Purple Player
has his ore refinery situated far from the intended ore field and most likely has no money! On-top of that he also has a Sub-pen in a small lake which serves no purpose, A waste of time and money!
All the Blue Player has to do is fly his yak over and attack the Purple Player's single Power plant and Bam! Low power for him, Making him even MORE far behind than he already was. The Blue Player did A very good job of Planning, Placing, And expanding his base. He ended up winning that one easy.
Time Zones
Their are Certain "Time Zones" I like to recognize in-game.
"Starting" Timezone - player has just started to build his base, has very limited structures, seldom has defenses and has only a couple infantry. Starts to build economy. (0:00-1:00)
"Expansion" Timezone - player's base is still under construction, player has some defenses and infantry out. Economy is increasing,
Player is expanding to conquer more ore. (1:00-3:00)
*In some circumstances if Fast aircraft build order is used the player might have a Yak or Hind.*
"Production" Timezone -player's Base has decent Defenses and has a small amount of units and infantry. Light tanks, Artillery, V2 Rockets are possible in this time Zone, Player is looking to expand and produce armies for attacking. (3:00-7:00)
"Standard" Timezone - All Players have Adequate Defenses and Economy. Has an Army built up for attacking, Has successfully expanded. (7:00-13:00)
"Attacking" Timezone -Players Economies are in full time. Player's are Engaged in attacking, Super-weapons are possibly used at this point. (13:00-18:00)
----
"Standstill/Endgame" Timezone - This Time-Zone is rare since this usually occurs only when the teams are balanced and at a standstill, (ore is used up, No armies left, All super-weapons either used or have been destroyed, leaving players to micro what units they have left in a desperate attempt to win) Endgame point. (18:00 - ~ )
Time most importantly encompasses how fast you build your base and still have a strong structured economy. Almost ALL players have a certain way they build their base.
This is called a "Build Order"
Build Order - A certain order a player uses to create his base, Defenses, Units, And Superweapons in a fast timed manner and still maintain a Structured Economy.
Most players have perfected their build orders. Many Players have several build orders for different factions, which allows the players to be dynamic in any game and in any circumstances. Remember, players with effective build orders will always win!
So you're probably wondering, "well, what is a good build order?" Well I have a few sample ones you can use:
For a fast Tank build order (Allies or Soviets) go:
Power plant >Barrack(Tent)>Ore Refinery>War Factory>Service Depot>Start Producing Tanks!
http://imgur.com/ssHzP
For a Fast Aircraft Build order (Soviets) go:
Deploy> Power plant >Barracks>Ore Refinery>Radar Dome>Airfield> Yaks
These are just a few simple ones but in order to establish a great build order you must do some experimenting yourself. Find out which Build order fits you, what kind of player are you? A defensive or offensive Player? Do you like to use Naval or Aircraft? Infantry or vehicles? Find out what works for you!
Lets say you have a build order that works, And you want to Perfect it.
First off you should understand the use of Shortcuts.
ShortCuts
"Shortcuts" are keyboard commands that you can use to cut your build order time down by seconds! An example would be after you deploy your MCV, instead of clicking the "Build Power Plant" button you could just press "P" instead, Then when it is complete press "P" and Right click to place it in desired spot!
The next step is to re-memorize your build order's Building Shortcut keys!
Using the Example "Fast Tank" Build order:
Deploy> Power plant >Barrack>Ore Refinery>War Factory>Ore refinery>Service Depot>Start Producing Tanks!
The "shortcut" keys would work as followed:
Deploy> "P" >"B">"E">"W">"E">"D">Start Producing Tanks!
Try doing this build order without the Shortcut keys and record your time, then try it with shortcut keys and compare the two, I promise your time will increase by at least a couple seconds using shortcuts, thus, allowing you to get a jump-ahead on the other slow player.
Chapter Four: Defense Theory and Placement
-This chapter will enlighten you on how to defend successfully in OpenRA.
When first starting your base out always make sure you have a couple troops or small defenses handy in case of an early attack. Early attacks can really set you back time-wise on your build order if your power-plants are attacked. Always Watch out for early attacks in the "starting" and "Expanding" Timezones.
Always make sure you are building defenses in the paths that an enemy might come through. If the enemy has any type of long ranged Units (Artillery/V2) Use aircraft to destroy them. Keep your power plants and Ore refineries safe! You can always build another War Factory or Barrack.
Defense Placement
Air Defense
In the Expanding and Production Time-zones you might be faced with Yaks or Hinds. In this case, Try to build some AA's or Sam sites.
When a SAM-Site or AA is built don't just hurry and throw it down. (unless needed) Wait till the enemy aircraft is in range of your base and then place your Sam/AA down at a spot that is in range of the enemy aircraft that way you have a better chance of shooting it down.
Also DO NOT place two AA's or Sam sites next to each other it is a total waste of money! Spread your Sam Sites/AA's around your base to conceal it from Aircraft attack. Make sure to also try and place AA's/Sams where they are not easily destroyed by enemy V2s/Artillery.
Ground Defense
Flame Turrets/Pillboxes and Turrets/Telsa are good defenses in the "Starting" and "Expanding" time zones. Just like Sams/AA they should be put in places were they are not easily destroyed and should be put down right as the enemy is attacking. Most of the time if you place a flame turret/pillbox right as Enemy infantry approach the base the player sometimes will retreat and find a different approach, when this happens, You will need to make use of the Most ultimate defense in OpenRA.
The Almighty Concrete Barrier
Concrete Barriers are the most useful defense in OpenRA.
One can go from winning to losing with this defense. It has many uses from Walling up a side you don't want an enemy to go through to walling up your entire base.
http://imgur.com/YZ6yF
One can also wall up important Structures like Tech Centers, Superweapons, and MCV's. CB's can also be used to wall up enemies that are basewalking towards you or you can use them to wall up an Enemy's defensive structure like a Flame turret or Turret so they can't attack you.
They can also be used to "Attack" in a sense.
If a player walls up a bunch of enemy tanks from advancing into his base The enemy has to find another way around!
This strategy works even better if you have some Artillery or v2s that you can use to safely attack from behind your walls onto oncoming enemy armies.
Artillery/V2
Artillery is a very good Defense if you know how to use them. If your base isn't totally walled up you might see that if an enemy comes in range the artillery will attack them and follow the enemy if it runs away. In this case, you should highlight the Artillery/V2s you want to be stationary and defend and press "V" to cycle to the Defense stance.
This way the arty will attack anything that comes it's way and won't move from it's spot!
"Turtling" Up
A term used by players In OpenRA. In other words, A player Totally Concrete Barriers up his base and conceals it, Then places many Sam/AA's around his base and defends with lots of Telsas/Turrets/pillboxes/flame turrets.
Commonly the player will also use Artillery to fire over the wall
It is usually very hard to attack this player but one Very well placed Nuke will usually do the trick since the base is usually compact.
Naval Defense
I've been playing for a while and there is no real "defense" versus naval attacks other than getting a naval army yourself. That's basically about all you can do.
Super Weapons
If your about to get nuked I am sorry, There is really nothing you can do but estimate where the nuke is coming down at, Move any units in that area away and sell any buildings before the nuke hits.
Although getting nuked sucks, There are preventative measures.
For one .. Don't put structures so close together, If you put 7 Advanced Power-plants together you are going to have a bad time.
Also spread all your structures out when you are building. Also be sure to Concrete barrier up all your important structures as I said before. Also, Use Gap generators to hide important structures and AA/Sams, that way the enemy player has to guess at what he nukes.
Mines
Mines are A easy way to defend from tanks and Vehicles but You have to have very good microing skills to use the mine layer. Mines are sometimes used in games.
http://imgur.com/wUUnF
Geometry
Sometimes the use of a level's Geometry can help defend a player's base. If a player's base is surrounded by rivers, lakes, mountains, etc. He can use them to his advantage.
Preventing Engineers
Engineers can be easily prevented if a player is keen, watchful, and fast to react. First you could always have a defense structure Queued up to throw down at any given moment an engineer approaches via on foot, or by vehicle or Chinook. Always keep a couple of Rifle men handy and always Concrete barrier up your important structures! Remember, there is no avoiding it, You WILL BE Engineered eventually, it happens to all players, so just try to be ready for it at all times!
How to be a successful Defensive player
Remember, A successful defensive player will Never attack early game because it will only hinder Economic production. Therefore, A defensive player will Construct a base with good defenses (Ground/Air/Concrete) and will expand his base as far across the map as possible with maintaining strategic control of that area and being able to still maintain a stable economy. The player will also Construct Super weapons such As Nukes, Chronospheres, and Iron Curtains. When a respectably sized army is constructed, the player will weaken the enemy with his Super-weapons, Then attack directly. Destroying the Enemy player. Most of the time when a Very skilled defensive player expands and conquers a large portion of the map he usually suppresses the enemy's economy by taking all of the ore.
Chapter Five: Offensive Theory and Common Strategic Knowledge
This chapter will enlighten you on offensive measures and how to devise perfect attacking plans. Most of it is common sense, but a lot of it requires fast thinking. You will come to understand all offensive strategies.
Types of Offensive Strategies
Infantry
Attacking with infantry is a cheap way to offset the player in early game. Although they are inexpensive and motile, they can be easily stopped by a well placed Pillbox/Flameturret early game or by Walling up with concrete in which the enemy player would have to find an alternative way to reach the inside of the base. The use of infantry past the "production" Timezone requires very honed microing skills to evade deadly long-ranged units like Artillery/V2.
Rifle Men
Not much to say about Rifle Men. Cheap, easy to use, Motile. In most cases just Canon Fodder.
Rocket Soldiers
Rocket soldiers are a very valuable asset to have on the field in the range of any type of tank attack. Although they are a bit expensive and slow, when they are behind Concrete Walls they are extremely dangerous!
Grenadiers
Grenadiers are tricky units to master. If you are in early game and can send a few over to an enemy's base to attack, they can take out a power plant exceptionally fast. In fact 4 grenadiers can take out a single power plant with two grenades thrown by each unit. Very motile and cheap but they also share a "Chain Explosion" much like when you shoot a group of artillery and they will all blow up.
Dogs
Cheap, Very motile, great range, an Ideal scouting unit. If you are playing soviets you are in for a treat! Producing two dogs at the beginning of the game to scout is a great strategy. If you can make it into an enemy's base fast enough early game, you can move your dog in-front of an enemy's barrack and the dog will auto-attack any units that come out of the barracks. Beware though, dogs can only take one hit from a Rifleman.
Flamethrower
Expensive, Slow, but very dangerous in taking out other units. Have a very far range and can take out some structures in a fast manner.
Shock Trooper
Not really the best choice for infantry. Slow, small ranged, and slow Rate of fire. Also can be killed easily. You are better off buying Flamethrowers, Enough said.
Spy
A spy is expensive but can be compensated for if it infiltrates an enemy radar dome or ore refinery. Upon use of a spy it disguises itself as an enemy's unit and can be used to infiltrate structures or assassinating other enemy units. Once inside an enemy ore ref the spy takes half of the player's credits (or 500 credits if the player has low cash). If it were to infiltrate a radar it disables an enemy player's radar dome. Dangerous unit.
Medic
The ultimate test of a great microing player. If you can master the use of a Medic (Keeping him out of harms way to heal infantry) Then it is a very valuable unit to have in the battlefield.
Tanya
Expensive, Very motile, and Armed with two colt. 45's and C-4. A very valuable unit if you have the money. Can mow down units fast at a large range and has much health. Can also blow up buildings with secondary attack. If one where to drop A few off in an enemy base with the help of a Transport Heli the results are catastrophic.
ENGINEERS
This slow moving, easily preventable unit is ultimately the biggest game changer. One can go from losing a game to winning by capturing enemy structures and building off of them in the enemy's own base. Most players who use engineers do it to offset a player in early game. A good counter measure versus these is to wall up structures like MCV's and super weapons.
Aircraft
Yaks
Yaks are VERY dangerous early game. If one can manage to get one out Sub 2:20 minutes than he can fly it over to an enemy's base and take out a powerplant and offset the player severely. Next to Dogs, Yaks are the best scouting unit in the game because of how early they can be produced! Yaks compared to the MiGs are slow and easy to take down.
Yaks would mainly be used 2-6 mins into the game and would be used for infantry, light Vehicles, and small structures.
Yak Damage Calculations
*Only Important Structures*
Yak [align=center]Structure[/align]
2 [align=center] Powerplant, Advanced Powerplant, Soviet & Allied Tech Center
Chronosphere,[/align]
3 [align=center]Ore Refinery, Barrack, Radar Dome, Service Depot, Nuke,
Gap, Telsa Coil [/align]
4 [align=center]War Factory[/align]
6 [align=center]Con Yard[/align]
MiG
Yak's Bigger brother. Fastest Aircraft, Most dangerous, and has decent amount of health, but expensive. MiG's can take a while to get used to. When attacking with MiG's notice how if you don't click anywhere else while they attack they will just fly over and circle around still attacking the enemy until it is destroyed. This is fine but there is a better way. Once getting used to it, you can click to attack and once the missiles shoot out to attack, quickly pull your MiGs away to avoid any rocket soldiers or Sam/AA fire. This is the best and most effective way to strike with MiG's. MiG's are also risky, If you see a structure you want destroyed that is across an Enemy(s) base, be aware the enemy may throw down a Sam/AA at any time, so be careful! Always try different approaches every time with the MiGs/Yaks, try not to attack the same position over and over again as the enemy will recognize this an throw up an AA/Sam. Also MiGs are VERY DEADLY at taking out ore trucks!
MiG Damage Calculations
*Only Important Structures*
MiG [align=center]Structure[/align]
1 [align=center] Allied Tech Center Chronosphere Nuke Telsa Coil[/align]
2 [align=center] Powerplant, Advanced Powerplant, Con Yard
Soviet Tech Center Ore Refinery,Barrack, [/align]
3 [align=center] Radar Dome, Service Depot,
Gap [/align]
4 [align=center]War Factory[/align]
Hinds
Slow moving helicopters, cheap, and have decent health. Mostly used to wipe out Rocket soldiers and various infantry, along with some small structures, like power plants and other small defenses.
Longbows
Hind's bigger brother. These Balance out the MiGs. They are moderately fast and shoot rockets. Good for taking out structures, ore trucks, and vehicles. They Can also shoot down Yaks, MiGs, Hinds, chinooks, and other Longbows. Useful for taking out MiG's by hiding in shroud awaiting MiG's to fly by.
Chinooks
Slow, low health, somewhat cheap. Used to move infantry into battle, can hold up to eight infantry. Very useful for dropping Rocket soldiers, Flamethrowers, Tanya's, Engineers into an enemies base. Can deliver A LOT of damage if micro-ed into an enemies base wisely.
Remember to always try to avoid Sam/AA As much as you can and never send Aircraft straight into rocket soldiers or Flak. Only fly-by Sam/AA when it is vital to get by or to destroy something near them. With A little experience with Aircraft you will realize they are VERY valuable in the Battlefield.
*Note: Aircraft do NOT require money to reload*
-The New Player's Guide to OpenRA-
The New Player's Guide to OpenRA By Nuke'm Bro.
-The New Player's Guide to OpenRA-
Last edited by Nukem on Thu Jan 31, 2013 1:08 am, edited 3 times in total.
I absolutely agree!
That's why i meant there should be at least a defense (!) strategy listed in this guide to defend against engies, so the newb who does not even know how to undeploy his construction yard at least has a chance!
I did not mean a tuturial on how to attack with engies.
Sry if that was confusing.
That's why i meant there should be at least a defense (!) strategy listed in this guide to defend against engies, so the newb who does not even know how to undeploy his construction yard at least has a chance!
I did not mean a tuturial on how to attack with engies.
Sry if that was confusing.
I dont give any Player that option to think he plays "SimCity" or "TurtleTown" ... if someoneI will not put anything in here about using an Offensive approach with engineers since they limit the game and sometimes discourage new players who try the game out.
want to "try out" the game ... there are bots ..
And they only limit the game if a team is not working together .. if you play 1v1 , you should have enough time to look @ your own base , hold some towers ...
Edit: Nukem , Riflemans good against Rockettroops ... very effective ...
Last edited by JOo on Fri Jul 27, 2012 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You may want to post this at https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Playing-the-game instead of the forums. Maybe record some YouTube videos as the ones linked there are awful.