Command & Conquer Red Alert 2 FAQ
 
Written by George Ngo (a.k.a. Eggo from GameFan magazine)
Feedback is welcome via E-mail at gngo@earthlink.net
 
Version 1.0

Why I wrote this: I come from a background of playing WarCraft II and 
StarCraft heavily online.  I've always believed Real-Time Strategy 
games should be played online against human opponents because fighting 
the computer doesn't teach you how to play a game.  It teaches you how 
to defend and build up an overpowering army of outrageous proportions - 
tactics which won't work against a living, breathing opponent.  This is 
my first F.A.Q. and first time playing a Command & Conquer game.  While 
I like Red Alert 2, I've noticed that only 10% of the people online are 
good.  Sure there are newbies in any online game, but I'm noticing more 
scrubs in Red Alert 2 than other games.  I'm hoping this F.A.Q. can 
improve the quality of play online and raise the level of competition 
so it's easier to get a good game going.  I'll assume you already know 
what all the units are, what they do, what's needed to build them, etc.  
This F.A.Q. just talks strategy and tricks.  I hope you find it useful.  

Soviets

Iraqi Desolator  Pound for pound, the best unit in the game.  
Excellent for wiping out ALL ground-based infantry including Tanyas, 
Chrono Legionnaires, and Yuris with its RAD Cannon.  The only exception 
is the British Sniper but fighting against Great Britain, you should 
easily steamroll your opponent before the Sniper can even come into 
play.  Desolators are also great for wiping out ALL Allied tanks, 
parked Harriers, and to a lesser degree Rhino Tanks.  If an opponent 
is using Desolators against you, use Harriers, Rocketeers, or Terror 
Drones to deal with them.  See the strategy section for tactics such as 
the lethal Desolator Bomb.  Desolators also make good base defense.  
Keep a few around, standing behind your buildings to wipe out enemy 
Paratroopers, Engineers, Tanyas, and Chrono Legionnaires.  If you're 
playing Soviets, Iraq should be your first choice.

Libyan Demolition Truck  Not as well-rounded as the Iraqi Desolator, 
but perhaps more deadly.  Libya is a great second option for Soviet 
players.  If you can detonate one of these in a guy's base early, the 
game should be over.  Just be sure to follow it up with an immediate 
attack of Rhino's.  I've had a guy 'bus' me three times and take me 
down to a Con Yard with no buildings, yet he was unable to finish me 
because he was too intent on attacking with just Demo Trucks.  These 
things are expensive (1500), and an early one can really set you back.  
A good player should be able to intercept a Demolition Truck with a 
Harrier, Rocketeers, or a Terror Drone well before it reaches his base.  
Building a Truck warns your opponent as the driver says, "My truck is 
loaded!" when it comes out.  Listen for it!  You should never be 
surprised to see a Truck drive into your base.  If you are, you deserve 
to lose.  When steering a Truck, aim for the Refinery early, or the War 
Factory if he already has two Refinery's built.  Con Yard's take more 
than two Demo Trucks to destroy, so it's not really feasible to go 
after it early.  Always try to blow up a Demo Truck in the enemy's base 
if he builds it!  You hear the warning, and if you can get there in 
time, you can detonate it in his base, wiping out his forces.  Very 
entertaining.  Also, Yuri's can turn a Demo Truck back the way it came.  
NEVER leave a truck parked in your base!  These things work GREAT with 
Iron Curtain!

Cuban Terrorist  Cuba would be my third choice when playing the 
Soviets.  Wan Zafran came up with the crazy strategy of planting 
dynamite on five terrorists with a Crazy Ivan, then loading them in a 
Flak Track for a makeshift Demolition Truck.  It's the exact same cost 
as a Demolition Truck, but there's no verbal warning ("My Truck is 
Loaded!") when you do this and the Flak Track travels faster than the 
Demo Truck.  Just park the Flak Track near a guy's Ore Refinery or War 
Factory and when he blows it up, it will take out the building and 
damage adjacent structures, while loosing a minor nuclear bomb.  The 
blast and green aftermath doesn't seem as lethal as the Libyan Demo 
Truck, but at least there is no verbal warning that you built it.  This 
tactic is a bit too fancy and time consuming to be practical, but it's 
fun.  Just build five Terrorists, hotkey them, grab a Crazy Ivan, plant 
dynamite on all five of them, then load them in the Flak Track.  Don't 
worry, you have plenty of time to do this before they explode if you 
use hotkeys, and that ticking sound in your base is natural.

Russian Tesla Tank  If I see my opponent has a Russian flag as the 
game loads, I tend to relax.  All the other country specific Soviet 
units are deadly, but Tesla Tanks don't scare me.  If I'm wrong on 
this, please enlighten me, but I think Tesla Tanks fire too slowly, 
thus making Rhinos a better choice.  I hear Tesla Tanks are good for 
frying buildings, but why not build more Rhinos?

Conscripts  These guys are not bad, but I don't recommend building 
them.  Train them only when you need to garrison a building near your 
town and your initial bunch of conscripts isn't nearby.  While not 
worth building, these guys are definitely worth getting if you can 
control an airport on the map.  Towards the end of a long game, you can 
easily have 50+ conscripts standing around from all the paradrops.  
This is a lethal force capable of walking right through enemy defenses 
and annihilating a guy's base.  Just grab them all and watch the 
creeping wave of death on the mini-map.  A sight the enemy won't soon 
forget

Attack Dog  Very useful unit early.  Dogs make great scouts in the 
beginning of the game because of their speed.  Train two or three of 
these and open up the blackness surrounding the other guy's base BEFORE 
you build a radar so you can see what he's doing and prepare the 
appropriate countermeasures.  Dogs are also useful later in the game as 
infantry killers.  If fighting an American opponent, I like to keep 
five dogs scattered around my base in case of untimely paradrops.  Just 
position two dogs below a paradrop (before it lands) and they will make 
quick work of all the Paratroopers.  If you're really paranoid about 
Spies, leave an Attack Dog near your Ore Refinery, War Factory, or 
Battle Lab.

Engineer  A great all-purpose guy to have on hand.  I always train at 
least one engineer at the beginning of the game.  If there are derricks 
or an airport on the map, he's already ready to go.  If there's nothing 
worth taking in the field, leave him parked behind your Con Yard or 
other important buildings (War Factory, Iron Curtain) so he can 
instantly repair them in the event of an emergency.

Tesla Trooper  I hear these guys are decent, but I've never lost to 
anybody who builds them and I almost never build them.  The only use I 
find for Tesla Troopers is to charge a Tesla Coil, giving it added 
range and power when it ZAPS!  Just stand two or three TT's next to a 
Tesla Coil and they will automatically charge it with their weapon.  As 
an offensive unit, they are very slow and not very practical 
considering their hefty price (500).  You're better off spending that 
money on a Desolator or Terror Drone.  One interesting note about TT's: 
it looks like they are not susceptible to being run over by a tank like 
most infantry.  I'm not completely sure about this, but I don't recall 
ever running over a Tesla Trooper.  Instead, I just roll by them and 
watch as they crawl in my wake. 

Flak Trooper  Don't build these guys.  They're pretty worthless 
considering they walk soooooo slowly.  Rocketeers and Harriers are way 
too fast for a Flak Trooper to give chase in the field.  If there's a 
Kirov in your town, then you can try to crank a few of these out, but 
chances are if there's a Kirov in your town, you're already dead.  I 
heard somewhere they are pretty good against infantry, but Desolators 
and Attack Dogs are much better for that.

Crazy Ivan  This is one unit I'd like to play around with more.  I 
think he has potential since his death results in a large explosion 
which damages things around him.  In the end though, you should find 
that you don't really need a Crazy Ivan to win.  His bomb-planting 
isn't as effective as a Tanya, who can blow up buildings instantly with 
no chance of a bomb being defused.

Yuri  Excellent base defense in a really long game, especially against 
a Soviet opponent attacking with Apocalypse Tanks.  I've seen many 
games end like this: Player A rolls in with 6 Apocalypse Tanks Player 
B steals said tanks and turns right around and demolishes Player A with 
8 Apocalypse Tanks (most of which are Player A's).  Other potentially 
game-changing units which can be yuri'ed are Tanyas and Libyan 
Demolition Trucks.  Note: you can not mind-control units in the air, 
Terror Drones, or already yuri'ed units.  If you yuri a transport, the 
units inside it are still under the opponent's control.  Because of the 
shorter reach, it is almost impossible to yuri a Prism Tank and Mirage 
Tanks usually broil infantry before they can get close.  If your 
opponent has Yuri's scattered throughout his base, try to take them out 
with Rocketeers, Harriers, Prism Tanks, Desolators, or Terror Drones.

Yuri Prime & Chrono Ivan  If you can get these, you deserve to win.  
Mind-control an opponent's Spy, then send it into an Allied or Soviet 
Battle Lab.  Whatever =P

Rhino Tank  This is, as Dave Kurtzberg said in his excellent early 
FAQ, your "bread and butter."  This single unit can give Allied players 
fits.  Considering you start with four of them in a Quickmatch game, 
it's very easy to train four more and instantly demolish most Allied 
opponents.  I'll go into more detail about the Rhino Rush in the 
tactics section.  I don't see why people build Apocalypse Tanks when 
Rhinos are perfectly capable of dealing with Prism Tanks AND Mirage 
Tanks.  To a lesser degree, they can also hang with low numbers of 
Apocalypse Tanks.  Rhinos are only good in large packs however.

Apocalypse Tank  The upgraded version of the Rhino Tank.  Excellent 
for taking down buildings in seconds.  A major benefit they have over 
Rhino's is Apoc's can hit aerial units.  In 95% of my games, however, I 
don't build a Battle Lab, so I rarely see these guys.  Also keep in 
mind they are painfully slow to move and train.  Apoc's make excellent 
'escorts' for a Kirov.

Terror Drone  When I first started playing Red Alert 2, I thought 
these things were too good.  Now, I rarely build them.  A good player 
should have no arachnophobia.  For Allies, Repair IFV's make great 
exterminators while Soviets can just build a Service Depot to pick any 
unwanted fleas off their Harvestors.  TD's make excellent base defense 
however.  They're pretty good for taking out specialized infantry such 
as Tanyas, Yuris, or Desolators.  If you want to play it safe, leave 
two or three sitting around in your base for protection.  They'll 
automatically attack anything that comes near them.  Sometimes they're 
capable of clearing out Paratroopers, while sometimes they get 
annihilated.  I'm not sure why it's not consistent.  If an enemy is 
attacking with a wave of tanks, crank out as many TD's as you can, 
especially if he's Soviet and doesn't have a Repair Depot nearby.  If 
you're attacking with a group of tanks and you get infected with 
spiders, execute your units by force-firing (hold "Ctrl" then target) 
on them.  They're already dead, and you don't want to risk one spider 
taking out more than one tank.  Infected Rhinos, however, can usually 
hang around for a while, getting off a few volleys before you have to 
put them to sleep.

Flak Track  This is your anti-air.  Its main purpose is taking out 
Rocketeers and the occasional Kirov.  Two Flak Tracks should be able to 
handle eight Rocketeers pretty easily.  Four Flak Tracks should be able 
to down a Kirov well before it gets near your base.  The other ability 
of the Flak Track is for transport - great for getting slower infantry 
around the map in a hurry.  I'll discuss specific strategies in the 
tactics section.  Little known fact: you can put Terror Drones in a 
Flak Track!  Great for a Spider Bomb.  They take up two unit spots.

V3 Rocket  Not completely useless, but kind of risky to build.  These 
things have the weakest armor of any vehicle in the game.  Their long 
range attacks are great for destroying garrisoned buildings or picking 
off deployed G.I.'s on the front lines.  They are also the only Soviet 
unit which has the distance to safely shoot a French Grand Cannon.  The 
two drawbacks to V3's are their weak armor and the fact that anti-air 
weapons can destroy the rockets.  IFV's, Patriot Missiles, Flak Tracks, 
and Flak Cannons make V3's nearly worthless if the enemy is prepared.

MCV  On a map like The Alamo, which can result in long, grueling 
games, it might be worth it to build a second MCV in the event of an 
untimely air strike.  As long as you have a War Factory and a Service 
Depot, you can build another MCV.  Or you can just get lucky and find 
one in a crate.

War Miner  Definitely the better of the two harvestors.  Don't forget 
War Miners can attack!  Their weapon isn't great for taking out tanks, 
but infantry such as deployed paratroopers in the field are no problem 
for a single War Miner.  If you're under a heavy attack, be sure to 
grab your War Miners to fight back along with your tanks.  Their tough 
armor keeps them hanging around a long time in a battle.  I don't 
recommend going crazy on the harvesting (I usually have only two War 
Miners at the end of a game), as some people like to crank out over 
five immediately.  These same people tend to fold like paper to a Rhino 
Rush, especially if they're Allied.  Harvestors also heal on their own, 
although it takes a very long time.

Amphibious Transport  In Quickmatch games, you never need to build 
these.  If your map requires transportation over water, this is your 
only option.

Kirov  The only Soviet aerial unit is a nasty one.  If you can get one 
of these in a guy's town at full health, chances are he is dead.  It 
can take out buildings in seconds and has very tough armor.  A level 3 
Kirov also heals and is a nightmare if it's overhead.  The only way to 
deal with Kirovs is to down them before they get anywhere near your 
base.  Allies should use Rocketeers, IFV's, and as a last resort 
Patriot Missiles to take them out.  Soviets can handle Kirovs with Flak 
Tracks and Apocalypse Tanks.  Listen for the words "Kirov reporting" 
when your opponent builds one.  You can hear it, so you should never be 
surprised by a Kirov assault.

Attack Subs  I very rarely build a navy, but when I do, this is the 
first unit I crank out (usually only two, unless my opponent has a 
navy).  Subs are invisible on radar and can only be seen when they 
attack.  Definitely worth building if you're getting your feet wet.

Dreadnaught  As deadly as a Kirov, if not moreso because there is no 
warning when you build one.  If you're going navy, this is the reason 
why.  A Dreadnaught can annihilate a Construction Yard in two or three 
hits and an entire base in a minute.  Like the V3 rocket, Dreadnaught 
missiles can be shot down by anti-air units.  The range of this unit is 
unbelievable.  You can target objects that are off-screen.

Sea Scorpion  This is the anti-air unit of the seas.  Build if 
Rocketeers, Harriers, or Aircraft Carriers are a problem.

Giant Squid  A cool looking pet, but seldom used in a "real game."  
Someone once called this the Terror Drone of the seas, as it can 
eliminate an entire fleet of ships single-handedly if not dealt with.  
Allied Dolphins can loosen a Giant Squid's deadly grip by force-firing 
(hold "Ctrl" while targeting) on the afflicted unit.  I think Squids 
are also invisible to radar like subs, but I'm not positive.

Construction Yard  You'll want to protect this at all costs.  When 
attacking, this is one of the first buildings you should look to 
destroy if possible.  I keep an engineer standing next to my Con Yard 
so he can instantly repair it if it's ever in danger.  Without this, 
you can't build other buildings or defensive structures such as Sentry 
Guns and Flak Cannons.  If someone tries to take over your Con Yard 
with an Engineer, re-deploy your MCV so he can't steal it deal with 
the Engineer, then re-deploy.

Tesla Reactor  You don't need many of these.  Build them over Nuclear 
Reactors for sure, but you'll be surprised how far you can stretch your 
existing power without going into the red.  If your bar on the left is 
in the yellow, you're fine.  If you build lots of Flak Cannons, you'll 
need more Tesla Reactors.  I think Tesla Troopers standing next to a 
Tesla Reactor become more powerful by charging their guns with the 
reactor whatever.  =P  If you destroy an opponent's Con Yard and don't 
have enough juice remaining to take down his War Factory, you might 
want to take out a Tesla Reactor so his Radar will go offline 
permanently.  When you're low on power, your Flak Cannons and Radar 
won't work and your unit production will be slowed.  Tesla Reactors 
aren't very tough, so they're easy to destroy.

Ore Refinery  I usually have at least two of these per game.  If 
there's a hospital, airport, repair depot, or derricks on the map, you 
might want to place your second Refinery next to it so your harvestors 
will be closer to a remote ore patch.  Instead of building harvestors 
in the War Factory, you might be better served building another Ore 
Refinery which comes with its own harvestor.  It's a little more 
expensive, but it doesn't tie up your War Factory and playing with only 
one Refinery is kinda dangerous.  If you can take out an opponents' 
Refinery early and he doesn't have money to rebuild it, the game is 
over (unless he controls derricks).  Libyan Demolition Trucks are a 
great way to accomplish this.

Barracks  Important building to have, as it builds all infantry.  If 
you lose it, don't worry, they rebuild quickly.  Because of this, I 
don't recommend taking out an enemy's barracks early.  Focus on the War 
Factory or Con Yard first.

War Factory  Protect this at all costs.  Likewise, always keep an eye 
out for an unprotected War Factory in an enemy base.  It takes a while 
to build one of these again and it's expensive, but considering this is 
the source of all your tanks, it's a must-have building.  I'm almost 
tempted to leave an engineer standing next to my War Factory to protect 
it, like my Con Yard.  I've seen people build two War Factory's just to 
be safe.  I wouldn't recommend that, although building one in the 
middle of the map near a derrick you control is a viable option (it 
moves your tank production that much closer to the enemy's base, which 
is where the fighting should be).

Naval Shipyard  I rarely build a navy, but certain situations (e.g., a 
standoff) call for it.

Radar Tower  You need it but not right away and not all the time.  I 
often destroy an enemy's Construction Yard before I place my Radar 
Tower.  Once your Radar is up, be sure to watch the mini-map at all 
times!  Any enemy movement should be monitored in the event of a Flak 
Track with Engineers headed your way.

Service Depot  At first, I scoffed at this building.  Now, I build it 
if a game goes long or my opponent has a spider fetish.  Great for 
picking Terror Drones off of infected vehicles or repairing damaged 
tanks that have survived a fight.  Doing so later leads to veteran and 
elite units, which are well worth having.  Note: repairing costs money 
and the second a damaged unit is repaired once, the Terror Drone is 
instantly removed.  You're better off engineering a Repair Depot in the 
field then building one at your base, as the Repair Depot will be 
closer to the action.  If one of your harvestors gets infected by a 
Terror Drone, you have time to build a Service Depot, place it, and 
repair your harvestor before it blows up.  I build a Service Depot 
before a Battle Lab, and it also lets you build another MCV if you so 
desire (though pray you don't have to).

Battle Lab  What does this building do?  Beats me since I never build 
it.  ;)  I hear it grants you the ability to build Apocalypse Tanks, 
Kirovs, Yuris, a Cloning Vat, Nuclear Reactor, Iron Curtain, and Nuke 
Silo.  5% of my games require a Battle Lab.  If you're building 
Apocalypse Tanks before Rhinos, you will die to a Rhino Rush.

Nuclear Reactor  I never build these.  If you really need power in a 
hurry, move your MCV to an area far from your base, drop it, and build 
this.  Then protect it heavily, because a good player will always blow 
it up, especially if it's in your base.  Stick to Tesla Reactors 
instead.  They're more expensive, but less dangerous.

Cloning Vat  A tremendous drain on power, but well worth it in a very 
long game.  This gives you a duplicate of anything that steps out of 
your barracks for free.  Great for mass production of Desolators, 
Attack Dogs, and Yuri's.  You can also send yuri'ed enemy infantry 
units into the Cloning Vat to die (I think you get $ for this, but I'm 
not sure).

Sentry Gun  Decent base defense.  Good for picking off Paratroopers or 
Terror Drones near your harvestors.  I'll sometimes build one near my 
Ore Refinery or a few near a derricks to protect it.

Flak Cannon  Against Allied opponents, if I can afford it, I'll build 
one Flak Cannon which protects my entire town from Rocketeer rushes.  
If your opponent is building a ton of Harriers, Flak Cannons won't pick 
them off on the way in (since he should be striking from the side or 
back), but they will take down Harriers as they fly back to his base.  
Place them as far from your town (but facing his) as possible, so their 
range is used most effectively (i.e., planes get shot on the way in, as 
they pass the cannon, and as they come back).  I prefer Flak Tracks 
because of their mobility and usefulness in the field, but one Flak 
Cannon in the middle of your base isn't a bad idea.  Don't build these 
if fighting a Soviet (Flak Tracks are a much better answer for Kirovs).

Walls  I used to build four walls at the corners to completely block 
off my Construction Yard so it couldn't be engineered.  If you're 
keeping an Engineer around to repair, however, this doesn't work.  
Remember you don't have to lay each wall next to each other.  Build one 
wall, then place the second wall five squares away and it will build 
the middle four walls for free!

Tesla Coil  Decent base defense with considerable range.  I don't like 
to defend my base, but if you simply must defend, you can put up a few 
of these with Tesla Troopers standing next to them to add to the range 
and power.  Just know that they don't fire very fast and groups of 
tanks will wipe them out in no time.

Psychic Sensor  A bit fancy, but fun if you're in a long game.  Pretty 
cheap to build (1000) and useful for seeing when your opponent targets 
your Con Yard with 12 Harriers.  If the game goes this far, might as 
well build it.

Iron Curtain  The ultimate closer.  This is the BEST superweapon, and 
I DO recommend playing with Superweapons on, as they put an end to 
standoffs (e.g., French Grand Cannon, Patriot Missile B.S.).  Build 
this whenever possible as soon as possible.  Even if you don't have a 
force to use it on, just train a bunch of Terror Drones and send them 
through a guy's base to wipe out infantry, tanks, harriers, etc.  Then 
follow it up with invincible Rhino Tanks or Apocalypse Tanks.  I think 
the timer counts down faster after the first successful Iron Curtain.  
The time limit on this is five minutes while the Allied Chronosphere is 
six, I believe.  Reason number 2086 why the Soviets are better than the 
Allies.  Invulnerable Demolition Trucks are unstoppable.  A good player 
will attempt to destroy your Iron Curtain before it can go off, so be 
ready to stop his assault or repair your Superweapon with an Engineer, 
especially as the timer reaches 0.

Nuke Silo  Don't waste your time.  This thing is expensive and you 
can't destroy a Construction Yard or other Superweapon with it (in one 
blast, anyway).  The Allied Weather Storm is much more devastating, and 
you don't want to give him any ideas, so build an Iron Curtain instead.

Allies

American Paratroopers  This is the side I picked when playing the 
Allies.  Paratroopers are great because they have an immediate impact 
on the game right away, whereas all the other Allied country-specific 
units usually take a while to have an effect.  If you're Allied, you'll 
be lucky to survive that long.  Always issue the command to Deploy 
while your Paratroopers are in the air.  When deployed, GI's have 
increased range and I think increased power.  Prime spots to paradrop 
are ledges overlooking an enemy's base that he can't see (especially if 
he's Soviet), your base for defense, or undefended areas of an enemy 
town such as his War Factory or even Construction Yard.  Always drop 
your men, even if you don't know where, just so you can get them.  In a 
very long game, bring your GI's with you in the final assault.  50+ men 
are vicious, especially when deployed.  A group of seven deployed 
Paratroopers should be able to mow down three approaching Attack Dogs 
easily.  They can also demolish tanks or buildings in numbers.  I've 
seen 10 GI's cut down an Apocalypse Tank in no time.  When these guys 
get leveled up, watch out.  Free men are a great option, especially for 
garrisoning buildings near you OR your opponent.  If there's an 
airport, be sure to grab it so you get the deadly Double Drop.  Dumping 
16 men in a guy's town is devastating.

French Grand Cannon  This is my second choice among the Allies.  If 
you can erect two Grand Cannons which cover each other and then provide 
adequate anti-air support (e.g., Patriot Missiles and IFV's), you have 
a nearly invincible defense.  Allies will have problems taking out your 
Cannons without heavy air strikes and Soviets must use V3's, an Iron 
Curtain, or many Apocalypse Tanks to breach this defense.  You can try 
building an advancing wall of Grand Cannons that keep inching closer to 
the enemy (usually two or three covering each other, then advance).  
This will also mess up a guy who is building many V3's as a newly built 
Cannon will shoot his V3's on the front lines.  One mistake I see 
people make all the time is expecting a single early Grand Cannon to 
guard their entire base.  You must still build Grizzly's and GI's or a 
group of Rhinos will demolish that Cannon in seconds.  Cannon's are 
especially deadly on maps with elevation or many garrisoned buildings.

German Tank Buster  I wouldn't recommend playing an Allied side other 
than France or America, because the rest are unproven.  A long time ago 
(before I knew exactly what I was doing), I ran into a guy who stifled 
my Rhino rush by building a ton of Tank Busters.  They were the only 
tank he built and they 'seemed' to hang one-on-one against my Rhinos.  
If you do a proper Rhino Rush, however, you should have more Rhinos 
than he does Tank Busters.  This tactic warrants some exploration.  It 
could be THE tank the Allies need to hang with the more powerful Soviet 
Rhino.  Let me know if you've had success with these.  I'd recommend 
the Tank Buster over the Soviet Tesla Tank if that means anything.

Great Britain's Sniper  Great Britain is actually very useful against 
an Allied opponent. Against Soviets, who rarely build infantry anyway, 
the Sniper is nearly useless.  The best way to use a Sniper is to stick 
him in an IFV.  This increases his range and rate of fire considerably.  
The beauty of this unit is your opponent can't tell what is shooting 
his men, as the range is so long.  He'll just see them drop dead one by 
one.  Snipe Soviet Yuri's or Desolators from afar in an IFV, as a 
walking Sniper is too slow.

Korean Black Eagles  I see many rookies obsessed with fleets of 
Harriers.  This tactic is seldom viable, but if you're going to do it, 
you might as well pick Korea for the tougher, more powerful planes.  If 
you insist on building a squadron of planes, be sure to build Grizzlies 
to defend against a Rhino Rush or you will fold in minutes to a good 
player.  A Black Eagle rush will NEVER work on a competent player.  
Your eventual goal should be to suicide a group of Harriers on a guy's 
town to take out his Con Yard, then hit his power plants so his Flak 
Cannons go offline, then take out War Factory, Barracks, etc.  Watch 
out for Desolators, which can fry your expensive fleet of parked planes 
in seconds!

G.I.'s  Much better than the Soviet Conscript, G.I.'s can be deployed 
for maximum effectiveness (range and power increased, I believe).  They 
also cost more, which is why you should play America to get FREE 
Paratroopers every few minutes.  Airports are also a great way of 
getting free men.  Like the conscripts, a group of 50+ G.I.'s at the 
end of a game can be devastating.  Just grab all the free men you have 
and bring them with you on your final assault of an enemy's base.  On 
elevation, G.I.'s are particularly deadly.  Always deploy your men!  If 
you want to get rid of an enemy's deployed G.I.'s, use a Sniper or 
Desolator.

Attack Dog  Exactly the same as the Soviet counterpart.

Engineer  Exactly the same as the Soviet counterpart.  You should also 
stick Engineers in IFV's to make Repair IFV's.  Bring two of these 
along with an attack force of Grizzlies to repair them during battle, 
pick off unwanted spiders, or make a mad dash for his town if things 
turn sour.  You can then deploy the IFV and take over his Con Yard or 
Barracks.  See the Engineer Rush in the Tactics section.

Rocketeer  A great tool for scouting early.  Capable of revealing the 
map quickly and with little chance of being shot down.  See the 
Rocketeer rush in tactics.  Never try to fight Flak Tracks unless you 
have over 12 Rocketeers, and even then, you might want to retreat.  
These guys can be expensive if you train a fleet of them, but at least 
they build quickly.  Great for vacating garrisoned buildings under 
enemy control.

Spy  Risky, but potentially game-winning.  A good opponent can see a 
unit on the radar approaching his town that he didn't put there.  
However, a Spy IS effective if your opponent is doing a Rhino Rush 
(which goes without radar for a very long time).  To counter the Rhino 
Rush, make a Spy ASAP and send it into his Ore Refinery to steal all 
his money.  This will halt his production and give you extra money and 
time to get up to Battle Lab or make a force of Grizzly's to counter-
rush.  Attack dogs are the counter for enemy Spies.

Tanya  You shouldn't be able to get a Tanya into a good player's base, 
and even if you do, he should be able to kill her before she can do 
much damage.  I recommend training at least one Tanya for the 
intimidation factor.  It only costs you 1000, and your opponent then 
has to erect appropriate countermeasures in his base when he hears her 
unmistakable laugh.  Doing this under the protection of a Gap Generator 
is especially scary.  Tanyas are good for taking out ships, swimming 
through a river to hit a guy's base from the back, or they can just 
hitch a ride in a Nighthawk Transport.  Always make these under a Gap 
Generator.  Snipers, Prism Towers, Rocketeers, Harriers, Desolators, 
Yuris, or Terror Drones all ensure that you'll be getting the last 
laugh if someone tries to Tanya you.

Chrono Legionnaire  A bit fancy and very expensive, but a very useful 
unit.  If used as a distraction, teleport him out near the enemy's 
harvestors.  When he comes to kill it, teleport it around just out of 
reach.  He should never be able to kill your Legionnaire, assuming 
you're teleporting to a nearby safe spot.  He's also useful as more 
than a distraction.  House your Legionnaires in an IFV and the phasing 
out time is cut down and he's given the added armor of the IFV.  If the 
IFV blows up, your Legionnaire pops out unscathed, ready to phase 
another enemy out of existence.  An elite (level 3) Chrono Legionnaire 
IFV is DEADLY, and Harvestors are a great way to level them up.  These 
guys are also effective for taking Apocalypse Tanks out of a battle, 
although the Chrono Legionnaire IFV is more expensive to build than the 
Apocalypse Tank.  Great for wiping out a Superweapon too.  Bring a 
Chrono Legionnaire IFV and a Repair IFV to keep it alive as you attempt 
to phase that Superweapon out of existence.  If your opponent is 
building these, try to kill them with Snipers, Desolators, Terror 
Drones (hidden in the scenery as they phase in), or packs of Rhinos, 
but don't be surprised if you can't 'catch them.'  The Chrono 
Legionnaire IFV 'misses' a target sometimes if you target it directly.  
Instead, move the IFV in range and letting it lock-on automatically.

Chrono Commando/Psi Commando  If you can get these, you deserve to 
win.  Send a Spy into an Allied or Soviet Battle Lab to build these 
guys.  Whatever =P

Grizzly Tank  Possessing much weaker armor than the Russian Rhino 
Tank, Grizzly's are faster and cheaper to build.   If your opponent is 
rushing you with a bunch of Rhino's, you'd better have as many, if not 
more, Grizzly's waiting for him or you will die in minutes.  If your 
opponent isn't rushing with Rhino's, then you might be able to get away 
with a quick leap to Battle Lab for the much better Mirage Tank.  Be 
sure to watch what he's doing in his base so you can prepare 
accordingly.  Against Allied enemies in particular, a Grizzly Rush 
(same in principle as a Rhino Rush) is very effective for ending the 
contest early.  I see a lot of Allied players try to build up quickly 
with lots of harvestors and few Grizzlies, leaving them open to a quick 
strike by 10 Grizzlies on their harvestors or War Factory.

IFV  You stick any infantry unit into these and it becomes a new unit.  
The best combinations are: Chrono Legionnaire, Sniper, Tanya (fast 
infantry killer), or Crazy Ivan.  If you can somehow get Crazy Ivan's 
into an IFV, it becomes a mini Demolition Truck.  It's actually more 
powerful than the Libyan Demolition Truck, it's cheaper, it's faster, 
and there's no warning when you build it!  A really dirty 2 vs 2 team 
tactic is to have your Soviet ally build a barracks in your town, while 
you crank out IFV's.  Stick Crazy Ivan's in them and start blowing 
stuff up.  I don't recommend this tactic because it is nearly 
unstoppable and is VERY cheap.  It's no fun for all parties involved, 
and this is a reason I don't play many team games online (you can also 
disallying temporarily to get the super units such as the Psi Commando, 
Chrono Commando, Yuri Prime, and the Chrono Ivan).  If you're in a team 
game and you see your opponents dis-ally then re-ally, you know 
something is up.  Be careful!  IFV's are also a good anti-air unit, the 
equivalent of a Flak Track.  A group of these (four or five) can take 
down a Kirov in no time.

Mirage Tank  These things are good.  They have really weak armor, but 
they're hard to target, especially if your game is laggy.  Mirage's are 
very powerful, capable of decimating packs of Rhino Tanks if not dealt 
with promptly.  They're even better at wiping out harvestors in 
seconds.  A major perk of Mirage tanks is they don't alert your enemy 
when they attack with a warning.  If you can creep a Mirage Tank over 
to his harvestors slowly (move them a small distance at a time, as they 
don't appear on radar when stationary), you can decimate them without 
his knowing.  Mirage also make for great infantry defense, as they 
roast incoming units automatically.  I recommend attacking with a mixed 
force of Grizzly's and Mirage Tanks whenever possible.  This is your 
main answer to the Soviet Rhino Tank, if you can survive long enough to 
build them.  At least they train very fast.  Deal with enemy Mirage 
Tanks with Rocketeers, Harriers, Rhino Tanks, Apocalypse Tanks, or a 
Desolator/Spider Bomb (see Tactics).
 
Prism Tank  Great for destroying buildings or fishing out enemies on 
the front lines.  Prism's have long range, but fire slowly, move even 
slower, and their blasts aren't that powerful.  A major benefit is if 
you hit a unit, the blast will refract to hit any units behind it for 
additional damage. Always target a unit leading a pack to spread the 
damage.  Two Prisms along with a pack of Mirage and Grizzlies represent 
the ideal attack force.  The Prisms will take down Prism Towers, Tesla 
Coils, etc.  You can also Chronosphere four Prism Tanks directly into a 
guy's base, instantly wiping out his Construction Yard and more.  These 
things build very slowly, so don't build too many of them.  Mirage 
Tanks are much more useful in numbers.  Deal with enemy Prism Tanks 
with your own Rocketeers, Harriers, lots of Rhino Tanks, Apocalypse 
Tanks, or a Desolator/Spider Bomb (see Tactics).

MCV  Same as Soviet counterpart.

Chrono Miner  At first I thought these guys were better than Soviet 
War Miners because they teleported back, so they only traveled half the 
distance.  That means you're mining faster and getting more money, 
right?  WRONG!  They only hold half as much as a Soviet War Miner.  In 
other words, a Chrono Miner is the equivalent of being paid every week, 
while a War Miner pays you double every two weeks.  You're still 
getting the same money, the Allies just get paid more often.  If a 
Terror Drone hops in your Chrono Miner, just teleport it back to the 
Ore Refinery (the arrows should appear when you put your mouse over the 
refinery with the Miner selected), and it will leave the Terror Drone 
behind.  The TD will also be stunned and vulnerable for a while, 
surprised by the sudden departure of its parasitic host.  Because these 
guys can't attack, and therefore defend your base, I consider them 
worse than the Soviet War Miner.

Harrier  If you want to try a silly Harrier Assault, see the tactics 
in the Korean Black Eagle section.  I like to just have one Harrier on 
hand at all times to take out a stray unit in the field, kill scouting 
units, Desolators, Tanyas, or Demolition Trucks.  The second you hear 
"My Truck is Loaded!" you should have your Harrier hotkeyed so you can 
target that Truck before it leaves the War Factory.  One Harrier blast 
will take out a Demo Truck instantly all the better if you can do it 
in his base.  In groups of four, these are good for weakening enemy 
derricks or finishing off damaged buildings (including garrisoned), but 
be careful.  Harriers fly extremely slow.  Harriers have self-
regeneration and a damaged Harrier will NOT leave the airpad to attack.  
When bombing a Con Yard with 12 Harriers, be sure to fly in from the 
sides or back, not through the front of the enemy base, which should be 
littered with Flak Cannons/Patriot Missiles.  You will lose your 
Harriers, but take his Con Yard, power, then the rest of his town.  
This tactic works on stupid Global Domination maps where it's almost 
impossible to get to your enemy by land.

Nighthawk Transport  This guy can be deadly.  Drop a bunch of Tanyas 
in the back of a guy's base unexpectedly and he could be in for a rude 
awakening.  Build this under the cover of a Gap Generator so your 
opponent can't see it, and it's really deadly.  The great thing about 
the Nighthawk is it's invisible to radar!  Your enemy has to be 
manually scanning the map to see it.  When you get near his base, he 
can hear the rotors of the helicopter, but hopefully by then it is too 
late.  On certain maps, you can use a Nighthawk to transport an 
engineer to a remote island to control some derricks or an airport 
without building a navy.  If your opponent is building Tanyas and a 
Nighthawk under a Gap Generator, you're in trouble.  Defend your base 
against Tanyas with Prism Towers, Tesla Coils, Rocketeers, Harriers, 
Desolators, Yuris, or Terror Drones.  Perhaps a better strategy is 
Nighthawk under the Gap Generator, then Engineer his Barracks.  There 
won't be a verbal warning when you take over his building.  Just be 
sure to distract him with a Chrono Legionnaire or some Mirage Tank 
movement before you fly in.

Amphibious Transport  Same as Soviet counterpart, although you can 
build a kamikaze air force for standoffs, so you probably don't even 
need this.

Dolphin  Like the Soviet sub, Dolphins are invisible to radar until 
they attack.  Great for prying Giant Squids off their targets (Force-
fire on your unit by holding "Ctrl" then targeting it).  They train 
quickly and a bunch of these will take out anything in the water, 
including an enemy Naval Shipyard, in seconds.

Destroyer  Not sure why you would build these when Dolphins and 
Carriers seem to be better, but I don't spend a lot of time breathing 
in the salty air.

Aegis Cruiser  Your anti-air on the waters.

Aircraft Carrier  The Allied equivalent of the Dreadnaught the reason 
you go navy in the first place.  Regenerating planes that are capable 
of destroying a Con Yard, no matter how much flak the enemy has.  Just 
build as many Carriers as needed to eventually get through his 
defenses (and watch as the game's frame-rate chokes and sputters when 
100 planes take off at once).

Construction Yard  Same as Soviet counterpart.

Power Plant  Generates more power than the Soviet counterpart, but 
takes longer to build and it's more expensive.

Barracks  Trains all your infantry.  Much more useful than the Soviet 
counterpart.  Protect this.

Ore Refinery  Same as Soviet counterpart.  Well, Chrono Miners can 
teleport back.  Whee!

War Factory  Makes your tanks.  Keep in mind that your main attack 
force and most of your defenses should be tanks, so you know how 
important this is.  Attack the enemy's, protect your own.

Naval Shipyard  Same as Soviet counterpart.  Well, if you must ;)

Air Force Command Headquarters  One of the drawbacks to being Allied 
is Soviets tend to take this out because it makes deadly aerial units.  
The bad part is it's also your radar, so you go blind without it.  
You'll need to build multiples of this if you're training a fleet of 
Harriers (four per pad).

Service Depot  Not as necessary as the Soviet counterpart since you 
have Repair IFV's, which are mobile, and therefore much better.  
Although building this will let you train another MCV.

Battle Lab  I see many Allied players make the mistake of 'jumping to 
Battle Lab' as soon as they can, neglecting Grizzly production.  If 
you're playing against a skilled Soviet opponent, he should make you 
pay for this crime with eight Rhino's in your town well before you can 
crank out enough Mirage's to make a difference.  If he doesn't make you 
pay right away, though, you're sitting pretty with an early pack of 
moving trees.  When playing against an Allied player, especially if 
you're Soviet, ATTACK the Battle Lab first!  It has very little armor 
and getting rid of it will halt production of those annoying Mirage 
Tanks.

Ore Purifier  A major drain on power and very expensive, but this 
increases the amount of money generated when harvestors return.  If you 
anticipate a long game, go for it early if you can.  Completely 
optional though.

Spy Satellite Uplink  Assuming you are competent, you should have the 
entire map opened up well before building a Battle Lab.  Use Attack 
Dogs to do the primary scouting, with Rocketeers to mop up the 
remaining black spots.  I read if someone destroys your Spy Satellite, 
it resets the map for you.  I have no experience with this, as I've 
never built one in a real game.  This structure makes for a great 
newbie detector.  If you see one, laugh whole-heartedly then proceed to 
pulverize him.  While the Spy Sat reveals the entire map, it won't 
penetrate the dark cloud around a Gap Generator.

Walls  Same as Soviet counterpart.

Pillbox  Same as Soviet Sentry gun.  I prefer deployed G.I.'s for base 
defense, because they're almost mobile.  A pillbox here or there 
doesn't hurt, especially near a derricks to discourage hostile 
takeovers.

Patriot Missile  Same as the Soviet Flak Cannon, but fires wimpy-
looking missiles.

Prism Tower  Same as the Soviet Tesla Coil, except instead of charging 
it up with Tesla Troopers, you power it up with another Prism Tower 
that's close by whatever.  Don't waste your money on this unless you 
expect party crashers like uninvited Tanyas or Engineers.

Gap Generator  This is the only reason I would ever want to play the 
Allies.  Assuming you live long enough to erect one of these, it 
creates a "fog of war" around your base so the enemy can't see what's 
going on in there unless he actually has a unit under the cloud.  The 
radius is pretty good, and if you pack your town in tightly, you can 
cover all of it (except maybe the refinery) with one Gap Generator.  If 
your opponent had previously scouted your base, the second you place 
the Gap Generator, that area becomes unexplored to him again.  Gaps are 
great for concealing tricky tactics such as a Nighthawked Tanya drop, a 
'surprise' assault of 12 Harriers, or a sudden Grizzly Rush.  If your 
opponent has Prism Tanks, they will have a hard time targeting 
structures under the Gap, and may even roll into range of your forces 
as they try to 'see' what's under the cloud.  The lack of a "fog of 
war" (a WarCraft/StarCraft staple) takes away much of the strategy in 
this game, but the Gap almost salvages that assuming you live long 
enough to build a Battle Lab.  This is the first thing I build after 
placing my Battle Lab.  Beware, it's a power drainer, but it's 
relatively cheap to build (1000).  Plus, it leaves your enemy guessing 
as to what lurks beneath.  If you can erect a Gap Generator in the 
middle of a map like The Alamo, you've pretty much won, as he won't 
have time to react to a sudden assault from the middle of the screen in 
any direction.

Chronosphere  I'd recommend building this before a Weather Storm 
because of the faster countdown.  Chronoshift four Prism Tanks into a 
guy's town, his units (harvestors or tanks) into the water, or dump a 
transport immediately in his base and unload.  Any infantry under the 
field of the Chronosphere will die, but you can safely pack them into 
an IFV or Transport.

Weather Storm  This thing is deadly!  If you can get it off, it should 
devastate a guy's base.  The only buildings it won't destroy are his 
Construction Yard or other Superweapons.  When you build this, expect 
your enemy to come knocking in nine minutes, or else he's toast.  Don't 
expect to get his Con Yard with this unless you follow it up with an 
immediate Harrier Strike.  Well worth building if you have an 
impenetrable defense (just hope your opponent doesn't know what an Iron 
Curtain is, or your "impenetrable defense" will fast turn porous).


Alright, here's the good stuff Tactics!

Desolator/Spider Bomb  The idea for this actually comes from the Mage 
Bomb in WarCraft II, in which you sacrifice a single Mage to destroy a 
large number of enemy units with the area effect spell Blizzard.  Let's 
say your opponent has a seemingly impenetrable front line of deployed 
G.I.'s, Grizzly, Mirage, and Prism Tanks.  No easy way in, right?  
Wrong.
Place five Desolators in a Flak Track (make sure the Desolators 
are hotkeyed before you do this) and drive right up to the front line.  
The enemy units will vaporize the Flak Track instantly.  When that 
happens, your units will pop out unharmed.  Now you don't have a lot of 
time, as your men are about to be lit up by Mirage Tanks and Prisms, so 
instantly select the group of Desolators with the numbered hotkey, hit 
"S" to stop them from using their RAD Cannon, then hit "D" to deploy 
them right in the face of the enemy.  Assuming you lose about two 
Desolators before they could deploy, you should have at least three 
Desolators sitting down in a very dark patch of green.  ALL Prism 
Tanks, Mirage Tanks, and sandbagged G.I.'s should fry or melt before 
they have time to get out of the goo.
If your opponent can react fast enough, he might be able to 
salvage some of his Grizzlies, but everything else should be dead.  
3500 spent on five Desolators and one Flak Track to take out a small 
army.  Well worth it if you ask me.  If there are a lot of Mirage Tanks 
and Prisms out there, you might want to do a double Deso bomb with two 
Flak Tracks loaded with 10 Desolators.  "Take off, nuke the site from 
orbit it's the only way to be sure."  Just be careful about rolling 
your army through that green before it dissipates.  Try to go around it 
or you'll arrive half dead.
If someone tries a Desolator bomb on you, it's pretty hard to 
deal with.  Pull your tanks back as fast as you can.  Do NOT try to 
kill the Desolators with your tanks.  That will only prolong their stay 
in the green scenery.  Once your units are safe, mop up the Desolators 
with Rocketeers, Harriers, or Terror Drones.  A Desolator Bomb is also 
great for taking out squadrons of parked Harriers.  It will fry them in 
seconds if they're not airborne.
You can also do a Spider Bomb (Terror Drones) by packing them in 
a few Flak Tracks.  Terror Drone's take up two spots, so you can only 
fit a max of two in a single Flak Track, but three Desolators and one 
Terror Drone in the midst of a surprised enemy army could cause quite a 
stir.  Multiple Flak Tracks shuttling Terror Drones could get them 
close enough for them to hop in Prism Tanks, while if they tried to 
walk over there normally, they'd get blasted long before they could get 
in range.  The Desolator Bomb is definitely much more useful than the 
Terror Drone Bomb, which makes for a bette diversion, causing momentary 
chaos.  The reason the Deso Bomb works so well is it negates the one 
disadvantage of the unit: its slow walking speed.

Rhino Rush  The equivalent of a War 2 Grunt Rush, this is how I win 
95% of my matches online.  The general idea is you attack with 8-12 
Rhino Tanks before your opponent has time to up significant defenses.  
Hit his harvestors to halt his production dead in its tracks.  With no 
income, he should fold in no time when you follow up right away with 
another 8 Rhinos.  If he can't deal with your initial group of Rhinos, 
demolish his Construction Yard, War Factory or Refinery (especially if 
he only has one built).
The 'trick' to a successful Rhino Rush is to keep moving.  It's 
VERY hard to deal with 8-12 Rhinos in your base if they're stationary.  
It's nearly impossible to deal with them if they're moving.  While your 
tank is moving, it will fire accurately at anything near it, while many 
of your opponent's shots will miss, since your tanks are 'dodging' the 
shots.
Say you roll in and see his main base is well defended.  Wait 
till all your tanks are together, then make a break for his harvestors, 
which should be relatively undefended.  If there's deployed G.I.'s 
there, you can just run over them with your 8+ tanks, suffering minimal 
damage.  Blow up a Chrono Miner or two or all of them if he doesn't 
react fast enough.  Chances are, he will undeploy any G.I.'s at his 
base and come after you with his Grizzly's.  If they're far away, the 
Grizzly's will come at you single-file, which spells doom for them, as 
your tanks should be grouped in a pincer-like formation from 
concentrating firing on the Chrono Miners.  If his tanks come in a 
group, just move your tanks to the other side of his base.  Your shots 
should be connecting, while his should miss, for the most part.  Now 
you should be near a vulnerable part of his base.  Let's say his Air 
Force Command HQ.  If you have time, take it out.  Chances are his 
tired G.I.'s will still be marching your way.  If they don't have time 
to reach you, take out a building or two.  Con yard and War Factory are 
prime targets if they're available.  Once his G.I.'s come in range, he 
will want to deploy them.  Either run over them with your tanks by 
going back the way you came, or keep going the other direction so the 
G.I.'s have to pack up and follow you once again.  Basically, you're 
doing laps around his base, all the while blowing up everything in 
sight, while his G.I.'s never get a shot off.  His Grizzly's shouldn't 
be able to hang with that many Rhino's, especially if his shots are 
missing.  I see no way an Allied player can cope with this strategy, 
which is why I stopped playing them.  If your enemy is lucky, there'll 
be a garrisoned building near his base, but there's usually an 
alternate way in which isn't as well guarded.  Even if your opponent 
has a garrisoned building, if there's only one G.I. in there (you can 
tell from the damage it deals), you can roll all your tanks by it 
without taking too much damage.
If you're playing against a Soviet opponent, the Rhino Rush is 
still viable, but it can be countered with Terror Drones and Rhinos of 
his own.  Soviet vs Soviet can lead to lengthy games if both players 
know how to defend with Terror Drones and both are building an army of 
their own.
Also, if you're playing Allies, a Grizzly Rush is just as 
practical as a Rhino Rush.  Just build 12 Grizzlies instead.  Their 
faster speed makes the lap-running easier too.
The key to a proper Rhino Rush is speed.  To get the most Rhinos 
in a guy's town in the fastest time, I recommend you try this build: 
Deploy Con Yard, Tesla Reactor, Barracks (Train three Attack Dogs and 
send them out to scout), Ore Refinery, War Factory (Train eight 
Rhinos), Ore Refinery, Tesla Reactor, Radar.  This build order drops a 
War Factory as soon as possible and trains as many Rhinos as you can 
muster ASAP as well.  Don't waste time building War Miners in the War 
Factory, since the second Ore Refinery gives you a free harvestor 
without tying up the War Factory production.  Two War Miners is plenty 
against an Allied opponent.  The danger of this build is your power is 
almost always in the yellow.  If a fleet of Rocketeers comes over your 
town, you could be in trouble.  One thing I also do is build a Flak 
Cannon without placing it.  If I see Rocketeers in the enemy base, I'll 
build an extra Tesla Reactor, then place the Flak Cannon.  If he has no 
airforce, I right click on the Flak Cannon (not having placed it) to 
cancel it and get all my money back.  If you want to play it safe, 
build one or two Flak Tracks before starting Rhino production.  It's up 
to you.  Right before you attack for the first time, train eight more 
Rhinos for the follow-up.

Rocketeer Rush  This tactic is unique to the Allies and it's capable 
of ending a game quickly, but it requires a little luck on your part.  
Assuming your opponent isn't ready for a quick aerial assault, you can 
cripple him early with 8-10 Rocketeers.  Fly into his town (preferably 
you scouted his base earlier with Attack Dogs so he had no idea you 
built Rocketeers) and take out one of his Tesla Reactors right away.  
This will prevent Flak Cannons from coming online, and it should drop 
him in the red power-wise, also slowing his production of Flak Tracks 
or Flak Troopers.  Use these precious moments to take out his War 
Factory and Barracks if you can.  If you can destroy a Soviet War 
Factory, you've usually bought enough time to win the game (ensuring 
you can get to Battle Lab safely).  If you can take out his War Factory 
and Barracks, focus on another Tesla Reactor or his Construction Yard.  
Assuming he gets a Flak Cannon online somehow, pull your Rocketeers 
back and roll in with your initial Grizzly Tanks and G.I.'s.  Once he 
starts building ground defenses, return with the gnats.  Repeat until 
Mirage Tanks enter the fray.  The great thing about the Rocketeer rush 
is you can crank out a bunch of Chrono Miners from your War Factory 
because the Rocketeers train in the Barracks.  You're simultaneously 
getting your production rolling while generating a quick army.  One 
Flak Cannon or two Flak Tracks, however, will negate this tactic's 
effectiveness tremendously.  This strategy is usually susceptible to 
the Rhino Rush also, as your Chrono Miners are relatively undefended 
and eight Rocketeers can't kill eight Rhinos.

Engineer Rush  If you're able to distract your opponent with a jumping 
Chrono Legionnaire or a Spider/Desolator Bomb, you might be able to 
sneak a Flak Track or a Nighthawk Transport carrying Engineers into his 
base.  If you take over his Barracks, there won't be a vocal warning 
that a building was lost.  You can switch it to your primary Barracks 
(select the building, then double click it), then start pumping 
engineers in his town to start taking over his buildings.  Once you do, 
sell them right away so he can't take them back.  If you're really 
mean, take over his Construction Yard, then build Pillboxs/Sentry Guns 
in his town before selling the Con Yard.

Kirov Escort  Kirovs are incredibly powerful, but also incredibly 
slow.  The best way to deal with them is to blow them up before they 
get anywhere near your base.  Rocketeers, IFV's, and Flak Tracks are 
the best way anti-air measures.  Yet these units are also all 
incredibly fragile.  A good tactic to try in a game which goes to 
Battle Lab is to 'escort your Kirovs' with Apocalypse Tanks or Flak 
Tracks to take down the Kirov-killers.  If you can get it into his town 
mostly undamaged, one Kirov can easily wipe out an entire base, 
especially when it becomes elite.

Nighthawk/Tanya  This tactic shouldn't work on a good player, as it's 
very hard for an Allied player to survive long enough to build a Gap 
Generator, Tanyas, and a Nighthawk Transport, but it's doable every 
once in a while.  Build the Gap Generator so he can't see what you're 
doing, train those Tanyas and load them in the Nighthawk.  Since the 
Nighthawk is invisible to radar, he won't be able to track its movement 
on the mini-map.  So just create a diversion or attack him with your 
tanks so he isn't paying attention at his base.  Then drop in his town 
and hope he doesn't hear the rotors of the Nighthawk.  If he's 
prepared, Prism Towers, Rocketeers, Harriers, Terror Drones, Yuris or 
Desolators should halt your Tanya from blowing up his entire base.


Fundamentals

Hotkeys  Use them!  They're the key to speeding up your game, and RTS' 
are all about speed.  Select entire groups of units with the number 
keys for fast unit manipulation and menu navigating.

Rally Points  I normally don't use these, but they're good to know 
about.  Select a unit-producing structure then left click elsewhere on 
the map to set a rally point.  All units made from this building will 
automatically travel to the rally point.
 
Listen for warnings!  Kirovs, Tanyas, and Libyan Demolition Trucks all 
give verbal cues when they are trained.  If you have to, turn down the 
music and turn up the voices in the options so you can hear better.
