Arda: Game Patch for Red Alert 1

Banshee

Hello everyone! I'd like to bring to your attention a project started some months ago by AlexB which injects DLL code into Red Alert 1 in the same way Ares does with Yuri's Revenge.

The project is knownn as Arda and it makes your Red Alert 1 much cooler, fixes inumerous bugs, uses hifi's high resolution patch and it even makes the game more moddable by allowing the creation of new warheads, projectiles and weapons. Here's the full list of features:

Quote:

Overview

Bugfixes

Instruction Error when destroying fences on upper map border fixed.
Automatic Sonar Pulse will not be applied in single player missions any more.
The Mobile Radar Jammer will have its Tesla weapon disarmed properly.
Disk space check functions updated to today's standards.
Music track Arazoid restored.
The First Decade Soviet movie loading bug fixed.
Fixed a crash related to tags.
Made certain frag explosions visible on buildings.
The unit formation feature now uses the slowest unit's speed.
Enemy shipyards will no longer repair a player's ships.
Prevent ships from being repaired when not docked to the shipyard.
If projectiles leave the map, the game will not crash anymore.
Mines will spread ore evenly around themselves.
Crew will not end up in walls when selling high buildings.
Additional check prevents infantry from shooting at targets out of range.
The skirmish menu settings are always saved.
Cloaking and uncloaking units will not draw a green shadow.
England and France country bonuses now help the player.
Service Depots can no longer be made to instant-repair units.
Shroud from Gap Generators will no longer grow if the player has an active GPS satellite.

Language

Missile Silo cameo typo corrected.
Medium Tank and Heavy Tank cameo texts corrected in the French version.
German language glitches corrected.
Counterstrike addon theme names added.
Don't Drink The Water tutorial text corrected.

Other Changes

Debug logging and error reporting capabilities added.
Real object names shown in tool tips for enemy units and buildings.
Suppy Truck casts a shadow now.
Automatic evacuation of civilian infantry will not happen in multiplayer modes.
The nuke plays a sound on impact.
Infantry electrocution animation added to interior theater.
Error free Voice Rhythm 2 music track.
New Missions menu list selection background color set to dark red.

Expansions

Several new options to configure the game.
Multi-Language support added.
Added some unreleased themes and some new content.
Added support for The Lost Files movies.
Debugging features added to aid finding causes of crashes.
Option to display ingame movies deinterlaced.
Uncensored German language version.
Expanded mix file loading.
Added feature to dub ingame movies using an audio file.
Customizable New Missions lists.
Support for mini-campaigns.
Added support for up to 255 movies.
Added support for up to 255 music tracks.
Added support for additional sounds.
Pipe character can be used in briefings to break the page.
Tutorial file expanded to 1024 lines.
Support for user-defined weapons.
Support for user-defined warheads.
Support for user-defined projectiles.
Support for customizing image and cameo files in scenarios.
Change the number of facings.
Draw a unit body depending on its current ammo.
Auto-sort cameos in the sidebar.
Change the refund value.
Change the size of the selection bracket.
Activate a larger unit update rectangle to stop graphical errors.
Make UnitTypes auto-reload their ammo.
Customize unit turrets.
Add an extra pip to units.
Change whether a building is considered a fake.
Change whether a unit is jamming the radar.
Customizable Iron Curtain.
Customizable building foundations.
Customizable voices.

You can download Arda 0.1 at its official website. Have fun!

Vladimir · Grenadier **Joined**: 19 Dec 2004 **Location**: England

I love this new modding angle where they are modding DLL code. Opening up many new doors.

Anderwin · General **Joined**: 16 May 2005

I hope they fix so you can have more units and can have the original units in the game to with more new units.

_________________
Can you hide from me Wink

?

SMIFFGIG · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 5:14 pm Post subject:

I've only just discovered this today

pretty cool stuff, been waiting for a proper hires mod for RA1 for ages and this has aload of extra stuff too!

_________________

pd · Laser Commando **Joined**: 19 Jun 2005 **Location**: Gone

Also finally, the proof of concept that Syringe works great with any uncompressed 32-bit executable. Smile

Good stuff!

Bittah Commander · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:14 pm Post subject:

Wish someone would port all of RA1's features to TS instead... Then RA1 itself could also be ported to TS and then both RA1 and TS modders would be happy.

_________________

SMIFFGIG · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 6:42 pm Post subject:

Bittah Commander wrote:

Wish someone would port all of RA1's features to TS instead... Then RA1 itself could also be ported to TS and then both RA1 and TS modders would be happy.

I thought Hyper was looking into this at one point as part of the Hyper Patch?

I would love a DTA esque version of RA1
RA1 was possibly my favourite CNC game

_________________

Bittah Commander · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 7:31 pm Post subject:

I indeed intend to do something like that eventually, but as it is right now, there's still quite a long list of RA1 features that simply wouldn't work in TS.

And Hyper will probably indeed get to it eventually, but 2 people can get more work done and get it done quicker than just 1 person.
Additionally different people also know different things, so when one doesn't know the answer to something he's working on, the other can step in and vice-versa, which also makes it more motivating to keep going. Hence why 2 people working together can get more work done than 2 people working individually.

_________________

SMIFFGIG · Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 10:59 pm Post subject:

Just found out, you cannot play with Arda online :'(

I'll have to relive my youth and settle for the nostalgia of the campaign then!

_________________

Darkstorm · Commander **Joined**: 20 Jan 2008 **Location**: Texas

I have no idea how complicated it is, but in my view, RA1 modding is always limited by the lack of ability to make new units.

I really hope AlexB is working on a way to add new units and weapons.

EDIT: I missed the new weapons and warheads section in the changelog. So that's really awesome, as is the custom foundations, map selection, and turret options. Still could use new units, if that is implemented, there will be some potential for some really cool things to come out of RA1.

Tore · Posted: Sat Nov 17, 2012 4:23 pm Post subject:

SMIFFGIG wrote:

Just found out, you cannot play with Arda online :'(

I'll have to relive my youth and settle for the nostalgia of the campaign then!

You can, but the other player must use Arda as well.

_________________

DarkVen9109 · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 10:54 am Post subject:

Just downloaded Arda. LOL thinking about adding units would be possible :bd

SMIFFGIG · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2012 11:54 am Post subject:

I've been playing a few of the CS/Aftermath missions.

on hard.. they all seem really easy :-/

Nostalgia trip ruined.

With the exception of the ant missions, they are hard

_________________

DarkVen9109 · Posted: Fri Nov 23, 2012 9:36 am Post subject:

Will ARDA have a feature where it will enable adding more units?

AlexB · Commander **Joined**: 31 May 2010 **Location**: Germany

That is the plan, but it requires much more work. Warheads, weapons, sounds, music and movies are already de-hardcoded.

_________________

DarkVen9109 · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 6:29 am Post subject:

I'm willing to wait for another version of your ARDA Smile

btw does this have a meaning because it sounds like an acronym to me.

CCHyper · Defense Minister **Joined**: 07 Apr 2005

Arda is a place in Lord of the Rings?

Bittah Commander · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:09 pm Post subject:

It's how Russian pirates say "yes". Arrr, da!

_________________

DarkVen9109 · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 12:12 pm Post subject:

CCHyper-san and Bittah-san both gave me jokes Sad

CCHyper · Defense Minister **Joined**: 07 Apr 2005

No, i didnt. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arda

SMIFFGIG · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 4:59 pm Post subject:

DarkVen9109 wrote:

btw does this have a meaning because it sounds like an acronym to me.

Advanced Research and Development Activity

_________________

Graion Dilach · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 5:35 pm Post subject:

Alarmstrufe Rot Development Advanced #Tongue

Renegade · Posted: Sat Nov 24, 2012 8:39 pm Post subject:

("Alarmstufe Rot" is the German title of Red Alert, in case you were confused.)

_________________
#renproj:renegadeprojects.com via Matrix - direct link

DarkVen9109 · Posted: Sun Nov 25, 2012 3:21 am Post subject:

Renegade wrote:

("Alarmstufe Rot" is the German title of Red Alert, in case you were confused.)

Ja I know. I know a few German words but yeah thanks for the clear explanation Very Happy

EDIT: AlexB, you said, warheads, sounds, music and the likes were already de-hardcoded, will you de-hardcode also terrains? I mean are you going to make adding terrains possible?

DarkVen9109 · Posted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 1:03 pm Post subject:

How do you change the building foundations in ARDA?

SMIFFGIG · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 5:45 pm Post subject:

American Rescue Dog Association

_________________

OmegaBolt · Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 7:59 pm Post subject:

DarkVen9109 wrote:

How do you change the building foundations in ARDA?

Manual.