Red Alert: A Path Beyond

| genre = First-person Shooter, Third-person Shooter, Vehicular Combat | modes = Single-player, multiplayer | platforms = Windows, Linux | media = Download |requirements = Pentium III 800 MHz, 128 MB RAM, Windows 2000/XP, DirectX 9c, 32 MB DirectX 7 compatible video card, Approx. 940 MB hard disk space | input = Keyboard, Mouse }} Red Alert: A Path Beyond is a total conversion modification of Command & Conquer: Renegade in the first-person shooter and vehicular combat genres, released by Bluehell Productions in 2007. The events of Red Alert: A Path Beyond take place in an alternate history, where Allied Forces battle across Europe against an aggressive Soviet Union. Unlike the games on which it was based, there is no support for versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000, but users successfully run the software on Linux and Mac OS using emulation assistants such as Wine

Unlike many modern games in the FPS genre, players are able to switch to third person view at will. Additionally, players may use ground vehicles, helicopters, naval craft, and submarines from a third person perspective. The soldier and vehicle selection is drawn from the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert series' gameplay, cutscenes, and internal files, with minor modifications to differentiate certain units.

While it began production as a modification of a commercial single/multiplayer game, it is now available as a free, standalone download with no other requirements to play. However, it lacks a single player campaign, so an internet connection is required for satisfactory play. Additionally, its recommended system requirements are higher, although the graphics actually scale very well and several improvements made grant actual performance improvements over the original base engine.

It can be thought of as the Command & Conquer equivalent of the Enemy Territory titles.

Gameplay

Red Alert: A Path Beyond (RA:APB) consists of the storyline and battles from Westwood Studios' game Command & Conquer: Red Alert, converted to a first person shooter game. The team has tried to remain loyal to the style and feel of the 1996 classic, while integrating content from its expansions (Counterstrike & Aftermath) with a bit of updated history to add to the mix. The game is built with the W3d engine Westwood Studios designed for games such as Earth & Beyond and Command & Conquer: Renegade completed in 2001. Players assume a role as any one of a number of infantry classes, participating in team-based combat that often involves land, sea, and air combined-arms clashes. Certain maps are tailored to infantry-only combat, but most feature vehicular combat as well.

As there is no official master server for integration into the main game shell at this time, players typically join using a front-end launcher phased in with version 1.0.0, known as Beta. This provides a static server listing that requires manual updates. Xfire also supports Red Alert: A Path Beyond, which enables in-game instant messaging, logged gameplay hours, and spotting friends who are also playing Gameservers are also typically managed via IRC, which allows for communication between players and out-of-game observers/moderators. Game-in-progress information for the official server, sponsored by MP Gaming, is also displayed live on the forums and gameserver websites. The official server site also provides ranking information, dating back to December 2006. This ranking information can be displayed both as a "rank medal" and "stats box" in one of two styles for signature use at other forums.

Notable Deviations from Source

Despite the large amount of similarity to the Red Alert source material, a number of changes were made in the transition from RTS to FPS. Notably, the addition of infantry classes or weapons that were not present in the original strategy game, but had roles or weapons suggested by cutscenes or the game's files. A number of units and buildings are not in the current public version as well.

• ChronoTanks, Helicarriers, and Cruisers are unavailable to the Allies
• MiGs, Yaks, Badgers and Spyplanes are unavailable to the Soviets
• Chronosphere and Iron Curtain superweapons are unavailable currently
• A number of "tech buildngs" are not yet implemented
• Engineers, Thieves and Spies are not lost after infiltrating an enemy building
• Snipers have been added based on weapon entries in the original game
• Shotgun-toting soldiers have been added based on cutscenes in the original game
• Phase Tanks, based on the Phase Transport prototypes in Aftermath, cannot carry extra infantry
• Weapons identical in the original (pistols, rifles) have been given team-specific characteristics
• To curb friendly-fire abuse, Demolition Trucks and MAD Tanks have lessened impact on friendly forces

Plot

The story of Red Alert: A Path Beyond follows closely the story and settings of the original Command & Conquer: Red Alert. It plays out a "What If?" scenario, wherein World War II never started as it did in reality:

It's 1946. Mankind has just gone through the most devastating war it has yet faced. While the rest of the world is still in shock, and trying to find ways to prevent such an event from ever taking place again, a Jewish/German scientist of unmatched genius decides to ensure it never happened at all. With a device he was engineering for the US government (at a secret research center in Trinity, New Mexico - the same site where he helped develop the most devastating weapons mankind has come to know), he travels back into time to kill the person who he sees as the root of all misery: Adolf Hitler. He catches up with Hitler in 1924, just as he is released from Landsberg Prison, and 'disposes' of him: as Einstein will soon learn, he has not thought through the possible consequences...

It's now the 1950s. World War II never happened; at least, not yet. Germany is a peace-loving country with close ties to other Western European nations, who now find themselves facing increasing tensions with the Soviet Union under Joseph Stalin's brutal rule... and all the while the Soviet Union grows in influence and military might. Attempting to live up to a glorious Marxist dream he has envisioned, Stalin mobilizes the forces of the USSR. His goal? The Soviet Union stretching from coast to coast after an epic communist revolution, with Russia reigning supreme. The Western European nations, form the Alliance that seeks to put an end to this madman's nightmare before he can see it through to completion. World War II has started.

Development

Beginnings

Red Alert: A Path Beyond has been around for roughly five years. The project was founded in 2003 under the name "Renegade Alert" by l3f7h4nd3d, Aircraftkiller, and Agent Gibson. The first version (version 0.90) was publicly released in the summer of 2003.

Version 0.90 was a proof-of-concept release. The only map, which was an outdated prototype of a current map, was Keep Off The Grass. It featured a full set of vehicles, characters, and structures, but used some placeholders from Command & Conquer: Renegade. 0.90 was in .pkg (package) format, meaning it was not a standalone game and Command & Conquer: Renegade was required to launch it.

Version 0.99 was released to the public during September 2003. Unlike 0.90, 0.99 had its own executable, and featured three maps: Forest of Illusion, an infantry map based in an eerie Forest; Zama, a map with vehicles and structures that spanned a river; and DM_Isles, a deathmatch map in which infantry picked up weapons in crates on a series of islands.

A week after 0.99's release, version 0.991 was released to fix some of the problems that had come to the surface with the release of 0.99. However, there was a technical issue with the installer that was eventually resolved nearly a month later by a hotfix, dubbed 0.9915. This was the beginnings of what is present today.

The 0.992 Era

After the release of 0.9915, l3f7h4nd3d disappeared along with Agent Gibson. Version 0.992 was released in February 2004 with many new changes, including six maps instead of three. Atomic bombs were added in this release, and aerial units were removed.

Dante left the project to start Renegade Evolutions at this point. Aircraftkiller stepped up to take his position as lead producer.

Version 0.9925 was released during March 2004, which set out to fix several issues thrown up by 0.992. Many and various balance changes were experimented with during this period.

The 0.993 Era

Version 0.993 came out during June 2004 and featured the reintroduction of aerial units (equipped with limited ammunition), naval combat, several new maps, and a complete graphical overhaul of almost all vehicles in the game. In addition, several balance changes were introduced to fix any lingering issues present in the earlier builds.

Version 0.9932 was released in August 2004, but due to several factors, it was shipped with many game-breaking bugs, including the usage of Tanya's C4, Demolition Trucks, and MAD Tanks to crash the game, as well as a few notable graphical glitches.

Following the release of Half-Life 2, plans were made to abandon the W3d engine and begin work on the "spiritual successor" to Renegade Alert, to be constructed on Valve's Source engine. The name of the project was changed from "Renegade Alert" to "Red Alert: A Path Beyond."

Graphical assets of a high quality were produced, but no work with the development tools was never done on the Source engine. When Battlefield 2 came out, the decision was made to switch engines once again. The W3d version of the project had been officially canceled. No real progress was made for several months once again as the development tools for Battlefield 2 were not initially documented.

Nearly a full year later, staff member Chronojam revived the W3d version. Plans were made concerning where the project was heading, and new tester and staff assignments were looked into. The primary aim was to resolve the issues that had made 0.9932 unplayable, and make the game playable again. As work began to move forward, the dream of a Red Alert-themed mod for Battlefield 2 was abandoned and development was returned to what was to become 0.9935, back on the W3d engine.

The 0.9935 Era

When version 0.9935 was released, a majority of the critical issues had been resolved. An updated version of Zama (dubbed "Classic Zama", to point back to the days of version 0.990) was released after the shipping of version 0.9935.

After this point, there was a period of internal and external turmoil for the team. This resulted in Aircraftkiller leaving the development team, with Chronojam taking a leading role in the project, and the drafting of what was known as 0.994.

This time also marked the beginning of EA's outreach efforts towards the C&C community. Internal versions of Red Alert: A Path Beyond and C&C Reborn were shown off in Leipzig, Germany at a large games convention, thanks to EA, with Renardin (a texture artist from Renegade-themed and Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun-based W3d game, "C&C Reborn") in attendance. Later, he had a chance to demonstrate once more at a C&C3-focused summit. Further down the road, Chronojam and Steppo (from the C&C community site, "Planet CnC" and web magazine, "Lets Play!") were able to attend another summit, with much ground covered toward securing the future of A Path Beyond, and also ensuring that Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars would have the support that the community needed in terms of moddability and overall gameplay.

Version 0.9935 continued to be played despite its age and known flaws. The official server was originally based with Coolair at Conflict-Arenas before eventually settling with Oxi and Zunnie (currently staff) from Mp-Gaming. Together, they launched a well supported server with innovative statistics and moderation capabilities that had primarily been a product of version 0.9935's longevity. Several issues and new features were addressed server-side, negating the need for new patches between 0.9935 and the next. The development and release of several fan maps over the months somewhat expanded the playability of version 0.9935 beyond its official support.

On June 18th, 2007, version 0.9935 (and later APB Beta) were officially supported by Xfire, a popular gaming chat client.

The Present and Beyond

In the run up to the release of version 0.994 (later renamed to simply "Beta" or "1.0.0") numerous advances were made with regards to the rendering technology of the game. Saberhawk, Jonwil (top community coders that were on the team at the time), and Neosaber were given the freedom and encouragement to create amazing new scripts and display code that gave A Path Beyond the functionality and aesthetics that were possible when Beta was in production. Gameplay features such as an ingame sidebar purchase system, a chat history menu, a vehicle management menu, distortion effects, bloom lighting, normal mapping and many other features never thought possible on the W3d engine were added to drag the game into the light of today's independent games.

Before the release of APB: Beta, the team merged with fellow project Red Alert 2: Apocalypse Rising (a one and a half year old W3d game based upon the real time strategy game Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2) along with a small voice acting troupe (known as Bluehell Group) under the name Bluehell Productions. The release of Beta (formerly 0.994) marked the beginning of a chain of successes for APB, which significantly increased public awareness of the project's existence.

Two successive patches, known as 1.1.0 and 1.2.0 were subsequently released featuring various gameplay changes and minor bug fixes. 1.2.0 is the current public version. Version "Gamma" is currently in the works, with many changes announced to the public in Bluehell Production's weekly development blogs.

Reception

Red Alert: A Path Beyond has been given much attention throughout its history, and has received several awards and commendations. Additionally, the project and staff have been reviewed and interviewed in a variety of electronic and print magazines, as well as C&C modding community news sites. Notably, as a result of its successes, RA:APB is possibly the first independent project of its kind to be promoted as it has been by Electronic Arts, including coverage at EA's booth at the Leipzig Games Convention, on the official C&C web site front page, and in EA's novel Command&Conquer TV streaming video series.Some highlights (reverse chronological):

• Listed in 1UP.com's Best Free Games of 2008
• Mod DB 2007 Indie Game Of The Year Second Place
• Featured in Games for Windows: The Official Magazine issue in January, 2008
• PC Gamer Mod Of the Month in December 2007 issue
• Electronic Arts interview with lead producer "Chronojam"
• Featured in PC Zone issue in November, 2007
• Featured in Electronic Arts' " Command & Conquer TV" episode in October, 2007
• Featured in Game Informer in October, 2007
• Featured in eGames.de in September, 2007 (review and interview)
• Interviewed by Planet Command & Conquer , September, 2007
• 2006 Games Convention posters, video, and demo in cooperation with Electronic Arts (posters, trailers, demo)
• Mod DB Top 100, 2006
• Mod DB Top 100, 2005
• Mod DB Mod Of The Year, 2004 (Level Design)

References

External links

Official website