Wargame: Red Dragon Megathread - Games

[img]http://wethenerdy.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/81303_header.jpg[/img] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lw3az0LsKc0#t=68[/media] [U][B]What is Wargame Red Dragon? [/B][/U] Short answer: [quote=Wikipedia]Wargame: Red Dragon is a real-time strategy video game developed by Eugen Systems and published by Focus Home Interactive, released on April 17, 2014. It is the sequel to the 2013 Wargame: AirLand Battle.[/quote] Long answer: Wargame Red Dragon is an RTS unlike any other RTS you will find at the moment or basically anywhere in RTS history, period. The scale often equals that of Supreme Commander and on the larger maps is significantly bigger than SC. Battles take place over massive maps and are fought in the air, on land and at sea simultaneously. Within a span of 30 seconds a pair of F-15's might be dogfighting with SU-27s and MIGs, while a heavy tank brawl begins on a flank and opposing fleets send streams of anti-ship missiles at each other. Bombing runs obliberate the frontlines while artillery and mortars project showers of ordnance, supply convoys running up and resupplying battlegroups before pushes can overwhelm them. You can play the game in many, many different ways. There are 17 Nations with 1600~ ish units, spanning from 60's tech to mid 90's tech; there's everything from F86 Sabres and WW2 tank destroyers to Challenger 2's and Apache Longbow gunships. Your army can have an emphasis on airborne elements, armoured elements, or infantry in tracked/wheeled vehicles, and that's just scratching the surface. There is no base building. Resource management manifests in only two ways, points and supplies. Command vehicles can take control of sectors dotted over the map, and these give a specific point income so you can call in more units; there is no unit cap in any size of game, but you have limited numbers of each unit depending on their value. Supply management involves using trucks, supply barges and supply helicopters like Chinooks to rearm/refuel your units limited ammunition and fuel, or repair them. Compared to other RTS games, resource management is extremely minimal, as even directing supplies is far from something frequent. (Unless you play Japan, where your tanks run out of fuel before they reach the frontline, but I digress) The core feature of Wargame is that your army is effectively already built, and just waiting to arrive. You create a deck before a game that can have a number of specialisations where it may be being focused on a particular nationand style of warfare. You could play a British Armoured Deck or a Russian Airborne deck, for instance. Some deck types are best played with particular nations (you'll probably regret playing Norwegian Armoured or Australian Support) but there are a lot of balancing factors that might draw you to less obvious decks, like Japanese Recon Stealth AA helicopters or Denmark's ridiculously powerful frigate-gun mounted on a tank chassis. The deck has a number of component sections, with limited slots for each one, though you can get more slots by specialising your deck. Picking a Nation gives you their prototypes and best units, as well as more available units for each slot overall.These are: [b]Logistics[/b]– Command Vehicles, Supply Vehicles, FOB’s. [b]Infantry [/b]– Mechanised, Motorised and Airborne infantry [b]Support [/b]– Howitzers, Rocket Arty, Mortars, and many different types of AA ranging from SPAAG’s to long range SAMs. [b]Tanks[/b] – Lighter/archaic tanks (<50 pts) usual MBT’s, (50-100 pts), heavier MBT’s (100-125) and super-heavy/modern MBT’s (150+ pts) e.g Scorpion, Chieftain, Challenger 1 and Challenger 2 respectively in that order for the Brits. [b]Recon[/b] – Comes in the form of infantry, helis, tanks, jeeps, etc. [b]Vehicle [/b]- The “everything else” section. Things like vehicles built for carrying Anti-Tank missiles, tank destroyers, archaic vehicles, flame tanks, etc [b]Heli [/b]– Offensive helicopters. Range from helis mounted with just ATGM’s or AA missiles to nasty Heli Gunships like the Apache and the Havoc. [b]Air [/b]– Planes of all sorts, inc. Bombers, CAS, Air Superiority Fighters, Interceptors, etc [b]Naval [/b] – A whole section of its own, but in general – small ships, big ships, anti-ship planes and all your nation’s naval-landing-craft-capable units, which aren’t subject to deck restrictions either. [u][b]Getting Started[/b][/u] The game is simpler than it looks to start with, but this section is going to be long. There is a fairly big learning curve. I’ll run you through all this and save you the reading if you just add me on Steam. Search for “Permanent Marker.” There are also a bunch of steam guides you may want to try. As implied, the first thing you’re going to need to do is make a deck. I would recommend starting by playing the USA/USSR. The common trend for both is that they have a very good airforce, very good tanks and very easy to use AA pieces in support. I’d say these are things you should strongly consider in a non-specialised deck: [quote]Command Vehicle (preferably a jeep and a tank for rear and frontline respectively) FOB (You need something to refill your supply vehicles with to save points) Supply Heli, Supply truck Dispensable infantry and infantry with AA launchers Mortars (for smoke screens, not because they kill stuff) Infrared AA vehicle (can’t be killed by SEAD) Long range radar AA that can kill planes Preferably some middle of the range AA as well A heavy tank. Recon vehicle that will last more than 3 seconds when spotted Recon with “Very Good” or “Exceptional” optics An Air Superiority fighter with long range (6000m+) air-to-air missiles. A ground attack plane. A SEAD plane. (it kills enemy Radar AA in the area automatically with missiles)[/quote] [u][b]General tips:[/b][/u] 1) Hotkey (CTRL + X) your artillery/mortars, planes, and all your Radar AA. For the first three, its down to responding quickly, but for Radar AA, its so that you can turn off all your Radar when a SEAD plane flies overhead. You are guaranteed to screw up half the time this happens, but try to get used to it anyway. 2) Q-G-T. Q is the hotkey for “ATTACK” or attack move. The moment enemies are spotted, the unit stops and shoots it. This is extremely important with things that can’t fire on the move, or want to be as far away as possible, or want to show the side with the best armour. G is “REVERSE” which you should use frequently with tanks to make sure you present your best armour when retreating or repositioning. T is “FIRE POS” which makes the unit fire at the marked place. You will always, always do this with artillery and bombers, or cry as they miss by a thousand miles. Occassionally its useful to shoot at stuff you know is somewhere but can’t see as well. 3) Do not be overly aggressive, especially when you’re learning. Be patient and wait for your opponent to screw up, then make them pay for it. If you must be aggressive, get some mortars and create a smoke screen that blinds entrenched positions to your advance. Always have good AA on standby for enemy helis/planes that counter attack. 4) If you start running out of AA on the frontline, you’re in a very bad spot. If you can’t quickly replace your losses, just fall back. Nothing sucks more than losing all your tanks because you got massacred by bombers and gunships. 5) Every time you attack the frontline with planes, you’re taking a massive risk. Planes are expensive, you don’t get a lot of them and they’re fragile. They’re at their best when they’re ripping aggressive pushes to pieces, when they come out of the AA network your opponent has. 6) Play some practice skirmish games, then try the campaigns or [b]jump into a 10V10 match. [/b] The AI will teach you how to kill things efficiently, but 10v10 will teach you how to play by not stressing you out with having to manage half the map. 7) Don’t play a support deck intended to spam arty or planes. Seriously. 8) Don’t spam arty. Its neither a tactic that will make you friends, or a particularly good one. 9) Don’t spam cheap tanks. Its not going to be effective. [img]http://static1.gamespot.com/uploads/original/1197/11970954/2503143-wargame_red_dragon-10.jpg[/img] [img]http://www.playwhat.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Wargame-Red-Dragon-screenshot-1.jpg[/img]

Whoa nice, never thought I'd see a Wargame thread on FP. I bought the game back when the steam sale was going on but I don't really get the chance to play since the group I hoped to play with never feel like it or they don't have the time, and playing with randoms sort of gets frustrating when people randomly ragequit in the middle of a match. There's a reddit TS group a friend recommended me to join but I don't know anybody in there except for him.

FParma plays this... occasionally

I've been meaning to get into this game but the lack of a decent tutorial for (to me) quite a complicated RTS like this is really off-putting. I suppose I should just dive in and do a few skirmishes against the easiest AI, get used to it and such.

Me, staines and a couple of other mates are playing this quite a lot. PM him for TS info and shit. We're used to new players so that's not a problem.

The thing that I mostly notice when learning how to play is the multitude of names the different vehicles and whatnot have. I'd like to be able to rename units into stuff like 'cheap arty' or 'heavy tank' just so I know which unit exactly I'm looking for. I suppose I should go about learning what all the different icons next to the names mean but it'd just be a nice feature that'd make the game a bit less harsh on newcomers who have no idea what all the things are called. Also struggling when it comes to when to attack/defend, but I suppose that comes with practice.

They say the only good recce is a dead one!

If you haven't done so already, change the unit icons from RTS to NATO. They're a bit more abstract and harder to learn but once you have they're a lot clearer at a glance. Case in point: [t]http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/1119424168853962307/F5DA23F3345F1FDD01FCD7FCD5A257446C2162BE/[/t] [editline]a[/editline] [t]http://cloud-4.steampowered.com/ugc/920144122842804204/9F887A5233154BD18D3FEB947B02DFFCC24FB56F/[/t] P. much all the NATO icons used in wargame (ships are omitted but nobody plays ships afaik) [editline]a[/editline] [url=http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=247884292]A 200-page guide to WG:RD[/url]. This needs to be in the OP, great for learning the game. [editline]a[/editline] Oh also play the beta instead of live. It's actually bretty gud and gives you experience with the new units.

That does look like it might be easier to recognise from a distance compared to the default icons, I might have to give that a go. Thanks for the tip.

Does anyone here play British decks, I always resort to challenger power in my games and I think there must be another way I can play brits and still win. There is no British apache which is a shame

[QUOTE=Thomo_UK;47009506]They say the only good recce is a dead one![/QUOTE] This world consists of two types of people; artillerymen and targets! [editline]26th January 2015[/editline] But yeah, some dudes in FPARMA play this every now and then. I'd like to point out that britbongs are weak and tea is for fools, real infantry drinks coffee.

[QUOTE=Fippe;47011670]This world consists of two types of people; artillerymen and targets! [editline]26th January 2015[/editline] But yeah, some dudes in FPARMA play this every now and then. I'd like to point out that britbongs are weak and tea is for fools, real infantry drinks coffee.[/QUOTE] I disagree about the Brits Brit 90's infantry is my favourite, because of LAW 80, which rips absolutely everything to pieces. They can hold their own well against enemy infantry, and while the SAS isn't exactly a Kommandosi counter, Royal Marines will trade fire with them quite decently. Marines are also nice in that they tick the boxes of having a great AT launcher, getting the Minimi, an assault rifle, are elite and can be taken in a fast APC (which is also amphibious), in the Stormer. I regularly run Fusiliers 90 in Warrior Milan transports, former because of reasons already outlined and the Warrior is great because of that high AP ATGM, combined with good armour and speed. Compared to the Marder 2, you're for the most part trading basically a small amount of armour for the ability to potentially kill any tank in the game at 2450m. When I field Challenger 2's, I rarely ever lose them except usually when I get caught out by Smerch or a SU25 equivalent at a shitty moment. I find the extra armour makes all the difference and the difference in speed to be pretty trivial. Brit AA is pretty shit, yes, but I can cope with a team mate by using blocks of Javelin teams and microing the hell out of Marksmen, or just hiding them. Planes are quite good - you've got a fast long range AT missile sniper, AT bombers, anti-heavy tank LGB and SEAD, as well as a top tier ASF, basically all you need. If you are not running a specialised deck, the AS-90 is part of that small group of howitzers that aren't total shit at anything that isn't sniping units. The FV432 (M) appears a joke but its target acquisition time I've noticed is shorter and with less shells fired, I'm fairly sure it puts up a smoke screen faster than other mortars if you leave it to carry out one. Finally, being the second NATO nation with the direct fire siege mortar tank with the Centurion is really useful as it helps a bunch against infantry decks like Eastern block. The US I feel plays a way harder infantry game because the Bradley atm is just overpriced shit, paying out the ass for mediocre armour and a passable ATGM, Riflemen and Light Riflemen are awful, US Marines pre90/90 in LVTP7A1's, SMAW and Navy Seals are just about the only good infantry you get disregarding ATGM/Manpads. The US has a bunch of decent infantry support vehicles, but I'd say most other countries are going to have an easier time against NSWP/Spetznaz+VDV infantry spam. Nonetheless, I've stopped playing my Brit Armoured and I've switched to Commonwealth armoured purely so I can get the Scorpion 90 and the F-111C. The Cockerill is a really good gun for a 30 pt tank, which is also really fast, hard to hit and has good autonomy. The F-111C just nukes an entire area with bombs, which is useful.

[QUOTE=Fippe;47011670]This world consists of two types of people; artillerymen and targets! [editline]26th January 2015[/editline] But yeah, some dudes in FPARMA play this every now and then. I'd like to point out that britbongs are weak and tea is for fools, real infantry drinks coffee.[/QUOTE] [t]http://i.imgur.com/nFrYD.jpg[/t] Tea is not for fools, it's for sophisticated war-mongers.

Never thought i'd see this thread pop up again after the last one. I still player twice a week or so but the hackers are starting to get a bit much. [editline]27th January 2015[/editline] The spam advertising on the main screen certainly doesnt help

All of you guys arguing about Britain when everybody knows West Germany is the best nation. [editline]26th January 2015[/editline] [QUOTE=archival;47015904]Never thought i'd see this thread pop up again after the last one. I still player twice a week or so but the hackers are starting to get a bit much. [editline]27th January 2015[/editline] The spam advertising on the main screen certainly doesnt help[/QUOTE] Playing premades improves the game a lot. If this whole hacker bullcrap does ruin the game we can always play against each other.

Also I tried to play Japanese Airborne with some Tank Support and my Kyu-Marus ran out of juice after my first front-line, i felt a little cheated, but they held their own surprisingly well.

[QUOTE=Thomo_UK;47015963]Also I tried to play Japanese Airborne with some Tank Support and my Kyu-Marus ran out of juice after my first front-line, i felt a little cheated, but they held their own surprisingly well.[/QUOTE] I don't understand why Kyu-Marus are priced so high, they're good but they're not Leopard 2A5/Chally 2 level good. Also they have the typical Jap fuel problem. Nana Yon Shiki's are pretty overpriced as well, they're slow as shit, have shit armour and shit fuel capacity. T-72A's and better will wipe the floor with just about every variant of them except the Shiki G, but Japan already has the Kyu-Rouku WAPC which is literally twice as fast and carry Hudou Ren for cheaper, so what's the point in getting them Then you just have the fairly useless 10/15 pointers that are beaten by the thing in the vehicle section with double recoilless rifles. Jap Infantry, Recon and Support is great though. Hudou Ren + WAPC, Kutei 90, Nana San Shikis, OH Ninjas, Tan-SAM's and Guntanks are all nice.

What's a counter to tanks? I'm just getting steam-rolled and I have no idea how to kill them except by hiding infantary in towns.

[QUOTE=Pyroknight;47017491]What's a counter to tanks? I'm just getting steam-rolled and I have no idea how to kill them except by hiding infantary in towns.[/QUOTE] ATGMs on vehicles/helicopters, ground-attack aircraft, ATGM/tank hunter infantry, artillery and other tanks.

[QUOTE=Pyroknight;47017491]What's a counter to tanks? I'm just getting steam-rolled and I have no idea how to kill them except by hiding infantary in towns.[/QUOTE] you'll generally want to stun them before attacking them with other tanks since a stunned tank is a dead tank, otherwise ATGM (and stun) or helicopters (which carry their own stun!)

Airborne infantry erryday

[QUOTE=Mallow234;47022630]Airborne infantry erryday[/QUOTE] You have no idea how many times ive played against airborne that have tried to push too far and lost their entire army to the two shilkas that I buy at the start every round. Airborne is good but only if you know your limits

In regards to the tank question I've learned mostly to play reactive defence rather than static defence followed by offensives. I see people that put their tanks on the frontline in hedges and forests, and try to use them like anti-tank fortifications on treads. Given what point and click removal devices cluster arty is at the moment, that works for all of 15 seconds before they zone in on them and destroy all of them. Personally I take 2-3 heavy MBT's over a 150 points or so, with my Brits that'll be 2 Challenger 1 Mk.3's and a Challenger 2, with Russian armour, 2 T-72B OBR1989 and the T-72BU. Then I take some lighter tanks where I really need to make sure some stuff doesn't get through or that I can faster react to harassment. In the same decks I use Scorpion 90 and T-62MV-1's respectively. Basically, I see medium tanks rolling down towards my sector, spammed light tanks or whatever, and I laugh, roll out for 20 seconds, shell half of them and let the other half die to my own team tripping over themselves trying to increase their score with fire support. Then just pull back, rinse repeat. People fall for this shit again and again, though by the third time you usually see heli-spam too on 10v10. [img]http://puu.sh/f7vW9/0e2702b00a.jpg[/img] One of the last 10v10 games I played. Not pictured: Fennec spam slaughter and the T-72BU's kill count. I don't regularly play Airborne, but I apply a very similar principle. If you try to do a mass landing, take and hold an area and all that jazz, you're setting yourself up to get destroyed, and for the entire flank to collapse. You're relying heavily on your team mates to help you, who all the while expect you to hold that flank because you've dedicated to it. On the other hand in reactive defense you can see enemy infantry swarming in one area and send Spetznaz to that area quickly to deal with it, or a tank rush in another that you can stop with focused effort on planes and helis.

There are no submarines in this game?

Nope. I don't even put any Naval Units in any deck I play anyway. Or Artillery except the cute little mortar FV40530453050 british thing

That's so disappointing.

Submarines aren't really a part of modern naval warfare anyway, they're missile platforms, and there's no nukes in Wargame. There are attack submarines IRL, but they're not for fighting surfare vessels, they're to kill other subs, so they have no place in Wargame.

I remember reading that naval strategy was to just play as Red, does that still hold true?

[QUOTE=Pyroknight;47024878]I remember reading that naval strategy was to just play as Red, does that still hold true?[/QUOTE] Pretty much. Best I can do with NATO navy is strategically pull a Kongo-class cruiser out of my hyperspace shipyard and wreck the shoreline. Then I get sad because PACT just pulls out two Udaloys and proceeds to annihilate the Kongo, the NATO arsenal, the Korean Peninsula and all of space and time.

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c33uUi5UgaI[/media] This is how you win as blufor in naval.