Service Depot: Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 Patch History

Always download the latest version of any patch for your game. Unless otherwise stated, each patch version contains all of the updates from any previous version.


Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 – Patch 1.006

Released on 7 June 2001

CHANGES

  • Minor Quickmatch client bug fix.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 – Patch 1.005

Released on 6 June 2001

GENERAL CHANGES

Fixes:

  • Chrono IFV no longer loses its target when selecting a target further than his firing range. Now it moves within attack range and fires without losing focus at any moment.
  • Modified official maps are not transferred over Internet games.
  • If a player disconnects 3 times in one game for durations more than 25 seconds each, the game will finish and be awarded to the non-disconnector at the 3rd time.
  • If walls or other buildings block the Soviet Barracks exit, no unit is built even if the user has a Cloning Vat. The cost is refunded to the player.
  • No other infantry units other than those with explosives can blow up buildings when joining to a Tanya command waypoint.

WESTWOOD ONLINE CHANGES OR FEATURE ADDITIONS

New Features:

  • NAT (Network Address Translation) and Firewall support (Notice: See Firewall & NAT Support later on this document)

Fixes:

  • In 4 player Internet games, Red Alert 2 now behaves correctly and continues the match with the remaining players when the host loses connection.
  • The game now behaves correctly by continuing 4 player Internet games when the host gets disconnected from his ISP but is able to reconnect in time.
  • In-game chat, whenever the user types a message longer than a screen width the text is transmitted and displayed properly.

FIREWALL AND NAT SUPPORT

  • Red Alert 2 now automatically supports firewalls and network address translating (NAT) while playing on Westwood Online.
  • Note: in this document the term “firewall” is used to refer to both firewall and “network address translation” products.
  • The following hardware/software was used in testing:

Hardware:

  • Linksys BEFSR11 / BEFSR14
  • Netgear RT311 / RT314
  • DLink DI-701 / DI-702
  • SonicWall Tele / Soho2

Software:

  • Windows 98 ICS (Internet Connection Sharing)
  • Sygate Home Networking 4.0
  • NAT32 Plus 1.4 (build 1-16-01)

Even if your firewall was not listed, it is likely that it will work with this patch. Many firewalls have the same behavior.

Automatic Firewall/NAT Support

Red Alert 2 now automatically supports the above firewalls out of the box, with no need to configure esoteric settings on the firewalls, such as port forwarding, triggers, static mapping or any of the other complicated settings that might otherwise be needed.

Support is complete and transparent, including the following features:

  1. Supports hosting or joining any game when behind a firewall.
  2. Supports multiple players behind the same firewall; if you have more than one system on a home LAN sharing a cable modem, DSL or other connection you can now play against each other or against other players on the Internet.

Now when a game is launched on Westwood Online, you will see a “Connecting To Other Players” dialogue box. Here you will be able to see your connectivity to the other players in the game. If any player cannot establish a connection with another, the game will not launch. A message will appear explaining who is having difficulty connecting.

It is necessary on some firewalls to wait for packets to be received from other players before trying to connect. If your firewall has this behavior, you will need to enable “Send Delay” in the network options. From the main menu, select “Options” then “Network”. Using this setting may cause connection problems with other players if used unnecessarily. Please refer to your firewall documentation to see how your firewall operates. (note: Netgear firewalls model numbers RT311 & RT314 were found to require this setting during our testing)

Note to firewall manufacturers: if your firewall products are not among the tested firewalls we’d love to hear from you! Contact [email protected] in Westwood Studios

Manual Firewall/NAT support

In addition to the automatic firewall support features listed above, we have included an advanced setting for advanced users that can be used if all else fails. From the main menu, select “Options” then “Network”. Under the “Internet Firewall Settings” section you’ll see a “port number” option, which can be used to instruct Red Alert 2 to always use the port specified here. You should use a port number between 1024 and 65535. Every computer that you want to play the game on should be given a different port number if they are
all behind the same firewall.

To return to the automatic mode, remove the port number from the “port number” edit box.

If you specify a port for Red Alert 2 to use then you will have to manually configure your firewall with static IP and port forwarding to route packets to the correct computer. Each firewalls configuration method is different so consult your firewalls documentation for instructions on how to do this. You will probably have to assign a static IP to each computer connecting to the firewall otherwise the static forwarding rules may not work after restarting a computer or firewall.

Dual Network Cards in Windows 98

A Windows 98 client can only have one gateway at a time. This means that if you are running Red Alert 2 in a Windows 98 machine that has 2 or more network cards you will need to get sure that the traffic is going through the right one. The best way to do this is disabling all network cards except the one who gives you the connectivity to the Internet/LAN. Otherwise you can have connectivity problems when running Red Alert 2.

FINALALERT 2 SUPPORT AND TIPS

FinalAlert 2 is a mission editor for Red Alert 2. It can be downloaded from www.westwood.com free of charge. Westwood Studios and the original FinalAlert developer have been hard at work adding and improving functionality. Here are some of the items we’ve been working on.

  • Framework mode is now included.
  • Allows raising and lowering of tile placement heights.
  • Randomizes land tiles within the editor to improve open area aesthetics in the map.
  • Fixes bugs for raising/lowering terrain. FinalAlert 2 used to create map holes that are very difficult to detect and fix. Framework mode helps with this a great deal also.
  • Includes an indication of current terrain height.
  • Includes an indication of current ore/gem count on map.
  • Includes Uninstall
  • Increased time allowed on Westwood Online to transfer maps between players. Now up to 3 minutes.
  • Only allows FinalAlert 2 map sharing in non-tourney games.
  • Allows sharing of map names.
  • Includes random tree placement tool.
  • Optimizes the FinalAlert 2 map load times, especially when there are lots of custom maps in the game folder.
  • Red Alert 2 will not add starting spots to a FinalAlert 2 map if it has 2 or more predefined starting spots.
  • Red Alert 2 now can now use maps created with FinalAlert 2 in all game modes.
  • Allows map names to appear when using FinalAlert 2 (User created) maps.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 – Patch 1.004

Released on 14 February 2001

FEATURE ADDITIONS

  • RA2 now allows you to play “Free for All” in Skirmish mode. Now the AI can attack each other and not just the player.
  • Hotkeys and Interface changes added:

– Right clicking on the mouse centers on the Radar Screen instead of deselecting the player’s units.
– Press the “Spacebar” to cycle through last 8 EVA events. “Space Bar” now also goes to “Ally under Attack” EVA event.
– Players can now place Rally Points on Service Depots.
– The “Q” & “W” keys that select Tab Buttons now grab a completed building for the cursor. Pressing again places that building.
– Press “Ctrl” + “Arrow” keys to jump to the edges of the map.
– Page User is bound to “U”.
– Health Navigation, Veterancy Navigation, and Previous Unit hotkeys are now unbound. They can be rebound in the Keyboard Configuration menu.

  • Observer Mode: RA2 now has an Observer Mode that allows 1 player to watch other player’s games. Particularly useful for Korean television shows and tournaments.

– There is a new checkbox at the top of the bunkers that players can check to observe games. Clicking it will switch the “Join” button to “Observe” and vice versa.
– In the game setup screen, the host can select the bottom slot to be open for observers (assuming he isn’t the observer himself). Players attempting to observe go into this slot.
– The observer can only chat to all players.
– The observer cannot use Beacons or Waypoint Mode.
– The observer is not shown on the score screen.
– The observer is not allowed in Co-Op mode.

  • Dreadnaughts can now break bridges with missiles.
  •  Now players can destroy a unit flying over an Iron Curtained building.
  •  If the player has a Cloning Vat, an Engineer, 2 infantry units, and a Tech Hospital he will no longer get a complimentary unit out of his Cloning Vat for every unit healed.
  • The edges of the Radar Screen are now visible.
  • We’ve enabled the Microsoft Sidewinder Strategic Commander to work properly. We’ve also included the Westwood endorsed configuration.
  • The Desolator will no longer continue to shoot the ground over and over and keep building up radiation.
  • Parts of buildings will no longer disappear on occasion.
  • Structures no longer flash a frame of animation during placement.
  • Fixed the “Place Structure Anywhere” cheat.
  • Super Weapon tab flashes when ready.
  • Crazy Ivan and Tanya bombs now work on all bridges.
  • Fixed a Terror Drone + Unpacking MCV problem that made games never end.

WESTWOOD ONLINE CHANGES OR FEATURE ADDITIONS

  • Quick Match now gives ping of opponent when matching.
  • Zero starting units are allowed.
  • Fixed up the taunts to make sure they play correctly.
  • Paging additions:

– Players can page a buddy from inside a game room, bunkers or game. (/page user name message) Example: /page Yuri Hi.
– Players can reply to last message. (/r message) Example: /r Hi there.
– Players can check to see if another player is online. (/on user name)Example: /on Tanya
– If player is paged and he presses “U” to reply to that sender, the paging screen will default to that sender’s name if U is pressed within 5 seconds.

  • A ping meter is included inside game lobby as a tooltip. There are also graphic indicators (green, red, yellow) next to player names. The ping indicated in the tooltip is between that player and the game host.
  • Lobby Chat only scrolls if player is on bottom chat line.
  • Included an icon table that displays most icons and what they mean in Westwood Online.
  • Fixed “Fetching Server” message pop up problem. Now it happens less.
  • Fixed the loss of keystrokes when typing chat in bunker.
  • Lobby now defaults to the bunker the player left when returning from Buddy List, etc.
  • Click on an existing game to show the name of map in bunker as tooltip. No need to enter a game to find out which map is being played.
  • Chat messages during games no longer display in a choppy and slow manner. Messages written at the end of games will now display properly also.
  • Players are now routed to bunkers with less than 25 people when entering Custom Match.
  • A tooltip has been added that shows a player’s rank, battleclan and battleclan rank when you mouse-over a player’s name. It may take a bit for the server to return the player’s rank.

UNIT BALANCE CHANGES

  • Unit Balance: IFV + Chrono Legionaire now destroys things more slowly.
  • Unit Balance: Tesla Tank will shoot a little slower.
  • Unit Balance: Demo Truck speed reduced.
  • Unit Balance: Demo Truck damage was reduced.
  • Unit Balance: IFV+Tesla Trooper will shoot a little slower.
  • Unit Balance: IFV+Terrorist damage reduced.
  • Unit Balance: Terrorist hit points are increased

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 – Patch 1.003

Released on 22 December 2000

  • For those of you who experienced connectivity problems with 3 and/or 4 player Red Alert 2 games over Westwood Online, we have made some changes that should improve quality of your experience. Thanks for your support and patience.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 – Patch 1.002

Released on 14 November 2000

GENERAL ISSUES

  • Fixed the “Place Structure Anywhere” Paratroopers issue.
  • Fixed an issue with the ConYard. When it was destroyed and you got a new ConYard, your build options did not refresh unless you clicked on the Build Tab to force the refresh.
  • You can now press the ‘#’ key assigned to a created team a second time and it will center the screen around that team. For example, press 1 to select team 1. Pressing 1 a second time will center the screen on that team.
  • Occupying Tech Buildings will now uncover the Shroud at that location.
  • If all of your buildings are destroyed, but you have an undeployed conyard (MCV), and are playing in “Short Game”, the game will no longer end.

SINGLEPLAYER CAMPAIGN ISSUES

  • Modified Auto Save to save EACH mission, rather than saving over the same file every time. The net result is that you will now have several auto-saves (one for each mission.)
  • The game timer during the singleplayer campaign will now pause while you are in the Menu or Pause screens.

MULTIPLAYER GAME ISSUES

  • You now have the option of turning off Asian and/or Non-Asian chat.
  • Fixed the Ping Indicators in the Westwood Online lobbies.
  • Moved the Clan Abbreviations in the Custom Match player Lobby a bit to the left so ranks of 100+ would not get abbreviated.
  • Changed the names of the bunkers in Westwood Online to reflect the gamer’s country of origin. This may help separate the various languages in the lobbies.

Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 – Patch 1.001

Released on 27 October 2000

  • Fix to unlock the buttons when changing lobbies in Westwood Online.

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