Command and Conquer Red Alert 2
and Yuri's Revenge Expansion By Westwood Studios
Rules.ini Editing FAQ
Written by: Kenny "Kenshi" Tam
Chimplord@hotmail.com
===============
Version History
===============
Version 1.0
January 2, 2002
Everything.
=================
Table of Contents
=================
I. Introduction
II. Layout of Rules.ini
III. Editing Units
IV. Editing Buildings
V. Editing Weapons
VI. Miscellany
VII. Notes and Credits
===============
I. Introduction
===============
As many people who have played Red Alert Games know, each game contains
a file named "rules.ini" which basically governs how the game works.
Players can edit how units behave and which units are available, as well
as the universal laws of physics within the game.
This FAQ will give some help on how to decrypt the file, although most
of it is quite intuitive. There are many excellent modification packs
out, such as the famous (and brilliant) Deezire.
Do keep in mind that when you edit the file, the entire game is changed,
including the campaigns. You can use the edited rules.ini in a multiplayer
game, but you need to ensure that the other players have the exact same
version of the rules.ini as you do.
To get a hold of this program, you can either extract it (I have no clue
how) or simply download it from any good Red Alert 2 site.
========================
II. Basic Layout of file
========================
The .ini file is basically a giant text file. The file can be divided
into several sections:
i. Universal Laws
ii. Infantry Unit Statistics
iii. Vehicle Unit Statistics
iv. Building Statistics
v. Weapon Statistics
vi. Projectile Statistics
vii. Warhead Statistics
viii. Terrain Objects
ix. Land Characteristics
x. Crate Bonuses
xi. Tiberium Varieties
xii. Mission Control
xiii. Voxel Debris Type
xiv. Special Weapons Types
xv. Global Variable Names
Each section contains may smaller subsections, such as Russian and Allied
Unit divisions. Most of them are pretty self-explanatory.
=============================
III. Section I: Editing Units
=============================
This is the meat of the rules.ini and one of the most commonly edited
features. Here is an example of a unit:
[GHOST]
UIName=Name:GHOST
Name=SEAL
Image=SEAL
Category=Soldier
Prerequisite=Barracks
Primary=MP5
Secondary=Sapper
CanPassiveAquire=yes
NavalTargeting=4
LeadershipRating=8
AlternateArcticArt=yes ; ie SEALA for arctic maps
C4=yes
Assaulter=no ; I clear out UC buildings
CrushSound=InfantrySquish
Crushable=yes
TiberiumProof=yes
Strength=125
Armor=flak
TechLevel=-1
Pip=red
Sight=5
Speed=5
Owner=British,French,Germans,Americans,Alliance
AllowedToStartInMultiplayer=no
Cost=500
Soylent=1000;1500
Points=50
IsSelectableCombatant=yes
VoiceSelect=SealSelect
VoiceMove=SealMove
VoiceAttack=SealAttackCommand
VoiceFeedback=
VoiceSpecialAttack=SealSpecialAttack
DieSound=SealDie
EnterWaterSound=TanyaEntersWater
LeaveWaterSound=TanyaLeavesWater
Locomotor={4A582744-9839-11d1-B709-00A024DDAFD1}
PhysicalSize=1
SpeedType=Amphibious
MovementZone=AmphibiousDestroyer ; I am the only one with this zone,
because it is now tied with being an infantry (part of seal stuck on tree
bug)
ThreatPosed=25 ; This value MUST be 0 for all building addons
SpecialThreatValue=1
ImmuneToVeins=yes
VeteranAbilities=STRONGER,FIREPOWER,ROF,SIGHT,SCATTER,FASTER
EliteAbilities=SELF_HEAL,STRONGER,FIREPOWER,ROF,FASTER
Size=1
DetectDisguise=no
ElitePrimary=MP5E
IFVMode=4
Given is the basic information for the Navy SEALS unit. Most of the
statistics and functions are self-explanatory and detailed in the file
itself.
Enabling Hidden Units
---------------------
However, as you may know, this unit is only available in campaign mode,
in which Tanya replaces it in skirmish or multiplayer modes. As such,
it is easy to enable the SEALs unit.
Refer to the Tag "Techlevel." Notice how it is Level -1, where as other
buildable units are at a positive integer. Change the value to any number
between 1 to 9. This allows the unit to be buildable. Now you need to
define what prerequisite buildings are required to build it.
Suppose you want to make the required buildings the Allied barracks and
Tech-center. Use the find function and copy down the name in brackets,
so that means the barracks is referred to as "[GAPILE]" and Tech center
is called "[GATECH]."
You can do this with many other units. For example you can enable unit
such as the howitzer or even the T-Rex (in expansion set.) However many
of the hidden units do not have an in-game cameo on the build bar. You
will need to edit other files to game a representative cameo.
=================================
IV. Section II: Editing Buildings
=================================
Similar to the units, you can build otherwise unbuildable units, such as
the hospital. Unlike units, there maybe some graphical glitches since
they may not have a building animation. Nonetheless, the Eiffel tower
for example, can be set to "capturable=yes" so it becomes the giant tesla
coil like in the campaign. Or you could have nuclear silos disguised as
a small tent.
However, as a word of caution, the buildings are much more sensitive to
editing, as they dictate how other buildings and units are built and behave.
Be sure to back up your file often.
===============================
V. Section III: Editing Weapons
===============================
This section actually is more open to abuse than editing the units.
Although you could have a 9999 HP Tanya running around, you could also
have a 5 HP Boris rapid firing nuclear missiles from infinite range. As
always, be careful when editing to make sure it is balanced.
Taking the SEALs weapon, the MP5:
[MP5]
Damage=125
ROF=10
Range=18
Projectile=InvisibleLow
Speed=100
Warhead=HollowPoint
Report=SealAttack
AssaultAnim=UCBLOOD;the anim to play when a UC building is cleared
(assaulters need this on their primary weapon)
The main factor for deciding how much damage each weapon does it the Warhead
and damage tag. It is somewhat un-intuitive however that the warhead tag
is the main factor as opposed to "damage" itself. The warhead "hollowPoint"
is used by the sniper, Tanya, and SEAL units, which are the main infantry
killers. As many players know, they are useless against vehicles. This
is due to the warhead property;
; anti-infantry rifle bullet (single shot -- very effective verses
infantry)
[HollowPoint]
Verses=200%,100%,100%,1%,1%,1%,1%,1%,1%,1%,100% ; see note in comments
above about 1%
InfDeath=1
AnimList=PIFF
ProneDamage=100%
Bullets=yes
For expansion on Verses, from the file;
Verses = damage value verses various armor types (as percentage of full
damage)...
-vs- None, Flak, Plate //infantry
Light, Medium, Heavy //units
Wood, Steel, Concrete //buildings
Special_1, Special_2 //
Special_1 is the Shock Trooper's electric armor.
Special_1 is now the Terror Drone's "I'm a unit with infantry
vulnerabilities" armor
5-11 Special_2 is now spawn rockets' armor to keep them from blowing each
other up when shot
It does high damage against infantry but does 1% (meaning it will not
auto-target) against tanks etc. In other words, although it does 125
damage, it is negligible against vehicles.
The weapon for a tank is somewhat different than that of the machine gun.
The Range tag specifies its range in cells. A Range of -2 defines infinite
range, so use your imagination.
The Burst Feature defines how many times to fire per attack. The elite
mammoth cannon fires 4 shots in a single attack. This can be added to
almost any weapon, but keep in mind some units will stop and cannot move
until all bursts are fired.
More to come Later...
=======================
VII. Notes and Credits:
=======================
-Gamefaqs.com for (hopefully) posting this FAQ
-Deezire by ? (email me for credit...I have no idea who it is by!)
-For N.H. Yeah you won't read this and especially on a Game FAQ.
This document Copyright 2002 by Kenny "kenshi" Tam, and may not be
duplicated or reproduced (in part or in full) for profit without the
explicit permission of the author. Chances are it will be rare if anyone
would want to use this crappy FAQ.
This document is supposed to appear on
http://www.gamefaqs.com.
thanks