Creating a Mission for Rise of the Reds Part 1 blog - RedDeadSmeg

Well, well, well.

Today my missions/campaigns have surpassed a combined total of 4,000 downloads.

So as a thank you, I've decided to give you a sneak peak on what it's like to design and create a single-player mission for the Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour mod Rise of the Reds. Perhaps reading my process can help you create stories for your favourite mods!

Stage 1: Mission Concept

When planning my missions, I always look at two variables:

1: Faction fighting style.

2: The purpose of a unit.

By analysing each faction, I find that there can be at least 3 different weapon styles for overcoming their enemies. If you have played Command and Conquer Generals Zero Hour, you will remember that each faction had 3 specialised Generals that exploited one of the mother faction's tactics. For example: the GLA had a Toxin, Stealth and Demolition General, each with unique units and upgrades. Unfortunately, this is not possible in the current build of Rise of the Reds (Public Build 1.87 v5). The best way I have found for showing a tactic preference for one of the proposed generals, is by editing the command set for the units and structures of the mother faction. This is a part of the edited version of the Russian command set to better suit General Aleksandr's battle preferences:

I have also edited the requirements for certain units and structures to separate the specialised General from their mother fraction even further. For Aleksandr, the Tesla Coil upgrade for the Component Tower is available immediately, whereas the main Russian faction would require the Weapons Bunker/Industrial Plant in order for the Tesla Coil upgrade to be built.

I like to have my missions revolve around the purpose of one or a select group of units. The perfect example of this is from one of my earliest missions: Red Sun.

I love the Solar Reactor. As a defensive player, I am able to spam defences to my hearts content thanks to this structure providing 1,000,000 units of power! Because of this ability, I created Red Sun with the idea that if the Russians could destroy it, all of Central Europe would suffer a massive power outage and be vulnerable to invasion. Something so simple as the purpose of the a unit is a fantastic way to base a story or mission around. It's almost as if half of the story is written for you. You just need to fill in the blanks!

Thanks for reading and keep an eye out for part 2: Map Layout.

RedDeadSmeg