Defense Bureau Suggested revamp- Let it stand as its own Protocols/ Defenses tech tree. Thread - Red Alert 3 Paradox mod for C&C: Red Alert 3

As someone who situationaly rushed Chronospheres in the vanilla game, I do not think that the Defense Bureau as it is currently is strong enough to stand as its own tech tree, and I would like to suggest a way to get it up to that standard.

(In my experience, rushing a Chronosphere only worked in 2v2 due to lower pressure, and was useless against airpower prioritizing opponents. It meant grabbing an Airbase and a Boot Camp and trying to slow the enemy down long enough for the Chronosphere to charge, killing their army with it, and shifting from defensive to offensive to make up for lost time. I mention my experience to show that I know the timing of the Chronosphere.)

To clarify, as-is it is a luxury buy for rich players in the late game. I'd like to see DB rush as a valid alternative between rushing, researching tier 2, or grabbing a third Ore Refinery in the early phase of the game. I propose giving the DB some protocols from the Tier-X line to create a defensive/protocols tech option.

Personally, I think that the Tier-X units are useful enough without multiple powerful protocols tagged on, though my central reason for this is that a strong protocol focus fits a tech tree specializing in defenses and superweapons.

Specifically, I would move Wire-Guided Missile Strike and Goop Strike from the Aeronautics Complex, leaving it with Microwave Burst for getting valuable planes over defenses, and move Shrink Vortex and Clockstop from the Experimental Workshop, leaving it with Chronorift for saving expensive vehicles with clutch moves.

For it to work as a valid first option, it needs a stronger immediate benefit for its 1500 cost along with a Power Plant's worth of energy cost. To accomplish this and keep serious use of Superweapons relevant, the DB would immediately unlock both Superweapons as well as Time Bomb, Clockstop, GOOP Strike, and the ability to research the Generator Upgrade to aid in buying time.

The tech tree would also benefit from a new protocol to help DB rushing Allied players against early air attacks. Specifically, it would compensate for the Allied Superweapons' inability to aid against flying targets, though what exact form it would take isn't clear.(Perhaps a small fleet of non-renewable Lamprey Drones? Whatever it is, it would be unlocked as soon as the DB is built.)

For my suggestion, the Defense Bureau would only have one upgrade, which would unlock Wire Guided Strike and Shrink Vortex, powerful protocols to help players go on the offensive. On the defensive towers side, the DB would immediately unlock the Spectrum Tower and the Singularity Tower, unlocking the Valkyrie Self-Propelled gun and the Grand Collider with the upgrade to allow offensive artillery bombardments and top-notch defensive capability respectively.

This is all a fairly rough suggestion: Centrally, I suggest that the DB be made a true tech tree of its own focusing on protocols and defenses, like conventional and tier-X are paths of their own valid in the early game.

Everything else is just details.

In summary, I suggest that the Defense Bureau be shifted it into a protocols/defenses/superweapons tech tree option competitive with other options in the early game, starting with a defensive/delaying focus and gaining more offensive capabilities once upgraded.

(Posted on the wiki before, but I post it here now so that it can be read in easily without being swamped.)

EDIT- Power Plant Upgrade Concern

As part of this change, I'd support nerfing the Generators upgrade to 150% output from 400%.

With all these changes, the Defense Bureau would be useful enough to not need a power increase of this magnitude: In my opinion, the upgrade should feel like a small discount on defenses via lower power costs, not a massive advantage in power.

To clarify, the $800 Allied Power Plant as listed on the wiki outputs 100 power naturally and the upgrade quadruples this to 400.

In comparison, the $1500 Soviet Super Power Plant starts with 250 power and upgrades to gain 350 and then 500.

With my nerf, the upgraded Allied Power Plant would give a more reasonable 150% output: enough to give a tangible discount on Power without excessive output that competes with an upgraded Super Reactor.

As a side note, a Super Reactor also takes up far more space.

Edited by: Galgus