Epic Update Part 2 news - Rise of the Reds mod for C&C: Generals Zero Hour

Greetings Generals!
We are back with another super exciting showcase of some of the new toys you'll be using in 1.9.

Appearing at first glance to be little more than a lumbering pile of cobbled-together junk, the GLA Pillager is a deceptively advanced vehicle with an array of near-current weapons and survival systems that make it one of the deadliest threats on the modern battlefield.

First reports of “unconventional armoured platforms” leaked out of the combat zones of Africa. After initial blurry images from GLA propaganda videos and anecdotal accounts, confirmation of the existence of a new heavy combat vehicle came with an attack later dubbed the Second Battle of Agadir. The nighttime assault consisted of known GLA combat units, but numerous buildings in the town had been obliterated by a hitherto unknown weapon. Satellite imagery later confirmed a vehicle larger than anything seen previously had participated in the attack, rivaling the size of Russia's Golem tank. Later, several of these vehicles were used in a failed counter-attack by GLA forces in the Moroccan desert, one of which was captured intact for analysis.

Dubbed the “Pillager” by European analysts for the devastation it wrought on multiple settlements, the vehicle was distressing proof of how far GLA engineers had come since the early days of strapping rocket artillery to dune buggies. Entering the vehicle, they were shocked to discover factory-made cannons, likely acquired through capture or corruption, a sophisticated wide-band jamming device and a wholly new and powerful siege weapon, capable of launching an explosive shell with the power to bring down a three-story building in one shot. Peeling back the outer layers of metal plating also revealed a composite, which had been able to shrug off even modern munitions.

Since its debut, the GLA has lifted the veil of secrecy from the weapon, featuring it heavily in propaganda videos and social media posts. The name “Pillager” has become official, lifted directly from media reports that sensationalized it. Despite their intense presence in propaganda, it is believed that no single GLA warlord has the industrial capability to create more than a few at any given time. However, more and more of these vehicles are appearing in the African theatre, suggesting that either the GLA has found a way to streamline production, or has more resources than previously thought.

As with many GLA vehicles, there is little in the way of standardization, but the design seems to have been refined to the point where a semi-regular configuration exists. This consists of a primary tank cannon with a reverse-engineered digital targeting system and autoloader, capable of firing three shells in as many seconds. More prominent however is the hull-mounted 380mm rocket mortar firing special, individually crafted shells. This weapon is frequently referred to as an “Aziz Cannon”, likely named in honor of General Aziz, a Kuwaiti national who acted as an early financier and networker for the GLA’s expansion into the Middle East in the 2010s, who remains enshrined among the movement’s most respected foundational figures for his generosity. Also standard-issue is an electronic warfare suite that has proven to be surprisingly potent against modern communications systems, including most forms of military GPS, and an industrial-grade diamond-tipped drill coupled with dozer blades used for rapid construction of tunnel networks and salvage recovery.

Along with these systems, individual Pillagers sport various modifications. These include customized turrets firing incendiaries, top-mounted rocket artillery taken from attack aircraft, and additional armor reminiscent of ERA or other improvised alternatives. While a Pillager is not a direct match to any super-heavy vehicle fielded by modern militaries, it is nevertheless a powerful and flexible machine that, in the right hands, can function as a devastating assault, area denial, artillery and support platform for the GLA warlord with the prestige and resources to own one.



With the successes of the AQ-360 Hunter-Killer's autonomous artificial intelligence, programs using the internal AI technology were green-lit in an attempt to fill other patrol, surveillance and escort roles in the US military. One such development was the Supportive Transport Integrated Network Robot - Attack (STINR-A), or, as it quickly became known, the Stingray Drone. Built to fly alongside heavy-lift and long-range transports like the V-44 Starlifter, the Stingray was designed to escort cargo transports and engage sudden emergent threats in both high and low altitude operations. The drone platform showed moderate success in this role escorting supply flights through dangerous combat areas. However, once the Stingray started flying support missions with ATLAS units over Africa against the GLA, much like the AQ-360 that preceded it, the Stingray excelled at the close air support role, making the two airframes an inseparable duo.

We hope you enjoyed this latest update, and we can't wait to show you all the other new 1.9 content.We will have some very special content coming your way all this week, including some very special artwork for you all to enjoy.

Oh, and how could we forget, we also have a live stream from Maelstrom's Twitch Channel coming this weekend as well!



Countdown to the stream can be found here.
Links to Mael's Twitch and YouTube as well.

We hope to see you all there!
Thank you for your continued support, and we'll see you all very shortly.
Till next time!