"The Incredible IFV" FAQ Version 1.3 ------------------------------------ For Command & Conquer: Red Alert 2 by Westwood Written by Tim Silver (tdog7191@yahoo.com) ------------------------------------------ Introduction: ------------- Hello to everyone out there in Red Alert 2 land! If you're anything like me, you just cannot stop playing this great game. But sometimes you get that surge of energy to do something good for you're fellow gamers and this is the result of that surge. Please excuse me if I accidentally do anything wrong with this FAQ. This is my first FAQ so it may not be the greatest, but please cut me a little slack because everyone has got to start somewhere. OK, time to get down to business. This is a FAQ on the amazing abilities of the Allied IFV (Infantry Fighting Vehicle). It will discuss the different morphing abilities and tactics possible with this great unit. This FAQ is mainly for multiplayer games but I guess it could be possible to use this guide in the solo missions. Getting this FAQ on your site: ------------------------------ If you would like to post this FAQ on your web server you can e-mail me at tdog7191@yahoo.com. I will then take a look at your site and how you run things and then decide if your site is worthy of this FAQ. Let me say this, if your site looks like a bunch of s***, I will assume that you are not worthy of this FAQ and that's it. No questions may be asked. Updates ------- November 11, 2000: I started this FAQ. I finished all of the combinations for the Infantry Fighting Vehicle. I will update as soon as people send me tactics. November 13, 2000: Added a site for this FAQ to be posted on. Added info for getting this FAQ on your site. November 17, 2000: Added some more sites for this FAQ to be posted on. Remember, if your site is not on the list, this FAQ is not on your site. November 21, 2000: Added some sites for this FAQ to be posted on. Added a tip about the Engineer IFV. Realized that the Psi-Commando made the IFV turn into a Machine Gun IFV. Combinations (Ingredients in parenthesis): ------------------------------------------ Rocket IFV (IFV): This is the standard version of the IFV. Not the most amazing piece of work, but in packs they can get the job done. And at only $600 for each IFV, those packs are pretty easy to build. The IFV's strong point lies in its unbelievable ability to take down air units. Plus the IFV is great for shooting down Soviet V3 rockets and Dreadnought missiles. These are always the cheapest and best pieces of equipment for air defense. Place them where the Aircraft Carriers or Dreadnoughts attack from the sea or where the Harriers and Kirovs attack out of nowhere. Don't forget to always have a couple stationed around the base to help the Patriot Missiles shoot down V3 Rockets. Other than air defense, the IFV is almost useless in its regular form, though in packs it can take down lone squads of infantry or straggling tanks. Also, an IFV is one of the best scouting units. It is useful for hit and runs on enemy tech buildings where it can outrun the tanks. It also works for hit & runs on enemy miners. Just make sure to stay out of the range of the war miner, or you can kiss your precious IFVs good-bye. Machine Gun IFV (GI or Conscript or Spy or Tanya or Chrono Commando or Psi- Commando + IFV): This is just like the Ranger from Red Alert 1 for those of you who played it. It is excellent at taking out squads of infantry and for protecting from engineer rushes. It is also very well suited for defending your tech buildings from engineers. The Machine Gun IFV can also destroy lightly armored vehicles, but the Rocket IFV might be a better choice. One again, it can also hit lone tanks in groups, but most likely you'll lose a couple. Engineer IFV (Engineer + IFV) This is a lot like the Mobile Repair Vehicle from Tiberian Sun. It is good for repairing vehicles that are part of a base defense or repairing units in an attack force as long as you can keep it alive. One use for it that is really effective is keeping it near an ore field and using it to repair injured miners. The Engineer IFV is also great for transporting engineers around the map when the Black Hawk Transport won't do. Nospamfake sent me this tip on engineer IFVs: "As you know, you cannot chronoshift infantry without killing them. So throwing 8 engineers into IFVs then shifting those into the heart of an enemy base can be a very evil engineer rush. This works quite well against an opponent who has neglected inner base defense in favor of a strong outer defense. I typically will send 4 legionnaires along with the shifted engineers in IFVs. These are cannon fodder at the worse to let your engineer get in and sell stuff and at best they can freeze/erase some of the defensive structures in the base. Another useful aspect to this is now you have 8 IFVs inside a base. Start hitting the Construction Yard or War Factory and launch an air strike at the same time. Chances are that you will likely take all the capital buildings in a base before your opponent can respond properly. However, if your opponent has left snipers or dogs roaming about the base, this will likely fail to do more than send 8 useless IFVs into the heart of the lion." Chrono Legionnaire IFV (Chrono Legionnaire + IFV) This is my personal favorite IFV. Since in most cases what the IFV does is enhance the infantry's weapon, the Chrono Legionnaire IFV zips around erasing things from time even faster than the normal Legionnaire. There aren't any real strategies to using this weapon. I just like to use about 3 or 4 and attack an enemy's base. Try to concentrate on having them each fire on one unit or structure at a time and try not to attract any more attention. If you do, than your IFVs will become overwhelmed. This will usually wipe out everything. It should also make most of them elites or veterans because that is figured by the unit's value and the IFV's value is very little only now it is a very potentially strong unit. If this move doesn't work, which it very rarely does not wipe out the whole base, than at least all of the enemy units should be dead and all of the defensive structures destroyed (or should I say "erased from time"). Than just move in a force of mixed units and your opponent will perish. Flak Trooper IFV (Flak Trooper + IFV) This unit is essentially Flak Track without the ability to carry five soldiers. It is just like the Machine Gun IFV in its ability to kill infantry but it fires very fast and continuously. Also, it is horrible at destroying tanks and other heavy weapons. If anyone has any tactics that they would like to share about this unit, please feel free to e-mail me (my e-mail address is at the bottom of the FAQ). Tesla Trooper IFV (Tesla Trooper + IFV) This unit is like a Tesla Tank without the armor or power, but it is a nice addition to any task force for a player who is not playing as Russia. It destroys units and structures very easily but it is almost not worth the $600 for something that is just as strong as a Tesla Trooper. For that price you can build two Tesla Troopers. If fact it is probably harder for a tank to kill a Tesla Trooper than it is to destroy an IFV. So take my advice and stick to just plain Tesla Troopers. The IFV version is only good for it's speed and it's ability to not have it's occupant killed by an Attack Dog. The "Nuke" IFV (Crazy Ivan or Cuban Terrorist or Chrono Ivan + IFV) I call this the "Nuke" IFV because it is just like the Demolition Truck for Libya. The blast radius and the overall strength, I think, are a little weaker than the Demo Truck but a terrorist and an IFV equal only $800 compared to $1500 for a Demo Truck. I recommend this unit because it is relatively fast and it can get to its destination before it prematurely detonates. These are good for quickly burning those pesky squads of scouting infantry and temporarily radiating the ground. They can also do considerable damage to structures. The Yuri IFV (Yuri or Yuri Prime + IFV) These units are also very nice for taking out squads of infantry or perhaps undeployed Desolators. Their unique weapon is the mind blowing Yuri attack when you deploy him only the radius is multiplied at least twice. A little plus, the blast also remains in the air until the IFV moves making the ground impassable to infantry (please correct me if this is wrong). The Sniper IFV (Great Britain Sniper + IFV) If you happen to play as Great Britain, this is a must have unit. The range of this unit is probably twice as far as the regular Sniper. This allows you to quickly take out infantry from a very safe range. This unit is a must have for killing Yuris and Desolators. This is also a great defensive unit, killing any infantry before they can even see your base. Great for taking out those pesky Flak Troopers before an air raid or killing those dang GIs or Conscripts before a tank rush. Over all this is a must have unit no matter how you use it. The Desolator IFV (Iraqi Desolator + IFV) This unit is like a Tanya on wheels for the Soviets. It's useful for repelling infantry just like the Sniper IFV. In fact, it is basically the exact same as the Sniper IFV except for it's range. So feel free to use this unit however you like. General IFV Tips: ----------------- 1. Never try to put a Rocketeer into an IFV. It just doesn't work. Don't e- mail me asking why. Instead, e-mail Westwood, they might know. 2. Putting an Attack Dog in an IFV is total worthless. The IFV stays as a Rocket IFV. This may only be good for sneaking your dogs past tanks, but I don't know why you'd even want to do that. (Someone wrote to me and said that putting a Dog in an IFV makes the IFV fire on spies. Would somebody please confirm this?) 3.Remember, your IFV is it's own anti-air defense. If an air raid is coming to dismantle your squad just deploy all the infantry and let the IFVs take care of themselves. 4. IFVs are very fast. Don't forget to take advantage of this ability. It can be very useful for responding to attacks on your units and bases. 5. Remember that most of the different morphs of the IFV are strictly infantry directed, meaning that they do not work well on tanks and structures. Excuses to this would be the Chrono Legionnaire IFV and the "Nuke" IFV (this works on only structures, not tanks). 6. Never overlook the transporting ability of your IFVs. They are very well suited for speeding past defenses and stuff like that. 7. Lastly, your IFV is your friend, take good care of it and it will take good care of you. Closing: -------- That's all for now. Hopefully, there will be more updates to this FAQ. It all depends on if you e-mail me back with new tips and corrections to mistakes that I have made on this FAQ. My e-mail address is: tdog7191@yahoo.com. Thanks: ------- I would like to thank the following: God-for giving me this ability to write My mom-for giving me life Westwood-for giving me Red Alert 2, the best game ever My dad-for discouraging me and finally, JC-for forgiving humankind's sins This FAQ Copyright 2000 Tim Silver Any reproduction of this FAQ for profit purposes or for placement on any other site other than the sites listed below is strictly prohibited and is a violation of copyright laws. If I find this FAQ on any other site I will track you down and force you to destroy it. Also, if anybody reads this FAQ on another site, please e-mail me with the site address. Please note: plagiarism is a mean and cruel thing. Let's say you wrote a FAQ and I illegally posted it on my site, I don't think you would be too happy about it. Neither would I. So please, obey the law and ask permission This FAQ is only to appear on these sites: http://www.gamefaqs.com http://www.geocities.com/ra2universe/ra.html http://www.gameadvice.com http://www.cncgames.com http://www.gamesdomain.com http://www.megagames.com http://www.dlh.net http://home.planetinternet.be/~twuyts http://www.actiontrip.com